She's happy to be here, she's happy to be anywhere

So it begins on a thunderclapped hard rain August night at one of the many family compounds, the McAlevey Camp on Hall Road overlooking Bonney Eagle Lake in Buxton, Maine. Beautiful little Devon asleep in her Winnie-the-Pooh bassinet that T-Pop (AkA Leadfoot Roger, my father) and Nut-Nut (my mother Patty) purchased so we'd always be ready to come here anytime.

Suzanna (Mommy) hard at work on her laptop, earning some money for the pack so we move around the various Northeast family compounds at our free will, with Glory zonked out on makeshift dog bed, resting after two walks thru the forest, several impromptu swims & a long barking session aimed at a rock. Daddy drinking a Heineken & making a blog. Cross that off the never-ending list.

Devon is six months old at the start of this thing so we'll have fun F-ing with the timeline of her life. We'll start now, on this eve of dead Elvis' 30th anniversary, and move in & out of time with plenty of flashbacks from the first six months.

Today, before the storm, Devon napped on my chest as I lay spellbound reading The Kite Runner, and when she awoke she popped her head up and looked straight into mine eyes, gave me a slight half asleep smile, then slammed her head back down on my chest and stayed there for a bit, giving herself time to fully wake up and letting me dry my eyes at how unbelievable these moments are every day.

Later we cruised down to the arts district in Portland and went gallery hopping. Although she preferred the passing cars on Congress Street to the art, she actually had favourites inside the galleries. She went crazy for Matthew Mahler's work at the new Four Walls Gallery (http://www.fourwallsgallery.com/artists/matthew/matthew6.htm), kicking and waving her arms everytime we would stand in front of another of his colorful canvases. I really dug Michael Medel's silver landscapes, reminding me of the wildreness of my dreams.

Tomorrow we head to Pemaquid to another family cottage by the sea to hang with Suzanna's parents but not without first introducing to the most sacred of American tradition: shopping. We're pitstopping in dog friendly Freeport. On the road again.