We've got some catching up to do...

First of all I would like to share that I had a fabulous weekend when my younger son surprised me with a weekend visit! He'd been in Boston for the week on business and asked if he could stay the weekend with me. What a sight for sore eyes, he was! 

The day I was to pick him up was the same day my employer had granted me the afternoon off to take care of business - car license, driver's license, car inspection, EZ-Pass application. The day was a typical Paula day....I left work at about 1:30 but had to go home to get my passport as ID to get my license. Knowing that I would be headed up to Cambridge after that, I took a little longer to let Lily out.

I went to the York Town Hall to apply for plates. The clerk asked me for my insurance and WA registration  information so she could produce a Maine registration form. Then she asked questions about my car as she sat with an adding machine. What year is it? 2009 -- ka-ching. What brand of car? Subaru Forrester. Ka-ching. What model? LL Bean. Ka-ching. (at which point she inserted a good for me having an LL Bean on the west coast). Did it have a power driver's seat? Yes. Ka-ching.  Did it have leather seats? Ka-ching.  Many tallys later, my Maine plates cost me $460 plus another $40 for the title !!!!! In an attempt to make me feel better, the clrk showed me how my costs will drop about $75 each year after until 6 years when the amount will be stable. You see, they charge excise tax here....based on the value of the car.

Off to Kennebunk, north I went -- to get my driver's license. I had to have the new registration and proof of insurance, my old license and my passport to apply for a driver's license. This time, I made sure they would be open before leaving. As I arrived, their computers went down. I was experiencing a Paula moment. I told the clerk I was not leaving until they came back up and I was in the system and licensed. I explained that I'd been allowed to leave work and would not be able to do that again, not when I'd had to drive so far. An hour passed. I registered to vote while I was there. Thirty more minutes and it was back up, my old license was stamped "VOID" with a special stamp that poked pinholes in the shape of this word on it. $35, Vision test and new picture. I was issued my temporary license.

From there, I was told to immediately go and get the car "inspected." The closest location was north in Biddeford. An inspection in Maine, which is required annually, costs $12.50 . Now, this is not just an emissions test. They test EVERYTHING, just like at an auto dealer, and all of it is pass/fail. They slap a big sticker on the front of your car window that will be changed out each year.

Next stop was to get an EZ Pass. This nifty little device is put onto your windshield. It registers an electronic signal through the toll stations so you don't have to worry about having cash. It must be preloaded with a credit card deposit, and when it gets down to a set point, it auto refills with whatever amount you designate. I'd seen an EZ Pass station over in Portsmouth and thought I could just go there...No, of course not. That's a New Hampshire pass, not Maine. Since I am a registered driver in Maine, I must have a Maine EZ Pass to take advantage of Interstate discounts. If I were to get a New Hampshire one, I would be charged with out of state tolls every time. So, off I go again. You guessed it -- north to Portland, the only place you can get a Maine pass. Each time I was directed to go north today, it was always preceded with the comments "It's only about 15 minutes narth of heah."

With difficulty, I find the place, pay my fees and then am instructed it will be mailed to me in about two weeks. I am to stick it on myself and it will have directions about distance from the top of the window. It has a very narrow band that it can be read in, so I am forewarned not to mess it up. I am now officially a Main-o-nite. Maine plates, Maine license, Maine insurance, Maine toll pass.

Realizing that I am now all the way in Portland,  stop by Whole Foods for exactly 15 minutes to get some bakery and frozen items. By now it is 6pm and I am almost two hours away from Cambridge having gone so far north.

Josh and I eventually caught up. Boston had had large amounts of snow, including a "snow emergency and restricted parking." After circling the block a couple of times we decide to stay long enough to eat. The only parking lot we can find charges $19/hr. That's right -- $19/first hour. It was a little weird -- you leave your car key so the lot attendants can jockey your car around as they need to get other vehicles out. We had a delicious dinner downtown and stopped at an ATM for my son. It cost us about $22 to get out.

ATMs there are not out in the open. They are in little locked, well lit kiosk buildings. You use a mag stripe card to enter (any card will do) and use the machine. A girl came in as we were leaving and I said hello to her. My son chastised me and said that people in Boston just don't speak to each other, that I'd probably freaked her out. Leave it to me.

Lily blinked when she saw Josh, like maybe her eyes were deceiving her. She could not believe that he was really here and she was all over him.

Josh was a huge help unpacking, building bookcases and moving heavy things for me. I actually have a living space on the main floor -- not just a storage space. He also took down the broken glass before it fell on anyone.

We ventured out to a winter farmer's market in Exeter and had a good time. We went to a place called "The Meat House," which came highly recommended by coworkers. It is an old fashioned butcher shop that specializes in making several kinds of their own marinades and smoked products. We treated ourselves to steak tips in burgundy, sweet BBQ, maine maple marinades and a rib eye in Meat House marinade. Boy, were they good! They were so good that we went back the next night, too.

Sunday, we made it back to Logan airport in good time. However, as I was leaving, my Garmin gave me mis-information and I got lost. I got a nice tour of the Barrio district of Boston. I had to spend some time in  it, too. A big ship came through and I had to sit -- the only white woman for blocks -- until the bridge went back down. 

On the way back, I stopped at PetSmart for some grooming tools and at Trader Joe's for a couple of things. By the time I got back, it was snowing...again.

I didn't realize how much I've missed my family until my son had come and gone. I miss them all more than words can say. Thank you, Josh for making my living quarters more human.