He's Extra Crispy!

Coco saves a run for the Sox!

Coco Crisp sprinted into the gap, soared through the air and slammed to the ground - the ball and Boston's winning streak safely in his grasp. This capped off a great night for our new centerfielder, which included a perfect bunt followed by a cool steal.

"I didn't think I was going to get there," Crisp said. "I took a leap of faith and, because I was running so fast, I was able to hang in the air."


Alex Gonzalez tags Julio Franco, trying, unsuccessfully, to steal second.

We're really liking the newbies, including quiet shortstop Alex Gonzalez, a great defense man who also came up with two homers in back-to-back games.

You know who's also hot right now ... the Seattle Mariners are just two games behind Oakland!

Vacationland, visiting Ogunquit, Maine

Roger aboard the Finestkind Cocktail Cruise

A weekend in Ogunquit, Maine ... another spur-of-the-moment idea from Roger. (Maybe these aren't as rare we thought.) The small beachtown was only two hours away from home, closer than Freeport. It's not as flashy as nearby Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, and that's exactly what we liked about it!


Lobster boats docked in Perkins Cove

Driving in, we had that feeling like we were back in the 1920s, when families piled everyone in their cars to splurge on a day at the beach. The sun was a welcome relief to us, after weeks of gray, humid days in Vermont, with rainstorms on and off.


Genevieve on the Marginal Way, the Atlantic behind her

We parked the car and picked up the handy Trolley down to Perkins Cove, where we had lunch of fresh lobster rolls at the Lobster Shack, browsed through sea glass jewelry stores, and bought tickets to a cocktail cruise for later that evening.

Forgoing the trolley, we walked back to our bed & breakfast via the Marginal Way, a lovely stretch of seacoast peppered with benches so you can sit, look out into the sea, and "contemplate something beautiful".


Roger found a great place, Terrace by the Sea, so close to Norseman's Resort on Ogunquit Beach. We could see the beach front from our room.

We took the trolley again to Perkins Cove in the evening and caught the cocktail cruise, which took us around the rocky south coast of Perkins Cove, to York and Bald Head Cliff and Rose Cove (where we could see The Cliff House), and back up to Ogunquit Beach.

We loved being so close to the beach ... we definitely would like to move someplace near water. Armed with some Alice Munro and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, we got to take in some sun and take a dip in the (freezing!) ocean. (Note to self: beware of schools of krill!) We went to the beach on Saturday, right before the cruise, and for a longer period on Sunday afternoon, before heading home.


Roger and Genevieve as we pull back into Perkins Cove

We'll have to come back again soon. I think I enjoyed Ogunquit even more than Portsmouth!

Our first walk-off

David Ortiz at bat, as seen from our bleacher seats

Yes, we've seen them on TV, during the 2004 playoffs and throughout last year, and we rooted and cheered loudly then. But on June 10, during the first game of a double-header (a make-up of a make-up game), we saw one live!

(Roger can recite the scenario from memory.)

Red Sox, down by two against the visiting Rangers, were down to their last out in the bottom of the ninth. David "Big Papi" Ortiz up to bat. Two on, two out. David gets up to two strikes and two balls. He fouls off another a pitch and then ...


DEEP TO RIGHT, IT'S A THREE-RUN HOME RUN! And the Sox win the game! And the sounds of "Dirty Water" never sounded so sweet.

Rafa

This year, the color is blue!

Defending French Open champion Rafael Nadal plays his semifinal match today at Roland Garros. Roger Federer awaits the winner for the final.