A month or so before we returned to the US, we learned that our friends Mike and Eliza were looking for someone to take care of their cat while they went on vacation. We immediately jumped at the chance, offering to take a two week stint at the end of the July, relieving another couple who had agreed to help for the first half of their month-long absence.

Barely two months after arriving in the States, we hit the road once more, on a swelteringly sticky, AC-less road trip from the Midwest to the relatively cool haven of Maine.

When we rolled up to Eliza and Mike's home, an 1800s farmhouse, we received a hearty welcome from house-sitters numbers one, two and three: Jess, Chris, and their adorable little dog, Speck. In a barking fit of canine hullabaloo, we also met Beatrice, a dorky fluffy punk-goat-muppet-dog that belongs to one of the neighbors.

After Jess and Chris gave us the lay of the land, they left us to our charge, "Kitten" for the rest of the month.

Eliza made a fantastic diagram so we'd know where things in the kitchen were…

…and we've been making ourselves at home ever since.

We've spent plenty of time working…

…and playing with Kitten, a total spaz who, surprisingly, turned out to be quite a patient model.

We've poked around Eliza's studio, home to her print-making company, Morris Essex…

…and we've ventured out to explore the area nearly every day after work, canvassing nearby country roads for rivers and swimming holes to keep cool in.

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So far, summer in Maine is winning our hearts—the weather here is so inviting compared to Minnesota! The temperatures and humidity have consistently been well below the unholy conditions we've grown accustomed to in the Midwest. Perhaps best of all, even when it is unseasonably hot, things actually cool off after sunset (so much so that we've enjoyed sleeping in the tent under the stars with regularity).