Year: 2011

Vacation Hike #1, Mt Avalon

I took my first morning vacation hike yesterday. I was originally planning to go to Mt Willard, but once I got to the trailhead I decided I was feeling stronger than Willard, and headed for Mt Avalon instead. It was a beautiful morning, and the trail was absolutely empty. The whole trip I only saw two other people, and both of them I saw on my way out when I was five minutes from the parking lot. The view from the top was fantastic, but there were so many flies up there that I couldn't bear to stay very long. Everything from tiny little mayflies, all the way up to great big horseflies. And since I was the only interesting thing up there at the time, every single one of them decided to come over to investigate. Still, a great hike! Headed to Black Cap today, with the fam. Stay tuned for pics!

Storyland, Part 1

On Saturday afternoon, we went to Storyland with Grammy and Grampy. They have a deal where if you buy a ticket after 3PM, they'll give you a pass to come back another day for free. They've got a new ride this year - Splash Battle. We all got thoroughly soaked, but it was good fun. Near closing time, the crowds really thinned out at there were almost no lines for any rides. We rode the polar coaster, and the operator let us ride three times in a row, because there was no one queued up. We're planning to go back to the park later this week.

Walk at Maudslay Park

This past weekend, we all went for a walk at Maudslay State Park. We even took Sadie this time! She hasn't been on a decent walk since Texas, and she was eating it up! While we were there, the kids kept asking about a specific tree that they remembered from our last visit. It's got 5 trunks that all meet a few feet above the ground, and the kids can go right in there like a little secret hideaway.

Stuff on the Shelf

Here are photos of a couple of things I've made recently and forgot to post. From left to right: a weed pot made from some hickory burl that I cut last year, a new piece of origami, and a small vessel made from another chunk of that hickory burl. All three are on display on a shelf in our living room. I really like that I'm starting to display some of the things I've made around the house. I normally give away so much of what I make that I don't keep anything for myself. For example - in high school, I was really into sculpting stone. But even though I made several pieces while I was there, I don't own even one of them - they've all been given away to family and friends. Which still makes me happy, just in a different way.

Lori and Carter

Lori is always very concerned that she isn't in enough of our family photos, as she's usually the one behind the camera. But even though she'd like to be in more, the kids usually don't want to sit still long enough to pose with Mom. It typically turns into an exercise in frustration, because no one will sit still long enough to actually get a nice photo with her, where everyone is smiling. What I like about this photo is that from a distance, it looks like we finally got one. But if you look closely at Carter's eyes, she's looking sideways at the ocean to see what her brother is doing, and she's 2 seconds from bolting back into the waves to join him.

Kung-Fu Carter

Sorry for the graininess of this photo, but I just had to share. I really got a chuckle out of this shot that Lori caught while we were at the beach, waiting for the 4th of July fireworks to start. It looks like Carter is practicing some kung-fu out there! Leaping Dragon Technique, go!

Fireworks at the Beach

On the Fourth of July, we went to Hampton Beach to see the fireworks. It was a pretty warm night, so we let the kids play in the ocean while we waited for the fireworks to start. This was their first visit to the ocean this year, so they couldn't wait to play in those waves!

Ryan’s Birthday

I was looking through the pictures we took at Ryan's birthday party last weekend. Most of them weren't anything special. But for some reason, I really like this one.