Cape Cod 2015

In mid-September we joined the Latta-Giulianas at their family cottage in Dennis Port on Cape Cod. It's becoming an annual event. It's great to be there after the crowds of summer have departed.

This year the weather and the ocean were still warm enough for swimming and we spent a fair bit of time at the beach a block from the cottage.

The cottage is in a "cottage park" that has a pond and wooded areas. This year, for the first time for our kids at least, the kids disappeared for long periods of time and explored the woods. After they had them mapped out, they took the adults on a tour.

One of the highlights was a dead heron.

We also had our traditional meal at the Dog House.

Fall 2015 Photos

We've had a pretty fun Fall!

Charlotte went to the Topsfield Fair with her friend Madison and jumped really high on the bungee swing things.

Carol and I finally got to see a favorite musician of ours: Melody Gardot. She's American but lives in Europe and rarely tours here. It was a fantastic show: so much talent on that stage and she shared the spotlight generously. We can't wait to see her again. It was a wonderful date night.

Our Seattle friend Britt came to visit for a few days. That's always a treat!

Back in the spring we bought discount passes to a local amusement park: Canobie Lake Park. At the time we planned to use them with our neighbors during the summer but that never happened. We finally used those passes in mid-October. Only New Englanders would go to an amusement park when it is 45 degrees out! We were underdressed (it had been warmer just before), but we still had fun. We'll go back next year when it's warmer.

At the end of October yet more Seattle friends were in town: Paula and Chris were visiting Paula's parents while on their way back to Seattle from a trip to Ireland. We met them at a beautiful place called World's End and then had a seafood dinner with them.

I met Paula when I was a summer camp counselor in 1982. She and Chris are both artists and we have a large painting by Chris hanging in our kitchen and two large drawings by Paula in our living room. It was great to see them and catch up a little. It was also the first time they had met the girls. We hope to see them in Seattle in the summer of 2016.

Then there was Halloween. I didn't even get a photo of Audrey's costume this year. As a sign of getting older, she went trick-or-treating with a friend in a different neighborhood for hours.

I built my usual Halloween electronics project. This year it was a sidewalk piano. I'll have to make a separate post about that.

Summer Snaps

Here are some photos from the latter half of the summer.

We had a visit from my Seattle friend Brady, planned around attending a Red Sox - Mariners game at Fenway Park. The game was a farce - the Mariners were down 19-2 at one point and lost 22-10 - but it is always fun to hang out with Brady and we got to enjoy Fenway. We also got to witness the M's using their backup catcher as a pitcher.

We had several great beach days this summer. One visit we went in the afternoon and stayed until sunset.

We went apple picking at the very beginning of the season. It was a bumper crop this year. Carol made pie.

We have a regular habit now of taking Rhodie for long walks in local woods. We feel very fortunate to have such beautiful, large wooded areas so nearby. If we want to go a longer walk we can make it to a reservoir where Rhodie can swim. She loves water.

Audrey started middle school in September. She entered with a splash of color in her hair. She's been through a few colors now. At the moment it's a subtle red/magenta over her natural color.

Roller Skating

Audrey and I went skating yesterday with some friends. I made a little video.

Look! I'm being creative again!

Nine

Sheesh, it's been a busy couple of months and I've gotten behind again on publishing photos. Here are nine new photo albums all at once.

Photos | Slideshow Audrey Science Fair The Science Fairs at all of the Melrose elementary schools were held at the end of February. Audrey planned her project before we left on vacation since we'd only have a few days to complete it when we got home. She decided to put nails in different liquids and see which liquid caused the nail to rust the fastest. Her hypothesis was that salt water would be the winner. She also tested plain water, vinegar, and canola oil. It turned out plain tap water rusted the nail the fastest! And vinegar didn't rust the submerged part of the nail at all but the vapor above the vinegar caused a cool black lumpy corrosion. I used our new GoPro camera to make a time-lapse movie of the experiment, which ran for about 12 hours. You can see the video here. Audrey won Honorable Mention for her age group. She was very proud and excited!

Photos | Slideshow Ski Bradford Audrey had a taste of skiing two winters ago on a trip organized by my work and then another outing with Carol. Charlotte had no interest at the time. Last winter skiing didn't really exist in New England due to very warm temperatures and very little snow. This year when it started to snow Audrey started asking to go skiing again. Then Charlotte chimed in and said she would like to learn to ski, too. Carol and I both grew up skiing and enjoyed it for decades, but we both wandered away from the sport partly due to cost. Especially since we don't own equipment it costs a small fortune for the four of us to go skiing for a day. Audrey likes it enough that we decided to buy some used equipment for her so that helped a little. The first day we went Charlotte was adamant that she did not want to take a lesson - she wanted Carol to teach her. I was not optimistic about the outcome but went with the flow. Carol did a fantastic job and was incredibly patient. After a couple of hours Charlotte was doing pretty well but still needed physical contact with Carol while skiing. We decided to swap so Carol and Audrey could ski together. I skied one run holding on to Charlotte and the next time I let go of her but stayed very close and gave her encouragement to make turns. One key I found when helping Audrey learn is that a new skier gets frightened in the middle of the turn when they are facing straight downhill. They stop turning, which is exactly the wrong thing to do at that moment because they just pick up speed. I found that if I ski very close to them and keep reminding them to keep turning until the turn is complete they can build confidence quickly and then suddenly they are over the hump. Carol had prepped Charlotte very well and then I was able to get her linking turns and we were in business. That was all on the magic carpet, a type of lift for beginners that is a slow conveyor belt that you step onto. Once Charlotte had gained some confidence with turning she wanted to go to the rope tow. I was worried that she would have a hard time gripping the rope at the right rate and then hanging on but she rocked it the first time! Charlotte decided the rope tow was the best thing ever. Audrey, meanwhile, has become a speed demon. We had to have a talk about skiing in control. That girl is pretty fearless. We bought Charlotte some used gear. We'll acquire some for Carol and myself so that next year we can ski a few more times without going broke.

Photos | Slideshow New England Aquarium Boston has a pretty good aquarium. We've only been a few times but the girls always love it. We can get discount passes through the public library so we take advantage of those when we can. We visited a few weeks ago and saw lots of jellyfish, petted rays, and learned that piranhas don't eat cows or people. Then we had lunch like tourists in Quincy Market. They are in the process of installing a cool carousel on the greenway (the park on top of the Big Dig) between Quincy Market and the aquarium. Instead of horses it has custom-designed New England sea creatures: lobster, clams, cod, etc. I can't wait to visit it when it opens.

Photos | Slideshow February/March Shots Lots of fun photos. The topics are too varied to summarize here. See the photo captions.

Photos | Slideshow 2013 Ice Show Audrey has been taking figure skating classes non-stop since November 2011. The "main" session is from November-March, and in March the woman who runs the program produces a large ice show as a recital. Audrey was very excited to perform and worked hard to learn her routine. We all loved her costume. Unfortunately, Audrey broke her arm two days before the performance. She probably could have performed but her routine included several parts where the skaters hold hands or link arms. Audrey was concerned that something would happen that would hurt and she would disrupt the routine for the other skaters, so she opted not to participate. She didn't even want to attend because watching the routine would make her sad. Poor thing. Oh well, there's always next year. The photos are from the dress rehearsal the week before the performance.

Photos | Slideshow Squishy Circuits Goes Pro A few months ago the Cambridge Science Festival was seeking participants. I signed up the family to present Squishy Circuits, our favorite science activity to share with the world. I decided to step it up a little and have a real banner printed. My friend and former colleague, graphic designer Marita Graube of Pixel Theory, kindly donated her talents and turned my badly sketched idea into a thing of beauty. I also used Marita's design to make t-shirts for the "staff". Thank you, Marita! The festival went very well and we probably taught between 100 and 200 kids how to make simple circuits. It's a really fun activity to present, because every single time a kid makes a circuit that lights up an LED the kid's eyes light up just as much. Jack, a student from the high school robotics team I mentor, volunteered to join us and did a great job.

Photos | Slideshow Bill/Sara Visit Bill is one of those friends who even though we might not see or talk to each other for lengthy periods, when we do we just pick up where we left off. I contacted him a few weeks ago to see if he would like us to come for a visit in Hoboken. It turned out they were planning to come to Boston the following week. So Bill and Sara and kids Cole (10) and Tatum (8) came and stayed the night with us. On Sunday we ventured into Boston to visit the girls' favorite playground on the Esplanade. The kids had a blast. They enjoyed the playground itself, but then they started playing near the water. They found a small plank and decorated it with leaves and rocks and whatever else they could find and then launched their vessel into the lagoon. I kept wanting to guide them and caution them not to fall in but managed to keep my mouth shut. It reminded me of all the time I spent as a kid doing the same thing: playing with stuff in ponds and streams. After they had played at the playground and near the water for a long time, we walked over to the Public Garden and rode the Swan Boats. We hope to visit Bill and family in Hoboken in a few weeks.

Photos | Slideshow April Foolin' Another miscellaneous collection of photos. Enjoy!

Photos | Slideshow Breakheart Reservation Breakheart Reservation is a large piece of state forest land very near to home. It's a beautiful place; I'm not sure why we don't go there more often. It even has a swimming beach with lifeguards that you have to hike into. On the day of the Great Boston Manhunt I wanted to get the girls out of the house and get myself away from the TV. So we headed out for errands and then a hike at Breakheart. We visited the beach for the first time and the girls loved climbing up in the lifeguard chairs. It was the first warm day of spring at 72 degrees. I must admit it felt weird to have warm air on our skin, but the girls thought they were being tortured having to walk for an hour in the woods. They survived somehow.

Phew! All caught up with photos. For the moment.

Neighborhood Camping Trip

Neighborhood Camping Trip

Last October we joined our next door neighbors for a weekend of camping at Pawtuckaway State Park in New Hampshire. We had such a great time and enjoyed being there in the fall so much that we decided to go again this fall - and to invite a bunch of other neighbors. Six families total were able to join us.

We had sites right on the lake and the water was still warm enough for swimming. The Burtnetts brought a kayak. There were a gaggle of kids who know and like each other. We felt safe letting Audrey wander with the older kids and at one point she went off on a frog hunt with Parker and Ned for a couple of hours.

Both nights had clear skies and we took the girls to the big parking lot by the swimming area to stargaze. We used the awesome phone app Star Walk to identify stars and constellations. I think it was the first time the girls have seen the Milky Way clearly.

On Saturday evening I built a cooking fire and all the families ended up assembling at our campsite for a big semi-impromptu potluck dinner. It was most enjoyable.

Everyone is excited to do it again next September.

Summer Pics

Summer Pics

We returned from our annual Seattle vacation on July 21. The girls started school on August 28. During those five weeks we of course tried to pack in as much fun as we could. Here are some highlights:

Charlotte has a new pink bedroom. Just before heading to Seattle we finished the wallpaper removal in two bedrooms and repainting of three. Once we returned home Carol put some finishing touches on Charlotte's new room. We thought she might have a hard time adjusting to sleeping alone in her room but she took to it immediately. It's also now Tessa's favorite place to nap.

At the end of July we returned to Cider Hill Farm to pick blueberries and raspberries and eat cider donuts. The girls also love to feed the chickens. We hadn't noticed before, but the chickens have a passage that allows them to access a very large pasture that is entirely protected by mesh.

In early August we had a visit from Seattle friends Jeannie, Kelan and Lauren. Kelan was Audrey's classmate at co-op preschool in Seattle and Lauren was Charlotte's classmate. Carol and the girls showed them the town and also took them to the Rockery.

Audrey has become pretty serious about figure skating and has been taking lessons continuously since last November. It's a great sport to do in the summer in Boston because you get to spend an hour in a nicely chilled rink once a week!

In mid-August it was Audrey's schoolmate Sophia's birthday. Her birthday is always celebrated with a big party at her house and then everyone convoys to Revere to attend Circus Smirkus. This is the third time we've seen it and it was as charming as ever.

The next weekend we went on an outing to the Bunker Hill Monument. We climbed it last year and now we always point it out when we drive on the freeway to Boston so the girls were excited to return. We enjoyed a lovely picnic (Carol is a master of picnic arts) on the lawn at the base of the monument. Then we went to the Boston Children's Museum for a couple of hours followed by ice cream. Much fun.

At the end of August we were invited by our neighbor friends to join them at their family's cottage on Cape Cod. The weather was great and we had hours of fun playing and swimming in the ocean. There was also lots of bike riding. We failed to play mini golf but we survived. We did eat plenty of ice cream.

Although we had beach time while on the Cape, we hadn't had a whole dedicated beach day all summer long. So on Saturday of Labor Day weekend we got up early and headed to Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester. We arrived just before 10:00 am and we were almost the last vehicle to get in before the lot was full and closed. We stayed until dinner time and had a blast. Audrey did some serious boogie boarding.

Seattle Vacation

Seattle Vacation | Video

We made our annual visit to the Pacific Northwest from July 6-21.

We started with a couple of days at my sister Tricia's house in Puyallup. The girls love to visit the chickens and the horses. They made a daisy chain crown for one of the horses and collected eggs. We also had a homemade pizza feast using the pizza oven that Frank built last summer.

On Sunday we stopped at Carol's bother Bob's in Seattle for brunch. Torii served us a delicious Niçoise salad and Audrey and Charlotte got to play with cousin Alex, whom they love. Then we headed over the mountains to Richland.

Carol and I really enjoy that drive. The Cascades mountains are "home" for me so I always love being in them. We love the climate change evident in the flora, the panoramic views along the Columbia River and the desert landscapes as we approach Richland.

Our Richland visits are always relaxing. I haven't been there since we moved to Boston because I have focused on Seattle during our summer visits, but I really missed hanging out at the Guettlers'! We got to watch the Tour de France every day, go boating on the river, go to the city pool (sometimes twice a day) and enjoy Mary's delicious cooking. And Carol got to play cards with her parents for hours every night. (I'm anti-social. I read. But they don't mind.).

Coincidentally, Carol's Uncle Marty died shortly before our visit and the funeral was held in Yakima during our visit. It was the first funeral for the girls, and we met some of Carol's extended family.

Back in Seattle we hosted our annual picnic at Volunteer Park. About 30 people showed up and we enjoyed reconnecting with Seattle friends. The weather cooperated nicely.

The girls had sleepovers at Aunt Betsy's and at Aunt Tricia's and shopping outings with Grandma Kay. We visited the zoo with old preschool friends and then we visited the old preschool playground. We had a lovely evening at Alki, eating with my parents and Torii and Alex and Jade at Pegasus Pizza (our old hangout) and then Bob joined us and we visited Whale Tail Park. Carol had a sleepover, too, on Vashon Island with her dear friend Gregory.

During one kids transfer Carol and I were in Federal Way and visited the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection at the Weyerhauser headquarters. I have wanted to visit it for years but never got off the freeway to do it. It was fascinating! I didn't realize how some bonsai trees are "started" - by finding a very old (typically gnarled) tree in nature, removing much of it to achieve the desired base form and then grafting on a different species to get the correct leaf scale, for example. Some of the trees we saw were started as bonsai more than 100 years ago.

I had hoped to take the girls for a hike in the Cascades during our visit but the schedule didn't work out. While searching for potential hikes during the trip planning I came across Twin Falls near North Bend. I had never heard of it. One day I had some time to myself and decided to check it out. I recommend it! It's relatively short and has just enough elevation gain to make it a real hike, and it "ends" at a bridge over a pretty series of waterfalls. (It doesn't really end there, it continues up the slope to join the Iron Horse Trail).

Just before we arrived in Seattle, two groups of Seattle friends posted photos of themselves at iFly Indoor Skydiving. Audrey really wanted to go. We had a little room in the vacation budget so we made a reservation for our last day in Seattle. It was really a blast. Charlotte backed out at the last minute, so Audrey got two double-long turns in the wind tunnel. She did very well. We had a fantastic instructor. At the end of Audrey's time he grabbed her and flew her all the way to the top of the tunnel about 40' up! She loved it!

After that we went to the waterfront with Aunt Betsy and rode Seattle's newest attraction: the Great Wheel. It's a big ferris wheel with enclosed cars that seat six people each. We lucked into riding it exactly at sunset. Gorgeous.

We made one more stop after that, to visit the Fremont Troll who lives under the Aurora Bridge. It was a fitting farewell to Seattle.

We had a fantastic trip. The weather was beautiful the whole time and we loved reconnecting with family and friends.

Don't forget that we have a newly renovated guest room in Boston and we welcome visitors!

Click here for video.

The Winter That Wasn't

Bedtime Photo Shoot

Plum Island

Pinocchio Marionette Show

The Winter that Wasn't

I'm catching up this weekend; I haven't posted since Christmas. Each of the thumbnail photos to the left will take you to a different photo album.

My photo collection was getting way too large - it exceeded 15,000 photos. Over the past few weeks I've spent many hours culling it and have it down to 8,000. I've realized I need to change my photo editing habits. Up to now I have deleted the obviously bad photos, put the obviously good ones into albums and posted them here, and done nothing with the rest. Over the long run that doesn't work. So now I'll include a few more photos than in the past in albums and delete anything that doesn't make that cut. Bottom line: you're going to see slightly more photos here (but with the same frequency of posts).

Bedtime Photo Shoot

It's been a long habit for the girls to wear Carol's nightgowns for dress up. Once in a while they adopt one and they start sleeping in it. Charlotte has done that with a black nightgown recently. On her it looks like an evening gown. One night I thought it looked so elegant that I asked to take a picture. That turned into a fashion shoot. Audrey happened to be wearing all black that day and she got in on the act with some dramatic poses of her own. She looks like a beatnik doing interpretive jazz dance.

Then, of course, they got goofy.

Plum Island

Plum Island is a barrier island less than an hour from home and includes the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. I've been meaning to visit it since we moved here and we finally made it on one of our unseasonably warm January weekends. What finally got us there was news of an unusual snowy owl irruption this year, as well as information that many had been sighted at the Parker River Refuge.

Carol had one snowy owl pointed out to her but it was far away and it just looked like a rock to her. The rest of us didn't see any owls. But the refuge is spectacularly beautiful and we had a wonderful time exploring it. We'll definitely go back in other seasons.

We brought the "big" SLR camera with us - we haven't used it in a long time because our iphones are so much more convenient. We should take it more often because the pictures are much higher quality.

We got ice cream on the way home.

National Marionette Theater

The weekly family activity email that I receive led us last year to attend the National Marionette Theater's performance of Sleeping Beauty. We loved it and I put it on my calendar to check for this year's event. This year's performance was Pinocchio and was equally good. After the show the audience is welcome to come and take a close look at the set and the marionettes. The company consists of a father and two sons and they are wonderful with kids. At the very end, Audrey even had Pinocchio sit on her shoulder! We'll be back again next year.

The Winter That Wasn't

This album is a catchall.

So far this winter we have only received 7.8 inches of snow. The average by this time of the season is about 30 inches, and last year we had more than 70 inches by now. We've also had the second warmest November and December on record. I'm not sure about January but it was pretty warm, too. So we've spent a lot of time outdoors on the weekends and have been loving it.

It took a long time for my lungs to clear after my Christmas bout of bronchitis, so I didn't ride my bike to work during January even though the roads were clear and the temperatures mild. Two weeks ago I started, though, and have ridden most days since.

When I don't ride I take the commuter rail for a few stops and then switch to the T (the subway). From the T station, if the weather isn't nasty, I often walk to work through the Back Bay Fens, a piece of Boston's Emerald Necklace. I really like the view of the city across the Fens and I often stop to take a photo.

Last weekend our neighbors the Giuliana-Latta's invited us to join them at a community theater production of "Into the Woods". It is a Stephen Sondheim musical that weaves together several fairy tales. Everyone enjoyed it. At intermission the kids assumed it was over. We had been there an hour, so we parents just went along with it and we left. It was no reflection on the show, which was great, but we figured we'd quit while we were ahead!

If you're not familiar with Carol's hair, it is thick. The thickest I've ever seen. When it's long it has considerable weight and is difficult to tame. Carol has been tiring of it for a while and in late January she finally decided to cut it off. I think it looks fantastic!

Well, there you go. All caught up. Just in time for vacation!

December

December

It's been a busy month.

On the first weekend of the month Audrey attended a LEGO robotics event at Tufts University's Center for Engineering Outreach and Education (CEEO). She had a blast learning how to assemble and program a simple robot. Just before Thanksgiving I volunteered in the fifth grade at Audrey's school using the same LEGO robotics kit. I liked it so much I bought one on eBay. I still need to get a copy of the CEEO software (Robolab) so Audrey can use the same tool she used at the camp. Audrey and I had a nice lunch date before the camp at a diner near Tufts.

The next day we went skating. We'd like to go a lot this winter. The rinks got a late start due to the second warmest November on record but they're now in full swing. We hope to skate at Frog Pond on the Boston Common during the break this week.

Later that week we went to Zoolights at the Stone Zoo a mile from our house. We drive by all the time but this is the first time we've been. It was cool to see our little zoo all lit up for the holidays.

The next weekend we had a very busy Saturday. We had a lot to do since I was leaving the next day for China. We started the day by getting our Christmas tree. We go to the Melrose High School where the band sells trees as a fundraiser. Then Audrey had figure skating class. We squeezed in some tree decorating and then we were off to the Polar Express, the local Christmas Train. After that we went to the neighborhood holiday party across the street.

On the morning of the 11th I departed for Hong Kong. This was the first time since having kids that I had been away for more than a night or two and we knew we'd miss each other. Fortunately I had decent internet access everywhere on my trip and we were able to have video chats once or twice a day the whole time I was gone. That made a huge difference.

The day before my return Charlotte had neighbor Anna for a sleepover. It was the first sleepover for any of our kids. All the kids did great and it was a success.

I returned on the 18th. I had a super tailwind on the return flight so I made an earlier connection in Toronto and got home four hours early. That was a treat. Both girls ran to me in the airport and jumped into my arms. Then we went out to dinner to celebrate.

Delightful Autumn

Delightful Autumn

We have had an absolutely delightful fall. The average temperature for November is running about 5 degrees above average, with one day above 70 degrees and many days above 60 and many of those pleasant days on weekends. We've been taking advantage with lots of outdoor activities.

It hasn't all been rosy - we did receive several inches of snow on October 30 and some towns west of us were without power for as long as a week. It was heavy, wet snow and it fell while the trees still had most of their leaves. We only lost a few medium branches in our neighborhood.

We had our friends the Wiessmans over for brunch the day after the snow and we told them to come in their pajamas. Sophia and Mia did but their parents wore regular clothes. After brunch all four girls went out to play in the snow in pajamas, boots and coats and they built several snowmen and forts.

The girls have a couple of activities each at the moment. Charlotte is taking gymnastics at the Y and Audrey is taking figure skating lessons at a rink in nearby Medford. Charlotte is getting good at cartwheels and handstands and is getting close to walking on her hands. Audrey is listening really well to her skating instructors and is learning to skate backwards and make tight turns. We bought skates for Charlotte and Carol, too, and I'll get some. We're going to try to go skating a lot this winter. We have tried but have been stymied so far - the warm weather has prevented a lot of the rinks from opening.

On that 70 degree day the girls didn't have school so Carol took them to Crane Beach. Audrey and Charlotte actually got in the water! Not all the way, though.

We had a weekend outing into the city on the T and revisited out favorite route to the Esplanade and then to the Public Garden and the Common. We stumbled upon a brand new playground on the Esplanade that is very cool. It's not all safe like most modern playgrounds (if you're not up on playground news, there's been a bit of a backlash against too-safe playgrounds). We played there for a long time and then continued on. Both girls love the playground at Frog Pond on the Common so we spent a long while there, too, before making our way back to the T and home.

Once in a while I give Carol a weekend afternoon off by taking the girls on an outing. Last time we went to the Children's Museum and the girls were able to play in the climbing tower as long as they wanted. It was after the time change so it was dark when the museum closed. Charlotte and Audrey always like being out after dark - it's a treat.

Finally last weekend we visited the Ipswich RIver Audubon Sanctuary with our friends who introduced us to it: the Giuliana-Latta's. Audrey and Zack chased each other around the Rockery while Charlotte and Linus fed birds. Then we took our usual walk to the Old Stone Bridge before heading back to the visitor center. On the way home we all had ice cream even though it was almost dinner time. We told the girls we were having dinner backwards.

Today we raked leaves since they are all down from the trees. Time to settle in; winter is almost here.

Fall Camping

Click for photos

Way back when we camped at Wells Point State Park with the Burtnetts (our backyard neighbors) they told us they had a cabin reserved for October 22nd at Pawtuckaway State Park in New Hampshire. We put it on our calendar and went on with life. Last week Carol and I debated whether we still wanted to go because we've been away a lot of weekends lately. But then we reminded ourselves, "Hey, it's the Burtnetts! We always have a great time with them." So on Saturday off we went to New Hampshire.

We didn't leave town until mid-afternoon because Audrey had figure skating class until noon. Pawtuckaway is only about an hour away and we arrived at about 3:00. It's quite a large campground but most of it was closed for the season. There are only 5 cabins and they are off by themselves. The regular campsites that were open were in a different part of the park so overall the park felt very deserted and quiet. The foliage was gorgeous.

We hung out for a bit and Audrey and I went for a little bike ride. The we all decided to go for a walk to the beach and some of the small islands near it. On the way to the beach we played a game catching falling leaves before they hit the ground. Then we arrived at the playground and everyone played on swings and the seesaw and the slides and the climbing wall. Near the beach there was a bridge to a cool little island. The kids used logs as balance beams. The older kids were doing it on a log that stuck out into the lake. Audrey really wanted to do it, too, but it was only about 55 degrees out and walking back to the van in wet clothes would not have been fun. I "persuaded" her not to try it. The younger kids built gnome homes. It was a spectacularly beautiful spot out on a peninsula in the lake with gorgeous fall colors along the shore.

Then it was back to traverse the beach and visit another peninsula and cross another bridge to an island that was equally cool. We scoped out some great campsites to try to reserve for summer.

Sunset was approaching so we headed back to the cabin and started a fire and cooked hot dogs for dinner. The teenage girls built a very cool gnome home in the trees near the cabin. We played many rounds of "guess the animal". Then we roasted marshmallows for s'mores. By then it was getting late and the kids headed to bed. Scott and I sat by the fire for a while and were visited by a raccoon who was not shy.

The temperature got down into the high 30s overnight. We had plenty of clothes and blankets with us so we all managed to stay warm. Except for Carol. But Carol wears a sweatshirt when it is 80 degrees.

In the morning it was chilly but not too bad. We all had a little breakfast and then Carol and Audrey went off for a long bike ride exploring the rest of the campground. We had a little firewood left so we started a fire. I thought the three pieces of wood we had would only last 20 minutes but we managed to milk the fire for more than an hour. Audrey spent a fair bit of time "fire fishing", as she called it: holding a stick in the fire to light the end, putting it out in the ashes, repeating.

In late morning we decided to go for a hike in another part of the park before heading home. We packed up and left the campground. We had to drive about 10 miles out of and around the park to a different entrance. Once back in the park the road turned to dirt and an adventure! Carol was nervous, but it wasn't really that bad. It was maybe a mile to the trailhead.

The hike we had chosen was to a boulder field - a collection of large glacial erratics among rolling hills. The boulders were impressive! The largest ones were probably 30-40' tall. The kids had a blast clambering among them, through caves and passages and onto ledges. Have I mentioned that the fall colors were gorgeous?

The Burtnetts needed to head home and we wanted to continue on the loop trail around the pond so we said our goodbyes. Along the trail we found even more boulders and cliffs and very cool cave that was about 30' long and ended up near the trail again. It was fairly dark going through it - the girls were very brave and very proud when they emerged. When we came to a road I was disoriented but Carol was sure which way to go. That's the opposite of our usual state but a nice change of pace. Sure enough, a few minutes along the road in Carol's direction and we were back at Ruby. A little more than an hour later we were home.

We really had a fantastic time. We've decided to make it an annual trip. In fact, we might try to recruit other neighborhood families and reserve all five cabins next year.

Cape Cod Cottage

Cape Cod Cottage

Back when Carol and I were coaching Audrey's T-ball team there was a boy on the team named Zack. He and Audrey hit it off and it turns out they only live a block away. We started hanging out together. Zack's parents are Dana and Rachel and he has two brothers Linus (3) and Miles (2). They love to come over and play chase in our yard. When I'm not biking and I ride the train to work Dana and I are often on the same train.

They have a beach cottage in Dennisport on Cape Cod that has been in Dana's family since the early 70s. Dana and Rachel invited us to join them there on the weekend after Labor Day. We drove Ruby Tuesday down and camped in their driveway.

The cottage is classic: plywood walls, mixed flooring, big louver windows, outdoor shower and a Gorton's fisherman lamp. It is in a little community with a bunch of other similar cottages along narrow sandy drives. There's a pond on the property and the beach is a block away. Great bike riding for the kids and they took advantage of it.

We of course had to partake in traditional beach activities. We had ice cream at the Sundae School. We played mini-golf at Pirate's Cove. We petted animals and saw a cool live tegu demonstration at Zooquarium. It wasn't warm enough to swim in the ocean, but the kids and I flew a kite on the beach.

After we packed up and closed the cottage on Sunday we all visited the Long Pasture Audubon Sanctuary in Barnstable. It was fantastic. Right off the bat we encountered a bunch of goats running loose eating vegetation. The kids really enjoyed feeding and petting the goats. And naming them. Then we had a lovely picnic on the grass overlooking Cape Cod Bay and went for a walk through the forest to a butterfly meadow. It wasn't butterfly season but the walk and the meadow were pretty.

As our last stop we visited Four Seas Ice Cream in Centerville but we hit it on their last day of business for the season. They weren't serving scoops, they were only selling pints and quarts. So we bought a quart of chocolate and improvised with camping stuff from the van, using a knife and cutting board to slice servings for everyone. We successfully produced five kids with chocolate faces.

It was a really fun weekend.

End of Summer

End of Summer

We've had a great summer! It started with our trip to Audrey's circus camp in northern Vermont in June, then camping on Cape Cod; our fantastic visit to Seattle and Richland; camping with neighbors in Central Massachusetts and several fun day trips and also a nice visit from my parents. We're definitely getting good use of our camper van this year.

Back in August while Hurricane Irene was approaching we headed to the Franklin Park Zoo. Boston has two zoos run by the same organization. The Stone Zoo is about a mile from our house and we go fairly often, but we had never been to the "main" zoo which is south of town. It was fun to see it, but we're spoiled by Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo which is top tier. The Franklin Zoo has a baby gorilla which the girls enjoyed watching.

I figured we had until early afternoon before the first rain bands would arrive. Sure enough, after a couple of hours at the zoo the first bands arrived around 1:00. We got back to our car just before the third band came through and then it started getting torrential. By the time Irene arrived in New England she was only a tropical storm. We didn't get all that much in Boston: maybe a few 45-50mph wind gusts and 3 inches of rain total over three days. It rained nonstop all day on Sunday.

Then school started. Audrey is in second grade now and Charlotte started Kindergarten, both at the Roosevelt School two blocks from home. They are loving it. Although Audrey complained to me that they were teaching math that she already knows how to do, and Charlotte really wants homework and hasn't been assigned any yet.

Over Labor Day weekend we introduced my friend Mark and his wife Gretchen and daughter Ava to the Ipswich River Audubon Sanctuary. They live in Newton west of Boston and were curious to visit a North Shore site. We gave them the grand tour of the Rockery, the Old Stone Bridge and the marsh trail in between. Then we had a fun picnic on the grass at the visitor center. We also visited the Harvard Museum of Natural History which I had wanted to see for some time. They have a Harry Potter-themed scavenger hunt that is very effective at getting kids to 1) visit the whole museum and 2) look closely at exhibits.

Wells State Park

Wells State Park Camping

We went camping with our neighbors the Burtnetts a year ago and had a great time. We really wanted to do it again this summer but schedules didn't line up until August. Last weekend we went together to Wells State Park in the middle of the state in the town of Sturbridge. We chose it because it has a swimming pond and is a relatively small campground. We thought it would have good roads for the kids to ride bikes on. They turned out to be rough dirt roads, but no matter...

On Friday night we went to a small clearing near our campsite to watch the Perseids meteor shower. We could only stand it for about 20 minutes because we were getting eaten by bugs even though we had lots of bug spray on. Most of us saw one big meteor streak across the sky - the best one I've ever seen. Unfortunately Audrey was looking away at that moment and missed it.

Audrey has been very excited to fish lately. Back in June on the way to Cape Cod we bought her a rod and reel and I put some weights on the line but no hook. She casted for hours. In the Wells State Park handout we got at checkin it said there was a ranger-led fishing activity Saturday morning so I called and signed up the whole gang. Audrey really enjoyed it, especially having a real hook and real bait (earthworms). The group caught a couple of sunfish and a yellow perch and neighbor Scott caught a small smallmouth bass, all of which were released.

The fishing activity was at 10:00 am. We spent the rest of the day at the pond beach. The girls and the Burtnett kids swam and swam and swam. They also hooked up with some tween boys who were collecting frogs and other critters. The weather was fantastic.

Back at camp we had dinner and then s'mores, of course.

Sunday morning we awoke to rain, which hadn't been forecast until later in the day. The Burtnetts packed up and headed out. We packed a little more slowly since the camper van is a lot more comfortable than a tent in the rain. But we were still home before noon and had a free afternoon to just relax.

The trip was very fun. If we go back to that campground next year we scoped out the sites that we want - right by the lake and also on a paved loop that will be perfect for bike riding.

A Visit from Britt

Britt Visit

Our dear friend Britt from Seattle was in Boston this week for a travel medicine conference. She finished at noon on Thursday and spent the next two days with us. We gave her the tour of our favorite places.

First she came with us to an open house at Charlotte's preschool. We saw all of the projects the kids have done and read Charlotte's school journal. Then it was off to dinner at Melrose's favorite restaurant: Turner's.

I'd had a stressful week at work so I decided to take Friday off and be a tourist with the family. Audrey played hooky, too.

We first went to the Ipswich River Audubon Sanctuary, or, as our family refers to it, "The Rockery". We did our usual trek to the Rockery itself and then along the paths through the marsh and forest. The place was magical, as usual. There were so many songbirds. Plus we got to see red wing blackbirds flashing their colors and a pair of geese with a half dozen or so goslings. We also fed chickadees from our hands, although they aren't as hungry for human-donated food now that the world has come back to life.

After that we headed to the Crane Estate and the Castle Hill mansion. We had such a wonderful picnic there on May Day we decided to do it again. This time we were virtually the only people there other than caterers getting ready for a wedding. We explored the old rose garden structures and the "ancient ruins". Then it was a short hop to Crane Beach where we broke out the kites and enjoyed the sunshine. We had originally planned to end the trip in Rockport with some taffy, but it was getting late and we decided to head home to our summery dinner of grilled marinated steak tips, potato salad and corn on the cob. Mmm.

On Saturday Britt helped Carol shuttle the girls to ballet classes. Their end of the year demonstration is next weekend, so this weekend Carol practiced getting the girls' hair into buns. They looked beautiful. I'l post photos of the ballerinas next week after the performance.

Audrey had a birthday party to attend in the afternoon so Britt and I headed into Boston to walk the Freedom Trail by ourselves. I had never done it. We were able to walk all but the Charlestown portion of it. I enjoyed it because it allowed me to glue a bunch of pieces of my mental Boston map together in more organized way. Of course it was also great to hang out with my old buddy: back in 1998/99 when we were both single Britt and I used to hang out together a lot (before I met Carol and then Carol and I fixed Britt up with her husband Ken).

It was wonderful to have a visit from Britt and show her our favorite parts of our new home. Hopefully she can come back with her family sometime. And we'll see them again in a month and half when we are in Seattle.

Kim Comes to Visit

Kim Comes for a Visit

Carol's best friend is Kim, whom she met in Kindergarten in Richland. Kim lives in Fort Collins, Colorado and they are in daily contact over phone and internet. They have been talking for a while about how and when they might next see each other. Suddenly, an opportunity arose and on a couple of week's notice Kim arrived in Boston for a five day visit.

Carol tried to pack in the Boston experience for Kim while she was here. They walked most of the Freedom Trail and visited Salem. We also took Kim to our favorite local place, Mother's Pizza.

On Friday, my parents arrived and on Saturday they stole our children and took them to the Cape. So Carol, Kim and I headed up the North Shore to Marblehead. Marblehead is one of the most well-preserved historic seaports. The port area is packed with buildings dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries.

After Marblehead we headed to Rockport, another gorgeous and somewhat well-preserved New England fishing port. We wandered around town for a bit and then headed out to the edge of town to The Lobster Pool restaurant for some boiled lobster.

Kim and Carol had a great visit and of course it came to an end too quickly. But Kim swears she's bringing the whole family back for a visit sometime soon.

Seattle Vacation 2010

Seattle Vacation July 2010

The hardest part of making the decision to transfer to Boston was moving away from family and friends. So one of the things we committed to as mitigation was for Carol and the girls to spend a month in Seattle in the summer. This year that was the month of July. We all flew to Seattle on June 29. I returned to Boston (and work) on July 13, but Carol and the girls remained in the west until July 28.

I was worried that people would be busy and we wouldn't end up seeing very much of friends. But that was completely wrong. We had play dates almost every day with former preschool mates of Audrey and Charlotte. Plus we saw many of our old circle of Seattle friends. We hosted a party at Gas Works Park on a Sunday and about 50 people showed up. It was great to reconnect with them.

We also have good friends who have lived in Ecuador and Indonesia for years. They happened to be in Seattle for visits that overlapped with ours, so it was great to see Kathy & Mark and Jeremy. Kathy and Mark were in the process of moving from teaching jobs in Ecuador to new teaching jobs in Myanmar.

Audrey and Charlotte got plenty of time with grandparents and with aunts and uncles.

While in Seattle Audrey and Charlotte had a couple of sleepovers at my parents condo, and also several evenings of babysitting so Carol and I could have date nights.

After dropping me off at the airport for my return home Carol and the girls drove to Richland to spend a week with Carol's parents at their house a block off the Columbia River. Just about every day they took Grandpa's boat to "Car Beach" across the river to build sand castles and just hang out. They had a fantastic week at the Guettler house.

We also got to visit some of our favorite haunts in Seattle like Dick's Drive-in and Pegasus Pizza at Alki. We drove by our old house which hasn't changed a bit.

We were fortunate to miss the hottest weather of Boston's summer (so far). It became quite pleasant a day after the girls returned. We're in the middle of our second spell of pleasant temps and no humidity. The sticky weather will return, but it sure is nice while it's gone.

Autumn Visitors and Foliage

Grandma Mary and Grandpa Dennis

Carol's parents Dennis and Mary were our guests for the second half of October. As always, it was wonderful to have them with us. Charlotte spent the first whole day glued to Grandma's lap.

We did some fun sightseeing together. We took the T into town and then the T ferry across the harbor to Charlestown to visit the USS Constitution Museum. Carol also took them to walk part of the Freedom Trail and back up to Russell Orchards to buy pumpkins.

Dennis and Mary borrowed our car for a couple of days and drove to Provincetown at the end of Cape Cod. While on the Cape they also visited Plimoth Plantation. The fall colors were almost at their peak when Dennis and Mary left so they got to see that, too.

We were sad to see them leave. We look forward to seeing all of the grandparents again when we visit them in February.

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Fall Color

Speaking of fall colors: they were quite beautiful this year. The amount of color depends on weather conditions throughout the spring and summer - how much water they get and when, plus the temperature range the trees experience. This year the recipe was just right. Then once the color appears ill-timed wind or hard rain can strip the trees before we can enjoy the colors.

I finally took some photos on the way to work one day this week. And Carol took a few around the house as well. The downside of deciduous trees that turn colors? The leaves fall off and must be raked. And raked. And raked.

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A Very Pleasant Autumn

That raking has a benefit of it's own: it produces a very large pile of leaves that's perfect for jumping into. Audrey and Charlotte loved it. And the neighbors kids Anna and Parker came over and joined in the fun.

We've had plenty of other fall fun, too. The girls went to a big Halloween party at Audrey's school a week ago. On Halloween itself we had dinner at the neighbors' and then all the kids and the moms went Trick or Treating while the dads handed out candy at their respective houses. We got a lot of kids! Our retired neighbor Victor was telling me today that when their kids (now in their 20s) were young the neighborhood was full of kids, but they all grew up and moved away. He's enjoying the fact that many families with kids have moved in again. So are we.

I've been meaning to mention Tessa, the female tabby we brought home from the shelter in August. She is the perfect cat. We are really in love with her. In case you missed it, I posted a video of her playing fetch with Carol.

Yesterday we visited the Museum of Science for Harry Potter: The Exhibition. The girls have never seen the movies (and won't for several years, probably), but they like wizards. They really liked the exhibit. We also saw the "lightning show" in the Electric Theater and spent a bunch of time in the Discovery Center. We barely touched the main museum, but we bought a membership so we can go whenever we want now. It's a fantastic museum.

New York Weekend - Video

Go to video

Here's the video from our recent weekend in New York visiting my friend Brady.