Christmas Memories

All was fine on Christmas, from the first moments the kids ran down the stairs until they went to bed after a full day of playing, visiting Grandpa, and eating way too much sugar. Here are Nate and Sean in front of the Christmas tree right before they ripped into the presents. Look out the window and you'll see we had a white Christmas for once!

Grandpa still had a lot of snow on the ground when we visited in the afternoon. Nate really enjoyed the humongous icicles hanging from the eaves of Grandpa's house. Better enjoy them now -- later that evening it got warmer and started to rain. Now the snow is just a distant memory.


Nate played checkers with his uncle. "Somehow" Nate won every game even though he's only played checkers one other time in his entire life. He must be a genius at it or maybe something else was going on?

Santa was very kind to the kids this year and brought them a Wii. Sean is a pretty good player, especially with this sword fighting game. All he has to do is swing back-and-forth and his enemies fall down all over the screen.

Playing in the Snow

Today was the day for big fun. We walked down to the local Middle School where there is a small sledding hill. It was just about the right size for Nate and Sean to enjoy, one at a time or both together on the same toboggan.

Everyone was out in the snow enjoying themselves. The sky turned a bright sunny blue and the temperature made it up to just above freezing. That was a welcome sight after the heavy snow, high wind and brutal temperatures of the day before.

Even Dad got in on the sledding action. The extra weight actually made the toboggans travel faster and farther so he was a popular companion.


This was a pretty typical scene in the neighborhood this morning. The snow came up to about 16 inches and the wind pushed drifts high onto cars, bushes, patio furniture or any other obstacle that happened to get in the way.

Sean spotted some fresh, non-trampled snow in our backyard and went for it. He is standing next to a wrought-iron chair. The snow is higher than the seat, and goes up almost to Sean's waist!

Blizzard!

A huge snowstorm began last night. By morning we had eight inches on the ground, and by evening we had fifteen inches and snow was still falling. Even though the weather was cold, the wind was howling and the snow blanketed everything, the boys wanted to get outside and enjoy the event. We never made it out of the front yard but that was fine. We'll venture around the neighborhood tomorrow when we no longer have to deal with blizzard conditions.

The snow was so deep that it's hard for anyone to walk around, much less someone as small as Sean. The snow plows didn't come for three days the last time we had a big snow like this so Sean is going to need that sled for awhile!

Getting Out of the House

Thanksgiving is over and, after sitting around for two days stuffing ourselves, we had to get out and about. We walked over to some of the local parks. The first one we visited is known by Nate and Sean as "spider web" park because of this interesting climbing object.


Dad even got in on some of the action, climbing to the top along with Nate and Sean. It was kind of crowded up there but nobody minded.


Nate also brought his scooter along. He's gotten really good at zipping around on it, and he showed off so dad could take a picture.


We stopped at another park, too. This one featured an interesting sculpture that doubled as a climbing tower. Nate and Sean played "alien invasion." Notice that Sean is dressed in an army outfit complete with helmet. He's been wearing that almost constantly the last few days.

The adventure concluded at the local chili restaurant. Everyone warmed up before heading back out into the cold for one more park on the walk home.

Boo at the Zoo

Last night we went to "Boo at the Zoo." Lots of different zoos hold a variation on this event and our local zoo is no exception. It's a chance for all the kids to dress up in their costumes the weekend before Halloween, come to the zoo to see the animals at night and collect a few treats. Mom and dad collected a few treats too!

Nate and Sean both chose a Star Wars theme -- no big surprise there -- and they became Clone Troopers for the evening. They were very specific Clone Troopers although I'll be darned if I can remember which ones. Here they wandered through a maze of haunted scarecrows, which weren't actually all that scary and that's just fine.

They weren't too frightened of the skeletons in the Small Mammal House either. Nate wanted to see the nocturnal animals, and the armadillos specifically. It's a bit difficult to get to Boo at the Zoo during rush hour on the subway so now that we know he's more interested in the animals than the trick-or-treating, we think we'll probably take him to the winter lights events instead. Those are a lot more manageable and easier to plan. Even so, we had a pretty good time.

Happy Birthday Nate!

Nate had a great birthday. He started off by opening gifts from the immediate family. He's still on a Star Wars kick so that figured into lots of the presents. Sean decided to see what he could do to help Nate out with the opening of the presents.

In the afternoon we had a birthday party at the bowling alley of a nearby military base. Several of his friends joined him for a couple of hours of bowling, pizza and birthday cake. Nate did pretty well, all things considered. Everyone seemed to have a great time.

Mom made Nate a cake shaped like crossed light sabers, again with the Star Wars theme. Everyone sang Happy Birthday and he blew out the candles. One of the sabers was chocolate and the other vanilla so everyone was happy.

Clarendon Day

We love living near the Clarendon neighborhood, especially during the annual celebration called Clarendon Day. It's a festival for adults and children alike, with plenty of food, vendors and games. Of course we headed straight over to the kid attractions (like we had a choice). First the kids spotted this climbing tower with each layer composed of flat bungee cords. Nate had no problem zipping to the top.

Surprisingly Sean had no trouble either, once he figured out a trick that worked for him. He couldn't pull himself up to each layer because he wasn't tall enough, but he could climb the outer mesh to scootch up to each layer. He climbed almost as high as Nate, stopping only because he wanted to dance to the great band playing at the end of the street.

Nate tried his hand at some more climbing, this time on a fake palm tree. Unfortunately he brought the wrong kind of shoes -- crocks -- and he couldn't get a good footing. Uh oh, better luck next year.

School Again

It's back-to-school time again. Nate was the first to go and he wasn't really happy about it. Yes, everyone wishes summer would last forever but sadly that's not the case, and poor Nate had to face that awful news. You'd think he's be used to it by now.

Fifteen minutes later as he walked to school, he met all his friends along the way, and of course he'd already forgotten that he didn't want to go. Now he was all smiles. He's currently getting adjusted to his new routine and he adores his new teacher. It looks like everything will work out fine.

Sean was next up to bat. He began his very first day of preschool the following week. He was very excited and is attending the same preschool that Nate went to just a few years ago. It's at our local church so it's familiar territory and Sean didn't seem to mind at all. Mom's been dragging him over there since he was born.

Sean loves it, and of course Mom loves it too because for the first time in almost eight years she has a few free hours of week all to herself!

The Artist

Nate took a class at the county's Art Center over the summer. Recently the Center allowed each of the children to select a piece of their artwork to display in the downstairs gallery. Nate was one of the few to choose a three dimensional object rather than a drawing or something else that could be hung on the wall. Because of that they displayed it on a pedestal in the middle of the room right in front of everyone who happened to walk into the museum. He selected a Popsicle stick and clay creation he dubbed "Nate's Cabin" complete with little fake fish swimming in the stream outside the structure. Our famous artist was very proud of his accomplishment.

The Last from Maine

We drove down the peninsula from Rockland to the tiny town of Port Clyde. From there we took an afternoon boat cruise to see the puffins and seals. Nate and Sean enjoyed the nature show but what the liked most was this massive sea barge parked at the edge of the harbor. This is a giant boat with wheels, originally an army vehicle, that is used in marine construction. It hauls building materials and such to nearby private islands to build luxury homes for the super-wealthy.

While in Port Clyde we went to yet another lighthouse - the Marshall Point Light (aren't you glad I'm not showing you all the lighthouse pictures?). This is the rocky seashore near the lighthouse, with more opportunities for exploring among the crags and crevices.

Then it was time to head home. This is not actually in Maine, rather it's in New Jersey. Yes, amazingly New Jersey has some mountains although they are located in the far northwestern corner. We stopped at a state park on the long drive home to stretch our legs and enjoy some scenery. Then it was back in the car and homeward bound.

More from Maine

Our next journey was a ferry ride from Rockland to Vinalhaven Island, several miles and a world away from the Maine coastline. It took about seventy-five minutes to reach the island on the boat and we saw all kinds of great scenery along the way. It got chilly on deck so Sean spent most of his time in the cabin.

We walked around Vinalhaven Island for a few hours and took a ferry back to the mainland. This is Nate at a little park on the island where we stopped for awhile. There were a bunch of things to see and do but it wasn't a tourist place. Vinalhaven is a real working town catering not to visitors but to the lobster industry. The harbor was filled with lobster boats. We sure ate a lot of lobster on the trip!

Back in Rockland, we visited another lighthouse called Owls Head that protects the southern approach to the town. It's part of a park that includes a rocky beach and picnic facilities. Here we are enjoying our lunch on a beautiful outcrop next to the ocean. The fog rolled in and it sure got cold!... hard to believe it's August.

Back on the Owls Head beach, Nate enjoyed some rock climbing as well as hunting through the tidal pools for more sea creatures. Nate had no problem getting to the top of these massive boulders but he forgot that he also needed to find a way down. He figured it out without too much difficulty.
Here's a rare photo where dad actually got in front of the camera instead of behind it. The building in the background is for the lighthouse keeper. Everything is automated today so now one of the Coast Guard officers stationed at nearby Rockland lives here. We don't know how they could stand the loud foghorn sounds that resonated throughout the harbor every few seconds!

Maine Lighthouse

We are in Maine for vacation this week. It took us awhile to drive all the way up here so we don't plan on wandering far for the remainder of our visit. This is the Breakwater Lighthouse in Rockland, Maine.

It's just like you'd picture Maine: a chill in the air and fog rolling in along a craggy coastline. It's August, and yet we had to wear windbreakers as we walked along the causeway towards the lighthouse. It will be warmer and sunnier the remainder of the week so no worries there, and the weatherman on the local news channel said that this might be the nicest stretch of weather this summer.

Some lighthouses are accessible by land. Others are located on remote islands. The Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse is a little of both. The breakwater was built to protect Rockland Harbor from pounding surf, and the lighthouse was built at the end of the breakwater to prevent ships from running into it. The causeway atop the breakwater is nearly a mile long, and while it's not sidewalk smooth, it's certainly negotiable. Even Sean could hike out on his own with a little help from mommy.
It was time for exploring along the shoreline once we finished the hike to the light and back. It was low tide so there were plenty of tidal pools filled with all kinds of interesting sea creatures including starfish and plenty of different shellfish. Nate found lots of snails which he named Gary in honor of Spongebob's pet. We'd like to think we're raising our kids to be intellectuals giants (ha!) but even Nate goes lowbrow every once in awhile.

Sean got in on the tidal pool action too. As usual, Sean won't pose for a photo so the only option is to take candid shots from a distance. This one turned out pretty good.

Grandpa's Visit

Grandpa came to visit today. It had been awhile because we'd had opposite schedules lately. Nate and Sean always need room to roam around and we didn't want them to overwhelm grandpa so we went to one of the local parks. Here's grandpa teaching that young whippersnapper a lesson! Don't worry, it was all in good fun.


Nate likes to snuggle and he sensed an opportunity with grandpa who was more than willing to spoil him. Nate would run around the playground, climb up the structures, and then come back every few minutes to spend some time with grandpa.


We returned home after about an hour. We were pretty worn out after running all over the place so mostly we relaxed.


Sean wasn't having anything to do with any inactivity for long though. This was his chance to find someone else to play Star Wars with the light sabers. Grandpa was kind enough to play along.

Roosevelt Island

We took a walk on Theodore Roosevelt Island, a park located on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. Here we are on the swamp trail that goes from the southern tip of the island along the tidal wetlands that penetrate into the interior. Nate and Sean both did great with all the hiking. We brought an all-terrain stroller along for Sean and he used it some of the time but he kept up with Nate the rest of the time. We figured that Nate probably walked about four miles all together, so we think he'll be able to join Mom on a 5K fun run/walk later this summer.

There is a large pavilion on the north-central highlands with a patio, fountains and a giant statue of Theodore Roosevelt. We stopped here for a picnic lunch. Nate and Sean enjoyed feeding one of the local ducks that paddled around in a concrete reflecting pool.

The hiking was fun but the animals were the highlights for the kids. In addition to all the ducks, we say a snapping turtle, a skink (a type of lizard), colorful butterflies, unusual insects and all sorts of birds.

It's been unusually cool with low humidity lately. We just had to get outside and enjoy the day!

Mississippi River Trip - 2

We continued on our Mississippi River trip the following day. It was sunnier today but windier. We stopped at a wetland observation station along the roadside. This was a great spot designed for birdwatching but Nate seemed more interested in focusing the telescope on the power station at the far side of the river.



Later that day we arrived at a ferry crossing and took it to the other side of the river to Iowa. It was a very small ferry, holding only nine cars, but it chugged upstream without any trouble. It was a lot cheaper than the riverboat cruises but just as much fun, and ten minutes was about as long as the kids wanted to be on a boat anyway.



We stopped at a park that held a lot of ancient Indian burial mounds. Most of them could only be observed by hiking to them. Sean wanted no part of that so Mom hung out with him on the big green lawn by the Visitor Center. Nate and Dad hiked a mile to the top of the bluff and were rewarded with this great view. Nate says he wants to go on more hikes in the future!