Flurry of Activity

The middle of December is always busy as classes wrap up and the holiday season starts. We've had to get extra bundled up to enjoy wagon rides through town (above) and picking out this year's Christmas tree (below). The girls are literally brimming with excitement about Christmas. They wake up every morning absolutely full of energy, and keep on going through afternoons of sledding and late nights of parties. The hum is contagious!

Chester Greenwood

Even the school buses are wearing earmuffs! The annual parade celebrating one of the historic own celebrities brought us out on a brisk morning, even if we weren't sporting his invention. The girls had big smiles for nearly everyone going by, with the exception of the civil war reenactors who discharged their firearms right in front of us. The candy they collected more than made up for being briefly upset.

Think Spring

Bridget and her friend helped me plant dozens of tulip bulbs a few weeks ago, before the snow was on the ground. This raised bed faces south, and the wall behind helps it to warm up in the spring. We can't wait to see what comes up!

First Road Race

Despite chilling winds and overcast skies, the girls roared through their first road race on Saturday. They completed a one mile course, watched the start of the adult 5K, and celebrated with some hot chocolate! Both girls had a great time running. Whenever we got close to one of the university students monitoring the course, Moriah would say "I'm turning on my motor" and take off like a shot for 100 feet or so. Bridget ran a nice, steady pace throughout, and they finished together. Next year: Boston.

Leaves

Before all the rain this weekend, the girls had so much fun raking, running, throwing, and jumping in the leaves. They love to get buried, then leap out!

Are you ready for your close up?

Four is Fantastic

We had such a good time the week the girls turned four, we're just finding the time to share some pictures! Above are Moriah and their friend Maddie enjoying the swings.

Friends (Alex, Carson, and Maddie above), grandparents, cake with strawberries and blueberries we picked this summer, and scavenger hunts outside - who could ask for a better birthday?

Horses!

A birthday party for one of their friends was at a local farm, and all interested young folk had the chance to ride a horse. Moriah opted to watch with one of her buddies, but Bridget went around, and around, and around...

Letters

Before attending a friend's wedding in York a few weeks ago, the girls and I hit the beach to soak up some of the last warm weather. We only had a few minutes to run, splash in the waves, and draw in the sand. The girls love to practice letters. M, B, H, T, A, D, and J are favorites.

Best Day Ever (since Yesterday)

We took a special trip to an apple orchard this afternoon to celebrate one of the best autumn afternoons yet. Huge honeycrisp apples, little pumpkins, and bright leaves at a family orchard surrounding a pond made for a perfect outing.

Narrow Gauge

The fall foliage is starting to come out, and we thought that this afternoon would be the perfect time for a short train ride!

The Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad runs historic cars and replica or rebuilt engines on a short stretch of narrow gauge track on the weekends during the summer and fall. This is all that is left of an extensive rail system developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in this part of Maine. The railroad is almost entirely run by volunteers who are serious train buffs, and their dedication to this project, including new acquisitions and maintenance of several cars and engines is pretty impressive.

The girls loved the trip! They sat on their own, and were very excited to have their own tickets for the conductor to punch. This is Moriah sitting up by herself. The band-aid on her forehead isn't covering a scrape, she just likes the giraffe pattern.

Bridget is beaming! This trip was a hit, and sure to be repeated next year.

Before Gifford's

Doug took the girls up Bald Mtn on a beautiful Monday this week, and made sure that they had positive associations with the hike by finishing up at Gifford's. I was slaving away on campus, so I think there's an ice cream in my future.

How the Summer was Saved

Many thanks to Uncle Neil and Aunt Meredith! The timely arrival of a mysterious package in the midst of the rainiest part of the summer saved us from certain insanity when we opened it to reveal two soccer balls. Not just any soccer balls - paint-your-own soccer balls. How good was this?

So good that I don't have any good action shots. Too blurry!

You might notice that Bridget and Moriah have very different artistic styles. It has been especially pronounced lately. Bridget wanted very bright swirls of single colors, while Moriah carefully painted each hexagon fully then added lines.

Here's to another year!

Happy Birthday to Doug! We celebrated in style with the girls yesterday. They decided that he would most like chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting. Many people helped to blow out the candles - I'm not saying that there were that there were so many he needed help, of course.

Hiking till summer's end

We made a quick getaway to the Presidentials on a spectacular day. A short hike to Square Ledge rewarded us with a terrific view of Pinkham Notch and Mt Washington.

The start of school is either looming or creeping up, depending on who you are.

August Garden

The garden is going strong, especially now that we've had some sun to complement the rain. We added two more beds this year for a total of five. We're experimenting with different kinds of pumpkins, beans, squash, carrots, and peas. In deference to Doug's taste for standard tomatoes, we're only growing regular varieties this year.

The girls are both great helpers, and were very involved with the girls beginning with starting seeds in the spring. They love to go out with bowls in the afternoon and look for new vegetables growing and to pick whatever is ready (or close). They're having a hard time letting the carrots get big!

Here's a look at what the girls and I picked one day last week:

Five Years

To celebrate our fifth anniversary, we hiked to a hut in Carrabasset Valley on the new Maine Huts & Trails system for an overnight. The hut is a short hike from Poplar Stream falls where we stopped for our first snack on our way out today. Hiking each way was a two-snack hike (about 2.5 miles), and the girls did a fantastic job.

The facility is completely off the grid, and they were very nice about showing us around and explaining all the systems (the photovoltaic panel is above, with the girls for scale). We also had fantastic meals and a fun time sleeping in bunkbeds. Moriah called around at bedtime to make sure that we could all hear each other.

We finished up the trip with a stop at the scene of the crime, I mean the ceremony.

Free Range

Mother and baby moose trailside on Saddleback a few days ago. Moriah was a little bit frightened by their size, and Bridget was very curious.

We probably only got halfway up the ski slope, but there are fantastic views from there. This is a two snack hike, with lots of running on the way down once we got past the steep part.

Doug forgot his sunhat, but pulled through stylishly so the four of us could enjoy an afternoon canoe ride. Saddleback in the background. He said that there haven't been enough pictures of him in the blog. Go figure...
I can only hope to get some of our other recent adventures ready to share, but it's not looking good with sun in the forecast and two hikes planned for next week!

Navigators

Moriah and Bridget were very enthusiastic about hiking in Acadia this summer. They loved telling me what the signs said (usually that it was time for a snack), wearing their backpacks, and taking turns being the leader. The signpost above is at Jordan Pond.

Below they are taking in the view from the top of South Bubble. It was an incredibly windy day, so we retreated to a more sheltered spot for snack.