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!