Out and About

On Martha's Vineyard (above and below)

Bald Mtn stream, Weld

In our yard

Easter

For the second year, we hosted an egg hunt and brunch for the girls' best buds and their families - our closest local friends. I had some help with the eggs this year, and about 100 were scattered all over the yard on Easter morning.

The kids had a blast running all over the place, and it actually took about twenty minutes for them to find most of the eggs. That was longer than I expected! A few lingered later in the day, but I think they've all been retrieved by now.

We ended the day with a trip to the river to see the high water from all the rain from earlier in the week. The flooding was over, and the sun was warm enough for exploring along the banks. It was a fantastic day with friends - we wish family were nearer, but we are lucky to have such good friends here.

Early release

Spring came early to us this year, and we were able to hike in our short sleeves on Bald Mtn the very first day of the season.

Bald is one of our favorite local hiking spots - high reward for a relatively short (but steep) walk. This was the first time all four of us have made it to the summit together, and we capped off the hike with a visit to Gifford's on the way home.

Huts and Trails

We spent last night at the east end of Flagstaff Lake with friends at a beautiful off-the-grid hut that is part of the Maine Huts and Trails initiative. This site has only been open for a year, and it is spectacular.

We could see south across frozen Flagstaff Lake to Mt Bigelow (above), and north to several of the smaller mountains nearby (top picture).

There is a two mile ski in to the huts - no problem for the girls. Great trail, easy-going but well planned with lots of turns and gentle rolling hills. Great views of the lake on the way in, but enough trees to protect us from the strong winds.

Arguably, the girls favorite part was the bunk beds. Excitement! They spent a lot of time checking them out.

We had a fantastic trip, and look forward to returning again...maybe this year if it ever snows??

Don't Need No Stinkin' Snow

We're a little bit jealous of all the snow that's landed south of here! What about us? We're ready for it, preferably before April.

Titcomb ski on Sunday, Bridget (top); trailside cocoa for Moriah (bottom)

The girls are outside playing pretty much every day. I asked them over the weekend what their favorite winter thing to do was, and Moriah said "Sledding, skating, and skiing". Bridget agrees, but might rank skiing first.

We went to the hut on the top of Titcomb for my birthday (see the picture above), and hit the trails there again this weekend. The skating has been very good (read: no snow and cold nights), so we're taking advantage of that until we can get some fresh snow for sledding.

On Edge

Doug has claimed for years that The Great One (Wayne Gretzky) is his fourth cousin. I can't say whether or not that's true, but the girls took immediately to ice skating this past week. They LOVE it! We even spent late Friday afternoon skating under the lights to music at the local outdoor rink. They were in heaven.

Write your own caption

Into the New

We started the new year off in grand style at a sleepover with friends including movies, a bonfire, and live music. Since Doug and I are on break, the snow couldn't have come at a better time, and we've been making the most of it with the girls.

They're trying out new (to us) boots and skis, and will be participating in lessons with elementary-aged kids beginning next week. The lessons are pretty laid-back, with an emphasis on enjoying nordic skiing. Doug and I are both instructors, and we're looking forward to having a regular commitment to ski!

Whoosh

That was the sound of December flying by. A few shots from around Christmastime below, including the Farmington tree and a picture of the girls with their newest cousin, Harlowe.

Up close at five

Riparian respite

Field trip to the Wire Bridge in North New Portland this afternoon:

Lots of jumping, sand castle building, acorn collecting, and a good measure of running. The Carrabassett is chilly, even for cleaning sand off your hands.

5 x 3

The girls have celebrated their fifth birthday no less than three times this past week, perhaps setting a dangerous precedent for the future. Today's celebration with friends wrapped up events with a grogeous afternoon outside to play in the leaves. Running, sliding, leaf-throwing, and cake-easting were enjoyed by every one of the partygoers, parents included. We couldn't have asked for more!

Street gangs were seen roaming in Farmington last night... (Bridget on the far left, Moriah on the mid-right).

A-maze-ing

We took our sleuthing skills to the local corn maze on Saturday. This is a new fall atraction in town, complete with hay rides, pumpkin patch, and corn bin for playing. The girls picked out two perfect pumpkins which received VERY SCARY paint jobs when we got home. If you stop by our house, please remember to be VERY SCARED!

Crisp

Rainy apple-picking last week on the hill across town. It's a small orchard that grows about a dozen varieties, and we picked some beautiful Macouns that are just sweet, crisp, and perfect for fall.

The leaves are just about peak - we hope to get a few hikes in over the long weekend so we can enjoy the show! This photo is also from last week, so the colors have spread in the past few days.

First fair of Fall 09

It's fair time again! This weekend and next weekend will find us at various fairgrounds taking in the attractions.

Tractors!

Sheep!

Fried food! Museum-quality, of course.