Camping

We had a BLAST camping on Flagstaff Lake! The girls were fantastic, the weather was gorgeous, the view was spectacular...it's just a litany of superlatives.

The adventure started with several canoe trips - one to bring the gear over, the other to transport folks. We stayed on the small island. There was just enough room for us and our friends to get out tents set up, enjoy the cooking/fire area, and play on a small sandy beach.

The view of the Bigelows was unparalled, as was the sunset. Since we went to sleep with the girls, we didn't stay up to feed the mosquitoes but we did get to enjoy a beautiful starry night without a fly on the tent. The best part is that Bridget and Moriah can't wait to go camping again!

Almost solstice

We're off on a short camping trip soon to Flagstaff Lake. We're hoping that everyone will wear themselves out so much that they'll be begging us to get in the tent. Of course, the blackflies may help that out too.

Paradise in the form of several yards of loam arrived in our yard Saturday morning. We're expanding our raised beds. This summer we're constructing several, although I think only three will be planted. We still need to put up a fence around the perimeter to discourage snacking y those on four feet.

Bridget is VERY excited about all this dirt.

Moriah is too busy helping to fill the wheelbarrow to pose.

We went on a hike up Potato Hill last weekend, followed by a swim at a friend's nearby camp and dinner at Giffords. It was a perfect afternoon. Below are a picture of the girls enjoying a snack at the top, and a little bit of the view - Saddleback in the distance, looking up the Temple Stream valley. It's a great short hike that I'm sure we'll revisit many times this summer.

Green Grass

I arrived home to find the girls better than ever. The diet of Fritos, diet Coke, and poptarts that Doug had them on really gets results. They're quite the hams for the camera, and I have to take pictures before they run all the way up to the camera and out of focus.


Our yard has become incredibly green, and we're really appreciating all the fun the girls can have outside. We planted rhubarb and raspberries earlier this spring which they will eagerly show you, and they also like to check the garden most days. Moriah is holding onto a flowering rhubarb stalk in the bottom picture. Various cars, bikes, trikes and other riding machines are hauled up and down the small hill in the driveway, usually at great speed. A short walk from the yard is a small stream that runs behind our property and a trail that is for "running!!".

Maritimes

Quick pictures from the Maritimes. Short version of the trip includes great geology and too much rain. Mont Albert above, Mt Carleton below.

Imps

Who's up to something at the playground? I know they're planning to have lots of fun with Daddy while I'm away with the students. I can't wait to hear about all their adventures when I get home.

Dining al fresco

They murmured something about not having real plates, cloth napkins, and a flask of fine red wine, but mostly they were very excited to eat outside. Maybe we need a grape arbor on this side of the house?

April revisited

April brought lots of snow, visitors, and treats! An outdoor Easter egg hunt wasn't in the cards, but they had a great time hunting for treats inside. We'll start with a pastoral shot of the backyard, early April.

Great egg hunters of the northern indoors:

Granma and Granpa came for an overnight visit, so someone was finally able to read book after book with the girls and build them snowmen.







If you're wondering why all of the indoors shots have weird exposures, it's because there was snow on the ground pretty much the entire month. Lots of it. Alternatively, you may believe that the house has been surrounded by spacecraft with bright lights and that I have been replaced by a Republican. Your choice.

Happy spring, and congratulations to Uncle Dave and Mouse who are going to get married sometime, somewhere!

Laundry

Re-cap of April to come. For now, let's just say that we're thrilled the snow has (mostly) melted.

Crazy Box Heads

We buy them only the finest, most expensive toys.

After an exciting visit with Freckles (and Granma and Granpa D) at our house, the girls have gone to visit Granma and Granpa R for a few days so I can finish revisions on a paper and write a talk. It's a treat for me to have such a big block of work time. Here's hoping the power doesn't go out in this storm!

Back in the Bath Gang

Snow, snow, snow full time here. Fortunately, Bridget and Moriah have decided that baths are great fun again, especially with bubbles. They are very excited about taking one every night after dinner, as long as "Daddy stay downstairs!!". Doug is not allowed to participate in bathtime - he must have violated some unknown but very important rule.

It's a great opportunity to burn off a little extra energy at the end of the day.

Faces

A recent picture of each girl. Bridget top, Moriah below.

Out like a lamb

I've been having a difficult time with Blogger lately (and not much free time anyway), but rest assured that the girls have not been free-range toddling about town...much.

We had a great visit to Granma and Granpa Daly in February. A few photos from that trip below (Moriah top, Bridget middle).

We've all found it challenging to be inside during the winter, so we've been trying to keep the girls busy with trips out of the house and around town: swim lessons, playgroup, the bagel shop, campus, the grocery store, the bagel shop (again, and again, and again). They are becoming very friendly with people we see frequently on campus, giving the hugs and big smiles. Running up and down stairs in empty lecture rooms (especially in the dark with your light-up boots) is apparently Extremely Funny.

At home, we've been trying out projects in the kitchen. They like to help me make bread. They are very good at kneading the dough and sneaking in some bites before it makes it to the oven. The second picture highlights how friendly they are toward each other some of the time.

The snow is melting, but we really made the most of the warm days toward the end of winter. They both became quite fearless about trekking into deep snow. I snowshoed a track around the yard a few weeks ago, and below is a picture of Moriah on an adventure.

This past weekend was gorgeous, and Doug took the girls over to see some friends with a small farm. I will try to post pictures of the girls and the animals soon. Doug reports that they were fearless - Bridget took off right after the geese, and they were both very excited about meeting Cocoa the llama. We're planning to start some seeds for the garden in the dining room this week, so I'm sure that will be a fun project for them.

Finally, a picture of Mt Blue I took last month on a snowshoeing and sampling trip with my students up Bald Mtn.

The Snowy Day

HOORAY!

The very most fun part of winter is finally here: lots of snow and pleasant temperatures! We've been getting outside as much as we can at home. The girls love to play in the snow by throwing it up into the air, knocking over snowmen, and running around in the paths we dug out in the front yard.

Grace Slick

One jar Vaseline: $3.59

One bottle shampoo: $3.79

Expression: priceless

Llamas

Folks right down the road from Doug's parents own a llama farm, and are always welcoming when we're out for a walk. The girls really love to watch the llamas, and it seems that the curiosity is mutual. We had some very nice visits with the llamas in December, and you can see that Bridget was more than willing to get up close and personal to say hello.

Sledding

Just a quick picture from yesterday's sledding adventure. Pictures of llamas coming soon (no kidding!)

Christmas 2006

We all had a fantastic time on our Christmas trip to see family. Bridget and Moriah were very disappointed to come home...very disappointed. We are so happy that we were able to spend time with everyone, and appreciate all the fun things you found for the girls! Below are some pictures from the Massachusetts portion of the trip - pictures from southern Maine will follow soon!

Making cookies with Granma:

Christmas morning

Uncle Brendan and Moriah are equally enthused about the new track:

Bridget hangs out with Uncle Neil and Meredith:

The girls tricked John and Joy into reading them several stories:
Moriah chats on the phone with Nadelle:

Kieran helped Rudolph make an appearance: