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.

First Day of pre-K

And they're off...

Swimming, not Sweltering

Taking It Lying Down

Summer is so good!

Diver Ed

Diver Ed has loomed large in our memories from last summer, and our trip with him this summer was eagerly anticipated. That's actually a huge understatement - the girls were beside themselves with excitement the first time we spotted Diver Ed on campus.

We saved our trip for our second-to-last evening at the coast, which turned out to be a warm and clear with beautiful views back to MDI. We all had a FABULOUS time; I don't think I can describe how eager the girls were to participate in all the different parts of the trip.

Acadia 09

We'll be back to write more when the hiking isn't so good, or there isn't tidepooling, or bikeriding, or exploring...

In Season

Twelve pounds of future jam, pie, and sliced goodness...

... and proof that the rain has stopped at least once in the past two weeks for us to pick for a little while.

Not Scenic At All

Well, maybe just a little bit. Three weeks on the west coast of Ireland and in the Highlands of Scotland for a field geology course wraps up my international travel for the year with outstanding weather, great hiking, and fun students.

Black Cuillin, Skye

Landform, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh

Hiking up Conival, Highlands

Oystercatcher, Giant's Causeway

Summit of Slieve Commedagh, Mourne Mtns

Mother's Day

Last year, my Mother's Day gift was a new raised bed beneath the kitchen window. In the fall, we planted tulip bulbs and the girls have been eagerly awaiting the results. They're spectacular! We've been watching them for about a month now as the first shoots came up, leaves appeared, and the buds started to show. Since we ordered a mix, we had no idea which colors we had or what would come up.

They're vibrant colors, and such a pleasure to see coming up the street! We plan to put sunflowers in this bed again for the summer. Moriah is showing me her favorite (of the day) in the picture above.

Flowers are coming out all over the yard, and Bridget has been wearing as many as she can. Tucked into her hat, in chains for crowns or necklaces, and tucked into pockets as you can see on the front of her dress below. I think she has some ferns and some horsetails for good measure.

Happy Mother's Day, and happy spring!