While Gabe is Away...

Gabe was away at the Civiello Invitational last weekend so the kids and I got to work;)  We spent a morning picking raspberries then making pies.  We spent a day exploring Grafton Notch State Park (which we had never been to) by hiking the Eyebrow and exploring/swimming at Screwauger Falls. It was a bit cloudy at the top, but such a cool hike, we will definitely be back!

We loaded up Edna with a canoe and two kayaks and headed to the boat launch on the other side of Wilson Lake for a paddling adventure.  We saw so many loons, turtles, and other fish.  It was really great to be able to slow down and explore this side of the lake that we usually don't take the time to see.

Mid-coast Adventures

As this pandemic drags on we are trying hard to find a balance between being safe (keeping others and ourselves safe) and still enjoying life, just in a different way.  Thanks to the Samoset having a special deal for healthcare workers, we headed their way for a night.  It was actually really bizarre to pack to go away for a night as the last time we packed for anywhere it was the beginning of March!  

Thankfully, there weren't many people around and it was pretty easy to keep our distance and enjoy the outdoors.  These kids are all so great, no matter where we drag them they are always making up games and enjoying their time together.  We started the day at Birch Point State Park (while the dads golfed) where they spent the afternoon designing towns and having a boat building competition. They spent time at the pool, on the tennis court, played lots of Stratego, Magic, and chess with an enormous lawn chess set. While the grown-ups were making PB&Js for lunch they created a pandemic tag type game on an open part fo the lawn.  I don't remember the exact details, but it was very specific about infectivity, self protection methods, and other things most kids probably wouldn't bother with;)  They also tolerated an evening stroll out on the breakwater which is further than it looks which made the walk back in the dark a bit harrowing, but everyone made it!

The next day we had a bit of time to explore downtown Rockland and stumbled upon the Center for Maine Contemporary Art.  We had the place to ourselves and were able to wander around and explore different media of contemporary art as well as work on interpretation.  It was super neat and a great space, we will certainly be back!

Hiking & Hamilton

Our hiking preparation for Katahdin is going well.  On the Fourth of July we hiked Tumbledown and Gabe was able to join us so we could bring two cars and we didn't have to have repeat of last year!  It was an awesome hike on the way up the loop trail and to the two peaks.  As soon as we got to the tarn it was a different story.  We did find a spot away from other people for lunch and Gabe, James, Ben, and Audrey made the swim to the island in the middle of the tarn.  Our way down the Brook Trail was a bit disappointing because of the volume of people and the lack of mask wearing by others. 

After the hike we were invited across the street to an outdoor showing of "Hamilton". We were SO excited to see this!  The kids have listened to the soundtrack all the way through at least once a day if not 2-3 times a day for the last 3 weeks.  It definitely exceeded our expectations and our neighbors didn't mind the kids' singing;)  The next night we had a bonfire and had to roast hot dogs behind the shield because it was so hot.  The kids thought it was a genius idea!

We have been hard at work in the backyard picking away at both the tree house and some landscaping around the other play equipment. 

Speaking of Hamilton, Ben created this Lego scene depicting the famous duel between Alexander Hamilton an Aaron Burr.  He tried to be as exact as possible having the doctor turned backwards and having them spaced exactly 20 paces apart from one another... among other details:) 

Strawberries & Biking

It always feels like the official start to summer when we get to have strawberries and peas for dinner. The strawberry picking wasn't great this year.  The strawberries were still amazing, as always, but it was such slow picking.  The kids were good sports and we got enough to make jam and a few pies. Hopefully we will get a chance to go back to pick a few more if the season picks up.

One upside to not being able to go far due to COVID is getting explore so many new places and activities right in our back yard!  Yesterday we loaded up two vehicles between 2 adults and 6 kids and headed to Carrabasset Valley to try out the mountain biking trails there.  We are somewhat limited because I still have to pull Audrey behind my bike, but we have so much more flexibility now that everyone else is on two wheels. 

After a fun bike ride we stopped for a picnic lunch at the wire bridge.  Although we had been here earlier this year, I didn't realize it was also a swimming/wading/beach area too.  We spent the rest of the day here exploring the currents, relaxing, and building dams. So much fun!