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!

Beach Day & Father's Day

We did it, we went out in public and braved the beach (all precautions intact of course!).  Shannon and I took the kids to Reid State Park.  We were 3rd in line when the gates opened. I was very impressed at all of the work the state park service has done to keep everyone safe by making regulations easy to follow and obvious. We set up a "natural" drift wood barrier around us and played happily on the beach despite the cold water.  Ironically, the parking lot temperature was in the low 90s, but we were all huddled in long sleeves and towels on the beach... the ocean breeze was no joke. The kids were all so happy to get back to the beach! Around lunchtime things started to get a bit too crowded and when people started encroaching on our space we called it a success and headed home.  It was so nice to be able to move around a bit outside of our neighborhood:)

Sunday we celebrated this guy! Father's Day is always so much fun for the kids to celebrate and for once, Gabe had the weekend off AND James' birthday wasn't on the same day. We spent the day relaxing and celebrating the best dad around.  Thanks for all of your hard work and patience, we love you!  

James Turns 11!

James turned 11 today! He is growing up to be a kind, soft hearted, black and white deep thinker. He works so hard everyday to navigate his world and try to make it a better place.  He is a loving brother who is always up for playing legos, Magic, or for a discussion about literally anything to do with history.  We can't wait to see what this next year holds for him!  We love you James! 

James was thrilled to have a day all about him.  We started with waffles, he got to spend the day with his best friend Mason out on the boat.  The weather was beautiful and the water was surprisingly warm for June.  Hopefully this will be a pattern for the rest of the summer:)

Bears, Social Justice, & Birthdays

We woke up to the evidence of a larger visitor in the night.  The kids were surprised that the wind blew so hard to knock over our bird feeder, but upon closer inspection, clearly a bear came to visit last night.  I guess the upside here is that because our bees didn't survive the winter we didn't loose the bees and all of the hives to this bear.  

This week we were fortunate to have a bit of fellowship with our church family who we haven't seen in months.  It always makes our hearts happy when we can raise our voices for social justice for all groups in the spirit of our faith family.  

We actually saw friends this past weekend and got to have a catch-up birthday celebration.  When I say friends I really mean just seeing two other families, but when we have a birthday party in the mix it is always more fun.  Technically this is James' birthday time, but he was kind enough to share a small gathering with Audrey (and Noah, but he insisted we not celebrate his birthday too). It was fun to spend the afternoon playing outside with friends again!  This bottom picture also shows evidence that we are making steady progress on our tree house. More pictures to come soon!