Author Archives: joel

Canobie Lake

Posted on August 16, 2011 by joel

Two weeks ago, we went to Canobie Lake Park for the company outing my company does every year. It was raining when we were headed out, so we were wondering how things would go. But the rain died out eventually. We were very surprised that there were plenty of rides for the kids, and not just the 'kiddie' rides. They actually wanted to go on 'scarier' rides than I thought they would. Carter actually had to get turned away from a couple of rides because she wasn't tall enough - she was more than willing to try it. Sean rode the pirate ship, and some of the big, spinny rides. At one point Carter was waiting in a line for a ride, and when she got to the front of the line and saw that it was just one of the kiddies rides, she got really angry - she thought she was actually in line for a big grown-up ride that was behind the kiddie ride.

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Day at Camp

Posted on August 16, 2011 by joel
On Sunday, I convinced the fam to come back to the cabin site with me and spend an hour or two hanging out. We got a fire going in the fire pit, and cooked some hotdogs and s'mores. I had put up a cheapo hammock that morning, and everyone got a chance to try it out. At the same time, I finished putting the tar paper and drip edge on the roof. This coming weekend I'll be able to get the roof shingled, and then the roof will finally be done! Yay - I won't need to spend any more time standing on a ten-inch wide board fifteen feet from the ground!

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Night at the Races

Posted on August 15, 2011 by joel
Last Friday, Sean and I joined Dad, Mike, and Ry at the races. We weren't sure how the boys would like it, but it turns out they had a good time. They were running back and forth near the fence along the track, both claiming that they could run faster than the race cars. We saw a few good clean crashes (no injuries, it seemed like), and twice saw a stray tire rolling down the track - which the boys found hilarious.

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Diva

Posted on August 15, 2011 by joel

The other night Lori and I heard Carter dancing and singing in her room by herself, and walked in to find this. We hear her singing and dancing up there all the time, but she doesn't usually take the dress-up part to these extremes. Adorable!

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Santa’s Village

Posted on July 23, 2011 by joel
Yesterday we went to Santa's Village. This was our first time, and we weren't sure what to expect. It turned out to be awesome! Next year, if we can only afford to do one park (Storyland or Santa's Village), I think we're going to pick this place.


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Vacation Hike #5, Mt Jackson

Posted on July 23, 2011 by joel
On Friday, I climbed Mt Jackson in Crawford Notch. It's always been a favorite, but it occurred to me that I haven't been up there is almost ten years - not since before we moved to Texas. The view was awesome, but it was incredibly windy up there - windy enough to make me feel fairly uncomfortable. I was getting too cold (from being soaked with sweat in a strong wind), and I was worried about slipping and falling. The last thing I would need was to twist an ankle two and a half miles from the car!

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Swimming in the Saco

Posted on July 23, 2011 by joel
Grampy told us about a secluded swimming hole on the Saco River - the current was slow, the water was deep, and the bottom was sandy instead of rocky. Sadie dove right in - which was awesome to see, because she hasn't had a chance to swim since Texas.
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Mountain Blueberries

Posted on July 23, 2011 by joel

When I climbed Mt Crawford on Wednesday, I found that this summit too was covered in wild blueberries. I filled a sandwich bag with blueberries and brought them back to Lori and the kids. We've been putting them in our cereal every morning (and everything else we can think of), and they've been delicious!

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Vacation Hike #4, Mt Crawford

Posted on July 23, 2011 by joel
On Wednesday, I hiked up Mt Crawford. Like every trail I did this week, I had it all to myself. On the way back out, I ran into one other group on their way up, when I was less than 10 minutes from the parking area. I love the solitude I find on the trail so early in the morning. The only thing that I worry about is running into bears, but so far, so good. All I've managed to 'run into' is spiderwebs. Being the first person on the trail every morning means that I've got to 'break trails' through hundreds of spiderwebs on my way up the mountain. Ick - I'd almost rather be breaking the trail through snow that that!

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Trail’s End

Posted on July 23, 2011 by joel
Every time we come up North, we always end up going to Trail's End for ice cream. They've got all kinds of great climbing structures for the kids, and this monster truck is one of Sean's favorites.

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