Author Archives: joel

Storyland, Part 2

Posted on July 23, 2011 by joel
We went back to Storyland on Tuesday, with our 'next-day' passes. We hit all the usual favorites, but we also checked out the surface this time. Sean didn't want to try it, and said it would be boring. But as soon as we got inside and saw the acrobats, he was in awe. He saw people riding unicycles, juggling, doing flips, performing magic, and all kinds of great stuff. He was clapping like mad, and was trying to do the two-fingered, super-loud whistle that Grampy does.

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Vacation Hike #3, Table Mountain

Posted on July 23, 2011 by joel
On Tuesday, I climbed Table Mountain. This was a new one for me. It's on the back side of Attitash, with views to the south - which is not usually the view I get. I took Sadie with me, and she was eating it up. When we got to the top, it was all I could do to convince her to turn around and head back down - she just wanted to push on and on.
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Vacation Hike #2, Black Cap

Posted on July 23, 2011 by joel

On Monday, we all climbed Black Cap. What a difference a year makes! The kids climbed all the way up and down by themselves, and no one asked to be carried. Both of the kids really enjoyed the view from the top. Now that they've seen the reward, I might be able to get them interested in hiking more with me. The whole summit was covered with wild blueberries, and the kids were picking and eating them by the handful. We took Sadie with us too, and she has never looked so happy. We really need to get her out on more easy hikes - she was practically bouncing up the trail!

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Vacation Hike #1, Mt Avalon

Posted on July 18, 2011 by joel

I took my first morning vacation hike yesterday. I was originally planning to go to Mt Willard, but once I got to the trailhead I decided I was feeling stronger than Willard, and headed for Mt Avalon instead. It was a beautiful morning, and the trail was absolutely empty. The whole trip I only saw two other people, and both of them I saw on my way out when I was five minutes from the parking lot. The view from the top was fantastic, but there were so many flies up there that I couldn't bear to stay very long. Everything from tiny little mayflies, all the way up to great big horseflies. And since I was the only interesting thing up there at the time, every single one of them decided to come over to investigate. Still, a great hike! Headed to Black Cap today, with the fam. Stay tuned for pics!

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Storyland, Part 1

Posted on July 18, 2011 by joel
On Saturday afternoon, we went to Storyland with Grammy and Grampy. They have a deal where if you buy a ticket after 3PM, they'll give you a pass to come back another day for free. They've got a new ride this year - Splash Battle. We all got thoroughly soaked, but it was good fun. Near closing time, the crowds really thinned out at there were almost no lines for any rides. We rode the polar coaster, and the operator let us ride three times in a row, because there was no one queued up. We're planning to go back to the park later this week.

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Arrrrrrrrr!

Posted on July 15, 2011 by joel
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Walk at Maudslay Park

Posted on July 15, 2011 by joel
This past weekend, we all went for a walk at Maudslay State Park. We even took Sadie this time! She hasn't been on a decent walk since Texas, and she was eating it up! While we were there, the kids kept asking about a specific tree that they remembered from our last visit. It's got 5 trunks that all meet a few feet above the ground, and the kids can go right in there like a little secret hideaway.
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Stuff on the Shelf

Posted on July 10, 2011 by joel
Here are photos of a couple of things I've made recently and forgot to post. From left to right: a weed pot made from some hickory burl that I cut last year, a new piece of origami, and a small vessel made from another chunk of that hickory burl. All three are on display on a shelf in our living room. I really like that I'm starting to display some of the things I've made around the house. I normally give away so much of what I make that I don't keep anything for myself. For example - in high school, I was really into sculpting stone. But even though I made several pieces while I was there, I don't own even one of them - they've all been given away to family and friends. Which still makes me happy, just in a different way.

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Sunset at the Beach

Posted on July 10, 2011 by joel
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Lori and Carter

Posted on July 10, 2011 by joel

Lori is always very concerned that she isn't in enough of our family photos, as she's usually the one behind the camera. But even though she'd like to be in more, the kids usually don't want to sit still long enough to pose with Mom. It typically turns into an exercise in frustration, because no one will sit still long enough to actually get a nice photo with her, where everyone is smiling. What I like about this photo is that from a distance, it looks like we finally got one. But if you look closely at Carter's eyes, she's looking sideways at the ocean to see what her brother is doing, and she's 2 seconds from bolting back into the waves to join him.

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