Ride to Bug Light

This past weekend we took a ride through the woods with the kids. Since this is hunting season we wore our bright orange Dutch cycling jerseys. 

We rode about 25 miles all told halfway through we stopped at Bug Light Portland. It was windy, but the kids were really interested in seeing the lighthouse (Molly is studying them, among other things, at school). 

The Princess and the Tiger

There once was a princess and a tiger. They were best friends. 

One night, they decided to explore the surrounding lands and see what they could see. 

Before they left the safety of their house they made sure the jack'o'lantern security system was working properly. 

It was. 

And then they were off. They traveled hither and thither, over yonder and beyond. They met many a strange creature on their journey and saw many a fine castle. 

Each place they visited treated them like royalty and showered them with sweet, local delicacies. And there was much rejoicing. 

Bike rider

Wes is practicing hauling his bike up the mountains so he can go wicked fast downhill. 

Waiting for the muffins

Ocean Point

It was a perfect Maine day last weekend so we spend it on the coast at one of our favorite spots: Ocean Point.

We arrived a little just in time to see an excavator being loaded onto a barge. Not only was this cool for the kids in general, it also happens to coincide with what Molly is studying in class. So now she gets to go into school and tell them about all the cool things she saw over the weekend. Pretty neat (we have a video of it that's about 13 minutes long. If you're interested let me know and I can send you the link).

The kids were mesmerized by the whole affair. 

Then it was on to picnic time. Wes enjoyed hamming it up for the cameras. 

Grammie and Gramp joined us for the picnic. Apparently Wes was either explaining something or giving us directions here. 

Molly loved climbing all over the rocks. She even managed to sit still for a picture too. 

At the end of the picnic the barge was back without the excavator. The kids were happy to take a picture in front of it. 

In our drive out of Ocean Point we noticed a new nature preserve. So we deduced to take a hike. When we were in the middle of the deep, dark woods, I asked Molly if she thought there were any Gruffalos (from one of their books) that loved here. This was her reaction. 

Walking in the woods. 

Showing us what the leaves do. 

We found a beautiful little spot hidden inside another beautiful spot. It was a great day. 

Apple picking

Originally the forcast was for a rainy, cold, and generally yucky day. Thankfully that wasn't the case. Instead we had a perfect fall day and took advantage of it by going apple picking.

It was a perfect spot. 

Off to get the apples!

You have to taste them to make sure you like them. 

Tractor ride with Mom. 

Cider tasting. It was hard for the adults but we survived. 

Artwork

Molly is studying the ocean at school. Here's a bit of her artwork on the subject. 

At the airport!

NYC

For Mother's Day I took Katie to NYC for the weekend. It turns out that we and Nate and Ellete were busy that weekend so the trip actually took place just a few days ago.

The trip started out with some beer tasting. What you don't see, and what made this restaurant even better, is the bacon that came with the beer. 

We also managed to make it to Tavern on the Green. The black and grey granite may have seemed like a smart idea looks wise, but after it's been baking in the sub all day it is a tad uncomfortable (read: really hot). 

We continued our stroll through Central Park. The last time we were here was for The Gates art installation. 

Later that night we took in a free outdoor concert at the Lincoln Center. Unfortunately the piece we caught was way too out there for any of our liking. 

Saturday saw another jaunt through the city. We stopped at FAO Schwatrz and got the inside scoop from Nate and Ellete (that's where they met while both working there). We also took another stroll through Central Park.  

Saturday night was theater night. The theater district was packed. Thankfully we know someone who works on Aladdin (Ellete) so we were able to get great seats. If you're able, I highly recommend seeing the show, preferably with the current Genie. 

All-in-all it was a great weekend (if I do say so myself). Thanks to Nate and Ellete for showing us around and a big thanks to Grammie and Gramp for watching the kids while we were gone. 

Bar Harbor

This weekend we took advantage of the beautiful weather and went to Bar Harbor. We really couldn't have asked for a better weekend to be there. 

On the way up we stopped at a little diner for lunch. On the way out an older couple stopped us and gave these two little wooden boats to the kids. Apparently they make these and bring them to restaurants to give to kids. The kindness of strangers is really amazing. 

We got to Bar Harbor a little after lunch and immediately decided to hit the trails. We brought the bikes up and took the kids for a ride. 

Within the first 10 minutes of the ride we saw a deer in the woods. The kids were thrilled and we think Molly at least picked up on the need to be quiet in the woods. 

As much as the uphills might hurt (especially when hauling an extra 100lbs of kids and stroller), they're the only way to get the good views. 

It took some tine, but the kids finally went to sleep. This made us very happy. 

Saturday morning started out with a nice run along Eagle Lake. 

At the end of our ride we saw another deer, this time a buck. 

He was relatively bold and didn't seem too concerend we were there. 

Later in the day Grammie and Gramp joined us for a hike up a mountain (well, it was really a hill but it was a mountain for the kids). 

Molly was a true trail blazer. She spent almost the entire hike out front. And she loved it. 

Eventually Molly turned around and said "Daddy, I'm tired. Can someone else be in front?"

While Molly was trekking out front, Wes was sticking with Gramp. 

Both kids did a great job on the hike. 

Family picture at the summit. 

The next day we were up early (Wes was up at 3am for some reason and wouldn't go back to sleep) and took a ride up Cadillac Mountain. We missed the sunrise, but still got there before the crowds. 

We really couldn't have asked for better weather. 

We finished up the trip with another bike ride on the carriage trails. This time we took a more mountainous route. The biews were better but I swear there is a direct correlation to the amount of effort needed to pedal the kids up a hill and the number and intensity of their questions. 

We also ran into a random "stop" sign in the middle of the trail. But we didn't let us stop us.