Broke

Over the past few weeks we've gotten into mountain biking. We both love to ride on the road so this was a natural extension. 

Right before our first ride together (and my first time ever). 

A good first effort. 

The kids have been at summer camp so we've been able to sneak out to different places and try them out. 

We even put the "mountain" back in mountain biking and rode to the top of Bradbury Mountain. 

Unfortunately I started the ride up Bradbury by falling pretty hard on my right arm. I was able to make it up the mountain but had to walk the bike down. 

And after getting some x-rays, I found out I had broken my elbow. So I'm taking a forced hiatus from the trails for a bit. 

Bouquet

For Father's Day Molly went out to the garden and picked me some flowers. 

Coast kinda day

This past weekend we headed up the coast to the Boothbay Region. 

The weather started out a bit foggy at Ocean Point. 

But soon after we got there it burned off enough for an enjoyable morning. The kids had a great time scrambling around the rocks. 

Despite what this looks like, Molly did not fall face first into a rock. Thankfully she caught herself, but there were many close calls like this. 

There was even a little bench of stone to get a picture. 

Later, we had a close encounter with a shark or two. 

Thankfully these were harmless sharks at the Maine State Aquarium. The kids had a blast here. 

Wes was all about exploring the touch tank. 

And then there was this guy. Weighing in at ~14lbs, this was one big lobster. 

Katie was a bit scared of him. 

Speaking of lobsters, Molly spent part of the afternoon answering nearly every question the college interns had for the kids at their lobster talk (Molly had studied lobsters last fall. It's nice to know that at least something sunk in). 

And what day on the coast is complete without ice cream?

Camp

For the first time ever, both kids were gone for the entire day and looked after by a non-family member. In other words, they were at summer camp. 

We asked Wes what he liked the best and what he did all day, his response was "I liked having snack and lunch" and "we sat and sat some more."

Sounds like we're getting our money out of it. 

Off road

We've been waiting awhile to take a family bike ride on the Eastern Trail. This weekend we decided the kids were safe enough on their bikes to make a go of it. 

The weather, in a word, was perfect. 

All set and ready to go. 

The Eastern Trail is a bike/running path that follows, at least on some parts, an old railroad track.

It's a perfect place for the kids to practice riding in places that have a little more traffic or people.

Lovin' it. 

We took a break for a snack. 

All smiles headed back. In all, the kids rode about 9 miles.

After the ride we stopped for a snack. Donuts + s'mores = awesomeness. 

Since the weather was so nice we decided to take a hike around Mackworth Island in the afternoon. 

There were a bunch of sailboats out on Casco Bay, including this one that was archored just off the shore of the island. 

After a long day of biking and hiking (and some donuts in the morning and ice cream in the afternoon) we went over to the neighbors for a swim. Their dog, a Bouvier, was true to its breeding and tried to herd the kids. It was quite a sight to watch and a fun end to a great day.  

Sox

The main reason for the Boston trip was to go to a Red Sox game. We were hoping to continue the tradition of seeing the Sox on Father's Day, but they decided to be in Kansas City this year. So we went the weekend before. 

The day started out with a nice run on the Charles River. 

Wes and Gramp ready for the game. 

We stayed near MIT and walked over to Fenway. There were some cool sculptures on the way. 

And of course we had to start the college tour process. 

We finally made it to Fenway. It was another perfect day for a game. 

Katie made a new friend. 

The whole gang. 

The kids were troopers throughout the game. Getting ice cream in a hat didn't hurt. 

Near the end of the game Wes wanted to take a walk. So we went up to the Green Monster. 

Checking out the pennants.

Despite the Sox losing in the 11th, the kids were still all smiles at the end.

On Sunday we took the scenic route up the coast and stopped at a park in NH. 

Once again it was a perfect day. The park is pretty awesome. It has the rocky sea shore, a playground, and some open space for the kids to run around. 

Oh, and there were trees for the kids to climb. 

Had to end the trip with some ice cream.