Most summers we spend a day, or sometimes more, at the beach in Maine. This summer went by way to fast, and barely felt like summer, but we made a very quick trip to Maine last weekend. E, L, and I drove to York with four goals in mind: 1) put our feet in the Atlantic, 2) buy salt water taffy, 3) eat at JJ’s Eatery Too in Old Orchard Beach, and 4) see a lighthouse. Mission accomplished!
The forecast was pretty bad for the day (and days before and after), so we didn’t bring bathing suits or anything, just us. We got to the beach, lucked out with a perfect parking spot, and went down to water. Feet in the water. ✔ The water was cold!! Within a few minutes, it started thundering and the lifeguards cleared the water. We cleaned off our feet and walked over to the taffy shop. ✔ The taffy shop is also an ice cream shop, so we got taffy and ice cream and walked back to the beach in the rain. We thought it would be fun to sit on the beach and eat ice cream under umbrellas, but the thunder and lightening worsened and it started to feel unsafe out there, so we headed back to the car pretty quickly. Fortunately, with our prime parking spot, we were able to enjoy our ice cream and watch the storm over the ocean, with help from the busy windshield wipers!
When we were done with our ice cream we took the scenic route, through cute towns being pummeled with rain, to Old Orchard Beach, a cute beach town with a theme park and lots of souvenir stores and food places. This is a pretty popular place, but the only time we’ve been there before is when Rosy, E, and I happened across it one night on the way home from Portland. E loved it and wanted to take Lex there. LOL. So we went. We enjoyed our food ✔, walked around in the rain a bit, then headed back to the car.
We had one more task to complete and the rain finally slowed, then stopped, so we started looking for nearby lighthouses. We found a cute one but there was nowhere to park, so we just drove past it twice. ✔ LOL. Lex was done with our nonsense by then, and it was getting later, so we pulled over at a nice rocky area so E and I could get out and smell the ocean one last time, then we headed home.
It was a great day with lots of laughter and silliness. 💗💕
My college girl friends get together every summer. They started by going to Las Vegas every year, then branched out to different cities. Their routine these days is an MLB ballpark city each summer. I joined them once, 14yrs ago, in Vegas, though you won’t even recognize me in the pictures from that trip!
This year they went to Washington, DC and I managed to join them again. I was a little nervous because in my mind they are still college age and I’m ancient, but when I got there and we reunited, we fell right back into the old comfortable friendship. Believe it or not, they are also aging! LOL.
I got a free bag through the wellness program at work. It arrived just in time!
I flew on a baby plane that wasn’t even big enough for the walkway to connect.
Best airplane window photo ever! :)
This was a giant escalator!
We took a boat tour down the Potomac River, half listening to the announcer point out the sights. We had dinner on the other side of the river at a restaurant with a live band.
We spent the next day checking out the wharf area, exploring the Spy Museum, and taking in a Nationals game. The most fun of all though, was the hours and hours we spent talking and laughing and catching up.
It would be cool to see this light up at night!
Cool building at the Wharf .
Someone built a duck ramp onto the floating garden thing.
The Spy Museum was pretty cool.
Did you know Harpo was a spy???
I do now.
The museum had a lot of very big, engaging, immersive exhibits.
LOL
After the Spy Museum we stopped by the Bullpen, outside of the ballpark, for a drink and some music before the game.
This is a pretty nice stadium.
I presume. I’m no stadium expert.
Us, at the game.
I love these girls and missed them. I think I’ll be joining the girls trip more often going forward. :)
I had a good flight home, on another baby plane. I was in the airport when Biden announced he was exiting the race. There was a collective gasp throughout the packed terminal. It was wild. When I got home I was met by the cutest driver ever, who arrived with a cold drink from Starbucks for me.
Hey, we went to Norway! It was unreal! Our shared photo album has 1808 photos and videos (literally!) so I had a hard time picking a few to share here. Feel free to browse the album if you want to see all of the photos.
Day 1: Travel
On July 2nd we took the bus to Logan Airport for an 8:50 flight to Iceland. While we were all waiting at the gate, they announced that an emergency slide had accidentally deployed AT THE AIRPORT and therefore they had to drop the passenger list by 35 people. They did not pick and choose who got booted, instead they offered some compensation and a hotel, then waited for over two hours before 35 people eventually volunteered. It was like a tedious game of chicken between the airline and the passengers.
Finally we boarded and flew off into the sunrise!
Our adventure begins.
Finally on the plane!
Flying into the sunrise.
Iceland
Day 2: Travel/Oslo
After a smooth flight and boring layover in Iceland, we arrived in Oslo. We took the flytoget (airport train) to the central station and found our fancy hotel right there, conveniently located right next to the station. Like someone was thinking when they booked the hotels!
We were all pretty tired by this point, so we rested a bit, then tried to figure out food, ending up at a pricey pizza place in the hotel. Dinner, then much needed sleep.
These swans were cracking me up! They kept flipping over to grab food for the babies. I was laughing harder than it probably warranted, but whatever. I loved them!
Four outta five folks smiling for the camera.
Check out the Google album for lots more pictures from Frogner Park.
After visiting the park and marveling/laughing/thinking/headscratching over his statues, we hung out with some swans, got a little snack at the park’s cafe, then moved on to the Fram Museum. The Fram Museum tells the story of Norway’s polar exploration. The boat “the Fram” is the centerpiece of the museum, allowing visitors to climb aboard and experience (kind of) life on the ship. I thought the history was neat, but the place was soooo hot and weirdly dark, so I had trouble staying focused. Last year I read an excellent book about Antarctic exploration last year that included the story of Roald Amundsen, one of the explorers in the museum. It was neat to have some prior knowledge already.
The Fram!
Lex testing his ability to pull a 300lb sled.
Eve gives it a go.
Rose and her new BFF
The snack area was made to look like cabins on a boat. Adorable!
Rose really liked this museum. :)
From the museum we took a ferry back to our hotel area and did a little relaxing at the hotel. Rose and I went for a little walk and found the Parliament, the Royal Residence, and a Ukrainian demonstration. Then we collected the kids and went out to dinner at Norway’s version of the Olive Garden, without the breadsticks!
Day 4: Oslo
The hope for day four was to visit the Viking Museum, one of our original goals for this Norway trip! I read in various places that it was under construction, but that much of it was still open to the public. We got there (with the help of Lex’s excellent public transportation navigation) to discover that the WHOLE museum was closed and NOTHING was open to the public. The teens gave me a hard time for trusting old web pages, but we got past that and went to the closest nearby attraction: the Norsk Folkemuseum. This indoor/outdoor museum showed various parts of Norway’s cultural history. We all enjoyed some parts and found other parts boring. Rosy and I reminisced about family trips to Hannaford Mills and kids/teens and our level of interest then versus now.
Lex’s favorite part of this trip — public transportation!
They have a phone booth preservation project.
I love this.
Beautful old houses from the 1600s.
A bed and hanging cradle.
We were fascinated by the grass roofs, particularly their construction and effectiveness.
From there we hopped another ferry to an island Lex found with an old monastery on it. It was a VERY old monastery with nothing but crumbling stone walls remaining. We had a little lunch and did some exploring. We also happened across a random art sale on the same island. The work was beautiful, but this was not a vacation for purchasing fine art.
The monastery…
or what’s left of it anyhow.
Five outta five smile!
We were all pretty tired by this point so we got back on the ferry and just rode it for the full circuit, about 40 minutes. Then back to the hotel for some DIY dinner and down time.
All worn out
I love the colors of the houses. All so quaint and picturesque.
Feeling rejuvenated, we girls decided to take a walk to Oslo’s newest library, the Deichman. I loved this library! It was so huge, but also calm, quiet, natural, bright, well organized, and just super interesting to look at. I enjoyed it so much I went back again on our last day in Oslo too!
The library with the statute and pool in front.
Happy girls.
When you walked in an immediate sound dampening could be felt. I think it as in large part due to the cool ceiling structure.
Six+ floors of beautiful library space.
After the library we walked next door to the Oslo Opera House. This building is made out of tons of white marble from Italy and designed with striking angles you can walk on all the way to the roof of the building. It is a beautiful building. It was closed when we got there, but I’m guessing it’s as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside!
The stunning white marble opera house
Day 5: Travel to Trondheim
Day five was a travel day on the SJ High-Speed Trains. The website says the train can go “up to 125mph” but I don’t think we ever went that fast! It felt like normal highway speeds, but we loved the roominess and big windows. The trip took seven hours, which was great, but also we were ready to be off the train by the end! Trondheim is a touristy city on the water (aren’t they all?!) with cobblestone streets and lots of eateries. When we got to the hotel we grabbed some pizza, then crashed. The one adventurous eater in our group was very tired of pizza by the end of this trip.
Lex, eagerly awaiting the train!
Adorable little houses
We saw lots of grass roofs on buildings still in use today.
A Norwegian village
Lake
Bridges and water
Sunset in Trondheim
Day 6: Trondheim
Our Trondheim adventure started at Nidaros Cathedral, “the world’s northernmost medieval cathedral and Norway’s national sanctuary.” We walked around the property and marveled at the sheer size and complexity of the cathedral (while reminding chatty teenagers that we are at a church and some people might be offended by their teenage internet meme ramblings!). We decided not to go into the cathedral, but we did go into the nearby Crown Regalia to learn more about the royal family and see all the fancy royal regalia. We were not allowed to take photos in the Crown Regalia, so you’ll just have to rely on the professional ones available on their site. :)
Nidaros Cathedral
Covered in saints doing weird things.
Tired out from religion and royalty, we crossed the Gamle Bybro (Old Town Bridge) and headed to Bakklandet, “a charming neighborhood cobbled with history and filled with cozy restaurants, bars and store fronts.” We were either too early or too late or just expecting too much, but, while cute, this neighborhood did not fascinate us nearly as much as I was led to believe by the books and internet. We wandered the main street, so a cool/weird bike lift, got snacks at a cafe, then decided (sort of ) to walk up hill a bit to see the fortress.
Very photogenic. All of these photos are unedited. I tried editing a few, but kind of like the moody lighting on the originals better.
Quintessential colorful wooden houses on the shores of the fjords
A dock along the shore.
Moody teenagers in moody lighting.
I love all the random art you find in city areas. This was a radio and from the back it had a full size inscription (in Norwegian) written in cursive wrought iron.
Close up of this fine fella.
I haven’t translated this yet. Lemme know if you do.
Each city had unique manhole covers. Each showing a different scene/saint. Someday I might research the relevance of each to the cities they are in. Someday.
It ended up being a very big hill, but also a pretty cool fortress with amazing city views. Kristiansten Festning was built to watch over the city of Trondheim way back in the 1600s. We explored the building, the cannons through the years, and the grounds. We also found a fun rope swing on the way up the hill that the kids all had fun trying out. By the time we were done at the fortress we were all worn out and cranky (not me, of course, but everyone else!) so we headed back to the hotel.
The fortress defending the city of Trondheim!
The royal electric mower defending the fortress against evil invading weeds!
There’s Nidaros Cathedral where we were earlier in the day!
After a little rest, Eve, Rosy and I headed back out for more exploring. We found the place we would catch the ferry in the morning, we found lots of cool shops, we found umbrellas in the sky (that made me ridiculously happy!), we found some weird statues and buildings, and then we found the boys and all had dinner at the Norwegian version of TGI Fridays.
More moody clouds
Ok, I’ll stop now.
While wandering the streets we came across a street of umbrellas. It made me ridiculously happy!
The next street had these colorful flags!! I tried editing the photo a bit to bring out the colors. Less moody, but more colorful.
I have mentioned that I love this girl? The sun is shining on her at 10:45pm.
Sunset-ish
Day 7: Cruise to Bergen/Kristiansund
I wanted to see the eye-popping, jaw-dropping cliffs of the fjords that you hear so much about in Norway and I though the best way to accomplish that was from the water, so we took a two-day, one night cruise from Trondheim to Bergen. We boarded the good ship Vesterålen (which I learned just this moment is a also the name of district and archipelago in Norway!). The boat was not super fancy, but it did the job. We spent two beautiful days cruising the Norwegian coast, checking out the desolate outcroppings of homes, adorable lighthouses, and outstanding vistas. We didn’t see the sharp high cliffs, but fear not, those came later.
Vesterålen
Adorable lighthouse everywhere!
Rugged villages on the shores of the fjords
The view from the back deck
Water makes me happy.
Air, land, and sea.
We spent a lot of time in the deck 7 lounge, which had comfy seating, tables, beverages, large panoramic windows, and (best part for the teens!) outlets. I enjoyed sitting on the deck (I really enjoyed it!) but I was worried about sunburning. Is that even possible in Norway?! I didn’t want to find out the hard way. So I alternated between the deck and the lounge.
Deck 7
Panoramic views from Deck 7
Zero views from my deck 5 cabin!
More lighthouses. I could make a whole album just of these. 🤍
The ship made a few port calls along the way, including one in Kristiansund where we had an hour to get off and explore. We were all jonesing for some fresh water, so we got off and took a walk. The town was very touristy, of course, and mostly closed for some reason (because it was Sunday?), but we enjoyed the walk and found the provisions we were looking for.
Kristiansund – the Hollywood of Norway?
Checking out the birds in the fountain.
Another manhole cover.
So many colorful buildings!
Don’t let the Eve drive the bus! (She was way too big for this thing, but she humored me anyway for the photo. She’s a good daughter.)💗
At night we slept in tiny windowless rooms (cabins?). It was not my best night sleep, but that’s ok because it was one of the best midnight views ever.
Sunset @ 11:23pm
Midnight
Day 8: Cruise/Bergen
We arrived in Bergen in the afternoon of day 8. This was the first time we would have an apartment (instead of a hotel) and we were looking forward to spreading out and doing some laundry. When we pulled in to Bergen it was a beautiful, sunny day and probably one of the hottest of the summer. There were people out everywhere! The restaurants and streets were packed. People were sunbathing on sidewalks on the piers near the boats. It was crazy. We were joking that they were going to be seriously sunburnt and hung over the next morning. Worst Monday morning ever! LOL. The 10 minute walk to the apartment felt like forever due to the heat and crowds, but it was worth it. The apartment was great (mostly) and had a great street view.
From the boat you could see the mountaintop we would be on later that evening.
The view from my window.
Rose went right to work doing laundry, only to find that they had a washer and a washer/dryer combo, which (as she remembered very well from the weekend we had one at our house on Perkins) does not work AT ALL. So basically we had two washing machines and zero dryers, five people’s worth of laundry to clean, one warm night, and one very rainy day. Needless to say my room looked like a Parisian Laundry. (I don’t really know if that’s the right term, but it’s the phrase that kept coming to mind!)
With rain in the forecast for the next day, we took advantage of the beautiful evening and took the Fløibanen funiculars to the top of Mount Fløyen. It was a 5 minute ride that took us to a beautiful mountain top! They had a store, cafe, museum (maybe?), a playground, a troll forest, and goats at the top of the mountain as well. We were there at 10:30pm though, so most of it was closed, which was fine. We were there for the views! (and the goats)
Riding the funicular to the top of
Bergen
Bergen
Us-ie
Approaching 11pm
More moody clouds
Lex and I took the last funicular run down the mountain at 11pm, while the other three decided to take the 3km walking path back. They found some beautiful scenes along the way.
Day 9: Bergen
We spent our rainy day in Bergen trying to get our laundry dry and exploring under umbrellas. We found two malls, across the street from each other. Both were tall and narrow. City malls, I guess. We found a fun comic book store and delicious street waffles. Somehow the “no plans” rainy day went by faster than any of us expected!
I loved this kardemummabullar and tea. If the cafe wasn’t sweaty and packed I could have stayed there all day.
But instead I returned to the apartment to watch the laundry dry.
Eve and I met Harry Potter!
This post contains more manhole covers than any other post I’ve ever written.
Day 10: Ferry to Flåm
This might have been the most beautiful day of all. It’s hard to even decide. We took a ferry to the tiny fjordian (is that a word?!) village of Flåm. According to Wikipedia, “Flåm is a village in the Flåmsdalen valley which is located at the inner end of the Aurlandsfjorden, a branch of Sognefjorden.” The ferry was hot and crowded, but once I found my way to the deck all was right in the world. I secured a bench there and spent the entire five hours on the deck, enjoying the view and the breeze.
We ferried through the fjords and as the waterway got narrower the cliffs got taller and more gorgeous. I was surprised and awed by the number of waterfalls we saw the whole way along. The ferry made several stops along the way at adorable little villages, including one called Vik that I wanted to hop right off the boat and visit.
The village of Vik
The kids enjoyed the views! :)
There were soooo many waterfalls!
We arrived that afternoon in Flåm and were shocked to find a giant Norwegian Cruise Line ship parked in the bay. We all agreed that it was WAY too big for that small little village. We walked the path over to our lodging for the night and discovered it was a beautiful hostel run by two men. I thought the listing said they were brothers, but Rosy heard somewhere that one from from London and the other from Australia. Wherever they were from, they were both very nice and their house was awesome. We settled into our rooms and then enjoyed a cup of tea on the deck overlooking the marina and water.
The mountains
Flam
The view from the porch of our adorable hostel.
We took a little walk into the village to check out the train museum and make sure we knew where we were going the next day. Then we headed to the marina for dinner. While enjoying our falafel burgers (me and Rosy, anyway) we watched the giant NCL pull out of the harbor. We joked that they were going to bump into the coast once or twice while doing their K-turn, but nope, they did a great job. Of course!
A cruise ship that is way too big for this little area.
Our dinner view once the boat left.
More mountains
A new family portrait
I think we all look better from a little farther away. :)
Except Rosy. She looks awesome in all photos!
Think this should be River’s senior picture?
The teens started getting a little silly. :)
“You’re the nerd. No, you’re the nerd. No, you’re the nerd!” – caption by Rosy
Day 11: Travel to Oslo
The next morning we sadly checked out of our adorable hostel and headed into the village to catch a ride on the Flåmsbana, a beautiful scenic railway straight up to the top of the mountain and a tiny village called Myrdal. The train had AH-MAZING views of the valleys, mountains, and waterfalls. It was outstanding! Along the way they told the story of huldras, a seductive forest creature found in Scandinavian folklore. Lots of shops around Norway had books about Nora the huldra. On the Flåmsbana they stopped at Kjosfossen waterfall, which falls over 300 feet! The train pulled over so we could get out and have a nice look see. Then a huldra appeared! The mountains filled with music and a huldra in red did some magical dancing. A lovely touristy experience! LOL.
Kjosfossen waterfall
Kjosfossen waterfall
The Flåmsbana ended in the little village of Myrdal, population zero. The only way in and out of that village is via train, either the Flåmsbana or the Vy fast rail. Can you imagine taking the beautiful Flåmsbana to work and back each day? World’s best commute?
Myrdal
We hung out there until our fast train arrived to take us back to Oslo. After sailing the waterways, then climbing the steep mountainside, the Vy train took us across the TOP of the mountains, giving us views of barren homes, rocky ledges, snowy landscapes, and shimmering ponds. It was very cool. Even when rainy weather swept through it only added to the vibes, as the teens might say.
When we got back to Oslo we checked back in to the same hotel from the first time. I had originally booked a different hotel, but after spending a few days in Oslo earlier we decided the first hotel would be better, so I rebooked.
We checked in to the hotel, then I took the kids back to the Oslo library and opera house. That was my choice, their choice was Domino’s for dinner. LOL. We got Domino’s takeout and brought it back to the hotel. We all decided Domino’s in Norway isn’t as good as Domino’s in the US, though there was some debate about just how good Domino’s in the US even is. :) We reviewed travel plans, TSA requirements (and what is the Norwegian version of the TSA?), and then we all parted ways for our final night in Norway.
On the morning we flew home, Rosy was up early and went for a final walk around Norway. She came across the Palace Park and within it the Princess Ingrid Alexandra Sculpture Park, containing statues designed by elementary school children. She said they were a little terrifying! The park also had a statue of a giant spider. When I was home and showing pictures to my friend who is an artist, she got very excited about the spider and told me all about who made it and what it represents. Art is often more interesting (and maybe less terrifying) when you know the story behind it.
The kids thought it was pretty cool that the planes had Rolls Royce engines. :)
Iceland
Iceland
Smoke from the volcano
Smoke from the volcano
Blue skies over the Atlantic!
Lex tried to capture photos of the wing in all flap positions.
Hello Boston
We landed in Boston safe and sound, then took the bus home. We checked into our own house at midnight and went straight to bed!
Summary
The trip was awesome, despite a surly teenager, rain, heat, and flight delays. It was awesome. I loved the scenery, breakfast at the pastry shop, the awesome public transpiration, the art, and the views. Most of all I loved seeing Lex and Eve both confidently navigating their surroundings, figuring out the public transit, dealing with cranky people and less than ideal food suations, and doing it all with poise and confidence. Were they perfect, no, of course not, no one is, but they were confident and maintained a positive attitude throughout. It made my mommy heart feel at peace knowing they will thrive as they spread their wings and leave the nest next month.
For our lake house this summer we found a sweet little place in Vermont, not too far from home. The house was really nice, the view was beautiful, and the wildlife was abundant! There were a few little flaws (slippery pine needles and noisy bunkbeds), but overall it was a beautiful week.
Ducks
Fire
Eve
Friends and family
More ducks
Evening on the lake
Beautiful lighting
Eagles
Rainbow
Our craft project this year was painted pots. Arts and Crafts director Rosy did a great job organizing and I made vinyl stickers to mark the occasion.
My goal for the week was to try the paddle board. I did it once before, many years ago, with Eve, but with the two of us on the board together it got silly and neither of us could stand up. This week I gave it a more honest effort and did it!! Multiple times! I am pretty proud of myself! (and love all the support and encouragement I got from the family 💖
My daddy helping me out.
Sisters by my side. 💗
Also, Eve is cool.
I’m not sure it was the perfect house, but it sure was an awesome week!
We wrapped up Lex’s birthday weekend with a trip to the Boston Museum of Science today. It was a beautiful day for a road trip. We got there by mid-morning, explored the museum, watched the cool lightening show, had some expensive cafeteria food, and generally enjoyed ourselves immensely.
The wave machine and a beautiful view of the water.
I want a plant wall like this! And someone to take care of it.
Earth
A little (digital) arctic friend.
Today’s forecast…. lightening!
So much lightning.
Crazy man in a cage, with lightning!
Eve, pretending to be Pluto.
Give this man a hand.
Family portrait. :)
We spent a lot of time on this engineering challenge.
The beautiful side of Boston.
Beautiful Boston with some silly people too.
Dinner at the OG!
We had a great day and we’re all looking forward to a no-plans today tomorrow! Hallelujah for three day weekends!
We took a day trip to the Atlantic today. Lex wasn’t interested in spending all day at the beach, and Eve would like to live at the beach, so we came up with a compromise. We drove to Portsmouth to check out Prescott Park (thanks for the recommendation, Rosy!!). The park is beautiful and we found a bagel place for lunch. Win-win. I would love to explore the little shops in Portsmouth, but my teenagers were not interested in that today. :)
One of the park gardens. They were really beautiful.
The park faces the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, so there were lots of interesting boats to see.
Also a cool looking bridge. We laughed at the people on those little boats in front as they held on for dear life when a big boat came by, creating crazy rocking waves. :)
We were happy to get a chance to see the bridge go up! Can you see the sail boat below with the tall mast?
We walked in to the village to find food. I liked this menu. :)
I wanted to take our bagels back to the park for a picnic, but the kids opted for tables and AC, so we ate at the restaurant then walked back to the car, then headed for the beach!
I wanted to stop at the lighthouse, but the kids didn’t want to do that, so I did a drive by instead. :) We saw all the big houses and amazing views. We saw what must have been a million dollar child’s birthday party going on at one of the seaside mansions! I wanted to crash it, but the kids vetoed me again! Dang teenagers! LOL.
We got to Short Sands Beach in York, Maine and spent a few hours in the water. It was mid-afternoon by this point, and only in the high 70s, so we found a parking spot and plenty of room on the beach. The kids all swam, and I just stood in the water. It was too chilly for me to swim. Also, (true confessions) I don’t love swimming. Is it possible to love the ocean, but not love swimming?! I hope so, because I do! I love the waves, and the sound, and the power of it all. I love standing in the water, but feel no desire to dive all the way in.
The mermaid surveys her domain.
We had a lot of fun with this mermaid tail. Lots of looks. Several people asked if we were doing a photo shoot. I just laughed and laughed as she tried to get herself out to the deeper water. I love everything about this girl! She brings joy to everyone around her. <3
Three in the sea.
I didn’t swim, but I didn’t exactly stay dry either! :)
When we were all done in the water the kids changed back into clothes (they were chilly!) and we went to The Goldenrod for dinner and their infamous salt water taffy! Dinner was ok, the company was entertaining, and the taffy, as always, is fantastic!
Everyone who reads this blog probably already knows all this, but I’m writing the post anyway! :) This past weekend we spent in a mansion (practically) just outside of Boston, with family who came from near and far to celebrate Mema’s 70th birthday!!
It was a secret of the very best kind. My sisters and uncles and aunt all coordinated a mini-vacation, without telling my mom about it. I invited her to Boston for the weekend to do a whale watch with us and SURPRISE big family party! :)
The house belonged to this guy. We had a lot of fun admiring his posters and his house, and Googling him to learn more. :)
I didn’t take any pictures of just the house, but you can get an idea based on the pictures I did take. It was huge and beautiful! The house had a big backyard with all the amenities, including a jacuzzi and fire pit.
Friday night we did a little grocery shopping at the biggest Wegman’s ever, enjoyed a hearty dinner of kale soup made by Greg and Kathy, and generally just relaxed with one another.
Joyce was in charge of the decorations. We all enjoyed them. Happy Birthday Mema!! :)
There was a pool table, a foosball table, and a chess table! We called this the Red Room. I felt like the queen’s servant opening and closing those drapes each day.
First things first, chess!
Our jacuzzi even came with a mermaid!
The kids had fun with the lights and bubbles settings, creating an “RGB gamer hot tub.” The mermaid enjoyed herself.
Greg and I stayed up late with the kids the first night and played a few rounds of pool. Or maybe they stayed up late with us. I’m not sure anymore. We all had fun.
We might have gotten a little silly. :P
On Saturday we headed in to Boston to visit the aquarium and go on a whale watch. This sounds very straight forward, but choppy seas, broken transit, and unclear parking made it an eventful morning. Eventually we made it though and it was soooo worth the effort!
The Boston Aquarium was beautiful, as usual. Some people in our party had never been before, so if was fun exploring it with them for the first time.
We only saw one sea turtle this time. We were wondering where the rest were. I’ll have research that at some point. The turtle did a nice lap around the tank for us. Showing off just a little. :)
I missed the best picture of this guy smiling at me, but I got him on the second time around.
The penguins are always my favorite part!
What are these sea lions doing?!? Look at their flippers all wrapped up. Both of them had a side flipper and their tail flippers wrapped around each other (not tied, it looks like something they did themselves) and their other side flipper doing small turns in the water below. Like they were just chilling with their flippers all up in the air. It was so funny looking.
These three were also resting with one flipper down and the other straight up. It seemed to be naptime for most of them. One (not pictured) was having a good time with a toy, but the rest were pretty chill.
Then we headed out for a whale watch. The captain assured us the water wasn’t *too* choppy – yet. She said she thought she could get us out and back in before the water got too rough. Reassuring? I’m not sure. She was right though! She got us out there, the water wasn’t too bad, and the whales were a plenty!!
We say five different whales, two of which were a mother/calf combo that spent a lot of time feeding and playing around our boat. The boat had a “naturalist” (scientist? biologist?) on board who’s job it was to tell us over the loud speaker what we were seeing. She was also taking notes and documenting and doing science kind of stuff along the way. She was thrilled to see so many whales and just giddy over the “silly baby calf” that was playing and flipping and practicing it’s dives. She kept exclaiming over and over about how cute it was and how surprising and that baby whales like to play, just like baby people. Her enthusiasm was contagious and we all really enjoyed the experience. She said they don’t bait the animals or use sonar, so it’s kind of hit or miss what you see on each trip. I guess we got lucky. Maybe the whales wanted in on the birthday surprise too!
Everyone say CHEESE! Or WHALES!
We sailed on the Asteria. It sounds more glamourous than it really was, given the number of barf bags used. LOL. Not by our crew though!
I got LOTS of pictures of water. We saw so many whales and so close, yet my camera didn’t capture any of them well. Oh well.
I love this lady. 🧡💚💙
I got lots of pretty water pictures though. :)
Hi!
There’s a whale’s tail!
Despite my photography skills, I promise we had so many great views of the whales. We saw Freckles, and Dross, and Dross-2021-calf, and Owl, and a Minke. You can learn more about these whales on their website. The website is a little out of date, unfortunately, but you get the idea.
Back at home we were all exhausted so we ate pizza, tried to watch tv, and fell asleep. I say “tried” to watch TV because the homeowner and his family are Russian and therefore all of their books were in Russian, the clock was Russian, and even the TV was all in Russian. I can guess at some languages, but Russian left me pretty clueless.
We just wanted to watch Jeopardy! :)
Sunday came slowly and we all looked forward to a day at “home” enjoying each other’s company. I finished putting together the birthday cake, Greg and Kathy made another delicious meal, and we kept each other busy with games of Dominoes, Scrabble, Catan, and of course, pool.
Dominoes
Scrabble. Eve won, with a little lot of help from her neighbor! :)
This Catan game lasted longer than TWO rounds of Scrabble!
Yummy delicious strawberry cream birthday cake. I was looking forward to this all week! :)
Mema got a Lego flower bouquet for her birthday and asked for assistance building it. We were all eager to help out. Grandpa Tom was waiting patiently for the pool table to become available again.
A sneak picture of Eve. :)
Happy Birthday Mema!!
Uncle Carl and Mema, holding the completed bouquet of Lego flowers.
Monday morning we packed up and headed home, promising each other we’ll do it again soon. I’m so happy the pandemic is (mostly) over so we can gather again. I love my family!! <3
Baby Zig is turning 16 this week! It’s hard to believe how fast the years have flown by. Per usual, he doesn’t want a party and he mostly just wants Legos and books. One different thing he did want this year is some extra driving practice time, so we decided to take a day trip to Burlington. A random idea turned into an awesome day with family in an adorable city. We walked Church street, ate delicious bagels in the park, Lake Champlain chocolate ice cream and macrons, opened birthday presents, visited the science museum and the Earth Clock, spent about a minute and a half at the World’s Tallest Filing Cabinet, and finished the day with dinner at the Olive Garden. Yum!
You’ve come a long way baby!
Whales Tails along the side of the high way. I love Vermont.
13ft tall, African black granite, pretty cool.
All three kids had fun with this exhibit. Feeling strong. 💪🏻
Eek! He let me take an “almost 16” picture. I’m such a lucky momma! 🤗🤗
The Burlington Earth Clock. Probably would have been a little more effective if the sun were out.
It took some work to figure it all out.
This is a fun picture. :)
One of the stones had a heart hole in it. 🖤
The World’s Tallest Filing Cabinet, apparently a VT tourist attraction. Who knew?! I guess we can check that off the bucket list now. 😂
We had a beautiful drive home, with Lex behind the wheel.
Sunday morning Legos. Happiness is.
Done! A double decker London bus, complete with gum under a seat.
After a year of Covid and quarantine it was nice to get out and sample a little bit of normal again. I’m looking forward to a lot more of that as the summer comes.
We celebrated Rosy’s 40th, Grandpa Tom’s 70th, and Meme and Tom’s 40th in a big celebration at the lake last week. It was so much fun. The house was beautiful. I could happily sit on the deck and watch the water for days and days.
This is a terrible picture. :) At the last minute we decided to bring the dog as well. The car was packed, the kids were crammed in, somehow Eve got the front seat (and a huge, blurry hand in this picture), and we headed to the lake!
We had a beautiful house, right on the lake. If it were my house I would have cut down a few trees, but it is not my house, so I just enjoyed the trees as part of the view.
I love how the and the sky play so well together and look different every day.
Tuesday night was the peak for the Perseid meteor shower. The kids and I decided to stay up until midnight (when the real show was supposed to begin). We played Apples to Apples, our standard “stay up to midnight” game. Then we went down to the dock. It was beautiful. We laid on the dock, discussing the constellations, enjoying the weather and the water. We saw a few meteors, but just as midnight rolled around, the clouds decided to join us, and they rolled in too, think and heavy. Sigh. Even without seeing the official “shower,” we still had a great night.
The next night we went back again, a little earlier, and saw another handful of meteors. No one was in the mood to stay up until midnight, but we did have a second night on the doc, this time with Rose and Joyce.
It’s hard to take pictures in the dark! :) See Huxley in there too, lying on the dock with his people. <3
Sunrise-ish. I’m not really an “up with the sun” kinda person!
We did lots of canoeing, kayaking, and floating. By “we” I mean the whole group. I just did the kayaking. The stairs down to the beach were STEEP and the shoreline itself was very rocky, so it wasn’t the best conditions for swimming, but we had fun anyway.
Lex in the kayak, pulling the Birthday Girl Rose in a float. :) Eve is further out in another kayak and J is on a paddle board.
We had a few afternoon showers early in the week. One resulted in a full rainbow! I love how the whole inside of the rainbow arc is yellow/orange. So cool!
Sunsets are more my speed. :)
On Thursday we had a few extra friends over for the official party. It was a Tye-Dye theme. Eve and I made funfetti cake, we tie-dyed shirts, and painted rocks. There was some grilling of food and roasting of marshmallows.
Funfetti – per the birthday girl’s request.
A doctor, a nurse, AND an artist! What can’t this girl do?!
The shirts came out AMAZING!!! Especially hanging in the sun to dry. :)
A beautiful rainbow shirt made by a sullen sulking teenager. :)
Clemson in the house?!
Joyce is a master fire maker. She brought her A game and whipped up a few mighty fine fires. :) I brought the s’mores!
Alas, our time at the lake could not go on forever (and some of us were missing our air conditioning!) so when the week ended we packed up and headed home. Back to the ferry (oh yea, we took a ferry both ways!) and our side of the lake.
A roadside vista I just HAD to pull over for!
I would be remiss to end this post without mentioning the one thing that was a topic of conversation ALL WEEK. The TRAIN! There were train tracks right behind the house and the trains went by several times a day… but mostly at night! The first night we were there I wasn’t aware of the train and woke up at 3am feeling like the train was in my bedroom!! It was soooo loud! That morning I got up (too early) and read the house reviews on the website. Every one mentioned the train. Somehow I missed that. 🙄 What’s even crazier though, is that every comment said the trains were no big deal. I was like WHAT?!? But, believe it or not, by the end of the week they WERE no big deal! I was sleeping through most of them by the end of the week, something that seemed impossible on Monday. The train gave us lots to talk about, even though I didn’t get any picture. The geekier among us counted cars, researched car lengths, and estimated train lengths. A little summer math, just for fun. 😊
We all agreed that this is the 1st Annual lake side vacation, but also that we need to find a house with easier beach access. I’m looking forward to next year’s getaway already! 💖
Eve decided to go back to summer camp in NY, so we’re spending a week in the country. We dropped her off on Friday and she even allowed me to take a picture! :)
Cabin 9, just like last time.
Camp starts with a swim test. I snuck a little picture. She passed the test with no trouble at all.
While she was away, Lex and I hung at in Franklin. We watched G’Tom and his friend repaint the house, we had a little mani/pedi session, we watched lots of TV and played lots of Minecraft … I say “we” but I think you can guess who did what! :)
Greg, hard at work painting. Mema was gardening and Tom was painting, but somehow neither of them ended up in my photo.
Just for fun.
We also took a trip to Target, saw Toy Story 4, watched the Tour de France, and took a few walks. The heat steadily rose all week.
We picked up Eve on Friday. She had a great time at camp and is already planning her return.
A cheer tunnel for all the campers to run through. Camp is fun!
Closing ceremony. It’s hot and humid, and Eve is wearing her sweatshirt. At least it is unzipped!
Eve introduced us to all her new “friends,” that included a few animals she made at craft time, and a collection of rocks she drew faces on.
She made friends (of the human variety), collected email addresses, and is now enjoying a screen-filled day today. :) We are all spending the day doing as little as possible and riding out the record high temps.
