New England!

We concluded our July travels with a trip to New England. 

We landed in Manchester, NH and took our rental car straight to the Atlantic Coast where we hopped out to touch the water in Hampton. We puttered up the coastline on the scenic Hwy 1a, gaping at the huge homes and looking for a dinner spot. We crossed into Maine for dinner before arriving at Lynette's home in Wayne, ME.

And what a lovely home it is! We enjoyed two days with Lynette and Janika, making the most of our short stay in Maine.

We hiked Mt. Pisgah and climbed the fire tower at the hill's summit.

That red dot is Mitch scrambling up for the second time. The view was lovely; trees and lakes and mountains in the distance. We were so delighted to be in forests with birch, maples and oak trees blended in with the pines. So beautiful!

After the hike, we went to the family camp on Lake Pocasset where Jani pulled us around on the tube. Mitch went first and avoided being tossed.

Shannon wanted to go faster and continually signaled so!

She enjoyed riding with Jani, too.

We had ice cream in Wayne at Tubby's (delicious!) and then walked to the Yacht Club for an evening swim before returning to the house. It was a full and fun first day!

Day 2 in Maine took us to the coast for lobster and lighthouses! We feasted on the local fare at Shaw's, arriving in the fog just as we reached the shore. We got to watch the lobster boats unload as we waited for our meal.

We went to the Pemaquid Point Light, which overlooked some fierce rocks. We got to climb the spiral stairs to the top. Lots of "Keep the lights burning, Abby" references!

  There were wild roses blooming on the Pemaquid rocks.

In Maine, there are, 65 historical lights on the coast. Our trip brought us to 3 of them but this map showed us many more.

Curly heads

After the lighthouse, we drove to the other side of Pemaquid Point and found the sunshine again. The kids played in the ocean and we watched the Mainers (and lots of others) enjoying their seashore sojourn.

  Part of the joy of Lynette's, apart from the family and magnificent house replete with a toy room and Legos galore, was the pets. There were multiple cats, Peter (the rabbit), and 2 dogs. Here Shan walks Cody in the lawn.

Mitch giving Coco Pugs some love.

Some trampoline fun at sunset closed out our stay. 

We enjoyed the screened in porches, breakfast under the cedars, survived the humidity and couldn't get enough of the view of Lake Androscoggin from Lynette's home. 

We left Wayne and stopped at the Portland Head Light and the Cape Elizabeth Light on our trip south. Both were shrouded in fog, but still beautiful. We stopped in York Beach for a final Maine lunch and were overwhelmed with the expansive shore and hoards of vacationers. A final lobster roll and we bid adieu to Maine - "The way life should be" being a fitting motto. It was a perfect (albeit too short) trip!

We arrived in Francestown, NH to find cousins and more fun at Kevin and Mindy's home. It wasn't long before we were in the water!

The swings were a very popular diversion as well. The kids also loved the zip line, and playing the the camp was very much enjoyed. One night all the kids got to sleep out in the camp with Kevin and Mindy and they loved getting to help tell bedtimes stories and share secrets. 

Their home sits on the shore of Scoby Pond (or Haunted Lake...) and we all enjoyed kayaking while there.

Poor Kevin was accosted by swimmers whilst kayaking and eventually was capsized.

  On our second day in NH, we went to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. It was a good game, with great seats and company!

Of course we had to go see the Green Monster, which Mitch touched!

Cuties!

Back at the house, we spent a day playing in the sand and the water. The kids built this dam and spent hours inventing games with it.

Kevin and Mindy are amazing hosts, seeing to every possible need or desire. They have set up housekeeping with an eye for having company and it was very easy to be there with them.

We had a hot dog roast followed by s'mores one evening.

The s'mores were huge and baths were a must after eating!

Happily, baths were a tandem affair with bubbles galore! Shannon and Zoey started the fun with Mindy's help.

Uncle Kevin saw to the cleaning of Miles and Mitch. There was a lot of giggling in this tub!

We enjoyed several side trips while there. On Friday we were joined by Mindy's sister and family for a children's theater show in Peterborough which the kids loved! We also went out for lunch and then up to the top of Pack Monadnock Mountain for a view of the area. This included a second fire tower!

Saturday we climbed up Crotched Mountain hunting for wild blueberries.

Along the trail were poems and lots of stopping places for littles to enjoy.

We found the famous berries (along with the infamous ticks) and happily picked and ate buckets full.

Shannon loved helping Mindy make a pie with the berries when we returned home. It was, of course, delicious!

Baby Max was a big hit with Mitchell, who proclaimed on many occasions that he loved him. Such a pair of sweeties!

Shan was fond of Max, too!

Our final night at Scoby Pond was lit up beautifully! 

The next morning dawned with pouring rain as we said farewell to the Pobsts.

Mindy took us to the SEE Science Center in Manchester for a morning of fun before our return flight. The Lego model of the mills was incredible!

The kids liked the pulley chairs.

And we all spent some time trying to solve the brain teaser puzzles.

Shannon mastered this balance puzzle and loved to share her success (and teach other kids!).

Mitch was taken with the robotic arm.

We flew home through Chicago's Midway, singing about the Cubs, and arrived safe and sound at our home at 2am PST. It was a very fun week-plus in New England with lots of special time with family and fun memories. The kids want to make it an annual trip...so I think that's victory! Now we're home for summer's duration and are preparing for the next round of busy!

Alaska Adventure

We spent a week plus at the Cabin and enjoyed fishing, exploring, playing, seeing wildlife and, most of all, time with family.

While the weather was forecast to be "showers and rain" for much of our stay, we actually enjoyed a lot of sunshine and relative clear skies. Petersburg was its usual charming self!

Fishing was not great this year for anyone. However, it still brought fun. One afternoon we jigged for herring in town. All 7 of us on Hewie: Dad running the boat, the kids with poles, Bryan assisting Shan with her fish and Mike assisting Mitch with his fish, Mom acting as the bait queen, and me on the camera. It was busy!

Shannon declared herself to be "Champ of fishing" due to her success with herring. She was overjoyed by the process!

Mom rocking her role of Bait Queen. There's nothing she won't do with the help of gloves!

Mitch told me this was how fishermen smile. And what a fisherman he was this year! His focus going up was getting to halibut fish for the first time. 

He went out twice (about 10 hours of time on the boat!) and didn't complain at all. He was content to sit, watch, help, or man a pole. The ready supply of candy helped...

Grampa caught a little guy, but Mitch was pleased; halibut tacos were the result!

Aside from herring and halibut, we went for Kings. We trolled for them in the Narrows 3 times. The early morning proved buggy!

We did catch a couple this way, with Gnagy getting the biggest! My handsome fisherman also got a pretty one. I caught sea cucumbers and bull head.

We also went up the Blind twice to drift eggs. It was rainy the first time so we decked out in gear.

And Mitch caught one!!! Grampa helped and together they reeled it in, landed it and were delighted by its bright color. Mitch hauled the fish most of the way out of the Blind - quite a heavy feat for him! He himself was hauled partway, too, since he doesn't have waders and we tried to avoid water over the boots. 

Our first time up all three of us landed a King. Mine was caught on my last cast, much to Mitchell's delight, and ultimately was too ugly to eat. We made an eagle feast of it instead.

Here they are. So much happiness in the photo!

While we fished, Mom and Shannon spent lots of time together at the cabin. They went on exploration walks, built a hideout for the kids, colored and had a good time.

Shan loved to help with chores while there, including filling the wood box, sweeping and, most of all, dishes with Grama.

There was lots of exploring, especially since these two could do some solo. 

The plants have certainly grown a lot in the last few years, without the tree canopy to block the sunshine. Shannon was fixated on Devil's Club and she and her brother were sure to touch it just because they shouldn't.

Even explorers have to stop for lunch!

Bryan and the kids explored both bays in the canoe. The paddler in the bow wasn't very helpful, but her brother did strong work.

We also explored Mitkof Island a bit, stopping at the swimming hole near Crystal Hatchery. It was pretty, but not warm enough to swim.

We went down the boardwalk at Blind Slough just to see the sights. Lots of muskeg, a la Kasheets. 

This one scored a ride on the return.

Back at the cabin, there was also a lot of play time. The buoy swing was very popular this year!

No one ran into the tree, and adults weren't required to push!

Grampa also taught Mitchell (and then his sister) how to shoot the BB gun. 

Annie Oakley's title won't be taken from her any time soon, but Mitch sure got better with practice!

And this happened. Oh my head.

Because temperatures don't matter a whit when you're small, swimming also took place on several occasions. Everyone else is bundled and these two strip down.

I think the cold actually made the play more fun!

Their high-pitched shrieks rivaled those of the eagles!

While golfing is the traditional game in the bay, we took a different spin on it this year and made it golf baseball. We all enjoyed smacking the balls, trying to reach the water. When the ferry passed, Bryan put on a show!

Among the interesting ship traffic this year was the 230-foot yacht, Cloudbreak. Unbelievable.

We also were treated to a trio of orcas traveling south down the Narrows. It was a big year for wildlife, really. 

Aside from the usual hummingbirds (pigs) at the feeder, we saw a couple porcupines on Mitkof and most exciting of all, a black bear up the Blind! 

While halibuting, we were entertained by the antics of the White Rock sea lions. One large guy came through by the cabin and even surfaced right in front of the guys in the skiff. They are huge!

And we are always surrounded by eagles. My nasty King made for a good eagle feed and we enjoyed watching them fight for, defend, and steal the meat. The mottled eagles are the immature ones.

So, Alaska was a good time. Three generations of muddy women in various stages of cleanliness.

An accurate portrayal of our family.

So much fishing, exploring and playing meant we needed showers and pjs. Not a better view for tooth brushing!

Lots of stories from the grands before we retired to the loft. The kids were delighted to get the loft for our quarters this year. And they didn't fall (only their mother did...)! We colored, played Scrabble, napped, built Legos, feasted like royalty, and had a wonderful time.

Before we knew it, it was time to leave. So we set sail on our ship, and flew back to the Lower 48.

Arrival in Wenatchee proved trying with a dead battery and keys that got locked in the truck, but the fish made it, we made it, and we miss it already!

Sunset on the Narrows...who wouldn't want to go back for more?!