The Maine Summer Event!

Ah... the annual summer voyage to Maine. I love it. Ron loves it. Sam is lovin' it too. This year was so nice, as Ron, Sam and I, Kathie, John, Tia and Tanner, and my folks all rented a cottage on Wilson lake, in the southern western part of Maine. It was SO NICE. The camp was cozy with two levels, allowing Mom

and Dad to have a little bit of privacy on the bottom level. The weather was cool and very comfortable, with very few mosquitos. We had many pieces of "equipment" to entertain us. Three bikes, a canoe, a kayak and our legs for walking around the perimeter of the lake (approx. 4 miles - perfect!). For a couple days, the adults took turns putting a puzzle together on the porch (that can be very addictive! Where's SAM?!). The kids played outside quite a bit, but also had the 'luxury' of watching t.v. or DVDs. Ron and I were able to take a few solo walks, which was really nice. One of those walks, we guestimated to be about 6-8 miles. We started on a 4-wheel trail which weaved and winded (wound?) thru the woods - very pretty - to emerge on a road a little farther from camp than expected. What a nice day though! I also managed one day to swim about a 1/2 mile, the length of the swim portion of the triathlon I'm

doing the end of September. I was THRILLED to learn it only took me about 30 min. While that is the slower end of that timed segment, it's not an embarrassing amount of time to swim it either. Phew! We didn't do too much sight-seeing. That said, we did venture to Old Orchard Beach near Portland, mostly for the kids. I think Ron enjoyed reminiscing a little, as he worked at "Splashtown" for a summer. Sam enjoyed a couple kiddie rides, and I went on a couple "big kid" rides with Tia and Tanner. My parents bought some salt water taffy on The Pier ("Oh Honey, this place has really changed from

what i remember!"). One day, the Telford Family drove to Saco to meet a dude that Ron's been chatting with through a message board online. His name is Jeff and his fiancee Danielle. Real nice couple. They took us to the Portland Lighthouse. Ron was also able to meet up with some college friends that live in Hiram. They came to the camp with their three boys, and all the kids had a good time running around playing flashlight tag (thank GOD that still lives!) and roasting marshmallows. What a super fun week!

FINALLY!

A picture of my darling son looking just like his MOMMY,

for once! *wink* Not that Daddy isn't MOST handsome!

Sam's latest past-times are tickling himself (this is VERY funny to watch!), slipping his feet into our big shoes and clunking around, and BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS! For as much as we read to him (literally 30-45 min in the evenings, book after book!), i'm shocked he's not speaking in sentences. Can't you hear the British accent, quoting Shakespeare? That's what i do!

Bacchus Day XIV

It made it around to another year that the Bacchus Clan gathered for our annual reunion. This is a group of friends that i went to school with at Alfred, many of them engineers that I initially met through Shyam. The name Bacchus comes from the name of the apartment complex the main 6 guys lived in (all the apartments were named after Greek Gods. We're partial to Bacchus, the God of Wine!). This gang is tight and getting to be a very large group! 14 years ago, it was a handful of us, all of us single (barring maybe The Gambees, a couple that have been married for close to this long), kidless and with stomachs having a large capacity for food and DRINK! Oh yeah, and the stamina to party into the morning's wee hours. Nowadays, we bring our kids, our spouses and most of us tend to head to bed by midnight. No matter though. The gang still has a blast playing hours of euchre while Top Gun plays in the background (another tradition). This year was the most kid-populated so far, with 43 kids. I joke, but that is how it felt some moments. Dan's girlfriend Casey brought her "Dance Dance Revolution" Playstation dance pad and that provided hours of fun for EVERYONE (and a genuine workout for some!). Sam and Shyam's daughter Ria buddied around, sharing books and sippies and playing with Playdough. A couple of the other kids weren't yet walking, while some are pre-teen. Ron and i had a chance to visit the local lake's community beach on Saturday evening. Sam was a bit timid with the water, but with our gently coercing him, he made it out up to his belly! We gave him a mohawk too, OF COURSE! It was a very nice weekend had by all. Next year's festivities are up for discussion already. Some have suggested Knoebels Theme Park for camping and rides, etc.

Ummm....

Does anyone else find it weird that Spongebob's friend Patrick, the starfish, has a belly button?

Photo du Jour

Beegs and Sam both ran to the side window and intently watched Ron get in his car to go to work. It was only in a second that Sam turned to look at me, otherwise, both of them had their noses to the glass for a good 2 minutes.

Watkins Glen is Gorges Too!

Last Monday, my shift at Wegmans ended at noon, Ron's started at 12:30 and Sam was at school. I decided to use my free time to hike Watkins Glen Gorge. The only bummer of the whole trip was that i had to pay $7 to park. Ron laughed later and said, "since you went to hike, why didn't you park somewhere else and HIKE in?" Good point.

It was a beautiful day. Warm, with sporadic clouds and a nice breeze.

If you ever make it to this neck of the woods, put this hike into your plan. It wouldn't even take up the whole day, though it would be easy to make a day of it. I hiked 80% of the length and back in a little under two hours, and i was not "power hiking." There were plenty of tourists, as i expected, but i was not looking for a secluded hike. I also wanted something pretty easy, and this hike is. While the steps from the beginning never seem to stop (there are about 800 from the Entrance to the Upper Level), they are intermittent and there is plenty to see and lots of flat areas to walk before the next section of about 10-20 steps.


It's a very well maintained park. And the gorges really are just that - GORGES! I know that is Ithaca's little catch phrase, with several scenic parks in that town, including Ithaca Falls, Buttermilk Falls State Park, Lake Treman, Enfield Glen, Treman State Park, Lucifer Falls, Taughannock Falls, and Cascadilla Gorge.

I took what i think might be the lesser-traveled path back to the entrance, the shaded and wooded well-marked path on the opposite side of the gorge. I could faintly hear the water and the people from below on the Gorge Trail, but i was able to enjoy the trees and shade and the quiet.

Smitten Mama

Sam just finished his 3rd week in daycare. That's 8 days, technically. He's finally gotten used to the routine of things and when i go to pick him up recently, the ladies are quite literally clammering to share stories of how AWESOME he is. It makes me so proud. Lemme share the latest "Cubby Note" left on Sam on Thurs, 7/12. (A Cubby Note, by the way, is a half sheet of paper giving a 'run down' of Sam's day, including what he ate, how long he slept at naptime, and some 'highlights.' I think its an AWESOME thing they do, and i plan to tell them how much i look forward to Sam's Cubby Note that day.)

"He had a really good morning. He had no tears at all after being dropped off. He played with another boy who is about the same age in the morning. And we went outside to play in the playhouse. He is getting to know the rules there and he understands them well. He spent a lot of time playing with wooden airplanes there. It seems that he is comfortable with all other children and staffs. We're so happy to see his smile on his face! Have a great night. ~ Ayumi"

Ayumi rocks!

And apparently, so does my son. Its taken him a gradual and cautious three weeks to emerge and shine as the awesome little guy we love greeting us every morning!