Buffalo Wings

Consensus: "Good." Period.

Heading westward through New York and Pennsylvania and passing fields of grapes upon grapes upon grapes...

The old and the new...on the path of the Erie Canal

While traveling along the Mohawk River and being tantalized by these glimpses of perpendicular fingers or feeders, we decided to stop and find out about the Erie Canal. We stopped in Little Falls at Lock 17. Of the 57 locks in the canal, this one has the the highest vertical rise of 40.5 feet. A canal journey could be a cool vacation on its own!

A generous sampler at the Empire Brewing Co. in Syracuse. The highlights were the grape based and coffee based beers.

Back at the hotel the kids were thrilled to have a gazillion more cable stations only to find there was nothing worthwhile to watch! Love it! Perhaps Settlers of Catan in the lobby may be just the thing tomorrow night!

Onward to Wisconsin and Deavenland!!

Cloudy with a chance of pine needles...

Quips Miss A. as we lay in the tent listening to them sprinkle down onto the tent. Sadly, this was the harbinger of the rain that has chased us home yet again from Acadia. At least it wasn't a hurricane this time!  Thankfully we were able to get in a late afternoon hike up Dorr Mountain.  We saw some great cloud formations over the porcupine islands but the view really was better as we gained altitude. The highway and the industrial buildings definitely distracted on the climb up. We had a fun night at the campground with the traditional campfire eats. And no kid squabbling! With the boys away, Adelaide gets to try on the only child hat for a week. Homeward bound...

Miss A. Becomes an Expert Pier Jumper!

She only called it a day after 5 jumps! She was the family record holder today. Summer is now in full swing with the abovementioned Magnolia Pier Jumping, bocce at the Boulevard, a double feature at the Milford Drive-in, Fiesta fun and naturally the beach. May the days pass slowly and the summer seem endless!

Rhode Island Days

Although our time was short in the Ocean State, we crammed in a lot! We headed south with our first stop being Allie's Donuts for a delicious assortment of freshly made, melt in your mouth donuts  (best glazed donut EVER!). Onward to South County and a stop at the watch tower on Tower Hill Rd.  Boo hoo-- the trees are so tall that you can't get the breathtaking panoramic view of Narragansett Bay anymore.  Still if you just feel the need for a slight vertigo panic, it's worth the climb. Then a swing by good old Harbour Island to see Granny. Of course you can't leave the island without a stop at the little beach for the view, to dip your feet, and to climb the dock. In the afternoon we braved the crowds in Galilee. A short visit to the beach and a lovely walk to Sand Hill Cove and back complete with Block Island ferry heading out. Clam cakes and Del's frozen lemonade--two treats not to be missed while in RI-before heading north again.  We meandered in search of New York System weiners and bailed at the dicey neighborhood in Olneyville.  Yes, having kids definitely lowers the risk taking factor.  We found ourselves on Smith St. in Providence at The Original New York System Hot Weiners (www.originalnewyorksystem.com).  Friendly service, counter seating, coffee milk and the unique flavor of a dog with meat sauce, mustard, onions, and celery salt. A perfect ending to our Rhode Island Day!

Kicking off the Summer!

www.waterfire.org

We're ready for summer and started it off by heading down to Providence RI for the waterfire. For those of you not familiar with this, cauldrons are lit along the Providence River for a night. Music is piped in and gondolas slide by silently. It is quite a mysterious and haunting experience.

We arrived before dusk and already people were strolling along the water or just sitting enjoying the late afternoon sunshine and warmth. The volunteers, who are all dressed in black and restock the cauldrons during the course of the evening, were at that time still in the process of setting up the wood in each one. A few of us spectators were voyeurs to a couple being serenaded under a bridge by their gondolier. Great acoustics and great voice!  We headed over to the Union Station Brewery for a sampling of their beer and a leisurely meal with trivia thanks to a Heinz ketchup bottle. Who knew!  The beer selection was small but interesting. Their brown IPA was confusing-- think stout-ish with a hoppy finish. The summer IPA was just right for this kick off to summer. Afterwards, we joined in with the strollers. I waxed fanciful about sparks from the flames until Adelaide told me to stop because I was being too poetic. Is there a compliment in there somewhere??  The rest of the night we soaked in the ambience--the courtyard filled with luminaries, the unnervingly still and sometimes scary looking street statues, and of course--the draw of the flames.

Outta My Way!!

Actually this wasn't John at all despite the posed photo and the 30+ year absence from downhill skiing. Now Michele on the other hand...

Miss A described Mama's downhill descent during cross country skiing as something right out of a comic strip: "It was all poles and skis and Mama somersaulting down the hill in a cloud of snow." Lovely.

Despite it all, we had a great time skiing in beautiful NH.  The whole family gave the aforementioned xc skiing a try on Day 1 at King Pine in Eaton, NH. All the kids took right to it although the consensus was that it was more work than downhill.  The well groomed trails wound around the woods and lake on the grounds of the Purity Spring Resort.  We ended our trek skiing across the lake which 3 out of 5 of us thought was pretty cool. The other two were less than enthusiastic.  What is it about crossing natural formations like lakes and volcanoes that so unnerve our kiddos???!!!  You'd think we were going to fall in or something!

Day 2 was a full downhill day at King Pine.  To the surprise of the kids John actually skied and Michele took her first downhill lesson (yes--face plants here too!). Adelaide loved having Papa ski with her although both parents agreed--those boots are uncomfortable!!  After an afternoon break, we met up our friends the Bouchers and the kids skied until they closed the place down!

On Day 3 we headed up to Black Mountain in Jackson, NH. And who knew what sights we would see on the way!! Outside Eaton we passed a farmhouse with a giant Totoro painted on their barn door! Of course this needed closer inspection! John turned us around and pulled right into their driveway figuring they wouldn't mind admiration from fellow Miyazaki fans.  Then in Jackson we witnessed the birth of the next Olympic sport: bungee boarding! Yes, you read it correctly. Some young fellow pulled back and launched himself airborne, vaulted over the gazebo rail, and continued his flight down to the bottom of the hill!! What a ride!

Our day at Black Mountain brought another full day of skiing and good company with the Bouchers. J and M even got another xc trek in at Jackson.  We are headed home now in dicey weather conditions.  What--is it winter or something?!  Until the next adventure...