Acadia, Day 1

We're baaaack!

We just got home a little bit ago, and I am making my way through some of our photos. From our last stop, we had visited the Mark Twain house in Hartford, Connecticut and then traveled to Portland, Maine. From there, we made the drive to Acadia, and had some fun driving along the coast.

Once we made it to Acadia, we stopped at Sieur Des Monts to take a short hike on the picturesque Jesups Trail. It felt good to stretch the legs.

We then drove to our campsite (Blackwoods) and got everything set up. Since we had some time, we decided to hike down to the coast and see what we could find.

We hiked down to the Otter Cliffs and boulder beach.

I took the opportunity to set up the tripod and snap a quick family photo.

From here, we hiked back to camp, cooked dinner, did the dishes, then turned in. True to form, our Rainmaker brought a quick rainstorm that night, with a few distant rumbles of thunder, but everything was dry by morning.

More photos and stories to follow!

Cheers,

Marc

Portland Maine

We finally have the whole family together again!

I picked up Catherine from the airport on Friday (from Miami). Saturday we picked up Ian at the airport (from South Dakota). Sunday we drove to Wilkes-Barre to pick up Leah at her Royal School of Church Music camp, after enjoying an Evening Song.

Since then, we saw Mark Twain's home, and then made our way to Portland. We head to Acadia National Park for a couple of days, before we'll head to Niagara.

While in Portland, Catherine indulged me with a side trip to Allagash Brewing (one of my Gracelands...), then it was back to the hotel and finally to the Portland Head Lighthouse.

I have an app that was predicting a photogenic sunset, it was wrong. It was still beautiful - cool breezes with a rising tide made for a wonderful time.

Cheers,

Marc

Sunflowers!

I dropped off Ian with his Boy Scout Troop this morning for their summer camp. He was recently elected as an Assistant Senior Patrol Leader...and the Senior Patrol Leader isn't going, so Ian is in charge of his Troop. I think he will actually have a good time, since they are a good group of Scouts.

After taking care of the lawn, Leah and I pick some peaches from our two peach trees - and I had to try some sun-warmed, fresh-picked peaches (this is one of those cases where natural law mandates it!)

Afterwards, I had read about a couple of fields of sunflowers that were in bloom, so we drove to check those out. It was somewhat busy, and the fields were just past peak, but it was still pretty.

And pretty hot!

Cheers,

Marc

Happy Independence Day

I know I'm a couple of days late, but happy Independence Day everyone! We laid low around here, dodging some afternoon thunderstorms. But all in all, we had a great weekend.

The kids went to a friend's house and swam in their pool while I sweated just riding the lawnmower.

This is the last week both kids will be home until August. Ian starts his Boy Scout summer camp this upcoming weekend. I pick him up and bring him back for his pilgrimage with his youth group, then take Leah to her choir camp. When we pick up Leah, we'll be heading to Maine for our family vacation. It's been a while since I've been on vacation, so I'm definitely looking forward to this!

Cheers,

Marc

Officially Summer!

School has been out for a full week, and I can say it feels like a right proper summer!

The days have been hot with loads of glorious sunshine with a couple of pop-up thunderstorms during the day, and fireflies with warm breezes at night...spectacular!

Catherine is in Miami taking care of her mother, who had a hip replaced. It sounds like everything went well. Meantime, the kids have been babysitting for the neighbors and going to a friend's house to spend some time in a swimming pool. All in all, I think their summer is off to a great start.

Otherwise, nothing terribly new here. Cheers!

Marc

School is out!

School is finally out for summer!!!

I enjoyed a couple of days at home this week, which made for a shorter work week.

The kids are all lined up for their summer camps - but first they'll relax and unwind from the last school year. They have some babysitting to do tomorrow with the neighbor kids - which I think they'll enjoy.

Leah actually got me in front of the camera this time.

Catherine is taking off for Miami to help Nancy after her hip surgery this week. She'll get home just in time to pack for our big family vacation.

Cheers,

Marc

Another Sunday with nothing new

Sorry guys - nothing terribly new here.

Yesterday was a beautiful day spent napping and mowing the lawn, while today Ian helped out with a church function and the rest of us did a bit of house cleaning and landscaping.

School is finally winding down for Ian and Leah - with finals coming up and a summer packed full of activities.

Cheers,

Marc