Photography Contest

Ehren recently won third place in a photography contest with Essex National Heritage, an organization that protects the beautiful areas and historic places on the North Shore. They are also the hosts of Trails and Sails, an event that Ehren and I have enjoyed for several years. This is the winning photo; looking over a marsh at Plum Island at sunset. We were there last February looking for snowy owls with our friend Jon.

Fun Fall Times!

Ehren and I recently spent a fun weekend with my family on a lake in NH. The leaves were at their peak and there was family of loons on the lake entertaining us with their calls. We had fun kayaking and enjoying the warm fall weather.





















On a side note, Ehren and I recently spent an enjoyable weekend with our favorite Jack Russell Terriers!

Camping in the Fall!

Two weekends ago we had plans to go camping with our good friends Ian and Sally. We were planning on staying two nights, Friday and Saturday. We ended up going on Sat. due to Sally not feeling well and the cold, it was 40 degrees Friday night!

Sally and Ian spent Sat. afternoon and evening with us. We went on a hike, ate dinner over the campfire and made smores. We also played several games around the fire, such as Two truths and a Lie.

Ehren and I were toasty warm Sat. night, although it was 48, in our sleeping bags, 5 blankets, and winter hats.

This is the view from the hike we went on.

















This is an old beaver dam. It was especially pretty with the leaves starting to change.






We went geocaching during our hike. Ian and Sally are pondering the gps and directing us in the right direction.










We had a great time camping and spending time with our friends and hope to do it again next year!

Welcome Constance!

In August, we traveled to Virginia to meet our niece, Constance Parker Flynn.


Brother Si looks on as Patrick and Christy Lynn open a gift for Constance who is snuggled up against her mom. (She is just two weeks old here and sleeping like a champ!)










Si was a blast to be with as he had just turned 18 months and is doing all kinds of cool things.




Like playing basketball . . .











. . . driving . . .


. . . and taking charge of the outdoor art scene in Charlottesville.
















We are looking forward to many more fun times with this guy and his soon to be much more active little sister!




While we were there we also got to see my folks and grandparents and even got to camp and canoe a bit at Lake Anna with my parents.

Visit to Fort Williams in Portland, ME

A few weeks ago, Ehren and I went to Portland to visit my sister and brother-in-law, Jess and Shawn. They brought their new "baby", a yellow lab puppy named River. Fort Williams is a gorgeous ocean front park with a lighthouse and remains of an old Fort.

Here's the view looking out on the ocean from the park.




I took many pictures trying to get a good one of the waves crashing onto rocks and spraying.






this is the lighthouse that is at the park. A thunderstorm came suddenly upon us and the lighthouse looks neat framed against the foreboding skies.















Here's River, Jess and Shawn' baby! Isn't he adorable!

Fun in NH!

This past weekend we went to visit Jen's parents and grandmother in NH. We had a great couple hours kayaking on a pond near their home. We got to see a loon 30 feet from us and it talked to us for a while in the haunting call that they have. There was also a bald eagle that was soaring around the pond and would swoop down as if to catch a fish. It was an awesome time being close to such majestic creatures.

Vacation in the Berkshires

The Berkshires!!!

We went on vacation to the Berkshires in Western MA the first week in June. It was a very relaxing time filled with games of mini golf and horseshoes at the resort and lots of hikes in the surrounding mountains.

This cave is thought to be a spot on a mountain where Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne stopped to take shelter from a sudden storm after a picnic. It is speculated that inspiration for Melville's Moby Dick occured during this time of discussion.

Sunset over the mountains

Two sets of falls we walked along

We believe this cute frog is Pickerel frog. There were several of them in the puddles along trails.

A field of flowers in the middle of the woods

This was a house that we saw on the side of the road. It looks like a perfect house for a hobbit or elf!

We spent a morning at an old estate that the Trustees of the Reservation is caring for. The wife of the man who lived in the estate and created incredible gardens on the grounds, currently lives on the property and was able to share with us her first hand knowledge of the history of the estate.

This is all that is left of the old estate as it was destroyed by a fire in the 60's.

These 60 foot white marble pillars were magnificent against the sky and the view down into the valley.


The gate leading up the hill to the remains of the estate

The view from the top of Monument Mountain. In our hiking books this mountain was listed as being a strenuous hike with a 900ft gain in a mile, but we convinced ourselves that we were up for the experience.

We had a very enjoyable vacation and spent some great quality time with each other.