Our Summer 2006 Postcard!!!
We’re running a bit late on the summer postcard this year… Guess we just had too much fun! But, as any good Cub Scout will tell you, too much fun is never enough! So… Here’s a look back at some of the things we did this year!
Joshua had the opportunity to go to the Days in the Arts (DARTS) camp that’s hosted by the Boston Symphony Orchestra out at Tanglewood. He spent a week living in a dorm at Simon’s Rock College, being introduced to a number of new forms of art, touring sculpture gardens, taking in the shows at the local art venues, and generally having a grand time making new friends. It was an awesome experience!
We delayed Joshua’s April birthday celebration into the summer so that he could have a pool party. But… Nobody told the weather man and it rained. The pool party turned into a video gaming-sleepover but Josh and his homies still had a grand time!
We made our now annual pilgrimage to the white mountains again this year. We did a nice two night hike that featured four 4000-footers, two nights in the AMC huts (Galehead
and Zealand), and a lot of fun. There was, however, “The Great Wild Chicken Incident” wherein Shawn battled a grouse. It wasn’t pretty.
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Jake spent Webelos week at Camp Massasoit. Not only did he catch “The Big Bass” in the lake, but he also had a fantastic time doing sports, archery, scout skills, rocketry, and generally causing havoc in the woods. They do a great job at Massasoit - highly recommended!
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We were treated to a nice cruise on the Blue Moon by our palls Nancy and Kjartan in July. We saw the Constitution, had a nice swim, a great lunch, a bit of fishing, and a lot of fun!
We brought home a new friend this summer… Midnight. Also known as Middie. She’s a mostly-lab from a local rescue shelter. She came with some baggage and we’re still working on some behavioral faults… But she’s a lovable mutt.
Shawn competed in the Lowell Triathlon - a grueling swim against the current of the Merrimack River nearly did her in! But, she got the best of it and had a great event!
Joshua did his first ever week of Boy Scout camp at T.L. Storer Scout Reservation up in New Hampshire. He lived in a tent for a week, earned his Swimming merit badge, completed the “Trailblazer” program for new scouts, and had a lot of scouting fun!
Jake also spent a week at the Cub Scout daycamp, Camp Nihan. Unfortunately, it was the hottest week of the summer and the swimming pond was closed due to high bacteria levels - a bad combination. Nonetheless, Jake enjoyed himself and learned some more skills!
Both Josh and Jake got to spend two weeks at the YMCA’s Camp Northwoods on Lake Winnipesaukee Both enjoyed being on the lake, playing sports, living in a cabin, and making new friends! It’s nice having your brother at camp too!
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It was a family trip to New Hampshire in August when Shawn and John both competed in the Timberman Short Course Triathlon. For Shawn, it was a chance to overcome the demons of Lake Winnipesaukee while John, in his first ever Tri, just wanted to not drown. Both were successful and had a blast. John’s full report has lots of details.
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Joshua made his triathlon debut at the Timberkids event. Brave and strong, he did a great job on the swim, bike, and run and had a blast!! Note his popularity with the women in the center picture below - got it all from his dad!
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We celebrated Shawn’s birthday after returning from the Tri with a fun family dinner!
Jake’s birthday was next… Again, we’d hoped for a pool party but it was cool and rainy, as was much of our early summer was, so we settled for a few quick dips and a huge wiffleball game!
September meant back to school - or back to NEW schools for both our kids. Joshua moved to 6th grade at the Middle School this year while Jake returned to a newly remodeled Batchelder elementary school for 4th grade after being bussed to a temporary school for the last two years of construction. Both are very excited and are excellent students - making mom and dad quite proud!
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John participated in the Reach the Beach Relay again in September - a silly event where teams of 12 runners gallop their way from the Bretton Woods ski area to Hampton Beach State Park - 200+ miles in 24+ hours. His team, the Road Warriors, took 30 minutes off of their 2005 time and moved from 34th to 26th overall out of 300 teams!. Again, read John’s full report if you want the gory details.
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Josh and John went whitewater rafting with the Boy Scout Troop. Josh’s first time down the Kennebec River was a success - and a lot of fun!
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We celebrated Grams’ birthday with a dinner at our place. Note the uncanny resemblance to her hero!!
There’s been a LOT of soccer this fall. Both guys played in spring tournaments, fall travel teams, and are scheduled for November tournaments as well. Jacob continues to use his speed as a forward - he can outrun just about any kid in his league! Joshua use his aggressive, tough style on defense and honed his skills as an outstanding goalie. Both are great players and a lot of fun to watch!
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So we’re settling into fall - keeping busy with scouts, soccer, school, family and friends. We continue to be quite busy and look forward to weekends with nothing planned but grocery shopping!
Hope you stop by if you’re around or drop us a line! Happy Fall!
