Waterfall Weekend

July 1-7

We started July with another visit to Sapsucker Woods. With all the rain around here, it felt like a jungle of ferns and duckweed. The trails there are amazingly not muddy, despite all the water everywhere we looked.

July 1 was also the night of the fireworks and Independence Day festivities in Stewart Park in Ithaca. 

Looking our over Cayuga Lake

Magic card tricks before the fireworks

On July 3, we stayed home in the morning and then headed out to 6-mile creek gorge. It wasn't the prettiest hike that we've done as it follows the city water source pipe and end in a waterfall that is really just the city reservoir dam. It's an unapproved swimming spot, so it was littered with stale old beer cans and bottles when we got there. The sheriff had just chased out a big crowd so there were no people, but lots and lots of evidence of them!

After that hike we went to Hopshire Brewery for their Independence Day celebration. There was supposed to be a food truck, but we got there too late and the food was gone. The owner ordered pizza for those of us who had missed the food truck.

Our kids have gotten to know the toy collection at Hopshire Brewery quite well. They spent some of their time playing tag and football with the other kids that were there. 

On July 4 we ate lunch at Americana Winery. They had bands playing and a variety of food vendors there. We followed that with a hike to Taughannock Falls State Park. After a trip to the grocery store, we ended the day at a small park near our house, grilling hamburgers and roasting marshmallows on the banks of Fall Creek.

Americana Winery

Skipping stones on Lake Cayuga

This is how Benjamin and Oliver often walk together, usually discussing the finer points of their Munchkin card game.

On the way to the falls

Taughannock Falls

Our picnic site

Sunday, we went to the remaining falls that we know of around here. We started at Treman State Park. There is a swimming area at the Lower Falls that had been closed because of all the flooding around here, but it had just opened on Sunday. The day was warm, about 80, but the water was 60. We didn't last too long in the cool water, but the kids had fun and wanted to go back in the swimming area, when we got to Buttermilk Falls.

Lucifer Falls at Treman State Park

Swimming at the Lower Falls, Treman State Park

Hiking along Buttermilk Falls

After hiking at Buttermilk Falls State Park, we played a game of Bananagrams in the park before heading to Ithaca Beer Co, The atmosphere there was really nice and we stayed to play some games outdoors before heading home. It was a water packed weekend. Oliver wrote in his journal the next day, "We saw a million waterfalls this weekend!"

Root beer float at Ithaca Beer Co.

Outdoor games at Ithaca Beer Co.

Thinking about the end

June 30

We have entered the last month of our time here and we are really trying to take advantage of it. Chad pointed out a few weeks ago that we need to think of each day as the last day. If you think of something you'd like to do "sometime before we leave," then it's time to do it now. Last night we went ot family movie night at the library, which was a event we had missed a few times already. That was the last movie night before we leave. Yesterday afternoon we visited the Ithaca Children's Garden - three acres of outdoor freedom. There was a giant mud pit for International Mud Day, but I put restrictions of my three kids because I wasn't sure how I'd get them home in the car if they really soaked themselves to the skin in mud. That, and our laundry machine here is so terrible, I just didn't think it could handle truly dirty clothes.

June was an busy month of Ithaca activities. After returning from Vermont we had a few days of quiet. We managed to see the Triple Crown winning horse race at the local bar on the corner. In spite of all our traveling, we actually saw all three races live on TV this year. The Kentucky Derby we saw at a restaurant in Mystic, CT. The Preakness, we watched at Emily's house in Vermont and the Belmont we saw here in Ithaca.

Playing with toys at Hopshire Brewery

The bar where we watched the Triple Crown race

The kids also signed up for a cooking class at the Wegman's grocery store. I will definitely miss Wegman's when we leave. I will miss the childcare there for Isla, and the fancy and ordinary groceries all in one store, but most of all the magical shopping list app that tells me where all the groceries are in order in the store! I won't miss the crowds.

In the second week, there was an idyllic day with no rain and comfortable sun, when the carousel in the park was free. I think Isla might have ridden about 10 times. I know that I rode about six times and the kids went without me a few times.

A typical day in the Ithaca house

The cub scout pack had a family camp out the following weekend. Of course, it rained a lot. It rains a lot here. I know it's been raining in the midwest as well, but it rains often here. We slept in a bunkhouse that night. Benjamin was sad not to set up the tents, but Chad and I were very happy not to have to dry out the tents again, especially since we were going to be camping again in just a few days.

In order to get to the lake week in Minnesota, we drove acorss Canada and Michigan so that we could stop at Mackinac Island and camp at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula. We had a beautiful day at Mackinac and some ideal camping weather. Even though the mosquitoes were nearly unbearable, we were glorying in the dry morning packing of the tents! It didn't rain in the night, or even reach the dewpoint, so everything was pleasantly dry.

In Minnesota, the kids caught fish and paddles boast and we all had a great week of free play time. We realized how tightly we had been lively here in Ithaca and enjoyed a week of spreading out and roaming freely away from each other.

Watkin's Glen and Rochester; Montreal, New Hampshire, and Vermont

We had a nice week at home. Since school is out in Lincoln, and both boys have finished their math worksheets from the school, we are taking it a little easier on the homeschool front. We do a little writing, and little math review, and lots and of reading. Benjamin and Oliver have been playing Civilization and have been motivated to look up lots of cultural leaders and history. I took them to the library to use the encyclopedias and we were all surprised at how much easier it was than trying to find a quick summary online. If all you want is to know is "who was Montezuma?" the print encyclopedia is just the right length and you don't have to sort through all those websites. It's a disappointing revelation, since I think I've turned down more than one offer of encyclopedia sets that I could have stashed in the basement bookshelves. We also got on an origami kick this week, which really just devolved into folding paper airplanes and having a huge paper airplane battle outside.

On Saturday, Chad suggested we go to Watkin's Glen to hike the gorge trail there. I had no idea what to expect and it was really spectacular. Dozens of waterfalls through a narrow gorge flanked by a very tourist friendly trail meant that there were lots and lots of people there. It's a major tour bus stop between New York City and Niagara Falls, so it was like hiking in Disney World. We heard very little English all day, which perhaps gave the gorge an even more exotic feel.

On Sunday afternoon we drove up to Rochester, NY to visit Seneca Park Zoo with Chad's high school friend and her family.She and Chad hadn't seen each other in twenty years so they caught up on all their high school friends and lives since then. After a while they were engrossed in professor politics. Her husband and daughter were very fun and Isla had a great time hanging out with an older girl for the afternoon.

On Memorial Day, we attended a service in the veteran's park in Ithaca. Then the kids played on a brand new playground that is close to our house.

Chad and the boys marched in the Ithaca Festival Parade with the cub scouts. I don't think that Isla had any memory of watching a parade where they hand out candy, but she got the hang of putting out her hand and picking up candy off the street pretty quickly.

On Friday afternoon we drove up to Montreal.Chad had found a hotel just across from UQAM so we would be able to walk to Old Montreal the next day. Friday night we walked down Ste. Catherine and found a Portuguese restaurant. We had really yummy chicken and the best poutine I ever remember eating.

The next morning we drove to Fairmont Bagels for Montreal style bagels. From there we drove to the Biodome zoo. We spent lots of time exploring their rainforest, Laurentian forest and polar zones. After the Biodome we drove back over to Schwartz' deli for Montreal smoked meat. We just beat the giant lunch rush. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Pointe de Calliere, a museum of archeology and history of Montreal. For supper we ate crepes in Old Montreal's tourist zone.

Sunday morning started with Mass at Notre Dame Basilica. Luckily it was First Communion and Confirmation so there were fully printed programs and Chad and I could follow along with the French. I also got to sneak in a couple of photos during the service while all the other parents were snapping pictures of their children. From there we drove down to New Hampshire and Franconia Notch State Park. It was cool and rainy, but we had a really nice, lonely hike through the Flume at Franconia. We camped that night and it rained ALL night. We woke up damp and cold, but everyone was surprisingly not very whiny about it.

We drove to Mount Washington, talking about the mountain views that we couldn't see through the clouds and rain. We decided to still drive to the top and it was freezing at the top. After checking out the museum, but headed back down the mountain, stopping once to check out an alpine meadow. From there we drove to Poultney, Vermont to stay with some friends from our KBS days. I think we have finally seen everyone that we know within a five hour drive of Ithaca.

Vermont and Delaware Bay

May 15-18

Chad and I were in the middle of deciding where to go next, when Emily texted to tell me she was going to be moving to a smaller space soon. Never ones to pass up free housing, we jumped at the chance to head out to Vermont this weekend. We headed out on Friday afternoon and got there in evening. Benjamin LOVED Emily's house in Vermont because it was filled with secret passageways, an attic, a basement, and an under-the-stairs closet. He wants to go back and live in THAT house.

Saturday we headed out on the Appalachian Trail/Long Trail for about three miles. After lunch we drove out to Calvin Coolidge's birth, life, and death place. All the buildings were closed for the season, but we found a brochure and got all the same information. Emily made us supper that night.

Chad added fiddlehead ferns to our meal

We walked around Weston on Sunday morning and then celebrated Eucharist with the Benedictine monks of Weston.

Goodbye, Emily!













We said goodbye to Emily and drove down to Milford, DE. High tide was at 9:30 pm and we headed to Slaughter Beach to see the mating horseshoe crabs. We didn't get to bed until about 11:00 and we all agreed to sleep in the next morning.

We actually did sleep in on Monday morning and just made it to the hotel breakfast! We went to another beach to see the thousands of birds feasting on the horseshoe crabs and their eggs. 

Then we headed back to Ithaca, with a interesting stop for food in Wilmington. The restaurant was called Scrumptious, and it lived up to it's name.

Garden Snails...Who knew?

May 4-14

During these ten days of not traveling we explored our swampy backyard. It's a funny house, because it seems to be surrounded by a shallow, swampy moat. One day, Benjamin and Oliver discovered that the yard is completely filled with snails and slugs. They collected three, named them Brownie, Hapi, and Big Guy, and built them a little habitat and playground. Oliver did the online research about what the snails would eat and like in their playground and Isla did most of the naming. Oliver and Isla even had snail races on their arms.

Snails on the playground

Brownie, Big Guy, and Hapi Houdini hanging out

I never knew that garden snails could be so entertaining.

May Crowning in Ithaca

It was also a time of big weather changes. Just he week before we were wearing hats and mittens in Cape Cod and now we are playing outside in shorts.

Looking for trillium 

Geochaching with Chad

Boston, Rhode Island, Connecticut

April 29-May 3

We drove to the Minute Man National Park on the way to Boston. Chad had printed out the junior ranger books ahead of time so we were almost done when we got there. We met the most talkative park ranger ever. He told us all about the revolution in the Boston area and also lots about his growing up in Boston and the different accents across the neighborhoods We drove through the park and walked along part of the battle road. Most of the buildings were closed because it was early in the season, but Oliver, Isla, and Benjamin all enjoyed pretending to be Minutemen and British soldiers along the road.`

From Concord, we headed to our hotel north of Boston. The roads are twisty and confusing so we circled past our hotel a few times, but we eventually got there. We called an Uber car since it was going to take hours on the T, and went down to Fenway Park for a Red Sox / Toronto Blue Jays game. The Red Sox won and after the game, we were able to take the T back to the hotel.

The next morning was Boston Freedom Trail day. We started down at Faneuil Hall and started walking south.toward Old State House, the site of the Boston Massacre. There was a character actor in the state house, who told us a little about life in 1765. We continued down the trail through cemeteries and churches and meeting houses. We made it down to the public garden and rode in the swan boats, that are featured in Make Way for Ducklings. The best part for Chad and me was eavesdropping on the boast paddler and his friend. They were debating the merits of George Washington training the Minutemen to be more orderly soldiers. That was followed by a discussion of how much nicer it is to live in Boston instead of New York. We really got the impression that Bostonians spend all of their time discussing history and the glories of living in Boston. After the public garden, Chad surprised me with the entrance to Cheers, from the TV show. I had not paid attention when I watched to show as a kid, so I didn't even now it was set in Boston. We stopped in for a snack before hitting the trail again.

We walked back up to Faneuil Hall and this time it was open for visiting. It had been closed in the morning for a citizen swearing in ceremony. The kids finished their junior ranger books and we headed north toward the Bunker Hill memorial. We climbed the 197 steps and looked out over the city. By this time Benjamin started complaining about his feet hurting, and I couldn't blame him. My legs were burning too! We continued on past the Constitution. It was being dismantled to go into dry dock for repairs so we couldn't go on it but we saw the bottom still sitting in the water.From there we took the ferry back to the center part of Boston so that we could eat. We ended up eating at the Union Oyster House. Afterwards we walked through a Holocaust memorial before heading back to the hotel on the T. Before going to bed, I looked at my phone and it claimed that we had walked 11.45 miles that day. Maybe so...it would explain our tired legs!

The next day, we drove down to Plimoth Plantation. It's combination of Wampanauk village and recreated Pilgrim village was much more interesting than I had thought it would be. We spent all morning wandering there and ate lunch there before heading into Plymouth. We saw an old mill there before heading to look at Plymouth Rock. Maybe it was fatigue setting in, but everyone in the car starting whining, crying, or yelling as we headed toward Plymouth Rock, so I don't have great memories of that moment. I wonder how whiny the pilgrims were by that time! The Mayflower II was not there, but we were told that it was being repaired in Mystic seaport. From Plymouth we headed out to Cape Cod. We stopped at the visitor center for our junior ranger books. We stopped at a lighthouse and did a couple of hikes before going to the hotel in Provincetown. After a really fun dinner at the hotel restaurant, we went out to the beach for sunset. The ocean was so calm that we could see bunches of whales jumping out on the horizon. Chad and I have paid to go out on whale watching boats, and we've never seen so many whales as we saw while standing on the beach. It was really spectacular and the kids took some time to run up and down the sand.

On Saturday morning, we took another hike with a park ranger to finish up the junior ranger program. Then we were off to Newport, Rhode Island - another new state for all of us. We visited The Breakers and the Marble House and learned more about the Vanderbilts and rich easterners than I ever wanted to know.They had great self-guided audio tours for everyone, so Oliver and Isla were able to stay interested most of the time.

After the mansions, we drove to Mystic, Connecticut. We ate in a cute bar and watched the Kentucky Derby there. We bought some salt water taffy for dessert. The next morning we went to Mass at St, Patrick and then went sailing on the Argia. It's a schooner and the crew was very friendly. I have some movies of Chad and the kids helping put up the sails. From the boat tour, we went on to lunch at Abbott's and then drove back to Ithaca.

Cornell Charter Day and Women's Rights

April 21-28

Out of the blue I had another Cornell gig this week. It was a couple of rehearsals and a concert in celebration of Charter Day. It was live-streaming, so the kids got to watch online. Isla said is was the best seats they've ever had at one of my concerts. I was sitting next to harp so they saw me a lot. I'm also easy to spot with my halo of gray hair. I was the oldest person on stage, too, since it was the college orchestra and a young conductor.

You can watch it here if you like.

On Sunday, we went up to Seneca Falls to see the Women's Rights National Historic Park. Benjamin was working on his Webelos Traveler badge so he did all the navigating for the trip. We stopped at a fancy restaurant on the way home, but the food was so salty that it was a huge disappointment.