This week in the garden

Beets!  Yummy, delicious, so sweet when roasted that Matt thought I put sugar on them, beets!  One even as big as Tristan's head and with a head as big as his, (No, I am not being rude.  It is a scientific fact!  He is in the 95th percentile for head circumference after all.), that's big for a beet.

 

peace

It happened...

This weekend it happened.  I knew it was coming for whole year and there was no stopping it, no matter how many times I told Matt "well, at least I am still in my twenties" (it happened to him last year).  Yep, I am officially a thirties something.  It's not so bad, though (it still does sound weird).  The twenties were pretty experimental stupid.  I am looking forward to using some of that life experimental knowledge to not be as stupid this decade.  One can hope, eh?

Matt, the sly dog that he is, planned a few surprises for me.  I picked up the mail on Friday and strangely there were four cards all addressed to Sara "you are turning 30".  Now, one may have been funny.  Two could have been some conniving but four?  I knew what was going on.  Facebook, that's what.  I have yet to join the rest of the world in that online community where everyone you know or don't know at all are your "friends."  So Matt used that to get people to send me some you-are-30 cards.  My favorites by far are 7 cards from our god son Adam.  Nice work, little man!  I can't wait to put one in my office, one in my sewing room, one on my refrigerator, one in my bedroom...I will find places for them all!  I also received one that recalled many of my favorite ancient  childhood memories like side ponytails and mullets, the comador 64, New Kids on the Block (!), and Saved by the Bell.  Ah, the 80's...

Thanks to all of you for your cards, surprise cake and champagne, gifts, and love!  It's gonna be a good decade, I can just feel it...

peace

Tristan's new favorite sport...

There is a great local non profit here in the Berkshire's called the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition.  They are teaming up with the Massachusetts Museum of Modern Art (MASS MoCA) in North Adams to pitch an idea for Pepsi's "Do Good" campaign. They are proposing to build and artistically design a skate park for and with input from North Adams youth who desperately need a positive alternative to street style life. I believe we have the power to change our communities one innovative idea at a time. Please give them a chance to win the funding by clicking the link below and voting yes (and supporting Tristan's new favorite sport.  And no it doesn't matter that he has never ridden a skateboard in his life)!!!



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Acadia...

We had such a wonderful, restful, active, enjoyable family vacation to Acadia National Park.  We arrived and departed on subsequent Sundays so we had 2 traveling days and 6 whole days of recreation!  And we certainly had both recreation at the beach, in the woods, exploring towns and museums and a re-creation of ourselves, our relationship connections and our family.  Running a 6 month intensive on site residential youth program can be draining (understatement) and this vacation fed us for sure.  We tented (on gravel and next to our car but still) which was great and when we were evicted from our camp grounds because of Hurricane Earl we enjoyed two nights in a motel with beds, a free hot shower and fans.  I mean, who knew it was going to 90+ degrees in Maine at the end of August/beginning of September!  I think we ran out of shorts on day four.  But  the dirty laundry, the other people in the campground who used their car's headlights as flashlights (what the?), the lack of creamer for our coffee, the bloody nose while horsing around in the town square and the cheap motel didn't matter compared with the only sandy ocean-front beach on Mt Desert island,

fishing and cooking dinner at the pristine quiet Bubble Pond,

hiking through a mystical forest of dwarfed fir, spruce, and lichen braving the harsh northern coastal weather,

climbing through a talus field with our kids (who now know what talus is) to get to the perfect fishing spot,

watching hurricane churned waves crash on a granite rock coast,

walking across a sand bar connecting one island to another only at low tide,

inspecting tidal pools while watching seagulls crack mussels open on rocks,

geeking (yes, geeking, kids included) at the Wild Gardens of Acadia where trees, ferns, and other flora native to the area are labeled and arranged by  environment type (yes, we are aware of how nerdy that is),

and more...

peace

First day of school pics

The kids are getting to the age where they pretty much love and hate each other.  They can't fall asleep without one another and yet they also seem to know exactly how to push each others buttons.  I was ready for school to start!  But this has unexpectedly been a bittersweet start to the school year for me.  Last week we had just the best family vacation to Acadia NP (pictures to follow this weekend) and I am just not ready to be rushing off to school in the morning. 

Abigail gave me permission to post the above picture of her on the blog.  She didn't like the other ones I took.  When did she get so big that she cares what pictures I put of her on the blog?!  Tristan is posing with his squirrel (whose name is chipmunk, don't ask).  And you can't tell from this picture but I made his backpack for school this year (details and a better picture to come).  And he actually likes it and uses it.  Score for me!
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