August Service Project!

So the check list thing may be a problem in need of an intervention......However, this one is one we have done for the past three summers.  Vermont State Parks has a Venture Vermont program in which you need to complete a certain number of tasks, take a picture, and then mail them, in order to receive a free park pass for the following year.  When you consider all the things you can do in a state park around here, it is a pretty awesome deal.  Much of our swimming and hiking for the year has been covered by our pass.  

One of the tasks we needed to complete was a service project in a park.  We spent some time in one of our favorite parks shoveling and moving mulch to muddy spots on the trail.  Little Man thought it was great, right up until I told him that his grandmother found copperheads in a mulch pile one time.

Done!

I finally finished my wine passport! I forgot to take pictures, but this one is by far one of my favorites.  Hall Home Place Ice Cider.  They sell ice cider, hard cider and apple wine.  Not only that, the other half of the building is this cute little cafe run the owners children.  It is cute and wonderful.  Then on the other side of the road is a farm-stand with apples, apple jelly and a few other farm fresh items.  It is a little off the beaten path, but wonderful and worth the trip.  

Almost There

I am slowly completing my Vermont Wine Passport. Last week, I went to Lincoln Peak, which is by far one of the more beautiful Vineyard (sorry the parking-lot picture does not do it justice). The wines are wonderful, and sitting on shaded deck overlooking a well landscaped pond, is so relaxing.  One more Vineyard to go.  

Also, I give up sweets for cross-country season, and a friend took me to My Little Cupcake for a sweet and wine pairing. I was a little disappointed that they did not use Vermont wines, but it was still pretty awesome. 

Grafton Vermont

I have heard about this beautiful town named Grafton, Vermont. It is indeed beautiful and the type of town you would want to bike through, or stay in a bed an breakfast at during foliage season.  However, we picked the wrong day to visit.  You see the woman at the Nature Museum had just left on a field trip with a bunch of campers (yes there was only one woman running the place), the museum of mining and minerals as well as the history museum are only open on the weekend, the Village store was closed and Grafton Cheese was just not all that exciting.  However, it was stunningly beautiful.  

The trip could have been a total wash, however, I had made backup plans before leaving the house just in case.  

One the way down we went to The Vermont Country Store. Total tourist trap, but I have been wanting to go.  Why you may ask?  Every time we are someplace on vacation and people ask us where we are from, they go on and on about this stupid store. One woman in Virginia Beach even modeled her own store after it. Like every person who lives in the state of Vermont has been to this thing.  Both of my parents grew up in Vermont and have never been (one still lives in Vermont). We have lived here for nine years now, and never gone until now.  Total tourist trap, but Little Man had a great time sampling all the cookies, cheeses, and meats in the food area.  

 After not finding much to do in Grafton, Little Man and I went to Camp Plymouth State Park. The water was perfect, the bottom was nice an sandy, and it has a great playground area.  We swam right up until the bus full of campers pulled into the parking lot. Time to go.  Little Man's lips were blue by this point anyway. 

 Little Man had seen an add on the way out for VINS and really wanted to go.  We have been here before, and it is awesome.  Not only is it awesome, but if you arrive at just the right time, you get to see them feed the snapping turtles, bounce over to the raptor feeding (they currently have 40 different birds who call VINS home), and then go to the live raptor demonstration.  A perfect way to end the day. 

Strawberry Wine

One batch of strawberry wine happily fermenting away.

Mount Mansfield

I have gone up Mount Mansfield several times.  Run up it, spent the night in a hut on it, snowshoe, and various hikes.  I have never made it to any of the summits (it has four).  This year I finally made it to the top!

Wild Mushrooms

There are some months that being sustainable just happens.  That was the case this month.  I have several friends who do the wild edible thing.  I am learning, but slowly.  One thing I have always wanted to do was go into the woods with someone that actually knows what mushrooms to look for.  I finally got that chance, and it was a lot of fun.  I am by no means anywhere near where I could go out alone, but I did learn a lot.  

The final result was a dish I made from my portion the next day.  It was amazing! Even better when Andy pointed out that I had just consumed $80 worth of mushrooms in one sitting.  Did I mention wild mushrooms are not cheep?

Artesano Meadery

Eight winery's down, two to go.  Actually this one was not truly a winery, but it is in my book and attached to an ice cream place for Little Man.  I had heard mead was an acquired taste, and this particular meadery was on the way to camping, so I decided to stop.  That and it is attached to one of our favorite ice cream places.  

I decided that I do not really like mead.  However, the people who own this place take what is left over from making mead,and turn it into vinegar.  I have to say it is some of the most amazing vinegar I have had.  

Junior Park Ranger

My child is obsessed! I ended up shifting my plans on the way home from camping because he really wanted to visit another National Park and get another Junior Park Ranger badge.  I decided that we would visit the only one in New Hampshire and the only one in Vermont on the way home.  They are close together and only a little out of the way.  The two little girls we saw with vests full of badges were not helping either (he has decided that he is way behind and needs to pick up the pace a little).  

The first one we visited was Saint-Gaudens NHS.  For a little history Saint-Gaudens created several famous sculptures and helped shaped the way our coins look today.  While it was beautiful, Little Man was not totally impressed, but happy with his new badge.

The second one we went to was Marsh-Billings Rockerfeller NHP.  Think big house, beautiful gardens and tree conservation.  Once again, Little Man was not impressed.  He has already spent countless hours with me hiking and pointing out trees.  I on the other hand thought the gardens surrounding the mansion were beautiful. 

 Little Man has decided that he needs to visit one park a month.  That is going to be hard since there are only three within 250 miles of our house, and he just visited two of them. 

Lafayette State Park

It is that time of year.  Time for our annual camping trip with friends.  This year Lefayette State Park in New Hampshire. This year Little Man and I arrived before everyone else, set up tent and had a fire blazing before any of the boys could get there and take over the camp fire building. 

 The first full day we hiked up to Lonesome Lake.  It was beautiful at the top.  However, it was not how I remembered it.  The little Appalachian Mountain huts that used to to be, have now been replaced by a fancy bunk houses in the woods, with running water and everything.  We almost stayed to wait out a thunderstorm on its way, but a friends handy Doppler Radar app told us it was going to miss us, and we headed down the mountain for ice cream.  

The second day we headed over the Flume Gorge for some more hiking.  While there we discovered that New Hampshire has it's own passport program. Did I mention we are camping with the friends we were with a week ago?  There are now four different passport books in my car, and my son is obsessed.  

 Once we finished our hike we went river swimming.  The kids discovered just how cold a mountain stream can get.  I told my child if he went under, he would earn his marshmallow privileges back (he lost them earlier).  Of course he took me up on the dare, and the other two older kids followed right along after.  And so it begins.....

It was a great weekend with friends. 

Volunteer/Giving for July

Our plan for July was to do the school supply drive at church (I know the easy way out). While we did do this we had a few bonus activities that I am pretty sure had a much bigger impact on Little Man.

First, he went to do Meals on Wheels with his great aunt and uncle while I was at a meeting.  During that time he saw the whole spectrum of living conditions from small trailers to a big mansion.  I had a pretty big impact on him. 

Second, while walking around Boston with friends he discovered a whole new way to help the homeless.  My friend has taught her children, not to give money to pan handlers, but to share snacks with them.  

Weekend Away

Now that all the crazy races are over; Little Man and I were able to get away for a relaxing weekend with some amazing friends.  I should note that my friend has somehow managed to suck us into her Junior Park Ranger obsession through the National Parks.  No joke, when we got home we had to go purchase a binder for our books and a cork board for Little Man's new badges when we got home because that is what his friends have.

The first day of our trip we headed to the Salem Maritime NHS.  It was free because the movie was broken which made the whole experience even better. The boys had their Jr. Park Ranger books in hand, the day was beautiful, and my child actually went up to the park ranger to asked her a few questions, so that he could work on his book (my child does not even talk to people he knows in public places)! 

Once the boys had their Jr. Park Ranger badges in hand, we tortured the boys with a trip down memory lane with us.  They were not 100% thrilled with this, but the seafood at the end made it all worth it.  My son even at his first batch of fried clams and loved them.

The following day we took a break from the National Parks, so my friend could them introduce my son to the Massachusetts State Parks passport.  Because he needs yet another book to stamp. Andy thinks we might need and intervention.  

Our first State Park; Purgatory.  Yep, I took my kid to Purgatory.  It was this awesome chasm that the boys were able to hike/climb through.  Every little boys dream.  It was a lot of fun, and we finished it off with ice cream.

The last full day of our trip we headed out to the Boston Harbor Islands NRA to bag another Jr. Park Ranger badge.  This one was awesome! We only made it to Georges Island rather then island hop like we had planned. About halfway around the fort we discovered a series of dark tunnels.  Think every ghost hunter show you have every watched, and you've got the idea.  Armed with our cell phone flashlights, we were off to explore the maze of tunnels, popping out in a different place each time. It was so much fun and a little spooky at the same time. By the time we were done, it was time to head back to Boston.  

 Once we arrived back in Boston Little Man discovered his favorite ducks in Boston Commons, and we even let him ride on the swan boats.  That sealed the deal, and he is already talking about out next trip back to Boston.