days at the beach

Beach days are the best in the summer. Sometimes it is hopping on a friends' jet ski, other times it is being buried in the sand. Or as simple as trying to hit a rock into a bucket. Simple and so enjoyable. These are the types of things I hope the boys remember from their childhood.

 

strawberry picking

Our annual stop at Chase Farms to pick strawberries. We rode the trailer out to pick. Rather the boys ate strawberries and I picked. And the last stop, to sit up by the wagon wheel and get our annual photo. The boys make fun of me that the trip was planned just for the photo. They don't seem to mind looking back at all the photos or eating a few berries!

 

court of awards

Court of Awards - Genesee Valley Park - Roundhouse Shelter - June 21, 2021

Ambrose became SPL

Blaise earned First Rank

 

day trip - ithaca

Waterfalls and more waterfalls. What a picture-perfect day taking in the bounty of beauty in Ithaca. We hiked a couple of gorges, drove around Cornell University, Botanical Gardens, walked around the Commons, and ate at Wolff's along Cayuga Lake. I love these trips with the guys watching them look at these sites and take in the beauty. Ambrose took an interest in one of the buildings, a cantilever-style building on Ithaca's campus (it happens to be one of the architecture buildings). Blaise spied numerous water snakes in one of the gorges and really enjoyed climbing up part of Ithaca Falls and skipping stones.

 

cottage construction

 Our list is long of what we have accomplished. Building new floors after having the cottage raised in the mudroom and bunk room. This summer we added new vinyl sheet flooring to both the mudroom and bunk room. Also, a new coat of paint for the bunk room and a new dresser (our neighbor Patty's mom's old dresser which I refinished). We painted our bedroom and freshened it up with new lamp shades and curtains.

Now we are working on the guest room - first a new floor . . .

day trip - watkins glen

Watkins Glen, lunch at Pudgies, and ice cream at Ben & Jerry's and Finger Lakes Forest. 

Watkins Glen - 19 waterfalls, 832 stone steps - along the way awe from the guys as the glen is truly amazing. Mom look at this tunnel, Mom look at this stairway, Mom can you believe how many steps, Mom this should be enough waterfalls for the summer for you and more . . .

Lunch along the main street in town and some ice cream at Ben & Jerry's after driving to the Watkins Glen International Speedway only to find out we can't look around. We were offered to drive around the track at a speed of 55 mph behind a pace car. We took to the open road instead and hit 85.

Then onto Finger Lakes Forest where we were surrounded by caterpillars - on the trees, on the leaves, hanging in mid-air. I had them in my hair, on my hat, almost in my mouth - it was CRAZY! Beautiful but a little hard to enjoy when surrounded by so many caterpillars. We took a second trail that led us through a pasture and past some cows and back into you know - caterpillars - eek!

 

spring sports

Ambrose played JV tennis and Blaise competed in Outdoor Track. A first for both of them.