My Faith and Joy… and Boys!

Thanks to my in-laws’ kindness in watching the girls, Jim and I were able to take a little trip up North to Lake George, New York this weekend.  We drove up late Friday night (hooray for road trips filled with adult conversation and radio broadcasts, rather than toddler bantering and kids music!), and then spent the whole day Saturday exploring upstate New York.  The weather was gorgeous – it was in the mid-fifties with a bright blue sky, perfect for taking in the breathtaking views around the lake and its surrounding towns.  We drove up to Gore Mountain and found a gondola ride that took us to the summit.  It’s always nice being able to enjoy the mountaintop views when you didn’t have to actually expend any energy to get up there! 

Once at the top, we took a leisurely hike and tried not to get blown off the mountain by the high winds in some spots.   

Jim was thrilled to be able to use our iPhone as a compass and constantly told me which direction we were heading and what states we were viewing in the distance.  I didn’t really care, as long as we stayed on the path, but I was glad he was happy and felt useful!  I was also secretly relieved that we at least had the compass, since neither Jim nor I will ever be able to approach Bear Grylls’ wilderness survival skills, and I figured we would be hard pressed to navigate by constellation, if need be.  

We successfully navigated back to the gondola, without the need for compass or constellation.  Although Jim was evidently still in “Man Vs. Wild” mode, because when our gondola inexplicably stopped halfway down the mountain and didn’t resume for several minutes, Jim assured me that, if push came to shove, he had a plan whereby he would force open the doors of the gondola, sling his jacket over the cable suspended above, and slide down to the nearest guide pole where he would descend the ladder and go get help.  Needless to say, I was very thankful when the gondola roared back to life and we were able to travel the rest of the way down in the comfort of our enclosed cage, with our pride and necks still intact. 

After the excitement of the morning, we decided to slow things down with a leisurely train ride.  Starting off in the little ski town of North Creek, we boarded an historic passenger train that rode us along the Hudson River to the tiny town of Riparius and back. 

In between delightful bursts of bluegrass music playing from the loudspeaker, our friendly conductor informed us about the history of the Upper Hudson River Railroad, as well as the towns’ histories (like the little tidbit that it was at the North Creek train station in 1901 that then-Vice President Theodore Roosevelt found out that President McKinley had died of gunshot wounds and he was now President). 

After our train returned to North Creek, we headed back home to Connecticut, thankful for the time we were able to spend together and the beautiful sights we enjoyed (and for the yummy food at a Chipotle’s we found!).  We joyfully reunited with the girls at my in-laws’ house, and promised the girls to take them back up with us next time so they could ride the gondola and train as well.  Throughout our time away, Jim and I had kept commenting about how much the girls would love it up there.  We may have been far from the girls in body, but they’re never far from our hearts!

After yesterday’s beautiful weather, we got slammed today by heavy rain and high wind, which left me scrambling for indoor activities. We read lots of books, drew pictures, had a “picnic” in the basement, baked sugared apple wedges, and basically drove each other crazy. Fortunately, the rain had stopped by the evening, allowing us to take our daily walk to the mailbox. I think we were all grateful for the fresh air. The girls splashed in the puddles and played with the wet leaves and marveled at the strong wind. Their fascination with the effects of the storm almost made me thankful for the storm itself. I’m hoping I’ll have a similar gratitude for the first snowstorm of the winter…and the second…and the fifteenth!

I think I need to get these girls to Burger King so they can get themselves a proper crown instead of a cardboard drink box.

My obsession with fairs continued on Friday when I drove the girls across the state to meet up with my friend Maria and attend The Big E in Massachusetts.  This is no rinky-dink carnival.  According to the website, there were nearly 80,000 people in attendance on that Friday; it’s the biggest fair in the Northeast.  So accordingly, we came with big appetites and big expectations.  And we weren’t disappointed! 

We started out by splitting corn dogs, pizza, and fresh-cut fries.  I don’t know if I’d ever had a corn dog before, and the girls certainly hadn’t.  I think their favorite part was the fact that it was served on a stick.

We continued on into the animal barn, where we got to ooh and aah over the baby chicks:

Maria was especially excited to show them all the baby animals, but I think they continued to be more impressed by the food than the livestock…

…until we got to the life-sized plastic milking cow.  They were a little perplexed by the protruding anatomy:

You can see them thinking: “You want me to do WHAT to get milk out of that cow?”

Then we finally gave in to the girls’ requests/demands to go to the rides.  We first hit their ever-beloved helicopter ride.  I climbed on in with the girls, like I have at other locations, but the ride operator was a stickler for the weight requirement (but apparently not the height requirement, since the girls were under-sized and I scooted them in anyway) and ordered me off.  The girls didn’t mind one bit.  They flew around in circles like they had been piloting whirlybirds their whole lives. 

Then it was off to their absolute favorite: the “horsey merry round.”  We thought they were going to bust through the fence they were so excited. 

I was pretty excited, too.

After our thrilling ride to nowhere, we wandered around some more, visited friends manning a booth giving out free Bibles (and also lollipops, much to the girls’ delight), and ate more food.

We capped off our eventful evening with a pony ride, which brought smiles all around. 

Oh, how I wish fair season could last all year! 

On second thought, I think my wallet would get too small and my waistline too large.   

The girls just got these adorable stuffed moose animals from our dear family friend, Connie.  The girls were thrilled with the new toys (the moose accompanied us into a restaurant for dinnertime, and into the bathroom for bathtime, and into the cribs at bedtime), although they were a bit puzzled by its identity.  Susie kept calling hers a “goat,” and I heard Becky refer to hers twice as a “dinosaur.”   I guess I’ve been a bit negligent in teaching them about Alaskan animal species! 

I wanted to document how well-received the gift was, so I asked the girls to sit down together on the couch and pose with their moose (I’m fighting the urge to type “mooses”).  Susie, always happy to mug for the camera, immediately climbed up and started smiling. 

I told her grin that might be a little overkill, so she toned it down:

But I didn’t want her to look sad, so she tried again:

Then she decided it was appropriate to show a few teeth, so we ended up with this: 

All this time, Becky was entertaining herself around the corner, hoping I’d forget to drag her in front of the camera.  No such luck.

Initially, she wasn’t inclined to give me a smile.

But my patience paid off, and she finally gave her beloved moose a warm hug.

And here’s a little message to Connie from the girls:

Susie (on left): “Thank you, Connie!  I love my moose so much he’s never leaving my side.”

Becky: “See what an adorable moose you got us, Connie?  Thank you so much!” 

Mom: “You’re the best, Connie!  And the accompanying books are darling.  We’ll never lack for moose-related materials again!”