For years I kept journals -- in composition, spiral bound, and French graph paper books. This blog is an attempt to get back to writing and documenting the world around me using photos, newspaper headlines, and other articles.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

For Robert

Happy birthday, Robert!  Thank you for your love, patience, guidance, and understanding that you have shown me growing up and now extended to my family.  Selim's love of the outdoors, ability to swim and ski, and knowledge of birds comes directly from you.  I'm toasting my tea mug to you this morning.

Here are some pictures from last week that I think you will enjoy.  First up, the bird walk:

Getting out the binoculars

Testing, testing

About to set forth

Bird spotting

Bird identification on the ipad

Then, a canoe paddle from Kevin's dock:





What could be better than ending a day with a sunset walk?  Although, Selim didn't find it too funny when he slipped on the rocks and got wet.  We were treated to a slightly exaggerated re-enactment of the event before he took off to the cabin to put on dry clothes.







The next day you took Selim, Heather, and I out for a kayak adventure that will be remembered for Selim's lack of energy and the "swarm" of deer flies that made him hunker down in the kayak with a beach towel over his head while you towed him back to the docks.




The next morning you managed to get my hubby in a kayak with Heather and Stan.






On the windy day, you helped Selim arrange the towel to give him a new look.





On the last day, you took my pirate down to check on the kayaks.  After the wind and storm of the night before, who knows, treasure could have washed ashore.  Later, you and Heather returned the kayaks to Keven and Doug and Sue.




What a fantastic week we had.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I hope you enjoy the blueberry muffins Mom is bringing back.  Selim and I picked the berries yesterday at Emery Farm.  We managed 7 pounds in under an hour of picking.  Not bad considering how many ended up in his mouth rather than the bucket.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Cousins

One of the joys of this past week was being able to spend time with the family at large.  What a treat is was for us that Nelson made the drive from somewhere between Buffalo and Rochester to TIP.  I'm trying to remember the last time we saw each other -- Heather and Stan's wedding?  I'm not sure.  Living on opposite sides of the country when we were really young didn't give us too many opportunities to see each other.  But once we moved to NH, our visits down to CT and PA to see the Patterson family increased.  I smile remembering the great forts we built in their basement, taking turns hand cranking peach and strawberry ice cream, eating Aunt Mary's home made bread and jam in the mornings...wonderful times together.  And now we are grown up.

2 generations of cousins






Speaking of cousins...I am so happy that my boy has a cousin and that they can grow up together.  I still have lingering sadness that I wasn't able to give Selim a sibling.  So the times that we can spend with my sister and her family are truly precious.

Here are some of my favorite moments with the boys:

Early morning electronics

Showing off gifts from Uncle Tyler

Leaving the playground with Uncle Tyler

Warming up on the dock

Rocking the shades at breakfast at Pan Chancho

Free art in the Plaza, Kingston, Ontario


On the boat to Rock Island

I spy

Ready for the last adventure

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Rock Island

Friday, we left Mom and Robert on their own, and the rest of us drove to Clayton to take a boat tour to Rock Island.  The wind and waves might have scared off less intrepid tourists, for we had the pontoon boat all to ourselves.  I'm not sure Clayton Island Tours made much money for that morning tour, but we had fun.



The men folk

Fish faces





Despite the wind, the ride out to the island was fairly smooth.  I think Selim was worried about getting sick, but the river wasn't very choppy.  As we approached the island, we got a good view of the big bridge that goes from the NY mainland to Wellesley Island.  And, we could see Kevin's dock and maroon deck chairs where we had spent some time swimming.




When we got to the island, we were the only ones there besides the staff.  We got to spend as much time at the top of the lighthouse as we wanted.









For Selim, the main attraction was the gift shop.  I had told him that I would buy him something since he had done such a good job sleeping in his own bed on the second floor of the cottage while Nedim and I were on the first floor.  He decided on a pirate hat and a weapon, as did Joshua.



I had fun taking pictures and having others take a few of our family.


Oops, we are blocking the lighthouse.
Now you can see it.

Nedim, "I think this guy looks like a Turk."

Me, "Really? I don't think that's what it means."




We spent about an hour on island before heading back to Clayton.  The ride back was quite choppy.  By the time we got back to the docks, the boat floor was wet and we were pleasantly damp from the spray.



The wind and my wild woman hair.




Part of me wonders how much of this vacation he will remember when he gets older.  The summer I was Selim's age, we took a vacation with Dad to Cape Hatteras, NC.  We met up with the Patterson family and spent a week on the beach.  There are parts of that trip that I still remember: the warm ocean water, climbing up the lighthouse, the planes at Kitty Hawk, and the stories of the fish that got away.  But none of it is very clear, more like impressions.  We'll see how much of this week he retains.