Summer Pics

Things had been so busy in the last little while I've fallen behind on my blog posts. Here's one that I've been meaning to post.

On my trip home this summer I got back in touch with my inner child. I figured one way to do this was with kites. Near the end of our time in Halifax Jane and I spent a few hours on Citadel Hill with Jane's parents and her sister flying Peter's kites. One, an big old one he keeps in the car and another was a new parafoil one we got for him at LL Bean. There was also a tiny one Stephanie had.

After Halifax we headed south for the ferry to Portland and of course my parent's place. There we had all the grandkids together for the first time in a long time. Here's the crew.

Isabelle always like visiting with her cousins. Lisette is especially fun since they are about a year apart in age. Here is one of the quieter moments sitting down and sharing a book.

The two of them also have a special bond with their Pappi. Some of you know that my father has been pretty much layed up with a back issue since early September. Here he is before he got taken out of business. Hopefully he'll be back to his old self in a few more months.

Once we got back we took advantage of Isabelle's school starting later than most to go to the new Greenville Children's Museum. We took one of Isabelle's friend and had a pretty good time.

Two of Isabelle's friends from Montessori have a birthday in early September. That made for a good reason to have a party and get some of the old gang together. The Rice's had a party at Herdklotz Park on the other end of town.

The general location left a little to be desired but the park itself was pretty good. A shelter for the party, some walking trails, a few soccer fields, and some great playground equipment. Have a look, the thing was a big as our house and had three levels.

Of course once school started Isabelle made a whole new set of friends. One of the first activities we did with some of them was a trip to Sky Top Orchard in NC. We did it last year too but this year with a larger group made it more fun. We got to meet some of the other parents and kids. Going earlier in the season also made the apple picking better too. Here's Isabelle with one of the boys in her class.

This year we've also started going north for some family fun. I'd never really been to Spartanburg except for work at the plant outside of town. One weekend not too long ago they had a multicultural festival with food, music, and performances by people form all over. Below is a neat sculpture that was in the park. If you look behind it you might be able to see what might be a Canadian flag. There must have been over 80 booths each representing a country. Each had volunteers talking about their country and most had a posters, music, and other things from around the world. Unfortunately the guy who got dressed as a Mountie had no idea. It was almost embarrassing. Other than that we had a pretty good time.

This is one of the neat things we saw there. It wasn't associated with any country but it had to be one of the oldest Schwinns I've seen. Pretty cool.

Finally, to celebrate to soccer season again, here is a picture of team.

All Hallow's Eve

Happy Halloween to all. I hope everyone had a safe time last night whatever you did. At our house things were good but ended early as the rain sent most of the goblins away.

Here is a picture of the kids at Isabelle's school. There was a lion, a police officer, a knight, a ninja, a princess, a pirate, and Darth Vader, and that was just her class.

The class was led by a farmer (who also came with her husband the garden gnome) and a witch.

Later in the evening there was a party at the school. Jane read some stories, we all ate some good food (as usual), and generally had a good time. There was lots of spooky music, a small haunted house, and some running around in the playground with flashlights and glow sticks.

Now, at Halloween I usually don't get dressed up. However, this year it was my turn to take Isabelle out for the trick or treating. Jane stayed home with the other neighbors and Maggie. A little cardboard, a little tape, and some paint and you have a kayak (sort of). I put on some of my gear and went off, halfway expecting rain since it had rained all day. When it finally came I was comfy in my gear although my kayak started to melt. Isabelle ended up using her shield as an umbrella. Here is what I looked like.

Isabelle's costume is partly made form a helmet and shield my father made for me when I was little, along with a knight's costume that Sammy and Peter got in England when they were there visiting. Add a sword from Target and there you go. Off course a knight wouldn't be caught out without her sneakers.