By the way, Isabelle has decided she will be called Helen. I'm not sure what the little ones will be named yet.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
A New Tenant
A few weeks ago when we got back from Connecticut we noticed some unusual activity on the back deck. While we were away a robin had started a nest in the pergola that our wisteria-like-vine grows in (I'm not exactly sure what it is). She's been at it for a while and has a nice little nest built.
Last weekend I had a closer look while she was away and didn't see anything, but this weekend there are four little blue eggs in there. She's pretty brave and won't come off the nest when I walk by to go to the backyard. We've decided to keep our distance for now but will keep you posted. It seems the eggs need about 10 to 14 days to hatch. That should be sometime between next weekend and the weekend after that.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
A Week in Connecticut
A few weeks ago we had some time in Connecticut with the family. My sister lives there with her husband Jon and my nephew Sam. My parents came down from Nova Scotia and met us there too since it's pretty much half way to South Carolina. It made for a crowded house, but that's what visiting family is about sometimes.
It all started when Jane agreed to go to Philadelphia to judge at a stamp show. Since she was going anyway and Isabelle had the week off school, I took a week and we made a trip out of it. We had a pretty good time and took in some great sights and activities. All this of course after a good three weeks with Jane's parents here in Greenville. (It's a shame I have to work. I could really enjoy showing people around.)
One of the best parts of Connecticut, other than the family, was Mystic Seaport. We went without Isabelle since she had other plans with her cousin. It started with a behind the scenes look at some neat stuff in the warehouse. The research part of Mystic Seaport was an old velvet factory that has been partially renovated and is mostly used to store the museum's larger acquisitions. The place was full of big boats, little boats, fishing boats, racing boats, canoe boats, sailing boats, and all the other stuff that goes with boats. There were masts and engines and all sorts of other goodies. In the more formal research area Jane got to look at some very old ship mail, thanks to a fellow stamp collector she met in Philadelphia.
My highlight was seeing the three skin-on-frame traditional kayaks and the umiak they had in storage. The umiak was not very old but still very interesting. It was covered in walrus skin and despite being a little dry looked like it could still take a beating. The three kayaks included a single baidarka, a double baidarka, and a Greenland style kayak that had lost it's skin. The last one seems to have been collected by Admiral Byrd on one of his trips to the North and was one of the main reasons I wanted to visit the museum. I found out about it in Mark Starr's book Building a Greenland Kayak. We were a little rushed so I didn't get any pictures but just seeing it was neat.
The actual museum part was pretty cool too. For those of you from Nova Scotia it was a little like Ross Farm meets the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic meets the Lunenburg Waterfront. There was lots to see including a working shipyard that was a whole bunch like the one I grew up in back in Nova Scotia.
We also drove up to Rhode Island and spend a day in Providence in and around Brown University, taking in a really cool sandwich shop called Geoff's Superlative Sandwiches (check out the menu, including the Kevorkian, the Margaret Trudeau, and Jaws...) and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. I also managed a little geocaching with my father, saw the USS Nautilus (the first operational nuclear submarine), and even got to go out for a little paddle with a friend of my sister in Long Island Sound.
Another highlight was the Book Barn in Niantic. It makes most used bookstores look like a small linen closet. This place was huge. I think we must have bought nearly sixty books between the three of us on everything from Nova Scotia history to kayaking. They have three locations and books for everyone. I would recommend a detour if you like to read and are in the neighborhood.
Isabelle, of course, enjoyed seeing her cousin and her grandparents, and catching up with her aunt and uncle.
Here are some pictures...
It all started when Jane agreed to go to Philadelphia to judge at a stamp show. Since she was going anyway and Isabelle had the week off school, I took a week and we made a trip out of it. We had a pretty good time and took in some great sights and activities. All this of course after a good three weeks with Jane's parents here in Greenville. (It's a shame I have to work. I could really enjoy showing people around.)
One of the best parts of Connecticut, other than the family, was Mystic Seaport. We went without Isabelle since she had other plans with her cousin. It started with a behind the scenes look at some neat stuff in the warehouse. The research part of Mystic Seaport was an old velvet factory that has been partially renovated and is mostly used to store the museum's larger acquisitions. The place was full of big boats, little boats, fishing boats, racing boats, canoe boats, sailing boats, and all the other stuff that goes with boats. There were masts and engines and all sorts of other goodies. In the more formal research area Jane got to look at some very old ship mail, thanks to a fellow stamp collector she met in Philadelphia.
My highlight was seeing the three skin-on-frame traditional kayaks and the umiak they had in storage. The umiak was not very old but still very interesting. It was covered in walrus skin and despite being a little dry looked like it could still take a beating. The three kayaks included a single baidarka, a double baidarka, and a Greenland style kayak that had lost it's skin. The last one seems to have been collected by Admiral Byrd on one of his trips to the North and was one of the main reasons I wanted to visit the museum. I found out about it in Mark Starr's book Building a Greenland Kayak. We were a little rushed so I didn't get any pictures but just seeing it was neat.
The actual museum part was pretty cool too. For those of you from Nova Scotia it was a little like Ross Farm meets the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic meets the Lunenburg Waterfront. There was lots to see including a working shipyard that was a whole bunch like the one I grew up in back in Nova Scotia.
We also drove up to Rhode Island and spend a day in Providence in and around Brown University, taking in a really cool sandwich shop called Geoff's Superlative Sandwiches (check out the menu, including the Kevorkian, the Margaret Trudeau, and Jaws...) and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. I also managed a little geocaching with my father, saw the USS Nautilus (the first operational nuclear submarine), and even got to go out for a little paddle with a friend of my sister in Long Island Sound.
Another highlight was the Book Barn in Niantic. It makes most used bookstores look like a small linen closet. This place was huge. I think we must have bought nearly sixty books between the three of us on everything from Nova Scotia history to kayaking. They have three locations and books for everyone. I would recommend a detour if you like to read and are in the neighborhood.
Isabelle, of course, enjoyed seeing her cousin and her grandparents, and catching up with her aunt and uncle.
Here are some pictures...
We took time to celebrate a birthday.
Isabelle did some playing by herself, and with Sam.
On the cannons at fort Trumbull State Park where they got to see the USCGC Eagle.
At the Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticut.
And enjoying a frosty treat...
...OK, maybe a little too frosty! It is only April, after all.
We got to hang out with Tante Rhea and Oncle Jon...
...and made some memories.
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