ADK

Bennett had his first day of T-ball and had fun being a leader for red light/green light.

We finally made it up to the Adirondack Experience where Cheryl is now employed. .   The Adirondack Park is larger than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier and the Grand Canyon combined.  We were here ten years ago.  This trip we barely saw a few acres.

A popular photo stop is this chair.

Can you tell which picture was taken on our trip here ten years ago and which is current?

 


















We spent two hours in the Life in the Adirondacks, a two-story building chronicling the history of the area from indigenous peoples to about the 1950s.  The excellent displays are supplemented by recordings of descendants of early people and of more recent residents of the area.

“So Be It Our Minds,” a cradle board made of natural and man-made products, tells the positive and negative history.

The Rockefellers and their ilk were influential in keeping the area “forever wild.”  But the wealthy were still apparent in their luxurious way of travel, taking their private railcars to their "great camps".

This quilt was made by a guild in tribute to the area being preserved as it has been for most of time.

.This is the actual cabin of a man who lived on the land.  In an interview with him, one feels his love of the mountains

Beginning in the ‘50s this RV became a popular way to experience the area.

Anne LaBastille, a PhD in wildlife ecology from Cornell in 1969, spent her life in the Adirondacks working and fighting to preserve the land.  This is the cabin she built and lived in.

Maple syrup has long been a staple of these mountains.

One important thing we learned is that we will be most happy to return and continue our education.

Burlington, VT

After a two and one half hour drive, we arrived in Burlington.  We have been to the town before on an RV trip but this time was dedicated to ECHO, an environmental museum for children.

The museum has excellent hands-on exhibits as well as displays of local fauna, both native and invasive. 

Bennett became a weather reporter, following the script of an actual report.

He enjoyed climbing on a sunken ship

 and made a new friend.

He learned about “diversion,” creating new routes for the flow of water.

This spiny soft-shelled turtle is native to the area.  Only a few hundred remain in the Lake Champlain watershed.

The museum breeds and raises the young for return to the wild.

 The sand pile was used to demonstrate the effect of tide on sandbars.

The day ended with a serendipitous experience.  We had looked up the ferry schedule and there were no ferries at this season, at least so we thought.  Apparently, we didn’t look at all the schedules.  Our GPS took us on a different route going back to NY, right to the ferry.  We were the last car to board.  Not only did the boat shorten our two and one half hour drive back, it was also lovely.

Lake Placid

Jerry and Anna Lee went to Lake Placid for the first volksmarch we have done in a couple of years.  Jeff, Cheryl, Dave, Bennett and our cousin Leora took a rather muddy hike up Haystack Mt. 

As you may recall, Lake Placid was the site of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics and is still the training ground for the US winter team.  There are several facilities to visit here but we wanted to enjoy a rare warm day outside.  Our walk took us around Mirror Lake which was lined with multi-million dollar homes (some for sale) and wonderful old inns dating back the better part of a century

.

Some owners have odd pets.

Boats, canoes, and paddle boards all enjoyed the beautiful lake.  Don’t know what these people were fishing for but they appeared happy.

We don't know who would risk riding down on this toboggan slide onto the frozen lake during the winter months.

We decided we needed a reward for our 5K walk.  After a tasty lunch, we went wine tasting at a local shop.  Our California wine-snobbery faded as we enjoyed local wines, a few of which will travel back home.

We returned to Saranac with smiles on our faces as did the rest of the family, though they also brought back a collection of mud.   

An essential evening activity up here is to have soft serve ice cream at the local shacks that are only open in the “summer” months.

This was our end of a lovely day.

Where We Are

We took a trip to search for Jerry’s special maple syrup, Runamuck.  The search took us east to Fairfax, Vermont, a small town even by the standards of the area. 

The only restaurant we could find for lunch in town is JJ’s (Subway does not count).  It has been open for about a year and the food is delicious and our server/owner is very welcoming. 

Then we went to Runamuck to taste their many varieties of syrup and replenish our secret stash. 

The women who let us sample all of the flavors showed great sense of humor as well as patience.  Maybe it’s something in the syrup that makes the locals so nice.

Upon our return home we found the family ready to test out their skills on the lake.

 After a few seconds of resistance, Bennett was as eager as his parents to paddle around.  After their excursion, he wanted to know when they could do it again. 

Another activity Bennett is enjoying is soccer.  The coaches have them learning basic skills and enjoying running around together.

When you live near the woods, you can expect the “neighbors” drop by.

 

The Birthday Continues

Bennett’s actual birthday started with morning kisses from his family.  His classmates made cards and a  poster for him.

 In the afternoon Cheryl read Larry Gets Lost in the Museum in Indianapolis and Larry Gets Lost in Washington, DC to his class.  The second books was a tribute to where he used to live and go to preschool.  He enjoyed a chance to share those places with his class.

Mommy made another cake for the evening celebration and the singing was again lovingly awful.

Then it was time for presents!

In preparation for a fun time on the nearby waterways, Bennett and his parents got paddles and life jackets.  Bennett is awaiting the warmer weather to get out on the rivers and lakes.

ADK (aka The Adirondacks)

Cheryl, Dave and Bennett are almost settled into their new home.  Almost means Jerry needs to do some things around the house, ie photo hanging, drapery hanging, setting up electronics, etc.

Before all that, we spent a couple of days near Albany with our son and cousins.  After wandering the wonderful Troy Farmers Market,

we bought dinner from our favorite Italian market (they.know Cheryl on sight).

The next days was a family birthday celebration for Bennett.  Yes, he is now seven.  We started with an amazing breakfast at Baking You Crazy in Albany.  We tried chocolate chip pancakes, banana foster pancakes, or a large but more healthy choice that no one can remember.

We then went to miniature golf where we all scored way above par.

The exception was Bennett who got a “hole in one” earning him a chance to drive the mini go-cart.

Then it was on to a healthy food choice of a scrumptious chocolate birthday cake (from aforementioned bakery.  The singing of Happy Birthday was truly atrocious.