September saw lots of changes, with Cara starting at new school, and C's work taking him away first to sea and then to a meeting in Hawaii. But the meeting in Hawaii provided an excellent opportunity for a family trip on the big island where we had a fun week of sand and hikes.
The classic view of Polulu Valley.
A bit of wind on the beach.
Checking out the surf.
No beach is complete without a hammock.
And a rope swing -higher, Dad!
WHEEEEE! (about 100 times)
The little bird in the nest.
It was a very full summer, with lots of exciting events. Cara's friend Megan had a birthday, Grandpa Fay visited and Ms. A got married!
Cara wasn't sure what to make of the Ms. A and her husband sharing their wedding cake.
Helping Ms. A celebrate!
Can Megan blow the candles out before the wind does?
Yummy cake!
The birthday girl with her balloon.
Riding the carousel with Grandpa.
Every year the lion statue at the zoo gets smaller.
After C's meeting we spent a day exploring the area around Bristol, Maine, including the famous Pemaquid Lighthouse. There we found wonderful rocks to scramble around and tidepools to explore.
The scenery inspired Cara to break into song.
The next Julie Andrews?
Lunchtime!
Look what I found!
Exploring with Dad.
A colleague of C's knew that August is a great time to be in Maine, and scheduled a meeting for the first week of August. We figured this was a good opportunity to head east, let Cara spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa, and C get some work done as well! Cara was delighted to revisit the beach on Bay Point and we all had a great visit.
Cara explains her digging techniques to Grandpa.
Something fun to show Grandma.
Building with sand and seashells.
Playing ball with Auntie R.
Cara has fun checking out the Baby Bear in the Children's Garden, at the Coast Maine Botanical Gardens
Grandma braves the rope bridge from the tree house.
Cara's long strong legs made us think that she could probably handle hiking far enough on her own that we could go backpacking. Barclay Lake is a favorite destination for families, hiking in on a gentle trail 2 1/4 miles to a large sub-alpine lake. While plenty of other people had the same idea, we still found a secluded lake-side campsite. Cara hiked all the way there and back, with plenty of energy left for jumping, splashing and scrambling over logs.
Eating while sitting on a log was one of the skills that Cara learned.
Bedtime stories are important, no matter where you are.
The view from the dining room.
Looking at the water.
We didn't have a sandy spot by the lake, but balancing on the logs was probably at least as fun.
Hiking means lots of snacks!
