Our trip North day 3 and 4

Friday was our last day with the Patterson's before heading north to the Barton's. We started the day by crossing into Maine and visiting the Nubble Lighthouse.

Before leaving for more driving, we took one last group shot with Scott and Carissa.

We arrived in Bar Harbor, Maine and headed straight to the boat for our whale watching tour. They told us to dress in warm clothes, and I'm glad we did! It got to be about 45 degrees once we were away from land and out in the chilly sea air. We spent the first 40 minutes of our 3 hour tour "driving" out of the harbor and towards where the whales were.

It was worth the wait and the cold temperatures! It was neat to see real whales up close. They were close enough to see well, but not close enough to freak me out! :)

After we were finished whale watching, we drove to Chuck and Gail Barton's house in Trenton, Maine. They had a lovely dinner ready and waiting for us, and we spent the evening catching up with family that we haven't seen in a long time. (Chuck is my dad's cousin)

Saturday we spent the day with Chuck and Gail on Bar Harbor island in Acadia National Park. The picture below is us at the top of Cadillac Mountain.

For lunch, Chuck and Gail treated us at Jordon Pond. They are well known for their 'popovers'. I felt very touristy taking the picture, but I'm glad I did. :)

After lunch, we kept touring the island, including Sandy Beach. There were lots of people at the beach but we thought the water was freezing!!!

This picture is a good one to show how rocky the coast line is. It goes from pine trees and rocks into water ~ and that's what it's like everywhere!

Saturday evening's dinner included a fresh Maine lobster for Bill! The rest of us looked on as he enjoyed his seafood, and we enjoyed our steak dinner.

sorry...

Can you tell school has begun? The past few days (weeks) have been very busy and I know I'm behind in my blog posts about our vacation and the arrival of our new dog Cinnamon.

I promise when Bill gets home tonight and I can have some computer time I'll be posting!!

:)

Laura

Our trip north, day two

Our second day in New Hampshire was spent in the White Mountains. The drive was about an hour away from the Patterson's house. We enjoyed our time there - we had a relaxing day!

The Basin - a big circle area at the bottom part of the mountain that's about 15 ft deep.

Group shot at the Basin area - Tim, Deb, Carissa, Scott, Bill, and me!
Bill and I with our feet in the 'northern waters'

Although the water was bone-chilling cold, Bill embraced the experience and got all the way in!!!

We hiked up the mountain trail - look at all those roots!

Bill and I on the rocks where we stopped to see the view.

We left that area and headed for Cannon Mountain. We took the cable car up to the top (the picture only shows the first 2/3 of the ride... it was longer... a 7 minute ride...) and then hiked the "summit trail". I convinced myself that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and went for it despite my fear of heights (not to mention the slight vertigo that occurs!). I didn't do much looking from the top, but I enjoyed the scenery none the less.

Bill on the other had fun "on the edge". :)

At the peak, there is an observation tower. This is not the top. I didn't go to the top. I made it to the first platform and after this picture was gripping the side rail.

This is the picture for the history books! I'm sitting on the edge!!!! :)

The views were beautiful. :)

After this we went to Mt. Washington... but I didn't have a picture ready to upload yet... it was fun to see the fancy Mt. Washington Hotel, and the peak of the mountain was actually covered in fog... so we can say we saw it, but it wasn't the greatest of views.

Day three is our trip up to Maine!

Our trip North, day one

We left for our week long trip to the New England states on Tuesday August 10th. We drove from Hanover to Pittsfield, NH and it took 9 hours. We enjoyed being welcomed by Tim and Deb Patterson, parents of our friend Scott. We had a steak dinner on Tuesday night and spent the evening talking.

Wednesday morning we woke up early and headed into Boston, Mass. for a day of sightseeing. It is about 1.5-2 hours away from where we were in NH, and we figured it was worth the drive.

Bill and I were very glad to have the chance to see the city, and we were also glad to have a 'tourguide' with us! Tim Patterson knows a lot about the history of the city, and we started at Bunker Hill.

The monument was under construction, but normally you can take stairs/elevator to the top.

Next stop - the naval ship yard. We saw a ship in 'dry dock' and also the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned sea vessel in the world.

From there, we started to (sort of) follow the Freedom Trail. The trail runs through Boston and there is a brick path or a painted red line all through the city to show where to go. Along the freedom trail are many historical buildings.

This is the State House. (my picture of it's sign didn't upload like I thought it did...)

One stop that Bill and I found interesting was the cemetary where several famous men are buried. It was right in the city, but it was sooooooo old.

These may be a little hard to read... this one is Samuel Adams.

Below is Paul Revere's grave.

This one is John Hanncock's grave.

Although not part of the Freedom trail, we enjoyed some time in the park called Boston Commons. Here's Bill and I on a bridge there, with the city in the background.

The TV show Cheer's is set in Boston, at the bar/restaurant with the same name.

We visted two locations - the 'real' one, and a replica.

While at Cheer's for dinner, we had authentic Boston cream pie for dessert.

After dinner Tim took Bill and I to Paul Revere's house and to see the church where the historic lanterns were ('one if by land, two if by sea'). It was dark by then, so the picture didn't turn out so great...but we were still able to appreciate it!

And that, finally, is the end of our first tourist day in New England.
The next post will be about our trip to the mountains!

Camping and 17 weeks

Camping

This past weekend, we went camping with the Barton family.

We stayed at a campground in the Shawnee State Park, which is near Bedford, PA.

Friday we went on a walking tour of Bedford, and ate at the Jean Bonnet Tavern.

Saturday we enjoyed the lake and then grilled our dinner - yum!

Saturday evening we celebrated our niece Chloe's first birthday, since Bill and I won't be at the birthday party this year. What a cutie pie!

17 weeks

I'm 17 weeks today, which is the last week in the fourth month - so here's a picture for you.

The baby is about 5 inches long and weighs about 5 oz.

:)

The ultrasound appointment to find out if it's a boy or a girl is on the 30th. I can't wait!!!

Beach #2!

Our second trip to the beach this year was to Virginia Beach, for the 3rd annual visit with Mark.

We had a great time hanging out and catching up with Mark and his girlfriend Sarah. :)

Our visit started on Friday night with a Rebecca St. James concert at Mark's church.

Then we went to the boardwalk and walked around a little bit.

Saturday was Beach day. We went in the morning and didn't leave until late afternoon.

Bill enjoyed the waves! :)

We also went to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner on Saturday.

Sunday was record highs - 109 degrees, with a heat index making it feel much hotter.

We went to church in the morning, and then chilled out in the air conditioning at Mark's house in the afternoon for a bit. The crazy men went frisbee golfing (why??) and then we headed down to the boardwalk area to experience "Beach Street USA" and fireworks.

Sarah and Mark

An act provided by Virginia Beach for "Beach Street USA" - he swallowed fire!!! (as if it wasn't already warm enough...)

Monday morning we got up and packed up our things. Mark left us in charge of Charlie, his puppy - and he did exactly what he was supposed to! :) Once we were ready to go, we thought it would be fun to take one more last look at the beach, so we went and laid on the sand for a while, listening to the Navy planes and watching the waves... our last trip to the beach as just us - next year there will be a baby! Things at the beach will never be the same!

Thanks for a great trip Mark! We had a great time and hope to see you and Sarah again soon!

16 weeks

So as of yesterday, I'm "officially" (according to the doctor's office) 16 weeks along.

What does that mean exactly?

Here is an excerpt from the book What to Expect When You're Expecting:

With a whopping weight of anywhere from 3-5 oz and a length (crown to rump) of 4-5 in. your baby is growing up fast. Muscles are getting stronger (you'll start to feel movement in a few weeks), especially the back muscles, enabling your little one to straighten out even more. Your baby-to-be is looking more and more adorable, with a face that has eyes (complete with eyebrows and eylashes) and ears in the right spots. What's more, those eyes are finally working! Yes, it's true: Your baby's eyes are making small side-to-side movements and can even perceive some light, though the eyelids are still sealed. Your baby is also becoming more sensitive to touch. In face he or she will even squirm if you poke your belly (though you probably won't be able to feel those squirms just yet).