Turkeys and Deer

Today 2 hen turkeys and 14 chicks came for a visit!
They pecked around the backyard for a while, then headed into the woods.
One hen is by the bird bath, the other is to the right behind some leaves. The chicks are all around.

John and Jason saw this buck cross the road. A little while later it came back and had a few licks of salt.

The antlers are in velvet.

The pictures are a little fuzzy because I took them through our bedroom window screen. We hope to see these beautiful animals again and again.

Wildlife

Trenton and Jim arrived yesterday before lunch. It wasn't raining for once, so Trenton was able to play outside after his nap and again after dinner. When Uncle Jay moved his car after dinner, there was a huge toad! Grampack poked it and it hopped under the shed. Trenton had so much fun exploring the yard. He gets a close up, ground-level look at all sorts of things like slugs, snails, worms, ants, and beetles.
Today Trenton and I went to the park while the guys hiked and ran at Round Valley Reservoir. It was overcast and humid but we were all happy to at least be outside. The playground was muddy (they need to add more woodchips) and wet but fun. Grampack found this box turtle near the trail and brought it back for Trenton. He sat patiently on the rock waiting for the turtle to come out of its shell.

Finally, it's coming out.

Trenton enjoyed feeling and examining the shell. He carried it carefully to the edge of the woods and let it go.

From the kitchen/deck window Trenton was able to see a buck, does and some fawns! He fed the squirrels peanuts and loved watching them jump up for the corn on the bungee cord. Our backyard birds were here in abundance today, too. He saw and can identify ALL the various woodpeckers and was thrilled to see the pileated land on the suet! "It's the big one!" he exclaimed happily. Jim, too, enjoyed the visit - running, hanging out with Jason and John, a little time with his friend, Jonathan, and chowing down on my good cooking and lots of fresh blueberries.

Father's Day

Cloudy skies with a threat of rain didn't keep us from going to the Lakewood Blueclaws game on Father's Day. Lawn seats turned out to be an ideal place for our crew. The sun burned through towards the end of the game, what a shock!

Delicious cotton candy. Trenton did many things other than watch the game: the bouncy obstacle course, the playground equipment, the ball pitch, batting the ball, winning a stuffed animal, and eating a hot dog. Now that's the way to have fun!

Even though Oliver had only a couple of short naps, he enjoyed the outing.

Singing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" during the seventh inning stretch.

Oliver plays with toys now and eats Cheerios.

Jim made us an excellent lunch before the game.

Fishing Expedition

Thursday morning we were all set to watch Trenton have swim lessons and have a picnic lunch but of course it rained - it rained hard - so we went to the house instead. It was fun to play for a while. Oliver is, as you can see, a cutie. Trenton enjoys his special sleepovers with Grandma and Grampack.
Grampack read Red Tag to Trenton for the first time. It was Jim's favorite book when he was three years old.
Trenton laughs every time the squirrel jumps up for corn. A chipmunk picks up scraps.

Ready, set....

Jump!

Friday morning we had incredibly good luck with the weather. While it wasn't sunny, at least it wasn't raining. The docks at Round Valley Reservoir make a great place for kids to fish. The sunnies are smart and well fed so it wasn't easy to hook them but Grampack is quite the expert.

Nice catch!

Trenton caught sunnies and rock bass.

The grand total was around 18, a very good day.

We were still fishing when Jim finished his 14-mile run and met us at the dock. From there we went to the playground/picnic area for lunch and exploring. This green heron was fun to watch. It walked stealthily and then quickly reached forward to catch a fish in his beak - 3 times. We also saw a huge turtle. The guys saw it catch a sunnie under the water! After some more exploring we headed back to the house for naps. Trenton played outside a lot. His favorite thing to do is turn over rocks and look for bugs and worms. This time he also enjoyed riding his bike. Jim and Trenton spent the night and left this morning, another rainy day.

There's a place near the docks where Trenton likes to wade in. The shallow water was cool but not too cold. Good thing there were dry clothes in the car.

"See, Uncle Jay, it's a real snail."

The Flume

The campground is located right on the Ausable River by the Flume Falls. Of course it was reached by a steep hike. Just what John wanted to do - he did it 3 times to fish and look around!
The water rushes through the canyon here, making a thunderous noise.
Downstream, the river is fishable.
We recommend the Lake Placid/Whiteface KOA campground. The owner has maintained a rustic look while providing RV services, a pool and other recreation.

The Adirondacks

The day after the race John, Jason and I headed to the Whiteface Mountain area of the Adirondacks. It was cool and rainy but we enjoyed all the camper's amenities in a beautiful, pine woodsy campground. The skies cleared and the next morning we headed out to explore the area. The drive to the top of Whiteface Mountain was recommended to us, so off we went. You arrive at the castle after a steep, winding, 5-mile drive. The summit is 4,867 feet high!
We parked and started enjoying the views.
The castle was built in 1934 and now houses a gift shop and snack bar.
John asked me, "Are we going up there?" We had no idea that the summit was beyond the castle and that the fifth of a mile trail was so strenuous. Just what John needed a day later, another up-hill hike! But of course, up we went.
The ski jumps from the 1980 Olympics were easy to see.

The views were well worth it. We took pictures in every direction and marveled at the lack of wind.

I put the camera on the railing and used the timer to get this nice group picture with Lake Placid in the background. To Jason's right is a map of the Adirondacks. Whiteface Mountain is the 5th tallest and the tallest one accessible by car.

Jason looks down on Lake Placid. The town is visible just over his head. Later this day we drove all around the town looking at the Olympic venues (from the outside) and had a very good lunch in one of the many restaurants. Jason was in Lake Placid 3 years ago to cheer on his friend, Rob, when he competed in the Triathlon.

Looking down on the ski slopes. See the road in the upper left-hand corner that looks like a J? The campground is not far from there.

Craggy peaks in this direction.

Visibility was so good this day it was possible to see Montreal, Canada (90 miles away) . It's in the upper left, in the haze.

Looking down the trail we hiked up. Hmmmm, let's take the elevator down, give our knees a rest. The elevator shaft, inside the mountain, is 276 feet deep!

The elevator takes you to a 426-foot tunnel where it's always a damp, chilly 45 degrees. If you're ever in the area, this summit experience is highly recommended!

After our Lake Placid lunch, we explored various places for John to fish the Ausable River. He caught quite a few trout and we had a delicious dinner.

Jason enjoyed being with John all along the river.