Camp Sunshine!

 Time for Anthony & Lucy's trip to Camp Sunshine on Sebago Lake in Casco, Maine!  I have written about this special place before, but every trip is different.  Check out their mission.  Lucy was only 18 months old the first time we visited.  Now she is a ringleader and improvised a beautiful ballet dance for the talent show!

 Those kids pack so much fun into their camp time.  We saw way cool comic jugglers, roasted marshmallows by the big bonfire, watched an outdoor movie - and that was all on day one.  Anthony had fun with his counselor Nattie and Lucy made lots of friends in her group, too.  We swam, played, ate and joined the talent show and costume party.  Busy, busy!

Here are photos of both kids with Nattie, who was, as I said, a big hit.  We listened to the L. Frank Baum classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz during the car ride.  Another big hit.  Yay!  I loved the Oz books when I was a kid.  We're already looking forward to next summer.

Bagels, Anyone?

I was born in Dallas, Texas (which, BTW, I hope to help Turn Blue in the near future) and lived all over the country and overseas with my family.  But I don't remember ever having a bagel until I was 26!  You have to remember, for a long time bagels were 'ethnic food' and didn't begin their palate takeover outside big cities and Jewish households until the 1980s.  Plus, my mother didn't like them: "Boiled dough??  Why would I want to eat boiled dough?"  So we never had them and were similarly deprived of avocados!

But Burlington, Vermont is home to some excellent bagel makers and one of my favorites is Meyers Bagel Bakery where the big brick oven turns out dense, crusty, chewy Montreal style hand rolled delights all day long.  My grandkids (along with every other young person and child I know) are bagel lovers and at trip to the bakery is always a hit.

OK.  Our tummies are filled, now on to visit the new dinosaur exhibit at the ECHO Center.

Gigantosaurus, w-a-a-a-y bigger than T-Rex is on display with lots of bones, robotic creatures and interactive learning games.

The displays are scary enough that A & L wouldn't go near the animated dinos until our second trip to the exhibit!

Check it out thru September 2nd.

Summer Fun

Back from my trip to Virginia, I got a close up experience with the weird New England summer weather we've been having.  It has been raining, more or less, since mid May, then June and July have been tropical!  Hot and humid for long stretches - ugh!  My friends know I start dreading hot weather in March!

So, when Elizabeth suggested I take the kids to Circus Smirkus, I had a mixed reaction: I love circuses and knew the kids would be thrilled, but I could see myself fainting away under the hot tent... but Huzzah!  Thursday was one of the nicest summer days we've had in years.  High of 75°, blue sky with little clouds, nice breeze and, on top of everything else, we met our other granddaughter Emily and her friend Maddy in the ticket line.  She was there with her mom Rachel, so we all got to hang out, sit together and catch up.

The performers were just wonderful, daring acrobats and silly clowns - just what you want in a homegrown circus.

 Friday morning we went to The Fitness Edge where I take a water aerobics class (we call it "Bubble Class").  There has been so much rain that Anthony and Lucy have not been able to go to the pool in their development very often and they are water-starved!  They are good swimmers and 45 minutes just flies by.  They only splash in the pool when the "ladies" are at the other end.  Thanks to Renee Allen for these new photos!