Vermont Institute of Natural Science

We moved to this house, north of the house we first lived in when we moved to the area, more than six years ago. When we moved, we changed driving routes to get to NH, driving north through Rutland, VT, instead of south through Bennington. Every drive, we pass the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. They always have inviting signs about raptor feedings and special programs. Recently, they opened a wild walk. 

I always mention, "we should go!" But it never seems the right time. We are driving too late in the day, or the weather is wrong, or kids are sleeping. 

Today, we planned to visit on the way home. We packed a lunch, and headed out. 

We bought the season pass, so now anytime we are driving back and forth, we can stop to say hi to some owls, or take a quick walk on the wild walk, or play at the natural playground for a little while. 

It isn't quite the size or experience of the Wild Center in Tupper Lake- the other nature center with animals and a wild walk within driving distance- but it was definitely a fun stop. 

Biking, Playing, Swimming

We had a great time at Gram and Grumpy's. SlimJim has been working hard at riding a bike with no training wheels, but the bike we have at home is just a bit too tall for him to reach the ground. Gram found a great little bike that is built a little lower, and he got on and was off! No more training wheels for this kid!!

Of course, the kids swam and swam.

The craziest part of our trip was my visit to Urgent Care with Mr.T. after he dislocated his elbow. According to the nurse, I guess I've been dodging a bullet having four kids who have kept all their arm bones in their correct locations. It was a long wait (during nap time...), but an easy fix.

Our visit ended with this beautiful rainbow. 

 

The Girls at Camp and the Boys at Home

For the past two days, the girls have been away at "camp" (Gram and Grumpy's house), while the boys stayed here. We will "pick up the girls" this afternoon when the rest of us go to Gram and Grumpy's for one more visit to NH before we start school. 

While the boys and I had a great day exploring the Saratoga State Park... 

And eating ice cream while watching trucks go by... 

The girls were at "camp" where they did lots of swimming and playing and also climbed a mountain!

Hopefully the kids will all be excited to see each other after a few days break!

A Monument-al Hike

With the kids' new-found love of hiking (thanks Uncle Chris and Auntr Ruth, we've been trying to find new places to take short hikes.

Today we went to the Saratoga Monument. The obelisk is currently closed due to the pandemic, so we couldn't climb to the top, but the kids were happy enough to climb the stairs jump off the base. 

I'd heard that the trail from the monument was a good hike for kids, so we thought we'd try it out. The first half was just a walk through a cemetery, which surprisingly sparked a lot of interest from the kids. Sadly, by the time we got to the actual trail, the boys were already fading. We walked the whole trail anyway, taking lots of snack breaks. It was very informative for MiniM.E. and LittleL.G., who took turns reading the signs about the people that used to live in the woods and the British Soldiers that camped there after surrendering at Saratoga Battlefield. Most of the trail was an elevated walkway- the boys' favorite since it makes a lot of noise when you run on it. I would definitely hike it again, but use the parking lot at the trail, rather than walking down from the cemetery.  

Even though it was a lot of walking, there was still plenty of energy for jumping when we got back to the parking lot. 

 

Finally, A Day at the Beach!

The kids have been begging for a beach day, but the closest beach to us is always crowded, even with the park limit of 50% capacity. When we tried Lake Luzerne, we felt pressured to leave because of the number of people crowded where the sand meets the water. A friend told us about a beach at Schroon Lake that is often empty so we decided to give it try. 

It was fantastic! Warm water, knee deep forever, nice sand, lots of rocks to collect.

Wishing we had found this gem a little sooner in the summer, but we will definitely be back!