House sitting

Over the weekend Wythe, Rebecca, Dan and I went up to Dunstable to house sit while my uncle and aunt were visiting their sons. We drove up Friday night and were greeted by the cats and a very happy dog. That first night we relaxed in the hot tub as we watched a meteor shower. The next morning we got up at a reasonable hour and after a fresh egg omelet, Rebecca and I headed out to the garden to do some weeding and harvesting.

Really, Rebecca did most of the weeding. But she was the happiest I've ever seen a person weeding.

This was the collection from the first day of harvest. Sunday we realized that there were tons of incredibly ripe tomatoes just falling off the vines. We picked as many as we could carry back with us and split them. Sunday night I made two pots of spaghetti sauce and I still have tomatoes left over in my fridge.

Lifetime Chickie was running free after Aunt Kap rescued her from a life of abuse and rooster rape. She has at least three nests around the lawn and barn. Broken tomatoes and wormy corn were thrown her way to her great delight. She'll probably double in size by the time they return.



















The horses were happily (and blindly) grazing away.

And Lily got in as much head scratching and tummy rubbing time as she could.

Meanwhile, the boys avoided all manual labor and gorged themselves on comic books.

Other than a brief power outing, the trip was blissfully uneventful. It was hard to go back to work Monday morning. But at least I have a fridge full of farm fresh corn, squash, and tomatoes.

Weekend with Family

Caroline and grandma came for a visit this past week and left this morning. However, since I was working in the mornings and taking a class every evening, I wasn't able to see as much of them as I would have liked. Caroline ended up going to New York City for three days and having an artgasm. And grandma spent time with my uncle and aunt. Saturday and Sunday I was finally free so we got to explore New England a little and have some visiting time.

Most of the week had been unbearably hot, but Sunday it was beautiful. We headed out to Newburyport for shopping. For lunch, we went to Markey's Lobster Pound in NH. Markey's is a seafood spot that has been around since the '50s. Aunt Kap gave Caroline a little birthday lunch money which she gladly used to gorge on lobsters.

Dan, being the seafood spoilsport that he is, ate hot dogs.

But he did manage to get us a great spot on the outdoor deck by the water. This was our view from the table.

Then we drove to Plum Island to enjoy the beach.
It really was lovely, despite the stinkeye face Caroline kept making for the camera.

See?

And if I took pictures of Caroline's shadow at the beach all was serene.

The beach wasn't too crowded either so it was nice to walk around and enjoy.

However, despite the spf 45 sunblock, after about 40 minutes I started to turn pink so we headed back in for a bit more shopping and then on to Uncle Jon and Aunt Kap's for dinner with grandma.

As we waited for dinner, Caroline played with the pets on the farm.

You could hear Timmy's purr from ten feet away.

Saturday night, as Caroline, Dan and I were lounging in the hot tub, a kitten appeared. We think he probably belongs to a neighbor who may have just gone away for the weekend. He was too well fed and healthy to be a stray. But he was very sweet and in desperate need of attention. Uncle Jon was not amused, but the rest of us were smitten.

This morning we said our goodbyes and headed back to Boston as they headed on to the airport. It was a nice visit, even if it was short.

UMass Haitian Creole Institute

I could alternately title this post my three weeks of self-imposed insanity. I love the Kreyol course, but juggling two jobs and a husband while taking a 3 1/2 hour class that is every evening M-F can be pretty stressful. But yesterday I think I found a way to recharge.

UMass never has chalk for the classrooms, there is no food on campus after 3 PM, and the architecture is stern brick and suspended walkways. But the views are spectacular. The campus is on a peninsula that stretches out into the harbor. A harborwalk winds its way along the edge of campus, providing a space to run, bike, or just relax.

Across the way you can see what I think are expensive apartments.

And here was my little study spot. Sea breezes fought off the summer heat, sea gulls played tag in the air, and waves created an ambient backdrop to studying.

The only thing that marred the scene were the airplanes flying in towards the airport. They get so low you can make out which airline they belong to. Still, it is a lovely space to study and just spending thirty minutes there works better than any coffee. That is, if I could find coffee on campus.

Beaverbrook Nature Center

The next day, Wythe, Rebecca, Dan and I followed my aunt and uncle to the Beaverbrook nature center in NH. My aunt works there during the week teaching classes, but on the weekends she and my uncle busy themselves building a wigwam.

Before walking out to the wigwam site, we explored some of the beautiful gardens at the nature center. And of course took lots of flower photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rebecca and I each took a crazy number of photographs.

Uncle Jon and the poppies.

After exploring the garden to until the boys almost exploded with boredom, my aunt and uncle headed out to the wigwam and the rest of us went for a short hike. We walked down a fairly easy path to Bouchard Bridge, which overlooks a swampy area. 

Then we walked over to the wigwam construction site.

They had already gathered saplings for the frame, but Uncle Jon needed to cut some of them down to size.

Then, after digging a post hole, they set it in the ground and one of them holds it in place while the other person bends it over the structure and secures it.

 

Both Wythe and Dan helped out a little. 

 

 

And then Wythe took a break to pet Lily.

Lily was the happy camp dog.

After a bit, we hugged Aunt Kap and Uncle Jon goodbye and headed out to a local farmers' market before heading home. 

They had beautiful plants for sale.

And a cute little ice cream place by the parking area.

After purchasing more things than we needed, we headed back to the highway and went home.

Weekend in the Countryside

This past weekend we went up to Uncle Jon and Aunt Kap's and brought along Wythe and Rebecca. Though the weather was rainy all weekend, it was still great to get out of the city and relax. The rain also perked up all the plants, so Rebecca and I went a little crazy taking photographs of flowers, the garden, and chickens.

But first, my aunt and uncle took us on a tour of the yard, showing us all the new plants and catching up.

We strolled around taking photographs, talking, and enjoying the break in the rain.

Their garden in the backyard was green from all the wet weather.

Uncle Jon couldn't resist working in the garden a little before we moved on.

We went to the barn to look at the chickens and horses.

The horses were pouting that their favorite hangout was roped off to dry.

And then I took tons and tons of flower photos from all the blooming plants in my aunt's gardens.