Success!

We completed the main projects before Labor Day and successfully camped at two different state parks for a total of nine nights. The first two nights were incredibly hot and humid, but the second outing was absolutely wonderful. The kids seemed to enjoy themselves and are excited for our next trip.

I'm getting used to driving a large vehicle and figuring out the systems. I had a slight problem with the awning on the first trip, but no one was hurt and Mr. Q was able to fix it. I successfully dumped the waste tanks by myself (which involved packing up the RV, driving it to the dump station and then driving back, re-parking/leveling and setting up the awning again). The generator is leaking oil and the house battery needs replacing, but neither problem will stop us from doing a bit more exploring this fall. I think I'm ready to leave the state on a solo trip with the kids!

Pack Monadnock

Yesterday, we went for a short hike at Pack Monadnock in Temple, New Hampshire.

One Year, One Day

It's been 366 days since we moved into our "new" house in New Hampshire. We were welcomed home by a snowstorm. Apparently, Mother Nature decided that we needed to celebrate our first anniversary with a snowstorm, as well. Last year, we got 14 inches. Thankfully, we only had 7 inches to shovel this afternoon.

Leaf Peeping

This afternoon, I took the little ones on a leaf peeping excursion across Route 101 to Keene, New Hampshire. On the way there, we stopped at Miller State Park and drove up the auto road to the summit of Pack Monadnock. The kids were absolutely thrilled!

They climbed the fire tower three times and then wandered around on the summit looking for trail blazes. We found the yellow triangles of the Wapack Trail, but then the red circles looked more intriguing, so we followed those instead. We made a short stop at the Raptor Migration Observatory and saw a turkey vulture from a distance. We were all happy to be in the mountains and are looking forward to going back.

Places to Go

It's rare that a day passes without me finding a new and interesting place to take the kids in Manchester-Nashua-Lowell area. Here are a few places I'd like to check out (or visit again):

• Seacoast Science Center, Rye
  
• Massabesic Audubon Center, Auburn
• Currier Museum of Art, Manchester
  
• Salisbury Beach
• Stone Zoo, Stoneham
  
• Rye Harbor State Park, Rye
  
• Two Bridge Park, Merrimack
• White Park, Concord (New Hampshire)
  
• Beaver Brook, Hollis
• Silver Lake State Park, Hollis
• New Hampshire Farm Museum, Milton
  
• Butterfly Place, Westford
• Fort Stark, New Castle
  
• Children's Museum of New Hampshire, Dover
• Bear Brook State Park, Allenstown
• Charmingfare Farm, Candia
  
• Parlee Farms, Tyngsborough
• Mine Falls Park, Nashua
• Lowell National Historical Park
  
• McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, Concord (New Hampshire)
• Pawtuckaway State Park, Nottingham
  
• Horse Hill Nature Preserve, Merrimack
• Apple Hill Farm, Concord (New Hampshire)
• Willard Brook State Forest, Townsend
• Great Brook Farm, Carlisle
• Fruitlands Museum, Harvard

There are dozens more places that I'll add to my list as the little ones get older. Our area of New England is rich in history and I am looking forward to when they are old enough to appreciate it.

Hey There, Wildflower

After many, many days of rain, my garden has been taken over by weeds. I'm hoping to take advantage of the drier weather to whip it in to shape. And while I weed, the kids will be shaking their sillies out in the sunshine. May all your weeds be wildflowers!

In the Forest

Yesterday, I took the little ones on a short hike. It was a gorgeous day to reintroduce them to hiking. We've moved into a new phase of hiking, with no infant carriers in use and the start of a nature journal. During our half-mile hike, I reminded the kids to use all of their senses to better experience the beauty around them.

We heard:

• a small woodpecker tapping on a tree
• a pileated woodpecker calling and tapping loudly
• the wind blowing through the leaves

We saw:

• two chipmunks
• tent caterpillars
• a delicate pink lady slipper