Blueberry Day

The most plentiful of blueberry harvests never seem to come during the dampest summers. To date, we've had nearly 30 inches of rain this year so far- more than a third over the average-so we really weren't expecting too many berries when we left for the hills of Pomfret. What a surprise to find the bushes full of fruit. Tua and Seth always seem to have a contest to see who can eat the most during the pick, so for good measure, we asked the proprietor to weigh them in at the scales before entering the fields.

Fresh Coat

High up on the list of Tua's favorite things is "painting" the house. It's an activity which can have her busy for hours on end. She has her own bucket and brush- and even has her own favorite section of wall, as small 4 x 3 foot area on the north side of the house. Clean up is easy....the paint itself is tap water.

High summer

Weekends this month have been scheduled with all sorts of activity. The following shots were taken over the last month at two separate events miles apart.

Tua and I at Merck Farm perusing wind turbines. The farm sits on the last high plateau of the southern Green mountains before the land drops away into the greater Hudson River valley. It's a great spot for wind power. The small turbine behind us powers 90 % of the farms resources.

We took an extended weekend in Massachusettes recently where we met up with Brian and Arlyce and a small faction of the rest of clan Menzies- Arlyce's sister Jub and brother Ben.

Saturday night found us on a back porch enjoying a calm east wind off the water and some fine salad.

Tua and Jubilee- ever the inseperable pair. This shot was taken well past bedtime.

And so was this one....

Brian at the wheel.

Bug and Arlyce prepping in the kitchen.

Pippa prepping in the kitchen.

Back at Merck, Tua says "come again?"

Picking daisies for the ride home.

recently

Tua and I experimented with a child carrier made by Topeak. It's a fine piece of equipment, but only works if your frame has drop-outs on the rear stays on which to mount the stabilizers. Mine doesn't so it won't. But after a few tries, we got it sufficiently mounted onto the bike. We took a few frames to show that we had actually done so, but after the photo- op, we made it a mile down the road only to find that the mounting mechanism created had found its way into the rear hub. And as we were only travelling at speeds no greater than five mph, no one was hurt. Tua enjoyed the walk back to the house. She has requested a bike trailer in lieu of the seat and I am inclined to agree with her.

Pippa and friend- a rabbit named bunny. She was given this today- a gift from her sister, who has been getting a bit out of sorts lately whenever Pip takes Froggy (Tua's stuffed frog blanket).

This will hopefully put the disagreement to rest, for now.

All Aboard

If the passengers had the will to pay their way, Tua would be making a fortune. This wagon makes approximately 20 passes around the house per day, fully loaded.




And occasionally, the engineer takes a turn herself....

These shots are from last night as the girls were getting ready for bed.....

Pip seems resigned to the idea, but perhaps her sister is just squeezing her too hard.

The Yoga Clinic

Pippa has prowess- more than even her lightening quick sister did at this age. Below are some shots of Pip displaying some advanced floor technique.

We found Tua begging for a handout after the show was over........

Welcome Baby Travis

We visited the hospital last night to meet our new nephew, Travis James Shaw. Lauren, Jim and baby are looking great. Travis weighed in at 7lbs.5oz and is 19" long. Tua and I have been reading the Berenstain Bears and I saw some similarities...lots of hair on that head and little claws on those fingers. A very cute cub. Tua didn't seem to take notice of that but instead tried to steal his "It's a Boy" balloon.