Music and the Arts

We love Burlington's Southend Art Hop.  Every year, John and I get a sitter and we make Friday night Art Hop a part of our date night.  There are always food trucks, music, performers, and lots and lots of friends that we haven't seen in a while.  This year, we had a dear friend's 50th birthday to attend instead.  That was a family event with Red Hot Juba playing and super fun. 

The kids had a ball, but at 8:15pm, Hazen informed us that he was ready to go home and go to bed.  The band had just started rocking out, Cally was having a ball with old friends from preschool, and we'd just gotten into our groove.  We hadn't anticipated this, but it should not have come as a surprise given it was his first week of school and he'd been biking around the party (at Cochran's ski hill) for hours.  But when I asked if he'd be okay taking a nap in the minivan, he said, "sure"!  And just like that he went to sleep snuggling with a bunch of jackets. 

The next night, we decided to take the kids with us to art hop.  All the same venders were there, but it was much less hectic and busy.  The kids had a ball learning how to make a basket and playing pinball on a cardboard and rubber band arcade. 

The following weekend we headed down to North Adams to attend Freshgrass Music Festival again.  This time, our dear friends the Davidson's joined us.  They just moved East from Bozeman, MT and we were so excited to see them. 

It was a hot day, but the kids had so much fun at the "kids tent", listening to music, and seeing art. 

We had a great day and spent the night at Williams College Outing Club cabin.  We got there in the dark, so it was fortunate we couldn't really see how dirty it was. We had a fun breakfast at a diner where we met up with John's friend Dan Cantor.

First Day of Schol

These two are off to the races!  They are fired up and ready to learn.

Here they come Ms. Paul and Mr. Barker.   Here I come 9th and 10th graders.  We are so ready for all the adventures, fun, and challenges that this year will bring.

Right before school started, we got a surprise visit from the Meyer family.  The kids were so excited to see Kesley (a new Freshman) and Jameson (5th grader). 

 We were all set to head to Maine for a weekend of canoe camping as a family.  We reserved a spot at Mooselookmeguntic, but realized the day before we left that we had tickets to see the Avett Brothers on Sunday night at Shelburne Museum and the forecast was a 100% chance of rain on Sunday.  So, at the last minute, we changed plans and went to one of the remote canoe camping sites on Waterbury Reservoir (a short 45 minute drove from home as opposed to a 4 hour drive).   We paddled in from Cotton brook in Moscow (near Stowe) and found the most amazing camping spot.  We were later told it was the best one there.

It was a gorgeous day!  The weather warm and the reservoir was the perfect temperature. 

We awoke to rain in the morning, but were able to see a bald eagle and a heron on our canoe ride out.  We got warm and toasted and then prepared ourselves for a soaking experience at the kids first concert. John made sure we were ready for the elements and dressed appropriately.  

It was a great concert even if it was soggy!

As a parting shot...... Lobby our unsung hero who keeps our house clear of mice.