Harkness Memorial State Park

The (previously mentioned) car show was held at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, which we had never been to before, so after the show, we spent some time exploring it.  The beach area was relatively small (a lot of it was closed off due to bird nesting) and it wasn't even clear that you could swim there, but we enjoyed walking around and loved the views.

Searching for rocks, sea glass, shells and other treasures. 

Walking on the beach.

Columbus Day

On Columbus Day, we met up with a bunch of the girls' friends and their parents for a hike at beautiful Wadsworth Falls State Park.  The day was simply beautiful and the kids had a great time hiking - we went to Little Falls and roundtrip, it was over 3.5 miles.  The parents really loved how the kids seemed to have no idea that they were getting so much exercise.

Getting ready to head out. 

Bill found a pretty large frog and let all of the kids inspect it. 

Emily touches it. 

A few moments later, the frog started puffing up and she got a little nervous and decided to hide behind Summer.

The kids at Little Falls. 

Next time, we'll go to Big Falls. 

Afterwards, the kids hung out near/in the brook at the edge of the park.

Hammonasset

On Wednesday, we got together with a bunch of kids from Elizabeth's kindergarten class and their parents.  Although her kindergarten class was evenly dispersed among four first grades, most of the "Newton Originals" have remained close friends, as have all of the parents.  In fact, when we told these parents that Elizabeth would be moving to a new school, they were not only incredibly support, but delighted that we will all still see each other because Emily will be in kindergarten starting in the fall.  The original plan was to meet at Chatfield Hollow, but the state park was shut down on Tuesday afternoon (heavy rains had impacted water quality), so the last minute decision was made to go to Hammonasset, which is on Long Island Sound.  Although the girls were delighted to be meeting up with their friends, when we said the word "beach" they immediately thought that we were driving to New Hampshire and were less than thrilled, to say the least.  They couldn't believe it when, twenty-five minutes later, we were at a beach in Connecticut.  We had a really great time - snacks, lunch and goodies under one of the pavilions and then an afternoon at the beach.  Mrs. Newton herself, recovering from double knee surgery, even visited for an hour or so and it was so wonderful to see her.  We have, unfortunately, very few pictures of the day, as I forgot my camera (CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!).  Katrina, one of the organizers, was kind enough to send me these great pictures of our girls, having a wonderful time with all of their friends.

Playing in the dunes, while waiting for lunch. 

In the water. 

Burying Aidan in the sand. 

Elizabeth and Brayden, playing in the sand. 

Water girls. 

Odiorne Point

Last week, we had our annual summer vacation in Rye, New Hampshire.  The weather was extraordinarily beautiful, the girls are at a great age, and my work blackberry malfunctioned the day before left, turning our week away into our best family vacation.  Although we spent hour upon hour at the beach, we also got in a few adventures.  Odiorne Point State Park is less than a mile from the beach house and we always visit in one way or another when we are on vacation.  This year, in an attempt to get away from the hot sun for a few hours, we hiked some of the trails.  The views, which appear unexpectedly, are really spectacular.

One of the views that we stumbled upon. 

One of the trails led to a beach, so the girls checked it out.

One of the many bunkers left over from World War II, now decorated with graffiti.

Hanging out at the dolphin fountain, which was part of an old estate (which was taken over by the military during World War II).

Wadsworth Falls

On July 4th, we took advantage of having a day to ourselves and went hiking at Wadsworth Falls State Park.  Wadsworth Falls is a beautiful state park - and once you get to outlying trails, you rarely run into other hikers.  The landscape is beautiful; you can hear all sorts of different birds and see evidence of various animals.  Because the land used to belong to the Wadsworth family, the trails also go by remnants of the estate, some of which are in very good condition, like the bridges and walls.  Our hike was over four miles and the girls did amazingly well, even Emily.

Looking down at one of the creek beds. 

Sitting on one of the many, many stone walls. 

The old pump house, now covered with graffiti.

A dragon fly (or butterfly, depending on your point of view). 

Elliot taking a rest in a stream. 

Elizabeth literally sprints up the cart trail. 

Three-sister tree. 

Elliot rests in the middle of Little Falls, getting a little to drink.  He was completely in heaven, not only hiking with us but getting a chance to lay around in the water. 

Elliot and Lee at Little Falls.

Gillette Castle

Saturday was Open House Day at several Connecticut State Parks, including Gillette Castle.  While the castle grounds and park area are always open to the public, there is a hefty admission fee to get inside the castle itself, so the girls and I (as well as hundreds of other people) took the opportunity to check it out.  William Gillette was an actor during the late nineteenth and early twenthieth centuries and is best remembered for his role as Sherlock Holmes.  He was also an inventor, who applied for and received several patents.  Today, Gillette is remembered best for his retirement home, a 24 room mansion that sits high above the Connecticut River.  The home was built from stone and inside, it has close to 50 intricate and hand-carved wooden doors.  It was spectacular and its modern amenities were very eye-opening.  Gillette was very forward thinking and his inventions were present all around his home.  The girls and I enjoyed touring the castle, the majestic views of the Connecticut River and hiking on the trails on the castle grounds.

The girls in front of the castle. 

The girls pose with a portrait of Mr. Gillette. 

One of the many, and unique, hand carved wooden doors.  Each had a different kind of lever system.

Mr. Gillette's office. 

Just a small part of the parlor. 

View of the Connecticut River from one of the many terraces. 

One of the thrills of our visit was when a helicopter landed in a field across the river.

Elizabeth 

Connecticut Trails Day

Connecticut Trails Day is an annual celebration of the outdoors organized by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association.  Each year, during the first weekend in June, there are close to two hundred different scheduled walks in several of Connecticut's state parks and forests, including family walks, long hikes and kayak and canoe excursions.  On Sunday, the girls and I decided to join the family hike at Wadsworth Falls State Park in Middletown.  Although this state park is relatively close to our house, we had never visited it and were excited to see what it had to offer.  The Rockfall Foundation, which supports environmental education and conservation, organized our group hike and our group leader was outstanding.  The girls were at the front of the pack for almost the entire hike and really enjoyed learning about different trees, bugs, toads and seeing tadpoles in a vernal pool, up close and personal (they and I were even mentioned/photographed in two different local news blogs - the Middletown Eye and the Durham Patch (there are several photos of the girls in this set)).  Until recently, Emily has not had the physical stamina for hiking but after seeing how well she did this weekend, I definitely think that a lot more hiking is in our family's future!

Ready to hike. 

Water bottle at the ready! 

Checking out the trail map. 

Giant Mountain Laurel - I honestly had no idea that they could grow to be this big!

The girls chew on the bark of the black birch tree, which native americans used to brush their teeth.

Little Falls 

Lucy, on her way back from the vernal pool, with buckets of tadpoles. 

Emily, checking out the tadpoles through the pond scope. 

This was probably the most exciting part of the afternoon. 

The eggs of a yellow spotted salamander. 

Bark from a (fallen) white birch tree.