I must say that there seemed to be a lot less drama about the first day of school this year as compared to some previous years.
Not that there have been a lot of previous years.
The process started weeks ago with the procurement of appropriate lunch boxes, backpacks, and footwear.
Last night the girls had their last meal at the "ribs restaurant" and then headed home to pick out their outfits for tomorrow (Marni changed her mind a couple of times).
This morning we got back into the usual routine of Daddy the Drill Sargent keeping the girls on track for an on time departure.
Luckily, the monsoons that we had been experiencing for the past two days cleared up just before departure time and the sun actually poked out from behind the clouds.
We left plenty of time for photo ops and then headed for school.
I was glad to see that the school wasn't scared off by the rain and opted for outside drop-off. This gave us a chance to reunite with long-lost parents and kids while waiting to go in.
I hung out with Stella, who was thrilled to see who her teacher was (Ms. Calhoun). Lisa went to the Kindergarten line with Marni.
At 8:20, the 2nd grade headed into the building. All Stella needed was a high five, and she was off.
I then joined Lisa and Marni in Kindergarten and hung out for a while as Marni drew and we reconnected with parents from Pre-K.
I left about 15 minutes later with no protest from Marni. A little while later Lisa texted me that she had left with no tears from Marni.
I bet you thought I was talking about Marni and Stella, right?
Well, in this case, I'm talking about the little wild creatures that played a big part in this year's Maine vacation.
Number One: Sara the Ladybug...
Stella has always loved ladybugs. She finds them. Befriends them. Let's them crawl all over her. This year she found a ladybug and named her Sara.
Stella brought her home from the beach and made Sara a little house in the basement. She would go down and visit her and bring her upstairs into the cottage to "play" with everyone else. She had me look up on the Internet what ladybugs eat so that she could feed Sara (they eat aphids). She even took Sara on car rides.
A couple of days later Stella came up from the basement with sad news. She took Lisa aside and told her "Sara has passed". Then Stella burst into tears. She didn't want anyone to mention Sara's name or even talk about ladybugs after that. The next day we said prayers and buried Sara.
Number Two: Hermit Crabs...
I've been going to Old Orchard Beach for 54 years and I never knew we had hermit crabs in the surf. But our neighbor, Patrick, knew. He and his kids caught a few, which greatly amused my kids.
It took me a few days to see the hermit crabs in the surf myself. But the first person to catch one was Stella. She picked up the shell, saw it was occupied, and promptly shrieked and threw it back in the surf. When she regained her composure she located it again and placed it in a bucket. Shortly after that, I caught one. We placed my crab into the bucket. They didn't like each other and began to fight. But it was fascinating to watch.
Luckily for the crabs, we enforced a catch-and-release policy so that the crabs didn't end up dead in our basement like Sara the ladybug.
Number Three: Sharks...
While taking Stella, Marni and cousin Tyler on a trip to Camp Ellis, Lisa stumbled upon the Downeast Maine Shark Tournament. Fishermen were bringing in the shark catches and displaying them on the town dock. It was fascinating and a bit gruesome, but the kids (mostly) enjoyed it. When the knives came out for "cutting up" time, Lisa quickly moved the curious kids along to the next activity.
Number Four: Crabs...
Crabby Marni
Not hermit crabs. Real crabs.
For the past few years we've watched other families catching little (4-5 inch) green crabs at the Camp Ellis town dock. Looked like a lot of fun.
This year we did it ourselves.
Over the weeks, we gathered little nets and ropes. The kids were very excited. On "crabbing day" we grabbed a bucket and our other supplies and headed for the dock. The nice lady at the bait shop gave the girls free chopped up frozen fish ("Disgusting" according to Marni). I put the fish into two nets (along with a rock for weight) and attached the nets to the girls' jump ropes.
Don't ask me. That's what they wanted to use.
The crabs were plentiful and after about an hour of fun we had caught about 20. When we were done we let them go.
And according to Stella and Marni... crabbing was the funnest part of the vacation.
This post contains video that is only viewable from the website. So go there!
The final weekend in Maine did not go as expected.
Hurricane Irene knocked out power at Nana and Papa Shepard's house in Natick for 5 days. This caused the cancellation of Stella and Marni's annual end-of-summer trip to Natick. Disappointing for some. But I was thrilled, because it allowed me one more weekend with my girls.
After being picked up at the airport, we did a little grocery shopping and then I took the girls to lunch at a new place on the beach... Pirate's Patio. The rest of Friday was spent playing on the beach. Glorious!
Stella: When being crabby is ok.
Stella and Marni finally got to do some crabbing on Saturday. We headed down to the town dock at Camp Ellis with our home made crabbing equipment. The nice lady at the bait shop gave the girls some free chopped up fish. And away we went!
Our first few "casts" we not successful, but within a few minutes we had our first bite. No one was more surprised than Daddy!
As soon as we pulled up the first crab, both girls went screeching up the ramp and off the dock. They eventually returned and repeated this reaction a few more times (entertaining the other people on the dock greatly). We called it quits about an hour later and let the little critters go. Lots of fun.
After a quick lunch of pizza and ice cream in downtown OOB, we headed back to the beach until sundown. Another glorious day.
Then... it was Sunday. Packing up and moving out day.
Luckily, Cousin Janet agreed to take the girls to the beach while we packed and cleaned the cottage. The kids came back from the beach around 2 and we were pulling out of OOB by 4.
And yes, there were tears.
We did an overnight at Nana and Papa Shepard's in Natick. On Monday morning we continued a new tradition of adding this year's sea shells to a "shell garden" in Nana and Papa's pine grove.
By 4 o'clock we were back in Brooklyn. The girls quickly reacquainted themselves with their long lost toys. All of them. All at the same time.
I took the girls for a walk in the "hood" and we picked up some pizza for dinner. By 8:30 they were tucked into their beloved bunk beds and drifting off to sleep.
So ended the 2011 summer in Maine. The first summer in our wonderful new cottage.
We are truly blessed.
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Mother Nature wreaked a little havoc with the beginning of week 4 in Maine. Bad weather delayed my flight out on Friday night and I didn't step foot into the cottage until 4 am. Three hours later the kids came storming into the bedroom to greet me. So much for sleep.
We celebrated my return to the cottage with one of our favorite bike rides to Camp Ellis. Nice, flat roads... pretty scenery... and yummy seafood at Huots. The girls romped up and down the stone jetty and then we went over to check out the crabbing action at the town dock. The return trip included a stop in Ocean Park for ice cream and shuffle board (not at the same time). This year the girls were introduced to Raspberry Lime Rickeys. Loved them!
On Sunday, Nana and Papa Shepard joined us for an overnight visit and we inaugurated our new charcoal grill. It's been a long time since I've used charcoal and the girls were fascinated with the process.
And then... it was time for the "Vacation from the Vacation"!
Last year I got it into my head to take the girls to Mount Washington in 2011. Not sure why. But we headed for the White Mountains early on Monday morning. The ride was pretty, via roads we had never traveled before.
We arrived around lunch time and as soon as we stepped out of the car the girls realized that we were not in Kansas anymore. It was cold, wet and windy as we ran for the restaurant.
For those who have never seen the Mount Washington Hotel, it is quite an impressive sight. There were ear-shattering shrieks as the 109 year old grand hotel came into view. It helped that the hotel kind of looks like a princess palace.
We wandered through the awesome lobby as our room was readied and then the girls got to "drive" the manually-operated elevator up to the 4th floor.
Our room happened to be located in one of the two towers of the hotel. And when you have rooms in a round-shaped tower, you end up with odd-shaped rooms. Our crescent-shaped room was wacky and amazing. The girls loved it. We even ended up with a view of the mountain.
Stella summed up the hotel as follows...
"Some old places are, you know, like rusty. But this old place is WOW!"
Off to play in every one of the three hotel pools. One inside and two outside. My little fish loved it.
Hot chocolate and olives on the back veranda and then time to dress for fancy dinner.
We all got into our fancy clothes and headed for dinner in the formal dining room. Lots of excitement and smiles from Stella and Marni. We ate, and we danced to the small band. As can be expected, Marni put on quite a show on the dance floor.
The next morning we were up early to catch the first steam train up to the top of Mount Washington on the Cog Railroad.
I had warned the ladies how cold and windy it would be up there, but they were just not prepared to experience 37 degree weather with 40 mile per hour winds.
We dragged the frozen kids up the last 25 feet to the official top of the mountain for a photo op and then we hightailed it for the cafeteria and hot chocolate.
After the train ride back down to the bottom of the mountain, we headed to the hotel for check-out and then headed over to Franconia Notch State Park... a place that I hadn't visited since childhood.
We rode the tram to the top of Cannon Mountain and did a quick hike. Then we took a 2 mile hike at The Flume Gorge. Spectacular.
On Thursday the New Jersey Hoffmans came for their visit. Lots of fun in the sun.
On Sunday Hurricane Irene paid us a visit.
By the time Irene got to Maine she was all tired out from ravaging the more southern and western states. By afternoon we were so bored with it all that we headed to the movies to catch Spy Kids 4.
On Monday the Hoffmans headed home and I enjoyed a bonus day with the kids thanks to a hurricane-delayed flight.
Meanwhile, the end of summer is slowly creeping up on us.
Raspberry Lime Rickey time
Tips on lighting a charcoal grill
Ready for fancy dinner at The Mount Washington Hotel
Unhappy popsicles at the top of Mount Washington
Cousins
Cowabunga baby!
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Weekend 3 started with a late night Friday arrival on JetBlue. The next morning, both girls rushed into our bedroom for the usual routine of snuggling, wrestling and laughing.
Later we broke out the bikes for a ride on the Eastern Trail. Half way through our adventure we took a break for lunch at the Dunegrass Country Club. Then, back on the bikes to complete our 14 mile trip.
Afternoon was beach time with our Hurwitz/Supovitz cousins. This included burying poor cousin Lily.
We invited all our cousins over in the evening for a cocktail party. The grownups talked, argued and imbibed. The kids ran around and played.
Sunday was a bit gloomy, so we headed out to our first-ever family miniature golf challenge at Pirate's Cove. Lots of fun. The girls did a great job and, on some holes, beat their parents. Stella even got a hole-in-one on the 18th hole.
But when the numbers were totaled up, the results were definitive:
Stella 76 Marni 80 Lisa 56 Steve 48
Now, to the kids, it appeared that Marni won (highest score). But we all know who really won.
Late Sunday afternoon Nana Audrey, Papa Harold, Aunt Carol and Uncle Norman arrived for their visit. After taking a tour of the new cottage, we headed down to the beach for Stella's now-famous bike-riding breakthrough.
The next morning the big metal bird took Daddy back to NYC until Friday.
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We had planned for quite some time to take Stella's training wheels off this summer. She was all for it. The idea was to take advantage of the soft sand at the beach in Old Orchard as her training ground.
On Friday, August 12th the training wheels came off and learning began. Lessons for the first two days actually took place on the little streets surrounding the cottage. I figured that Stella wasn't actually going to be good enough yet for us to even let go of her handle bars. So falling wasn't much of a concern.
Indeed there was no falling and not much success. Stella was far too wobbly to ride on her own. Lisa eventually took over the lessons when I tired out.
We tried again on Saturday with similar results.
[ Sadly, a good friend of mine was also teaching his daughter to ride her bike that weekend in Brooklyn. Tragically, he died of a sudden heart attack while out with his daughter. I found this out on Monday morning when I woke up to catch my plane back to New York. So I dedicate Stella's bike riding lessons to Mike. ]
Lisa took Stella to the beach during the week while I was away and continued the lessons, but Stella wasn't yet ready to fly solo.
Fast forward to the next weekend.
Yesterday I went down to the beach at 5 pm with Stellie for more low-tide bike lessons. We took along Nana Audrey and Aunt Carol for support (and Marni).
We made a few attempts and Stella seemed still pretty wobbly. I didn't let go. After some prompting from the peanut gallery, I asked Stella if she wanted me to let go. She said yes, so we gave it another try.
We started down the beach and, after about 50 feet, I let go.
And off she went! Success!
I ran along side her as she grinned from ear to ear. She eventually made a safe stop and cheers went up from her audience. We did this several more times. Eventually we started doing turns. Then we worked on teaching her how to start on her own. She made two successful runs all on her own before we called it quits for the day.
She was so proud of herself (and I was so relieved).
This morning I flew back to New York and Lisa will pick up where I left off. Practice, practice, practice!
This one's for you Mike.
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Last year a dear friend from Maine left us forever.
The cottage.
After 80-plus years as beachfront headquarters for the Supovitz, Brenner and Shepard families, the cottage bid a fond farewell last fall to make way for a new headquarters.
Through the fall, winter, and spring, the new cottage metamorphosized from a dream to a reality. Although the Brooklyn Shepards have been visiting OOB for more than a decade, this is our first year in our new home.
And boy do we love it!
This year's Maine vacation began on July 31st. We were quick to unload with help from the Imhoff clan who, just as quickly, swept up the girls and took them off to the beach so that we could set the place up with the help of Nana Bev and Papa Art.
Stella and Marni love their new room as decorated by Lisa. Plenty of pink, and purple, and flowers. Our new upstairs master suite is quite cozy too.
Much of the first week was spent with Lisa Stefanoff, Ron, and the rest of the "J-Girls". We spent lots of time at the beach, took a long hike along the coast at Prout's Neck, visited a dairy farm (and a Dairy Queen), and had a blast at York Wild Kingdom.
Stella and Marni were sad to see the J-Girls leave the following Saturday, but cousins Marcy, Mitch, Hannah, and baby Seth arrived the next day and kept the girls very occupied. The girls were especially in love with 2 month old Seth.
On Monday morning I woke up early and flew back to New York. Never a happy time. But beach fun continued without me, and Skype kept us in touch until my return at the end of the week.
And so much for week 1.
Marni at Pineland dairy farm
Playing Labyrinth with Nana Bev
York's Wild Kingdom with Jessie and Jenna
Lobstah dinner with Ron, Nana, Papa, and Toots
The ladies at Prout's Neck
With the J-Girls at Prout's Neck
Our first construction project
Marni, channeling Grandma Sara
Let the bicycle lessons begin!
Saying goodbye to the Imhoff/Stefanoff gang.
Pancake time.
Lisa and Seth.
With Cousin Becca.
Stella feeding Seth.
Lisa feeding Seth.
Marni's new buddy, Seth. (Courtesy Marcy)
Stella and Marni observe cousins Becca and Daniel practicing cartwheels...
Stella, Marni and the J-Girls hiking at Prout's Neck...
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Well there's one less hillbilly in Brooklyn today.
At about 1:15 this morning I was jolted out of bed by Stella yelling my name. She was standing in the middle of her room. Little did she know that I was right behind her, sleeping in Marni's lower bunk.
Long story.
Luckily I didn't do a Three Stooges maneuver where I jump up and whack my head.
Stella was standing there, very excited, holding her stubborn front tooth in her hand.
Finally!
She apparently poked it out herself in the middle of the night.
We took it upstairs to show mommy and then bagged it for safety.
I quickly went online and checked the schedule for the Tooth Fairy. Unfortunately, the Fairy passed through our part of Brooklyn at 12:38 and was long gone. So we will have to put the tooth out for financial remuneration tonight.
And if you're keeping score... that's tooth number 7. Nothing on the wiggling horizon right now. Everyone relax!
We've been invited to a lot of dance performances lately. But not from Alvin Ailey or the New York City Ballet. Our recent performances come from Stella and Marni, and they are so cute that I can't stand it.
This past weekend Stella heard a song on the car radio and told me she wanted to dance to it. So I bought it on my iPhone and she grabbed the phone from my hand and ran into her bedroom to choreograph.
10 minutes later she came out (outfitted in her "wedding dress") and demanded that everyone assemble on her top bunk for the performance.
Below is a video of the performance (she demanded I record it). So proud!
The other video is of a second performance interrupted (hysterically) by Marni.
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And now for a quick wrap-up of the 4th of July goings ons...
This year we stayed close to home and started the weekend with a trip to our favorite summertime cousins, Joel and Adriane. Pool, dogs, food, fun. This year Stella screwed up a little more courage and began diving into the water. Probably prompted by her ultra-brave cousin, Tyler.
Sunday was spent in New Jersey visiting with co-worker Martha, husband Carlos, and baby Christopher. The weather was a little gloomy, but that didn't stop most from enjoying their great pool, their great food, and their great hospitality. They really know how to throw a party! Co-worker Pradnya's family also joined as did the Stefanoff/Imhoff clan.
Monday, the 4th, was a hot one and we took the girls to visit The Highline for the first time. I gave them maps of the park so they could follow where we were. They found it pretty interesting, but were mostly excited to get to the weird little Rainbow City park that greeted us at the 30th Street end of The Highline. After bouncing around in a giant inflatable mushroom, and some delicious ice cream, we headed home to prepare for a BBQ with Sherri Bubbles, Rick and Laurie.
And there you have it!
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A few months ago it became apparent that, even though they are almost midgets, our children would soon outgrow their toddler beds. So we took a ride out to our favorite kid bed store in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey to see what they had for us.
When we got there the kids did their best Goldilocks impression by trying out every bed in the place. Unlike Goldilocks, they liked every bed they tried.
We eventually settled upon a princess-like bunk bed set. After hearing the price we realized that we would be ready to buy it for them just as they headed off to college. But a surprise tax refund sent me back to the store to make the deal.
Delivery was set for Thursday, and the girls were very excited. They huddled in negotiations and decided that Stella would be on the top and Marni would be below in the "princess castle". The night before delivery I was awoken by Stella who requested that I come and sleep in their room so that she could enjoy her last night in her little bed (rather than her sleep upstairs with us). This, of course, meant that I had to sleep on the floor. But, being a good daddy, that's what I did.
Yesterday we cleaned out their entire room to make way for the new monstrosity. Lisa kept me updated on the installation process with photos, phone calls, and videos. After installation she worked hard to get the room put back together for them.
We decided to make a video recording of their first impressions. Lisa had her camera rolling as they entered the room and the footage speaks for itself.
They spent the rest of the day playing on the bunk beds and excitedly dragged me in there when I got home. They even had neighbors drop by to show them.
As bedtime approached, we had to come up with a new routine. No longer was there a rocking chair in the room (no room for it), and no longer could I lie on the floor between their two beds and hold their hands as they drifted off to sleep.
It was decided that I would hang out "upstairs" with Stella first since she was a little nervous about sleeping up so high. I rested at the end of her bed until she drifted off to sleep. Then I moved down to Marni who was patiently waiting in her "princess castle". After about 10 minutes, she was asleep too.
The foot.
I checked on them throughout the night. Stella never fell off. Occasionally a foot would poke out from the "princess castle" curtain.
Stella came up in the middle of the night to sleep with us, as usual. So she obviously didn't plummet to the ground after forgetting she was in an upper bunk. Marni woke up happy and crazy as usual. So, all is good.
The girls have cooked up a plan to switch beds every 22 days (don't ask). We'll see if that ever happens. But right now it appears that we have two very happy bunk mates.
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Less than 24 hours after the end of their school year, the girls were sun-screened, lunch-boxed, and outfitted in their stylish Park Slope Day Camp t-shirts, and... off to camp!
A few months ago I reached out to each girls' classmates to see if I could arrange for friends to join them at PSDC, It seems to have worked out.
Stella has best friend Sasha with her from day 1. This has made her adjustment painless.
Marni will have 4 or 5 classmates from PreK joining her, but none the first week. So she's been a little sad, but no major meltdowns.
Just like last year, the girls come home dirty and tired (just like we like them). And, they seem to be having fun.
Although Stella complained that she thought camp was supposed to be fun. I said it was, and she replied that it wasn't fun if she had to learn something. And by something, she meant swimming.
