Off to camp!

The big kids are off to camp, and we had the usual routine:

Loads of packing to get us through the month.



Travel adventure stories made more memorable with the arrival of this guy.



Reaching home base at Grandmas and waking up to this.



Loads of food.











Family Game night. 


And finally, drop off.

To make it easier, we split up this year.  Jeff took Mina. 



And I took Jordan.



Saying goodbye was not easy.



And I am already weepy thinking about it.  They've only been gone three days.  I really don't know what I am going to do when they go off to college.  I told Jeff maybe I would feel differently by then since they will be teenagers, and I'll be sick of them. 

But I doubt it.

Fall in the Poconos, 2011.

The end of October in Bermuda means it's time for the first of many school breaks. This one is called a "mid-term break." Am I the only one who finds it odd that the kids need a week break from school when it only just started a month ago? I suppose I am one of those rare individuals that wishes school lasted all year long. I'm heartless, I know.

In any event, this year, we're spending the week off the island. For the majority of the break, we visited Grandma H. and Michael in the Poconos, PA.

This is a really wonderful time of the year to be in the area. The weather was almost perfect, especially when you've been missing the fall foliage and crisp feel of a cool morning run.

The kids got to indulge in some all American sports on the driveway.

And knock some balls out into the road.

Except when this one was in the field. She had a little arm on her!

Grandpa and Grandma B. came out to visit and hung out for a morning.

Grandma B chilling with the monkeys in the basement.

The kids got a chance to jam out on the piano and guitar. They improvised on some interesting tunes.

And they also were good audience members.

One afternoon we visited a spooky restaurant for lunch. Jordan stuck very closely to Grandma H. during the entrance.

Miss Mina was pretty brave though, especially when it came to eating the biggest ice cream sundae I've ever seen.

Monroe County, PA has a fantastic environmental center that hosted a class geared towards the younger crew. The kids headed outside to learn about migratory birds. Yes, Jordan was thrilled. I really loved this place. The class itself was well run with interesting activities and a knowledgeable staff. The facilities were large, with well lit classrooms filled with kid-friendly displays. Set in a scenic countryside, all we had to do was look outside the large windows and see the flora and fauna around us. I'm looking forward to visiting this place again the next time we come back. Great find Grandma H!

He also spent another afternoon feeding some local birds that had no intention of migrating anywhere.

Later in the week, we took a hike to a protected wetland bog.

Real cranberries growing in the bog.

And a nice little creepy-crawly the guide pulled out from under a log.

This has been such a wonderful week. We all had so much fun; which explains why it went by as quickly as it did. Thanks Grandma and Michael for hosting us and making our short stay so exciting. There really was never a dull moment!

Next stop - a quick trip to NJ! Look out Leonia!

Christmas cookies. And other stuff.

What I really want.

now.



mint chocolate grasshopper brownies

What I made instead.



because it's easier.

And has peanut butter.

and chocolate.

School is out for the season, and we're trying to keep the kids amused. We dragged them to a local production of that holiday treat - "The Nutcracker." Only this one was "Nutcracker Spectacular." Which, I learned later meant - not really the Nutcracker at all.

But that's ok. The kids sat still. Which, translated means - "They enjoyed it very much!"



Recreating the performance:



Quotidian bits - Dressing in Bermuda: Unlike Mina, some of us can't get away with wearing a pink Christmas dress with faux fur trim all season long. I'm still trying to figure out how to best dress for the weather here in December. Some days it's warm enough that I have left the house in shorts. But that's getting rarer. More often than not, I'm sporting some version of this:

Sartorialist capture

This is pretty much my go-to outfit these days. Jeans. sweater. Scarf. clogs. Of course, I probably weigh about thirty pounds more than this young filly, and can never remember to wear my rockin signature ring... but take a look at the site. Seems like people thought this was a cute look! I knew I had something here.

Mental note - must find signature oversize ring and glue cellphone to head to achieve perfect fashion capture.

But why am I dressed this warm? Isn't it sunny and tropical here?

No.

Not always. Bermuda is certainly warmer than New Jersey, this time of the year. But unlike the Caribbean countries further south, it gets kinda cold.

It's been raining a lot and the temperatures have dropped. The combined damp and chill really sinks into your bones. I've been wearing scarves, fleece, sweaters and hats.

Jeff, on the other hand, continues to wear shorts and polo shirts in open defiance of nature.

While he does his arts and crafts in the warm kitchen, flanked by oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies.



ta-da!



Storm trooper snowflakes!

Why I'm dressing warm:





40 mph winds.



View of Bailey's Bay

Anyway, no need to cry me any rivers. I'll take the rain and winds any day over snow, thank you very much.



Yeah, this was my view last winter. That was fun. Someone up there was listening to me all those days I spent shovelling snow off the driveway, sidewalk and car. I swore I would be happy if I never had to see snow again. Life sure works out strange sometimes doesn't it?

The rain and winds settled down enough today that I could take Oscar for a walk. Here's one of our favorite paths, along Bermuda's Railway Trail.



This is a gorgeous view. The spray was pretty high today from the winds which made me worry about my camera and getting the salt off the lens. That, and Oscar was getting blown backwards.



The Railway Trail once was an actual train and tracks that ran the span of most of the Island. It fell into disuse though. But it's maintained now as a walking route. Except when it ends - as here.



These are concrete pylons of sorts that span Bailey's Bay.

I like running portions of the Trail for the view and also because it gets me off the roads where the drivers are. In our neck of the island, running this portion of the trail has brought me through "Coney Island Park." I think that's kind of ironic given our Brooklyn roots. One of these days I am going to bring the camera with me so I can take pictures of more of the chickens that seem to have taken over the park. As well as the sign which boldly reads, "Please don't feed the feral chickens."

Did you ever think you'd read the words "feral" and "chicken" in the same sentence? Sometimes I think my life has gotten very weird.

The Real Wildlife of NJ.

Yep. There they are.

And if that isn't enough for you, feast your eyes on the other little beasties who've made themselves at home in my yard.





Jeff is under the impression that this is a hedgehog.

"No way," I said. As demonstrated by Cute Overload, this is a hedgehog: Look at that cute little face! Those teeny-tiny little paws!



I think that furry thing in our backyard is a beaver. His tail doesn't seem as fully formed as an adult beaver, but his features look the same.



According to Wikipedia. I dunno...

Anyone? Please let it not be a rat. There's only so much I can take this week.

Regardless of where this thing falls on the scale of fuzzy to repulsive, there's one member of the family who is not too pleased.



Knowing full well there was no chance in hell Oscar would be able to catch this thing, I let him out because when you're stuck at home with a sick kid for the second week in a row... you need a good laugh.



And sure enough, Oscar did not disappoint. He charged. The thing waddled off, his fur barely ruffled by the effort...



A day late, and a dollar short. Right, Oscar?