20 Year Class Reunion

Last night was my 20 year high school class reunion. It was also George's birthday so we decided I should be the designated driver so George could have a couple of drinks and enjoy himself (since he only knew 3 people who were attending!). We had a fun time and I caught up with some classmates I had not seen in over 10 years.

One of our classmates is a professional photographer who brought a "photo booth" to the event. George and I took these pictures. We enjoyed using the props he brought!

Should I call him Elton (as in Elton John)! And remember

I was the designated driver so these shots were not white-wine

influenced!

Camping!

My buddy Mike once again set up our yearly camping trip to Pawtuckaway. He really outdid himself this year, getting a great waterfront site with lots of privacy. We all had a great time kayaking, fishing, enjoying the fire and spending time with friends.

Here you can see our tent and kayaks, right on the water!

Within 5 minutes of pulling into the site, Ben fell and opened a large gash in his knee. Thanks for packing bandaids Jen!

The kids quickly found their favorite toy, a tree that had partially fallen into the water...

...and their favorite activity, playing with fire!

Ben enjoys a smore in his own special way.

Jacob found a great spot to pull in the fish.

And of course, it wouldn't be camping without a few beers around the fire with friends!

Fisher Cats

For Father's Day we gave my dad tickets to a Fisher Cats game. The game took place on Monday. We had a nice time at dinner before the game at the Strange Brew and then a fun time at the game. Our seats were in the front row right beside the away team's bullpen. We got sprayed with dirt from pitcher's cleats when they were warming up in front of us. Crazy!

Enjoying ourselves - I think Benny is too!

The boys - with their Yankees hats (not my Dad though -

a native New Yorker who likes the Red Sox!)

My mom and I.

The pitcher who got dirt on us. Will he be a future Yankee star?

Unexpected Visit!

Our good friends, the Eberhardt family, stopped by for a visit during their east coast road trip. We had a great time - relaxing by the pool, a nice cocktail (or two) for the parents, and s'mores and sparklers after dinner. What else do you need?

The kids in the pool.

Go Ben. See you later Alligator.

Jump Mack!

Chef George.

Yummy dinner.

Me and Julie.

Fun with sparklers.

On the Lake

On Sunday morning we went kayaking on the lake and took the whole family this time. George and Benny were in the double. Jacob and I had our own singles. We wore Jacob out but had a good time.

Jacob deciding on his next move...

Jacob and I in the home stretch.

Benny and George.

Up to Portland

We helped move some furniture from Portsmouth to Portland for my sister Michele today. Michele thanked us by getting us tickets for the Portland Seadogs baseball game. It was so hot at the ballpark that we only lasted 3 innings. We had a great time though. Here are some pictures from the day:

The boys battling the sun. (Notice those Yankee hats!)

Jacob, Michele, George and Mr. Lewis.

Michele is not pleased with the Yankee fans!

The boys enjoying a beer.

The other boys enjoying a "Sea Biscuit" ice cream treat!

Kayaking

George and I went kayaking on Saturday morning. The boys were having a sleep over at my folk's house so we had some time to ourselves. It was a beautiful morning and we went for a long trip around the lake. I was so tired and sore today!

Doing my best to paddle.

Jacob on the Lake

George and the boys went kayaking today. George and Benny were in the double kayak and Jacob was paddling one solo! George said Jacob did a good job and got the hang of it quickly. George put Jacob through his paces and made him complete some drills to show he could maneuver, paddle backwards and avoid obstacles. Here are some pictures of Jacob:

They somehow avoided that shark fin in the front of the picture!

Looking good there Jacob!

More Fireworks!

On Sunday night we joined our friends the LeClerc's to watch the fireworks in Portsmouth. We had more sparklers for the kids. George was the official sparkler lighter and I think he singed a few hairs on his legs. No other injuries to report though.

Starting off with ice cream for the kids.

The sparkler fun starts...

Benny overcame his fear of the fire sticks.

Sparklers and glow sticks.

Mayhem!

Enjoying the show.

Family BBQ

My folks and sisters came over on Sunday for some pool side fun. My sister Elizabeth is still living in Chicago so it was great to see her.

My Dad and Benny.

A sunny day and a nice blue cocktail - life is good.

Benny "smiling" for the camera.

Ripley and Charlie Brown enjoyed the day too!

Fireworks!

We decided to launch our own fireworks this year so we went to our local fireworks store in Epping and stocked up. We wanted to have some "real" fireworks so we bought things that looked good but were not too scary or powerful. The nice guy at the register also threw in a handful of surprise items for free.

We first started off with some sparklers for the kids - which Benny called "fire sticks". We then tried out some of the freebie items - a bright strobe light and then some little round shaped thing that flew at us after it was lit. Next were the heavy hitters. We were not disappointed!

Lighting up the "fire sticks" for the kids.

Jacob - showing appropriate caution!

Benny - a little unsure.

Benny and Erin enjoying the smoke!

Some of our handiwork!

And the pool was there as a good water supply if things took a turn for the worse!

Lunch on the Decks

There was a break in the clouds and rain on Friday so we took a chance and headed into Portsmouth to see if we could have lunch on the decks. The sun came out just as we took our seats. We had a great lunch and enjoyed plenty of sunshine, too many nachos and I had a very good coconut mojito.