Summer- Part two

 We had a tough summer with the business so we made the most of it and did our best to enjoy the extra time provided.  Art took his annual trek up to Lake Umbagog with Zdeno and his friend Teddy this year, and we finally made it to Art's old family haunt Dolly Copp for a relaxing night and a vigorous hike up the Imp the next day.

We also discovered some local ponds including Heald Pond just south of us wedged between Temple, Wilton, and Greenville.  Zdeno loved to go there to swim, chase his ball, and hike around.  It was a hot dry summer and our pond was muck soup so it was a nice retreat.
 We had lost most of our girls last spring so we got two batches of chicks this spring.  This is the younger group in the heat of the summer relaxing in the wheelbarrow.  Our electric bill was insane keeping both greenhouse fans on most of July to keep them cool.  This fall we planted a peach tree and a cherry tree on the edge of their outside area to give them some shade (and treats) in the coming years.  Our three roosters seem to be doing well.  Baby Spice had to find another home because she bullied the older girls (and two roos) so badly that they never accepted her again.  She is happy and healthy with her new family nearby.  Our older batch had twelve chicks and we ordered 14 with the second.  After losses we stand at 16 chickens and three roosters going into winter.  Now that they are all laying we are getting around a dozen eggs a day.  Not bad odds, and glad we have three roos considering our past losses and the fact that the falcons still circle a couple/few times a week.

 We got to join in Art's sisters family trip to the beach down in Rhode Island.  We spent one day on the beach sunning and relaxing, and the next morning Pam and I took a nice kayak around while Arthur and Dale went clamming.  They had such fun!  They didn't want to come out of the water.  It was a really nice mini-break. 

 We spent some nice days at home with friends and family as well.  With our new screened porch finished we enjoyed long evenings on the porch, hair raising experiences sitting out there during storms, and long lazy mornings when we could.

 My parents came out earlier than usual this year.  We had wanted to do a road trip up to Maine and the Bay of Fundy, but our timelines made that a tough trip to face.  So we headed North instead.  We started the trip just outside Burlington Vermont with a tour of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream then crossed Lake Champlain into New York before crossing the border to Canada.  We spent one night in Montreal.  Sadly, our timing was off so most things were closed by the time we got there and wouldn't open again before we left.  We did enjoy a nice walk along the banks of the St. Charles and through the old town before stopping for a bite to eat.  The next day we whisked off to Shcwinigen and then St. Paulin.  We stopped by a pellet manufacturer of ours to touch base and see plant improvements.  Our hotel in St. Paulin was a in a wonderful setting with plenty of hiking, biking, and kayaking options.  We all hopped on bikes and toured around for the afternoon.  We caught up with another pellet supplier for a nice dinner and a soak in the hot tubs.  The next day we set off to see the second pellet mill on our tour then headed off to Quebec City.  We stayed at the fabulous Frontenac Hotel on the Water. We walked around for the afternoon up to the fort and around the old town.
We stopped for dinner at a crepe bar that had a terrible (but delightful) french singer who butchered 1960-70 classic American songs.  We walked along the boardwalk that evening before turning in.  The next morning we went down to the lower area of the town and hopped on a river tour which took us around the banks South first then North to the waterfalls.  We enjoyed a leisurely lunch and some shopping before getting back in the car for the long ride home.  We did get to have a good part of the family together for the traditional lobster dinner as well.  The family is dispersing though, with Abi in NYC, Peter in Las Vegas, and now Jimmy and Lindsay in North Carolina.  The trip was entirely too short as always.  Zdeno did love spending time with his Grandma and Grandpa though and loves his Panda!