December

Decorating this tree gets a little trickier each year. But if you wear funny hats it makes it all an adventure.  

Most of December was snow free and I enjoyed many trail rides.  This one was just as I am coming home from a short trip to try out the new Renegade hoof boots.  I've been riding in front boots since the summer but this was our first trip out with back boots too.  

I think they worked out quite well.We couldn't find a suitable tree out in the back woods this year so off to the christmas tree farm to buy one.  

Back at home the cats are enjoying their chairs and we are enjoying the fire.  The Christmas Tree is all up and decorated and can be seen in the reflection in the window.  Time to settle in for the winter.

We had some very pretty first snow.  Here is the tree with nature's decorations

So very pretty.

The first sledding trip did prove a little icy.  Boys out in the puckerbrush.  John nearly went into the Miller Brook on his next run.  I don't think any of them will ever grow up!

Horsing around

Fall is the BEST time to ride.  With all of the scouting activities I was able to sneak away and ride as often as possible!  Which was more often than I thought I'd get to.  What a gift!!  The crisp air and the end of the biting flies.  The foliage and great friends made it a fall to remember.  I love it when the wind blows his mane around.  I can still feel the wind on my face just looking at this photo.

One day we explored trails for a few hours.  None of us had been on these trails before so this is where the snowmobile trail headed out across a swamp....hmm.  Maybe not an issue when there is ice but we were not up for a wallow that day.  Here is the group, "regrouping" for a moment before we headed back on this dead end trail.  :)

Friends.  Hey, do you have trouble keeping your white coat clean?  Me too...

The foliage was stunning for the moment in time it happened.

The horse is thinking, "Can I have some grass now.  C'mon, the red headed girl is eating grass...how about me?"

Nice views from the top of the ridge.  This ride was a joy to see a new sign for "Joy's State Forest".  This place is a blueberry field and it's now protected from development and part of the state forest system.  I hope to enjoy this view from horseback for many years to come.

Someone was thinking, "Hey mom, can I have a cookie too?"  Good thing Nancy is flexible!  This ride was in the rain mostly but it was a warm rain.  :)

Where to ride when turkey hunters are everywhere?  Sue knows, the sweet little camp roads around Lake Ivanhoe.  The summer folk have all gone away leaving a quiet road--hunter free--and beautiful views of the lake along the way.  Ahhh.

These are out of order but...send out the hounds! The fox is done.  We had a blast being the fox for Piscataqua Hounds one sunny Wednesday.  I have not figured out how to cell phone and ride yet.  I can do one or the other...

This is us out on the trail spreading the scent that the hounds follow.

They found us!

We waited in one of the remote fields to watch the hunt go by.  This is as they entered the field.  So cool to watch.  Such beautiful coats on the riders and the hounds were so happy.

This horse was not so happy at first.  I pulled the scent container out of my pack and got the hairy eyeball from King.  He didn't like the smell, the sound of glug-glug in the bottle or the sight of me dripping fox pee onto the ground either.  Nope...not his idea of a good time.

But he got the hang of it pretty quickly and was even game to have fox thoughts--we left the trail behind and spread scent right through the woods in a number of places.  This little gelding is great for just blazing trails through the woods.  :)

I also went on a Poker Ride.  Never did that before.  I didn't win any prizes but I did win something in the raffle and a very nice gift bag too.  

I also went on a Mystery Ride and that was a blast.  Didn't figure out "who done it" either but just a really fun time out there checking the clues off the list.  

What a great time it's been to ride this fall.  My camera is now acting up and for the last 6 or so rides it chooses to not work more than it works.  I get fuzzy photos or I get "battery exhausted" screens although the batteries are new.  Sigh.  I haven't had the greatest of luck with cameras over the years.  Might be time to replace this one.  I suppose the bit of tape that I use to keep the batteries from falling out (I broke the door for that part of the camera...) is more of an issue than I want to think it is!!  LOL.

Scouting and Soccer and School, oh my

The new "brace face".

Somebody is making his own Lyre.  Guitars are fun but making a new instrument is part of his Independent Study during his senior year.  He wants to learn to play a lyre.

Soccer season was a blast.  I ended up assisting the coach for the season.  Lots of rainy days to change the schedule so it felt like "surprise soccer" each week!  

The scouts camped out in the wilderness one weekend but they got there by canoe!  It rained most of the way there and "misted" all day then the night was a little rain followed by a morning canoe in the rain.  Soggy boys!

And on another weekend they camped for a scout version of highland games.  The temperatures that night went well into the low 30's and even upper 20's.  C-c-cold boys that weekend!  

We did have a nice family gathering squished in the month too.  My house my niece and nephew are growing!  This one was a time to eat pie and celebrate that 20 year old in the beard in the upper right hand corner.  20!  

Camp Towne

What do we do when we realize that the whole summer has passed us by without our family doing things together in a summery way?  Well.  We announce that it will be Camp Towne for 4 days and then schedule in activities for these happy campers.  Here our youngest plays in the waves on his boogie board while under the watchful eye of his older brother and girlfriend.  I'd like to imagine that this conversation is about which of them really would dive in to save the boy.  Clearly both are avid ocean swimmers (you can tell by their attire).  John & I enjoyed walking the beach together several times over.  It was York Short Sands so that is a short walk and needs repeating.  Our oldest son relived his youth by digging big holes--his favorite thing to do at the ocean.  We also played bocce ball as well as some football tossing.  The day was just beautiful.

Back at home on Day 2 of Camp Towne we held a treasure hunt for the kids.  They had to find a note, decipher the clue from a clever poem written by John and then head to that new location to find either another note or on some occasions a note with presents.  They each found wrapped presents in boxes and all of them were "back to school" related items.  Some of the notes were a bit tricky to decipher and had them running to dead ends and others were tricky such as this one which was in the bottom of the pool

I loved seeing the kids working as a team.  The project kept John & I quite busy setting it up but it was worth every minute of watching the kids play the "Transitions Treasure Hunt" together.  This school year finds our oldest commuting to college instead of living on campus, our next son in his senior year of high school, his girlfriend is off to college for her freshman year, and our youngest son is attending public school 1/2 time for the first time in his life.  Big transitions all around.

The beginning of the hunt saw them with lots of energy but as it went on and the heat got to them they slowed down a lot.  In the end they did find all of the treasures.  The rest of that day involved lots of Settlers of Catan game playing, a good meal from the crock pot and then a campfire and a chocolate fondu while hanging in our screen tent.  We really enjoyed our day two at home.  

Day 3 found just the five of us this time up in Franconia Notch on the bike trail.  Here we are enjoying a break at the basin.  The weather was simply perfect for biking and we enjoyed the trip from the Flume to Cannon Mtn. and back.  We stopped to pay our respects to the Old Man and enjoy the new memorial there.  We also enjoyed ice cream cones at the Cannon Mountain gift shop before cruising on back down to the Flume.  On the way back the kids found out why there were so many speed limit 20 signs on the bike path!  Wheeee!

Monday found us cooking out here at home with friends and family, new and old alike.  John and I got out on some new hiking trails in town for a couple of hours in the morning and our evening was spent packing backpacks and cleaning up to get ready for our full fall schedule.  Ahhh.  Summer was had and enjoyed by all at Camp Towne.  We will remember it fondly.

~Rachel

August

August was a busy, busy month here.  We did find a little time to wander around Pawtuckaway State Park one day.  There were so many family events and milestones.  A Towne family reunion in VT, a festival here in town for me to volunteer on/at, a trip to Canada with one 18 year old son (and his new passport), our anniversary and the start of a new school year.  Lots happening!

Even if we were really busy we were taking time to notice our surroundings.  This little fella was enjoying something green to munch on in the back field one evening.  Just a little porcupine.  So sweet letting us get very close while it nibbled away at the leaves.  

I did find a few moments to get back in the saddle after about 6 weeks off while living my busy mid-June through July.  This day found me with 4 other riders taking in the beauty of Mt. Chocorua from some camp roads and trails.  Very nice.  The deerflies had finally backed off enough to actually enjoy the ride!  There were several rides to place trail marking ribbons for the annual Woods, Water & Wildlife Festival here in town.  We donated a lot of blood to those hungry deerflies during those trips through the woods!  Finally by the end of the month we could enjoy the ride again.

School began in August for 2 of the boys.  This one rode the bus in to a brick and mortar school for the first time in his life.  He's still technically a homeschooler but he is accessing the school for 3 classes this school year.  Here he is measuring up on the daddy scale on day one.  6th grade.  Can that be right?

And another one off to school to start his senior year at CATA.  The first 3 days for CATA are orientation days and this boy really enjoyed bringing his guitar to play and spending some good time playing ultimate frisbee with his classmates while orienting to school for this final year.  He's really jazzed about the upcoming year.  And as much as he wants to--probably needs to--that silly cat Charlie will have to stay home from school.  He's trying to measure up as well.

Where did the summer go?

~Rachel

July

Big Party!  Look who's been married 50 years.  What a milestone that is.The party had friends and family, tents borrowed and rented, food and music, prizes and cake.  All the things a good party should have.  Even some party crashers--rural style.  These little bulls just couldn't resist.  We rounded them up out of the road and then put them in King's stall.  About that time someone else brought King up from the back field where the bugs were eating him to bits so he got to look over his stall door at the little mooing wanderers.  Soon enough some neighbors came along to collect them up and head home.  I guess if you must have party crashers...these were the perfect ones.

The end of June found Mom & the little guy relaxing in "the courtyard" when a package arrived for her Birthday.  Thanks Karl!  Happy Birthday Mom.  Yes, that's a cast she's wearing.  Someone broke her ankle but she's doing very well with her healing.

This is our bunny Yaz who has decided that all of this excitement was fun and all but she's ready for things to wind down and to get back to normal.  She spent a good amount of time hopping around the floor this morning...fraternizing with the cats.  What a funny, silly, bunny.

The game cam continues to provide us many entertaining videos.  Here are a few that we enjoy the most.  The bobcat came through just this week and that is the first we have seen one on the camera.

Remember the turkeys we saw in the spring.  Well lately it has been families of turkeys wandering through.  3 females have been here constantly with their broods and when they gather as one big group it is 3 mamas and their 20 offspring.  

That pregnant coyote did come back one night to show us her pups.  Dad, Mom & the kids keep coming through the area but usually only one or two in a video.  This one was so sweet to see them as a family.

~Rachel