Family Adventures: 14 Waterfalls

On Saturday, we went for a hike at Underhill State Park.  Here is My Wife's writeup:

Hike #13 - CCC Road to Maple Ridge Road aka 14 Waterfalls

There were indeed quite a lot of waterfalls on the hike.  My Wife is keen to try a hike to the Mount Mansfield summit but I am feeling timid.  I believe in working your way up to such things and I don't feel we're quite there yet.  I think I've convinced her that we need at least one more moderate hike before we tackle the difficult ones.

On Sunday, we spent a leisurely afternoon with the Mocks by their pool.  After a hot week, the day was a pleasant one for being outside.  We played a seven-hand game of UNO, one of my daughter's favorites, though we usually only play one-on-one.  It's completely different with a big group and a lot of fun.  Mrs. Mock won.

We played Pandemic, too.  We won but as the ever-observant Mock pointed out, we've been playing one rule incorrectly.  For those who know the game, we've been using the Forecast Card incorrectly, looking at the next six cards in the Player Card deck as opposed to the Infection Card deck.  The card, of course, clearly states what you're supposed to do but I think in our eagerness to avoid Epidemic Cards, we read what we wanted to read.  It's too bad.  I like our way.  I guess we'll have to play it the right way from now on...

We tried out a new restaurant on Friday night: Mimmo's in Essex Junction.  I love a dive Italian restaurant and while Mimmo's is a bit too upscale to qualify, it hit the spot.  My go-to dish for Italian food is Chicken Parmagiana and theirs was very good.  Our favorite dive Italian place in the area is Papa Frank's in Winooski.  We used to live within walking distance but alas, it's a bit out of the way for us these days.

Kickball was less successful this week.  We lost 8-4.  Part of the problem was that two of our most athletic players were out of town but we just didn't play well - self included.  I did get to play a lot due to the absences.  I think first base is still my favorite, though I'd like to get better at it.  We only have two more regular season games left.

Family Adventures: Nebraska Notch and More

On Sunday, we went for a hike on the Nebraska Notch Trail and the Long Trail.  My Wife's write up is here:

Hike #12 - Nebraska Notch Redux

A few bonus photos:

An uprooted tree, both sides:

Afterwards, we went for creemees at the Underhill Center Store - just vanilla on offer on Sunday but that was all we needed.  Summer and ice cream are an obvious combination anywhere but it's a particularly big deal in our proud dairy state.  My Wife makes her own and is currently teaching Our Girl to do the same.  Our Girl had been bugging me for creemees all week but I held off, knowing mom would be disappointed if we went without her.  So, we hatched a creemees-everyday-of-the-weekend plan.  Our Girl was surprisingly unimpressed when I told her.  "That's interesting," was her casual response.  Of course, she'd just had Friday's cone at that point.  But then, we forgot on Saturday and she was disappointed - figures.

In other news, Our Girl passed Red Cross Level 2 in swim class on Friday!  We're doing Level 3 in just a couple of weeks.  She's already worried she won't pass.  I told her we could practice at the town pond every day if she wanted.  Naturally, we're very proud of her.

We won again in kickball last night, a close battle: 1-0.  Our Girl came to watch for the first time, more or less out of necessity.  My Wife is out of town for a few days.  She enjoyed it, I think.  She certainly had a fun time running around with the other kids.  I got a "Good job!" and a high five after I got a hit in my only at bat.

On the Road: Massachusetts

I have essentially known The Philosopher for my entire life. We first met in nursery school when we were three years old. We have played many roles in each other's lives over the decades. When I was a goalie, he was my center fullback. You develop a lot of trust in that relationship. He was an usher at our wedding and is still one of My Wife's favorites among my old friends. He is the smartest person I know. He is also the most physically fit person I know. Above all, he is a quiet, gentle man and an awfully loyal friend.


The Philosopher's family has a house in the islands off the coast of Massachusetts. I first visited the island when I was 13. I visited twice as a teenager and this past week was our third visit as a family. The 100-year-old house sits at the base of an inlet surveying the ocean on one side and green woodlands on the other. It is, to my mind, just about perfect: stunning colors during the day while the celestial light show over the ocean is subtly different every night. On our first day there, Our Girl declared it her favorite place in the whole world.


We flew kites - a first for both Our Girl and My Wife. We kayaked in the sea. We swam in saltwater. We swam in freshwater. We hiked. We ate fresh vegetables from the beautifully-tended garden. We mostly sat on the porch watching the world go by: a stunning variety of birds and sea craft on offer for our gawking pleasure. Without a doubt, it was the highlight of our summer - nay, our year - so far.


Adjusting back to mainland society has been brutal, especially having to weather Massachusetts highways on the way home. Our transition was eased by some dear friends in Worcester. We shall call them English Prof and The Playwright. They're old friends of My Wife's from Chicago and we usually manage to see them once or twice a year, often spending Thanksgiving together. Worcester also offers the opportunity for My Wife to visit Trader Joe's - one of her favorite grocery chains and we don't have any in Vermont. We can also now add That's Entertainment to our list of retail must-visits. Encouraged by Mock's and Mrs. Mock's strong recommendation, we paid a visit to Worcester's independent comics/toys/collectibles emporium. All of our gift shopping for Our Girl's birthday is now complete!


It was a wonderful week but it's great to be home. I took a lot of photos during our trip, enough that I think they're worth their own post.

My Favorite Athlete: Swimming, Summer 2011

Our Girl took a Red Cross Level 2 swimming class this past week. Unfortunately, she didn't pass. I accept responsibility for that. Prior to this week, we didn't spend much meaningful time in the water this summer - one day in Mock's pool. That's it. Inspired by the class, though, Our Girl and I have been spending quite a lot of time at the town pool - really a pond. In fact, if we could have had one more day, I think she would have passed. Yesterday afternoon, after class, she was swimming up a storm. She even managed a convincing back stroke, which is beyond Level 2. Oh well.

She's not upset about not passing. Really, why should she be? She still learned a lot and knows what she needs to work on for next time. Besides, it encouraged both of us to get in the water more which she loves. I'm the one who cares about the levels. I think it's important for everyone to learn to be a strong swimmer. As such, I need to get more involved. So, I've already put in a request for two weeks of lessons next summer, combined with more time in the pool this year and next.

We had a difficult week on the family decision front. As it turns out, this coming year's dance class is on the same evening as soccer practice. Our Girl really wants to do both, of course. Dance is her passion and soccer is an important activity she shares with her school friends. After much hemming and hawing (on my part) we made her choose. It's a tough one. Her teachers for both activities are really great. Both have become important people in her life. We decided (more or less) as a family that she would regret missing a year of dance more than a season of soccer. It's not the last time we'll need to make such difficult choices. Perhaps we can take the opportunity to explore other activities she might enjoy.

On the Road: The Elusive Spanish Steps

Our Girl and I made our annual April DC trip this past week. Late April is a wonderful time to be in Washington. One misses the cherry blossoms, but one does get to see the second round of blooming trees, the dogwoods being the stars of the show. And, truth be told, the weather is usually better than it is during cherry blossom time. Springtime in the south is every bit as spectacular as autumn in New England and DC is definitely a southern city by botanical standards.


Photo via markdroberts.com

Our week was filled with the usual activities: swimming, sightseeing and urban strolls. The swimming highlight for Our Girl was learning to swim underwater. She had a lot of fun with that. We devoted our sightseeing time to art museums. We hit the Freer, where Grandma volunteers as a docent, the Sackler, the carousel and the National Gallery Sculpture Garden, all old family favorites. We also introduced Our Girl to the National Gallery, the East Wing and the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden. There is only one National Mall museum I've never visited: The African Art Museum. I meant to go this time but we ran out of time. Our Girl has visited all but the African Art Museum and the American Indian Museum. We'll save those for another time.

I did go for an Embassy Row walk, following the walking tour outlined in the Lonely Planet Washington, DC City Guide, 4th Edition. The walk is shorter than in previous editions: 1 mile (1.6 km), as opposed to 2.5 km in the 3rd Edition. The walk no longer includes my three favorite stops: the Japanese embassy, the Islamic Center and the French ambassador's residence. However, it does still include the Spanish Steps, which I've never been able to find. As it turns out, Lonely Planet is one block off. They've always had the Steps on 23rd Street whereas they're actually on 22nd Street. I finally found them and dutifully climbed them.


Photo via Que sera, Sarah

Another embassy has been lost to Wisconsin Avenue. Cameroon has abandoned its digs at 2349 Mass Ave. It is sad to watch all of the old mansions fall into disrepair. Hopefully, someone with money and energy will devote some effort to restoring them and putting them to good use.

As I've previously written, I'm at a point of redefining my relationship with Washington, in theory, at least, the city I know best in the world. I hope that part of that will involve rekindling old friendships. The last several years, most of our family time in DC has been devoted to time with my parents and exploring the city in which they live. That is as it should be. But in truth, I know quite a lot of people in the DC area, people with whom I have shared some of the most meaningful friendships of my life. It has been years since I have seen some of my best friends from high school. I have not been intentionally avoiding anyone, of course. Life just gets complicated: my parents moved away from our house in Maryland making it more of an effort to see folks plus we all get involved with the goings-on of our own families.

But with my 20-year high school reunion coming up, I am reminded of the importance of old friends. My chore for the week was going through boxes of my old stuff which my parents have faithfully stored for me over the years. I unearthed quite a lot of old photos, including class pictures from elementary school which I posted on facebook. One friend, noting my presence in town, suggested we get together. She was, years ago, one of my best friends though I'd not seen her in ten years. She had, in fact, never met our daughter, though she has been very generous in sharing her Hello Kitty collection with her. She took us out to lunch and showed us around her office. Our Girl got more HK loot in the deal so she was happy. Plans to get together with another friend - Best Man at my wedding, in fact - fell through but I'm confident we'll find the time on another visit.

It's always nice to visit DC but it is doubly nice to get home. I am very grateful that we have decided to settle in a place like Vermont rather than in a big city. The fresh, if brisk, air when we got off the train was invigorating indeed. We're all happy to have the weekend together before we all head back to work and school on Monday.

Happy Passover and Easter to all.

On the Coffee Table: Peter L. Dixon

I just finished The Olympian, a novel by Peter L. Dixon. The book chronicles the adventures of Winter Wolf, a fictional Olympic swimmer at the 1932 Games in Los Angeles. His event, the 1,000 meter freestyle, was the author's invention as well, though there are many real-life characters who make cameos: William Randolph Hearst, Marion Davies and Johnny Weissmuller, among others.

Swimming is really only a small part of the book. In essence, the narrative is a whirlwind tour of 1930s coastal California. It is a fun read, but I have to say that character development is rather clunky. Dixon is at his best when writing about the water, not surprising from a man who has written highly-acclaimed non-fiction books about surfing. His love for the ocean is abundantly clear and the elegance with which he writes about boating, diving, swimming and lifeguarding stands in contrast with the otherwise obvious narrative. His characters are like-able, but not particularly nuanced, nor are the relationships between them.

Here's one for Mock: one of the real-life cameos is Buster Crabbe, a genuine '32 Olympic gold medalist. In his Hollywood career that followed, he is the only actor to have played Tarzan, Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, the top three comic book characters of the 1930s, according to Wikipedia.


Photo via Michael May's Adventureblog

On the Road: Central Pennsylvania

We just got back from a five-day trip to central Pennsylvania. As noted in a previous post, my family has a cabin in the State College area. Our cabin is part of a summer community which we refer to as The Tree Farm. It's not the sort of Tree Farm that sells Christmas trees. While there is an occasional harvest, the "Tree Farm" is mostly a tax designation.

At any rate, my family has been taking vacations at the Tree Farm every summer since I was seven years old. I've managed to make it almost every year since myself and it has been, without a doubt, a very important part of my life. The land has belonged to one family since 1940 and they've invited numerous friends to join them at their summer retreat over the decades. A few, including us, have built their own cabins. Our connection is that the original owners' daughter was my mother's roommate in college.

Ours is a very modest cabin - electricity and running water but no flush toilet. We use an outhouse instead. Through years of college and young adult wanderings, the cabin at the Tree Farm was the constant in my life. I have invited many friends over the years, including a group of guys in high school who made it back every year in one configuration or another for, I think, 14 summers in a row. But just as important to me is the other families who return every year. It is a community which has nurtured me both spiritually and intellectually for most of my life. I consider them to be part of my extended family.

Luckily for me, My Wife has always loved it, too. We were married there in a Quaker-style ceremony nine years ago this summer. I think of it as a truly magical place and the fact that we now live on the edge of a Vermont forest is not merely coincidental to the fact that I grew up loving the Pennsylvania woodlands.

As with so many things, my feelings towards the place have evolved over the years. I find myself in a funny relationship with it right now. It's a pretty good distance from where we live - we made it back in under 11 hours today, with stops for meals. So, with a day's travel each way, it's not a simple matter of popping up for a weekend on the spur of the moment. Also, I have to admit that now that I live in the woods, a vacation in the woods is not such a draw in and of itself. At our house in Vermont, we have not only flush toilets but also satellite television and DSL. Generally speaking, summer weather in Vermont is also superior.

Nonetheless, I find that it's very important to me to maintain a connection to the place, not only for the many people with whom it links me, but for the land itself. There's a meadow in front of the main cabin which might be my favorite spot in the whole world. I have spent many hours of my life there staring up into the stars and/or singing with my friends. I've done some of my best thinking out there. It's where we pitched the tent for the wedding reception.

Of course, now the fun is in sharing the place with our daughter. She experienced the sauna for the first time this year along with her first night swim in the pool. I learned to play ping-pong at the Tree Farm and as soon as she's tall enough, I intend to teach her as well. Otherwise, it's just a lovely place to relax with a book or a board game or take a walk in the woods. I hope she will learn to love it as I have.


Follow Up: Pennsylvania Sports

As I wrote earlier in the year, I can usually judge the relative popularity of Pennsylvania's sports teams by the availability of paraphernalia in State College stores. So, the verdict this year...

Wegman's: All Penn State football. Baseball? NFL? Never heard of 'em.

Target: Philadelphia wins this year. All Phillies. All Eagles. I guess the Steelers' off-season troubles haven't helped them in the product licensing market.

My Favorite Athlete: Red Cross Level 1

Our Girl passed Red Cross Level 1 at her swim lessons today. She takes her lessons in the backyard pool of a neighborhood woman, Swim Coach, who's been doing it for 30 years. Needless to say, Swim Coach has it down to an art form. Her instruction is very age-appropriate and she brings good humor to her process. Much like soccer camp, her lessons are a must-do in our community for kids of the relevant age.

Not all of the kids in Our Girl's class were doing Level 1 - there were some pre-schoolers, too. Swim Coach does a lot of little things to help the younger kids get comfortable: songs and other rituals, including body paint before they wash off to get in the pool:



As I mentioned in my skating post, Our Girl tends to do well in a situation when she is the oldest kid and that was certainly the case this week. She has, quite recently, become a pretty strong swimmer. All credit goes to Grandma for that. We were in DC for a week recently and Grandma took her to Wilson Aquatic Center everyday. I was taking a class and thus couldn't go along except for one day so reports of her progress came second-hand. Grandma -- a one-time swim instructor herself, as it turns out -- was very impressed with Our Girl's determined efforts to improve.

Our Girl's a real pro with the kick board at this point:



She even did it on her back unaided today:



Each of the past two days, there was practice in the deep end with life vests:



Afterward, a well-earned rest:



I'm hoping we'll have some more opportunities to practice before the summer's out. Once again, Our Girl was sad when it was all over. Quite an improvement from the last time we tried this! She'll be eager for Level 2 next year.

On the Road: Washington, D.C.

Our Girl and I took the Vermonter down to Washington this week to visit my parents. My folks live in the city now. When I first left home for college and people would ask me where I was from, I'd say the DC area, figuring that was an easier reference point for people than telling them I grew up in Maryland. But when my parents moved, that all changed. Part of it may have been a sense of loyalty to our old house but it's more a matter of realizing that the world where they live now is completely different from the world where I grew up. Since their move, I've always referred to myself as a Marylander.

My daughter loves DC. She's a huge fan of the Capitol Building, in particular, and also enjoys the Smithsonian and the National Zoo. But increasingly for her, DC time is all about time with Grandma. They've grown quite close over the past couple years and often seem to have little projects going when we're all together: making jewelry, learning about Japanese characters or just running errands around the neighborhood. This trip, in particular, confirmed this new reality in regards to our DC visits. Our Girl didn't do any sightseeing this trip. We never even made it south of Dupont Circle except to go to the train station.


Day One

The new exciting thing in my mother's life is the recently opened Wilson Aquatic Center, adjacent to Wilson High School in Tenleytown. She goes several times a week and has even joined a swim team. She was very eager to bring Our Girl along as they have a very nice kids' pool. Historically, Our Girl has been nervous around water but, as ever, was delighted to tag along with Grandma.

It was my intention to join them the first day but my mother had advised that I leave my wallet behind at the apartment as she did not have a lock for me to use. As it turns out, non-DC residents must have a photo ID to use the pool so I was out of luck. My mother initially offered to drive back to the apartment for it but as I was losing patience with the situation and sliding into a worsening mood, I suggested that they go without me. I would find other entertainment in the neighborhood. Feeling guilty, she gave me $20 to amuse myself in the interval. So, the ladies went swimming and I went for a walk.

In theory, Washington is the city I know best in the world. But without a map in a neighborhood unfamiliar to me, I decided to stay on Wisconsin Avenue and not stray too far down the side streets. I headed northwest towards Friendship Heights, a part of town I know far better from my teenage years.

DC is not the most accommodating city for pedestrians but it's good to explore it on foot from time to time. You miss things in a car: hole-in-the-wall shops and restaurants easily overlooked at high speeds. Who knew there was a traditional Arab dance studio?

Unfortunately, the walk I took is one from a reasonably colorful part of town to a ritzier but far more boring part. Back in the '80s and '90s, Friendship Heights was already well on its way to becoming the upscale shopping district in DC and there are plenty of new Gucci-esque stores in the area now. I made it all the way to the Maryland/DC line before heading back. I had half a mind to see if I could make it all the way to my old high school in downtown Bethesda and probably could have if I'd started at a faster clip from the beginning.

One wonderful change since my childhood: people wearing baseball caps for a Washington team. The Nationals aren't the greatest but they're here.

Meanwhile, Our Girl had a blast at the pool. Grandma reported that she grew increasingly brave the longer they stayed, particular when other kids were around to play with her. Our Girl said she wanted to come back to the pool everyday. I was also in a far better mood after my constitutional.

Back at the ranch, Our Girl settled in for a snack and some quiet play time so I headed out for some bookstore exploration. My parents live in Kalorama, allowing easy access to both the Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle neighborhoods so there's no shortage of independent shops around. I had two goals: a used copy of Prince Caspian, since we had nearly finished The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on the train ride down, and a book on teaching kids how to play checkers. I hit Idle Time Books, Kramerbooks and Second Story Books. I never did find a checkers book (does anyone have one to recommend?) but I did find a decent copy of Caspian.


Day Two

My father found a couple of extra padlocks so we all went to the pool the second day. It really is a very nice facility and extremely kid friendly with family changing rooms and, indeed, a very cool kids' pool. It's a bit like the ocean, starting at puddle depth and very gradually descending to 3 feet, allowing someone like my daughter to test deeper waters as her confidence grows. There is also an NCAA-regulation lap pool and a hot tub for adults. Plus, it's all free for DC residents.

Our Girl was a joy to watch in the water. She and I took a swim class a couple of years ago together and her greatest accomplishment was not screaming on the last day of class. She's like a different kid now, even brave enough to put her face under the water. We're planning to do a Red Cross level 1 class for her this summer and this seemed to bode well.

I am not much of a swimmer myself. I can get from point A to point B but the two strokes I use - crawl and breaststroke - are, I am certain, highly flawed. Plus, I'm horribly out of shape. In my more adventurous mid-20s, I took a scuba course in the Philippines and part of the certification was to swim unaided for, I think, 200 meters. It was a pathetic struggle but I did it. I vowed to get in better swimming shape after that but that was - gasp! - 12 years ago. One of my goals for this summer is to work exercise into my daily routine. Perhaps swimming can be a part of it. I did four lengths in the 20 yard pool at Wilson.

In the afternoon, Our Girl and Grandma went to run some errands so I headed out for another walk, this time taking the Embassy Row walking tour outlined in the Lonely Planet guide. It had been a while since I've explored that part of town and it has actually changed a bit in the past few years. A lot of the embassies have raised stakes and moved off of Massachusetts Ave. to a new compound near Tenley Circle, including the Pakistani Embassy as listed in the guidebook. There is another error in the 3rd edition: no Spanish Steps at 23rd and Decatur.

Embassy Row is really quite a lovely neighborhood as many of the embassies are housed in beautiful turn-of-the-20th-century mansions. A couple of my favorite buildings in Washington are on the route: the Islamic Center and the French Ambassador's residence. The Islamic Center is unique in Washington and is probably best viewed from Rock Creek Park as one sees the minarets rising above the trees. The mosque is there to serve the diplomatic community though it is evidently a bit snobby, as embassy service staff is generally turned away. The ambassador's residence may be the most impressive looking house in town, White House included. The one embassy that has personal meaning for me is the Japanese at 2516 Mass Ave. It is where my own Japan adventure began.

The diplomatic community is a strange one in Washington: in the city but not exactly of the city. I am reminded in wandering around, however, that it's not too far removed from the life my own family lived until I was 3. If my father had made different choices in his career, I could have lived more of my childhood in such isolated neighborhoods in foreign capitals. Rome would have been his next assignment. He turned it down in favor of a career in the domestic service branch of his agency. As such, I got to spend 15 years of my childhood in one house. For that, I am grateful.


Day Three

Back to the pool. I got a bit braver myself, swimming a single length of the 50 meter pool. I will admit to getting a bit freaked out in the deep end with 13 feet of water under me. I started to worry about my wedding ring, which has flown off in class a couple of times in my more exuberant teaching moments. What a pain that would have been to retrieve! Note to self: leave it in the locker room next time. If I were to get more serious about swimming, I'd want to take a lesson or two to clean up my strokes.

In the evening, I made the highly disappointing discovery that my parents don't get the sports channels in their TV package. Not even ESPN! There is, of course, no reason why they should as I'm the only person in the family who would ever watch but it was very frustrating in my effort to catch a glimpse of Game 7 of the Capitals/Canadiens series. In the end, I had to settle for the live box score on versus.com.

Even without television, it's a very different experience to follow a team when you're in the hometown. For starters, no publication is as brutal towards a team as is the local newspaper. Some of the best sports writing I've ever read was in Washington Post columns about the Capitals' disastrously poor history in the playoffs. The Post staff was in rare form this week as yet another season unraveled before our eyes.

I can't believe the Caps blew it yet again. All of the criticism being leveled at the team, the coach and even Captain Ovechkin is richly deserved. It has become clear. Of the Big Four, Ovechkin and Backstrom are the keepers while Semin and Green just don't have the guts to be leaders in the playoffs. In the off-season, a trade for a top-notch goaltender is a must and digging up a few battle-tested defensemen would be good, too. The blue liners don't need to be superstars. They just need to be willing to do the little things it takes to beat the league's best when it matters most. Mike Green, for all of his talent, just isn't that guy. There's simply no excuse for playing so well in the regular season only to implode in Round 1 of the playoffs. It's embarrassing. Just wait until next year? I'll believe it when I see it.

But back to our trip...

I think it's wonderful that Our Girl has bonded so completely with her grandmother. In truth, people are far more important than places and I'm glad she has found this meaningful relationship in her life. For me, however, I still feel as if I've barely scratched the surface in DC. There are parts of the city which I don't know at all and it would be a shame not to explore them, if only on my own. But perhaps I should take a hint from my daughter and invest in relationships at the same time. I'm sure I could convince my father to come along for some of my explorations. A new Lonely Planet guide has just come out, perhaps a good occasion to begin a new relationship with the city.