Camping trip

We went on our first family camping trip over Labor Day weekend, to Grayson Highlands State Park. The Boyers and Stinehelfers went with us. (Unfortunately, the instigators and organizers had to stay home with a sick child -- see Redmond, Karen and Sadie's Planet.) Thankfully, it was a lot of fun, so Chris will do it again some time. Lucie reports that it was her "best vacation ever."


Lucie helped set up the tent.


Alex brought his telescope.


Milo enjoyed playing in the road with Henry.


There was a great climbing tree.


We took two hikes. This was on Monday, when we hiked to a waterfall. Sunday we saw wild ponies. (Chris will post those old school film pictures on Flickr some time soon.)


Milo and Henry in the huckleberry bushes. Danny cooked up some great pancakes with these.


Alex's rubber band gun from the gift shop was a great hit. Once when Milo got hold of it, he pointed it at Alex and made shooting noises -- "pshoo, pshoo!" Where did he learn that? Milo was thrilled when Alex fell to the ground. He pointed at him and said, "Died."


Here's the whole gang at the trailhead. There are lots more pictures in the Boo Blog Annex (scroll back a bit).

Let's do it again next year.

Beautiful garden

Are you aware of the beautiful garden next to the Fisher Signs shop next to Locopops? You should be. I believe the guy who owns Fisher Signs is responsible for it.

Visit to the NC Transportation Museum

On August 5th we took a trip to the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC. The trip was instigated by Carl's mom, and Milo's friends Elena and Juliette also went.

Spencer was once home to Spencer Shops, a major Southern Railway overhaul facility for steam engines. The shops closed in the mid-1960s when they were unable to make the switch to servicing diesel engines. The restored shops and several restored trains, as well as some beautiful ruins, form the bulk of the museum. It is really pretty amazing. (See promo video.)


Ask Chris to tell you how hot it was in this non-airconditioned car.




Caboose


Toy train full of tools (moved from the toy workshop)


Lucie and private car




Daddy and Milo in front of the roundhouse. Did I mention that it was hot?

Missing teeth!

After a very long wait, Lucie finally lost her first tooth on August 3rd. She was soo excited. She pulled it out at dinner time, while we were talking about it. She was especially happy that Anne and Jon were there to be witnesses.

Our day

Lucie wrote this account of a typical day in the Ciccone household a few weeks ago:

"We eat breakfast. Then we hang out. Then we go to school or go grocery shopping. Then we talk and we have lunch. Then we play. Then Milo has a booby. Hang out some more. Then me and Milo go to bed."

In case you were wondering why we never get the house and yard work done, now you know.

Saxapahaw

The last time I was in Saxapahaw, the Rivermill was an abandoned ruin. Now it's lofts and apartments and the heart of a little scene. Rachel tipped us off to this free outdoor music event on Saturdays.


Kayak on a zip line!


Slip 'n' slide!




Watermelon sorbet!

Canoe full of water!

Cardboard boxes on a hill!


Sadie, Orla, and Lucie on the way down to the Haw River

Beach trip, part 2

We had one big storm and lots of seaweed on the beach. One night, Lucie noticed sparks of light as we stepped on it. When we picked it up, we could see glowing plasma currents inside.




Roxy was so happy.


Why we wanted a minivan


Ice cream in Southport




Papa gave Milo a real driving lesson at the video arcade (movie).


The whole beach gang. I'm looking forward to the next trip already.

Some additional pictures are in the Boo Annex.

Beach trip, part 1

What can I say, we bought a minivan. I should add that the State Employees' Credit Union car buying service rocks -- they delivered this to our doorstep Saturday morning, just in time for us to pack it up and drive it to the beach.

Milo's gotten the hang of "no"

Our family traveled all the way from Tennessee, Michigan, and California to be with us. We are so lucky and thankful.






A view from our cottage


Lucie's Encinitas Surfboards shirt gets a second life (thanks, Valarie)


A view of the sound


At low tide, you could see hundreds of fiddler crabs.


Roxy almost caught the business end of one.

To be continued...

Baby you can drive my car

Milo's favorite thing lately is driving the "rarr." It is a great way to occupy him while you're doing something nearby, as long as you're prepared to deal with a temper tantrum when you tell him time's up. Last time C let him play there, Milo informed him, "Mine. Rarr."

Weevee

Milo asks for, and we let him watch, way too much tv. The Wiggles have been resurrected, and I actually like them better this time around. (C says, "We thought we were done with having those goddamn songs in our head, but no.") This is pretty darn cute, actually.

Can You Point Your Fingers and Do the Twist?

Rock-a-bye Your Bear

Dress up

Juliet's birthday

Milo's friend Juliet turned three and threw a really fun party.


Eating a fritata


The birthday girl and Elena


Lucie came, too. There were lots of cool boxes to paint and stack.


The little kids loved playing in Juliet's room.


Milo discovered Carl's sippy cup.


For quite a while, Milo could not be torn away from the easel and crayons.


Juliet's dad made some magic playdough -- the color appeared when it was kneaded.






Obligatory Milo eating cake photo. Mom stands ready with towel to minimize the damage.