Canobie Lake Park and golfing

Monday, July 28

G came to stay with us without ties to any group to get the most out of his American immersion.  Yesterday, he had the opportunity to join a group of 22 French kids and spend the day at Canobie Lake Park.  

Here is his video of his day with his new friends :)

Canobie Lake Park Video

Tuesday, July 29

I am not a huge fan of anything miniature...including golf.  But, the kids like it and I have been carrying around 4 passes for free golf Captain's Corner since last summer.  So even better that I didn't have to pay for it.  Thank you Uncle Mark...these were from you!  

G did very well, as usual.  He excels in any sport.  He even got a hole in 1! Tyler didn't want his score calculated, Jack gave up on the 13th or so hole. To Jack's credit, he was sick last night, but, he wasn't playing that well on the 12th hole and gave up!  I'm not sure we added up the scores, but, I will concede the win to G.  

And, I will admit, I kind of had fun only because it wasn't the normally 95 degree day that I normally golf in.  

Included in the golf were some tokens for the batting cages.  None of us had ever done it but G caught on pretty quick.  He started at the softballs and moved quickly to the faster baseballs.

G went to my niece Jill's house last night, who conveniently lives next door to my sister and parents.  She had a bunch of friends over for a bonfire lakeside and a boat cruise.  So G had some good American teenage fun that I can not provide :) and I had a nice visit with my parents and then my sister.

~Linda

Attitash Mountain 7/26

Saturday, July 26

We all slept well last night, especially Scout with the nice cool evening air.  Scott made us some bacon, egg & cheese breakfast sandwiches and we headed over to Attitash Mountain Resort for some adventure.  Normally a winter ski resort, they have made it a destination for all seasons.

To really enjoy everything, I had to leave my camera behind.  G got some great video and I was able to get a few shots here and there.

Everything starts at the base of the mountain.  "A New Hampshire icon since 1976, the alpine slides are the longest in North America, checking in at just over one mile long! Ride up the Flying Yankee Quad chairlift to begin this exciting journey down rolling slopes, straightaways and, of course, the S-turns underneath the lift."

The line for the mountain coaster was pretty long, so Tyler and I went to check out the other activities.  Scott, Jack and G waited in line for the Nor’Easter Mountain Coaster which is essentially a rollercoaster set on the Attitash mountainside. Riders begin and end at the base of Attitash in two-person carts on twin, stainless steel rails. The experience begins with a scenic 1,420-foot trip straight uphill before a heart-pounding 2,880-foot journey down through the forest. Cruise at rider-controlled speeds of up to 25 miles per hour through banked curves, dips and a helix. 

There have not been too many pics of me and Scott...here is a selfie from our 5 minute date up the chairlift to go on another Alpine Slide run.

Next up was the Airbag Jump, designed to give you a soft landing, and similar to what you may see in the movies.  You could feel the rush of making a freefall jump from as high as a three-story building into a 60-by-60 foot airbag.  G likes to jump, so I was all for him doing this in a controlled environment where he would't get hurt :)  Jack did it too...I thought I would break my leg so I thought it best to leave that one to the boys.  Here is G...he passed the test to jump off the higher platform.

If you missed G's video in my Lake Winnipesaukee post, here it is again.  It came out really great and is an overview of the whole weekend.

Tyler got a headstart on the 2 different water slides.  Once the others joined us, we all suited up and went on the water slides.  I preferred the Sidewinder Slide.  You could ride solo on a tube or on three-person rafts...the best run was the one I did with Jack & Ty.  It has a nice soft landing where your hair does't get all wet...so that was my favorite.

The Aquaboggan was the other slide and you get drenched. You could choose from three different routes featuring hairpin turns, underground tunnels and plenty of splash down into the landing pools.  

We got back to the campground and the place was buzzing with activity. Everyone was out and about on bikes, playing volleyball, you name it!  They have a list of activities like candy bar bingo, tractor rides, ice cream socials, ping pong, foosball etc.   I relaxed for a few with my book while the boys biked around, Jack had jumped on a tractor ride and I saw him waving as he went by me.  Like they haven't already done enough in one day, they all headed back to the lazy river.  

Scott started dinner while Tyler and I played some ping pong and Scout got acquainted with all the other dogs.  After a big spaghetti and meatballs dinner, the boys and I made our way back to the big tent for the ice cream social. We stuck around for awhile and played some lawn games in their big, open field.  They had a nice fire going.

Jack & G tossed around the frisbee and Tyler and I played ladder golf.  I started out winning big, but Tyler came from behind and nailed it for a WIN!!  

We came back once the sun set and the guys watched the movie Open Water while I finished my book.  Wow...those boys have some energy!

We woke up to some rain and a nice long traffic jam home...our 2 hour drive took 3 ½ hours.  Tyler and G were in the RV with Scott watching the movie Hildalgo while Jack and I were in the van with Scout.  

Here is my video of the weekend.

I would say the weekend was a huge success.  We were pretty much "unplugged" all weekend and I am happy to report that they survived without their laptops!

~Linda

Glamping! 7/25

Friday, July 25

We departed the Lake Winnipesaukee for the White Mountains, another 60 or so miles north to our next destination, the Fransted Family Campground.  Thanks to my friend Jeanne for the great recommendation to come to this place.  So many people book their camping weekends months in advance since the season is so short.  I was quite surprised to get a reservation and glad that G got to experience some American "Glamping".  (Shorthand for glamorous camping; luxury camping).

This place is really cool.  They have made their own lazy river right out of the mountain stream.  When we arrived, they couldn't blow up the tubes fast enough to go check out the lazy river...it was cold but they had fun.

We had a quick lunch and headed up the road to Scott's family camp in Littleton, NH.  When we arrived, Scout was so tired he just wanted to stay in the van.  After getting settled in and saying hello I checked on him and this is what I found!

Scout found a great place to watch all the action.  There were a ton of kids at camp playing badminton, croquet, ping pong, paddle boards and swimming.  These kids are all so lucky, having one great summer after another!  One thing is certain, that this Hadwen family knows how to make awesome, lasting memories!

I was so happy that we were able to see JoJo on her birthday! Although technically my cousin-in-law, she is more like another sister to me. I've said it before and I will say it again, this was the "bonus group" I got when I married Scott! We grilled out and had a feast for 14 and celebrated JoJo's birthday.  I wasn't quite ready for the photo, but something is better than nothing :)

Then it was showtime, most of the crowd & all the mosquitos watched a movie (Parental Guidance) under the stars and we returned to our camp around 11pm.

This camp is one of my favorite places to go any time of the year.  I love getting up for the sunrise, kayaking and doing some photography with Aunt ShaSha.  Our stay was only an afternoon, but, we hope to get up there again before the summer is over!

Does it get better than this??

~Linda

Lake Winnipesaukee 7/23-24

Wednesday, July 23

On, Wednesday, I packed us up and we drove up north to Lake Winnipesaukee where we spent the next 2 nights with our friends, Christine, Drew & Sofia. We arrived just as a nice thunder and lightening storm rolled in. We had pizzas for dinner and the kids were in the playroom kicking around a soccer ball (that didn't last too long) playing darts and pool while the Moms chatted.  Jack, Tyler and their friends shared a room and were up late chatting and giggling away.  I loved listening to it. 

Here is a map of our travels for this week.

Here is G's video that begins here at Lake Winnipesaukee...

Thursday, July 24

We spent the day relaxing at the Lake.  The kids all swam, kayaked and used the stand up paddle board.  

Scott drove up this afternoon in the RV with Scout and camped out on their driveway.  We grilled out and had a bonfire on the beach with s'mores.

  

The kids wrapped up the night playing hide and seek with their flashlights outside.

It is always a fun and relaxing time at the lake.  My friend, Christine, always makes us feel right at home.  Thanks for putting us all up and sharing your beautiful lake house with us!

Tomorrow we are traveling up North....more to come.

~Linda

Plum Island 7/22

Tuesday, July 22

After a relatively short visit at my parents house,  Jack, G and I went out to Plum Island for a few hours.  The green heads are out.  If you don't know what they are, here is a pic!

On the way to the beach, we were hungry for lunch.  I remembered that there is a Taco Truck parked at the little airport so that was to be our lunch destination.
  

We all had burritos and they were great.  

They were quite busy with the munch crowd, but the boys passed the time playing frisbee and the bean bag toss.  The Bean Bag toss has made quite a comeback this year...I have seen it in lots of places.

And in his quest to record the best wave photo....

~Linda