August 12 - August 15, 2005
Ok. This isn't my back yard. This is a yard in Hartland, Vermont, just southeast of Woodstock. The pond is man made. But it holds lots of nibbling fish and frogs and turtles. Gordon, Marcela, Maxim, Gwen, and Noah are in a row boat in the thickest lillies, at the back of the view in this photograph. Gordon caught a turtle and showed it to the kids. Marie and Gordon bought this place from Marie's brother a few years ago. It is right next to paradise, even with the rain. We arrived on Friday night (8/12) and left Monday morning (8/15). We ate fresh tomatoes and homemade muffins. We found a newly hatched dragonfly hanging out on one of the reeds by the pond. Its wings hadn't come out yet.
Maxim swam, floating on her back and went far out to the deeper parts of the pond. She is becoming a confident swimmer. And she loves to spend time with her friend Gwen. Neither of them feel cold. They will swim in water and play in weather that leaves me wrapped up. When it rained on Sunday, Maxim, Noah, and Gwen ran around and celebrated outside. Noah was unusually naked for the cold here. He is more like me, easily chilled. But the chance to run around made him forget that he doesn't like his feet being wet or being nearly naked in the rain. And they ran and ran and ran. And we freed two bats from the house before leaving. It was nice to be in Vermont.

August 15 - August 18, 2005
Then two full days here. The surf was too dangerous for kids alone, but we played in the lapping tide and built sand castles later flattened by waves. No lawn to mow, no furniture or toys to move or clean up, no pool to empty. Just this enormous ocean. Noah seems to have his first girlfriend. He played all week with Esperanza, Steve and Gabby's almost three year old daughter. Every night we ate enormous amounts of food on the back deck and last night we made a campfire on the beach and roasted marshmallows.
Vacation backyards are often more fun than the ordinary yard we have in Maynard, but we all agreed that we missed our home and we were excited to arrive this afternoon. The yard looks good. You can tell that it rained. We feel that we have had nice summer, our second in Maynard.