Shelter from the storm

First of all, you should know that the blurry stuff

in this picture is rain coming down in torrents.
Now, can you find Trouble?
The funniest picture was one that I missed...
her coming out from the bird feeder after the storm
with her whole body dry except for her butt,
which had apparently been sticking out the back
and was sopping wet.
Hysterical.

Fully insulated

Casey and Cody worked at our house today

finishing up the insulation in the attic just in time for winter.
I love this picture because not only does it show
the super huge fan they use for the blower test,
it also shows the covering of insulation gunk
on Casey's back that I am constantly battling to remove
every time I do the laundry.

These are a few of my favorite things...

"I simply remember my squeaky dinosaur and

chewy blue moose and then I don't feel so bad"

You couldn't see it in the last picture,
but one of the cutest things about Paley is
the little white tip of her tail.

Orin's latest creation

I can't remember if I ever posted one of Orin's

spare wood pile creations, but I think I did.
Anyway, this one might be the best yet.
The balance he manages is really something, isn't it?
No help from us, either.

Hitting the beach

Today we took Paley out for her first beach adventure.
It was a beautiful sunny day and we had a great time walking and wading.
I was going to include a picture of Paley romping in the sand,
but I liked this one so much, I have chosen it instead.
This is the problem with the one-a-day limit.

Paley's Arrival

Ever since we lost Purple things have been strange around here.

Quiet, for one, way too quiet.
But other things have changed as well.
Food has been left on counter-top edges,
leather shoes have been tossed carelessly on the floor,
and when we get home the other dogs barely

move off of the couch to greet us.

Even though we know that Purple is entirely un-replaceable,
something needed to be done
to make home feel more like... well, home.
So we sorted through hundreds of ads on Petfinder
until we stumbled across a 3 month old Newfoundland lab mix
who had been dropped off at a shelter in Arkansas.
And so, after a mountain of paperwork,
I went to pick her up at one of the pet transport
"drops," a park-and-ride in Connecticut.

Meet Paley: the new trouble-maker.
She has big shoes to fill, but I think she can do it,
she is estimated to hit 100 lbs.
But for now, she is oh-so-very-small.
And cute.

More to come...

Green Soup

This is one of my favorite recipes in the works.
It calls for an entire pot of kale and spinach
plus three cups of water.
45 minutes later (and a couple extra ingredients)
wah-lah!
delicious and nutritious soup.

A Visit

Grandpa Jack and Grandma Carla
arrived on the Cape today for a week long visit!

High

We have hung a number of bird feeders in the backyard
and now see what seems like hundreds of birds every day
(although it is probably much fewer, we just keep seeing the same ones)
We really enjoy watching the birds and were a bit concerned
about Trouble stalking them while they were at the feeders.
To take care of the problem, I planted Catnip in the front lawn.
It has worked beautifully.
Trouble now spends the vast majority of her time
sitting glassy-eyed next to her plant
while the birds flutter around the back without a care.

The Chair

Finally we have hung the chair.
This chair, for those of you who have never sat in it,
is the most wonderfully comfortable chair in the world.
For those of you who have sat in it
and now visit for the sole purpose of relaxing within its folds,
your seat awaits you.

Snuggle bugs

Love at first sight or love at last call,

you be the judge.

Pumpkin Run

This picture is from the first of what will likely

be many pumpkin picking days.

Today's journey was inspired by Colleen's

need for a scarecrow head.

We couldn't resist tagging along for a few of our own.

Mr. Noah

There is no way not to smile when you see this picture.

I love this little guy.

I am not listening...

Purple

Missing you all the time...

Cranberry Festival

Today Col and I took the boys to the Harwich Cranberry Festival.

I took this shot on the way in.

I love how it captures both the excitement and the capes

(the boys wanted to be super heros this morning)

The Right Size

Today I felt a little burst of excitement

when a long skinny box arrived at our door.

I had ordered a couple of things online,

but nothing of that size or shape.

"What could it be?!" I wondered

However, when I opened it, I realized that it

was the reflective harness I ordered for Atlas.

Guess the packager just ran out of small boxes.

Halloween Start

This year we are not holding back at all when it comes to Halloween.

As kids, my brother and I used to start prepping

for Halloween months in advance

(because everybody knows it is the best holiday!)

So even though it is still pretty far away,

today we took out the construction paper,

markers, crayons, and glue and started decorating in anticipation.

This one one of our creations: Orin's favorite

Super Scary Monster Mask!

Scargo Tower

Last night Colleen and I took the kids to Scargo tower
to watch the sun set over Cape Cod Bay.

With his chicks

Yesterday, Orin informed me that he was hatching 10
baby bluebirds out of his laundry basket nest.
He was a very diligent bird parent
and apparently all of the chicks have hatched
and are doing well.

Ahhhh... sunshine

Group Bike Trip

The other day Colleen and I took the kids to the Cape Cod Rail Trail
The weather was perfect and everyone had a great time...
especially because after the bike ride we stopped at the
Cape Cod Creamery for icecream.

MassMoCA

Our last day in Williamstown we spent at MassMoCA,

a museum created within an abandoned factory complex.
The old factories have enormous ceilings and interesting architecture
which works to emphasize the art and
gives artists a great deal of space to work with.
There are often pieces that take up entire rooms.
This was actually one of the smaller ones, but I liked the picture.

Uncle Alex Visits!

While we were staying at Grandpa Jack's we were
surprised by a visit from Uncle Alex
who has been serving in Afghanistan but got a last-minute leave.
Uncle Alex should be finishing his tour in January,
until then we will all be praying for
his safe and speedy return home.

Golfing with Grandpa

Casey had a three day weekend this weekend so we decided
to head over to Grandpa Jack's for a visit.

On Saturday afternoon we embarked on a traditional
Grandpa-Jack's activity: golfing.
I am not a very good golfer,
but I have been told I have a great swing.
Casey, on the other hand, is a true Tiger Woods...
that is when he hits the ball straight.
Combined, I think Orin has good prospects for going pro.

Ready

The other morning I asked Orin to get dressed for school.

I could have never guessed how great of an outfit he would choose.
Of course, several modifications were needed
before we could walk out the door,
but I was impressed by his budding fashion sense.

Girls night out

A mid-day swimming break

Exploring Cape Cod

Soaking up the last of summer