Presidents' Day Outdoors

It's winter vacation for school-going kids and we kicked off the week by heading into the woods. Not too far away, just to the local nature preserve. It has been wicked cold here in NY the past several days. The thermometer registered -4 when we left the house.

Once we got moving, it was easy to stay warm. Robert brought along Peter, his "Flat Sam" character, that he is supposed to take on adventures this week.

Peter and Robert tried some sit ups along the trail

and then a few minutes later Peter fell off a cliff. Bob pulled him to safety with his trekking poles

and then we got back on the trail.

We've lived less than two miles from this preserve for many, many years and never hiked its trails. It is now on our list of favorite places. It has a nice network of trails through the woods, which means we can take the kids snowshoeing without having to drive too far in the car.

Stay warm and toasty this week.

Snowshoeing

We bought the kids their first set of snowshoes and they tested them out today on a set of trails in the woods of Bethpage.

First Snowshoe Hike from Robert Kerner on Vimeo.

As always, click on the movie frame to enlarge it.

Snow!

We had out first real snow fall of the year overnight. A few inches of really wet, heavy snow fell in our neighborhood. Within a half hour of waking up, Sammy had her snowsuit on and was looking to go sledding. After cleaning out the driveway, we went to the local hill.

Click inside the frame to display a short movie….

Inside their snow fort right before a snowball fight

Our Christmas

Christmas 2014 from Robert Kerner on Vimeo.

Click on the icon in the bottom right to make it appear in full screen.

Christmas Pageant

Samantha had a starring role in this evening's Christmas Pageant. Here she is during dress rehearsal earlier in the day.

And in the big event at 4:30 pm. She had the role of Mary.

You can click on a photo to see a larger version.

Sammy did a great job, as did the entire cast and orchestra. The kids are tucking into bed now, anxious to see what Santa brings during the night.

Merry Christmas.

Summer Wrap-Up

It was a busy summer, particularly the last month. We drove up to Boston for a long weekend the Friday before Labor Day. We wanted to do something 'educational' for the kids, and the Boston Museum of Science and the Childrens Museum seemed like a good idea.

The kids at the Museum of Science

And at the Childrens Museum

A visit to Boston Common to see the giant swan boats, which were closed for the day.

Mugging for the camera in the hotel room.

The return to school (First Grade) was uneventful. The kids are getting along well in their new classrooms. This afternoon, we took a hike through the local arboretum.

As you can see, fall has arrived on Long Island.

Camping Recon

Scouting potential campsites in Westchester.