Northampton

There was so much to do in Massachusetts that we had a seriously action packed week. Vanessa, who we soon dubbed Julie McCoy of Love Boat fame, was an amazing cruise director. Our first stop was a hike along the Mill River. We started near Smith College and walked a mile or so to let the kids get their ya-yas out. Along the way we stopped at a labyrinth that is maintained by three nearby families.

They were fascinated by the small objects in the center altar.

It was pretty cool--definitely not something you see often in Memphis, although there is something similar at Evergreen Montessori.

After our walk we headed into downtown Northampton for an amazing lunch at The Green Bean. Then we did some shopping and had ice cream. It was hard to figure out who was most excited about seeing who. Jiro and Miles are pretty much cut from the same cloth and Tasha is wild about Satchel.

At one store Satchel and Miles bought prank kits and from then on, Miles spoke to everyone we passed on the street. He either offered them a piece of trick gum or buzzed them while shaking hands. Satchel was very impressed by his lack of shyness and event talked to a few strangers himself.

When it was time to think about dinner, we stopped by a local bakery to get some bread. It was really awesome to see the people covered in flour, immersed in the business of baking.

From there we went to the local co-op to get some other treats. I found myself ogling local beers in big bottles.

After dinner, we tried getting the kids all tucked in together, but once the stories were read, the monkeys decided they wanted to bunk with us.

Refreshed, the next morning we headed back out to Mill River--this time in bathing suits.

Well Tasha and Jiro wore bathing suits at least. Satchel, Miles, Warren, Vanessa and I made due in shorts.

We spent several hours exploring then went home to rest for a bit before going to an early Fourth of July celebration in nearby Look Park, which reminded me a bit of Overton Park. It was a little larger and in a bit better shape, but it features lots of different activities--a water park, small zoo, paddle boats, running trails, bike paths, etc. For the event, there were hot air balloons, bounce houses, game booths, etc. In addition the kids climbed trees and we all enjoyed meeting some of the B Team's friends.

We feasted on burgers and fries for dinner, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching Satchel and Tasha interact.

By far the cutest thing that happened was when I said, "Here comes Liz and Vanessa," and Tasha said, "Those are MY moms." Then Satchel said, "Well, they're my half moms."

Once it was nice and dark there was a huge fireworks display which was most impressive that I failed to capture in photo. When it was done, we all walked home and crashed in anticipation of another busy day.