Fluming grand day out

Today we went to Zoom Flume, a waterpark in the Catskills about an hour south of Albany. Now, given that I have no particular fondness for slides, getting wet or (as much chronicled in this blog) fun in general, you may be wondering how I got talked into this. The sad truth is, I'm a sucker for a money-off coupon.

We arrived, and for quite a long time it seemed that the kids weren't too impressed by the whole waterslide concept either, so that was about to be a big shame. The Girl got a lot of fun out of the 'Wild Water West' feature - shooting water cannons and trying not to get shot at herself; and the Boy quite enjoyed riding in a large rubber ring around the Lazy (make that Catatonic) River.

Eventually - after a stiff hot dog and ice cream - we persuaded them onto a steeper, wilder river which we all rode down together in a big round inflatable boat. That was so good we had to do it again! Then both kids had several goes on Thrill Hill (this is the Girl on her way down), before returning for more watery Wild West shenanigans.

A mention in dispatches for the Man, who braved the terrifyingly fast Mighty Anaconda. I don't how much he actually enjoyed it, but he was the only one of our party who made it down a bona fide flume.

Mexican revolution

This morning we did our 'shop local' bit by going to a neighbourhood gift-store (rather than one of the Albany malls) to buy a birthday present for a schoolfriend. The shop turned out to be an Aladdin's cave of giftiness - books, games, toys and crafty things - and I'll definitely be visiting again. We followed it up with a snack in a nearby independent coffee shop. The Boy munched his way through most of an enormous M&M cookie before announcing that he didn't like it much. He could have fooled me.

In the afternoon, a birthday party with a Mexican theme. Pinata, nachos, salsa etc, and sombreros for all the children. Or sombrellos, according to the Boy. Even the birthday cake was in the shape of a Mexican hat. To finish up, nicely full of cake and ice-cream, most of the children had fun rolling down a slope in front of the friend's house - like you do.

Dog days of summer

We spent the day at home. A couple of kids from along the road came to play, and one of them spent an impressively long time in the pool considering how cold the water feels these days.

Later on the Girl and Boy were excited to take next door's dog for a walk. It's a little fluffy thing, given to squaring up to alsatians in a totally ridiculous way. We managed to walk it all round the block without it getting savaged, despite its best efforts, so that was a relief.

Homeschool daze

This morning I presented the kids with a folder full of Thomas the Tank Engine letter and number workbooks and flashcards and told them, 'There you go - do some homeschooling!'

Here's the amazing thing: they did! For about five hours! The Girl took on the role of encouraging teacher (lots of Great job! stamps and stickers); and the Boy, grateful to receive the positive attentions of his sister, was an enthusiastic student. Even during the occasional 'recess' they were sitting out on the swing-set with the Girl reading aloud to her 'class'. Five whole hours and not a single cross word between them. Extraordinary.

And just as the game started petering out a friend came round to play, so they threw themselves and their energies into the pool and the rest of the afternoon went cheerfully too.

I honestly don't think we've had such an unargumentative day since Christmas.

Do it myself

'My Mum will like these craft books,' said the Girl to the librarian the other night as she checked out her choices, 'But the problem is, sometimes she forgets that helping someone isn't the same as doing the whole job for them.'

She's right, alas (maybe you knew that already). I can never resist saying 'Give it here...' and then I won't give it back until it's finished.

So watch out, kids of the Capital District: if you come to my craft stall at the Five Rivers Fall Festival next month you needn't expect to be doing much yourself.

There was another planning meeting tonight, which I arrived at late because we'd all been up at school for the annual end-of-summer Potluck Picnic. The Man and I ate well, but the kids were much too busy catching up with their friends and meeting new classmates to be bothered with food. They won't be back at school for real until next Thursday, but I think they're looking forward to it. I know I am - although I have to admit the three month vacation which seemed like it would be an eternity has actually gone by terribly fast.

Slide comes before the Fall

One of those bits and pieces days today. Home in the morning, and out to the shops in the afternoon - with back-to-school in mind, it was time for new shoes.

After dinner we joined friends at the local ice-creamery - a giddy reunion for the Boy with one of his best school buddies. We all ended up back at our house, and together the kids well and truly put the new swing-set (which has been reconstructed and now has a swing as well as a slide) through its paces.

The last couple of days have been ideal: dry, sunny but not unbearably hot, and cool in the evening. Perfect weather as the summer draws to a close - the leaves on our cherry tree are just starting to turn, the first hint that fall approaches.

Mythical creations

The Girl had a burst of creativity at the beach on Saturday. She spent a long time gathering shells and seaweed and other odds and ends she termed 'sea gifts', and put them together like this:

I think it's rather lovely. Can you tell what it is?

Meanwhile the Boy amused himself making sand angels.

Go fly a kite

We're just back from Hammonasset in Connecticut, and very nice it was. It's a State Park with a lovely long sandy beach on the Long Island Sound. Unfortunately we weren't the only ones to have discovered it and it was crowded in a way we're not used to seeing over here. Very cosmopolitan, though - all around us were groups speaking in Spanish, Russian, Korean...

As well as the beach and sea-swimming (but watch out for jelly-fish!) there was a great little nature centre. Also space to fly a kite - so we did.

Only Connect...

We're having a little seaside minibreak, about two and half hours from home. Does that still constitute a 'staycation'?

Can you guess what state we're in (as in where we are, not our general condition)?

Turn the tables

Watching "Team GB" at the Beijing Olympics is a frustrating exercise: generally the US media is not all that interested in Brits welling up to the National Anthem, but all the video on the BBC website is blocked. We can't even listen to Radio Five if they are covering The Games. It was the same problem with clips of the BBC's "The Apprentice" last winter.

On the other hand the US media is quite concerned with the (rather silly) battle with China to be top of the medal table. Luckily the USA is currently miles ahead (by 102 to 89), because here countries are always ranked by total medals. I never before realised that "third is good enough" was the American way.

Of course the Beijing web site has countries ranked by Golds, and China is first. So both countries think they have won and both go away happy. This seems like the perfect blueprint for all forms of international competition in future.

Meanwhile the CNN web site has "Veepwatch" - live video feeds from outside the homes of those touted as likely running mates for Barack Obama. I'm not sure what's expected to happen, but I can tell you there is currently some shadowy movement outside Joe Biden's house, whereas Evan Bayh's house, which earlier saw a white van drive past, is now in almost total darkness...the Man wrote.

Oh dear - oh, deer!

The other day I managed to chip one of my teeth - just what I needed, given all my existing and much-blogged-about dental woes.

Anyway, after my dentist had finished fitting me with yet another crown this morning I was explaining, a little bashfully, that I'd chipped the tooth on a beer bottle. She immediately assumed I'd been opening beer bottles with my teeth. As if! Having invested half my life savings in restoring my teeth, why would I want to start chewing metal caps off bottles? And besides do I really look like that kind of a gal?

I took a walk round the block this evening and realised I was being watched - by a small family of deer. A mum, a dad and a little bambi character. I went home to get the camera, but by the time I returned they were gone. So you'll have to imagine them.

Niagara Picture Post

A final mention for last week's trip to Niagara. The Falls are awesome from all angles...







The boat ride is a lot of fun...







But poor old Harrison doesn't look like he's having such a good time at one of the numerous other attractions.

Social whirl

The Exiles have, like us, been busy lately with visitors and adventures, so it was good to spend much of today catching up with them. I particularly enjoyed young (one-ish year old) E5N1's song and dance routines - the kid doesn't say much but he sure knows how to hold an audience.

The Girl is on a rollercoaster of social engagements once again: we'd hardly waved off our friends on Sunday before she was out on a playdate; another friend was round yesterday; and this evening yet another has turned up for a sleepover. Oh, to be eight and on holiday!

Meanwhile here's a nice picture of me and the senior Rockfishes, with best wishes to them all for a safe flight back to the UK tomorrow.

Must-see museums

On the road to Niagara we were sorry to pass up the chance to visit the Salt Museum and, even more regretfully, the Museum of Jell-O. In Poland, NY there's a Cookie Cutter Museum. In Hartford, Connecticut there's a Museum of Trash (which seriously I'd quite like to see). And I'm told that in Austin, Minnesota there's a Museum of Spam.

So, if you could visit a Museum of Any-particular-thing, what would that thing be?

It don't mean a thing...

...if you ain't got that swing.

Our next-door neighbours' summer project has been to erect a rather splendid swing-set, complete with overhead tunnel, climbing wall and clubhouse, in their backyard. This is pretty well complete now, which means they have no further use for the old basic swing-set they inherited when they bought their house. Ours for the taking!

The only problem being how to get it from their yard into ours, given that ours has a fence all round it, not to mention that the swing-set is made out of railway sleepers and incredibly heavy. It had to be taken apart, but rusted in bolts made that seemingly impossible.

Enter Dr Wallace 'no DIY task too daunting' Rockfish. His eyes positively gleaming at the challenge, he set to work with a drill and hammer and quite soon had the thing in pieces. Big pieces mind you, and it took some wrangling, four adults and a large wheelbarrow to get the larger A-frame through our gate. But here it is (ta-daa!).

Now we've just got to put it all back together again. The Rockfishes packed themselves into their hire car and waved goodbye a few minutes after this photo was taken. Leaving us with a strangely quiet house and assorted pieces of lumber in the yard. But a workable slide, at least, and grateful neighbours.

Happy anniversary

It is a year since we moved to the States. Twelve months, gone by in the blink of an eye.

To celebrate we roasted a pig. No, not really. But the people two doors down did because this is what they do every year, and they make a party of it and invite all their friends and neighbours along, and anyone else who happens to be around. So that's been fun this evening, especially the pig-shaped pinata.

The rest of the day we've mainly been hanging out at home. We were in cars for a good many hours yesterday, so playing in the yard and the pool today was the option everyone liked best - though we did just manage a brief outing for ice-cream. Tomorrow we'll be seeing our Rockfish friends off to Boston on the last leg of their US tour. We'll all be sorry to see them go.

Making a splash, cutting a dash

That was a bit of an obscure clue from the Man yesterday. Though it's true we had to cross a Rainbow Bridge to get there, and we did see some real rainbows in the spray from the very spectacular falls at...Niagara.

We got very close to a lot of water both on the Maid of the Mist boat and on the Journey Behind the Falls walk. 38 million gallons plunge over the edge every minute. That's a big amount - nearly as much as you are invited to spend in dollars on all the Falls-related attractions, not to mention the totally peripheral entertainments (waxwork museums of horrors, Ripley's Believe It or Nots etc) on offer round every corner. Funny place, Niagara. The waterfalls are truly awesome, but the commercialisation is pretty distracting.

Still, we made the 600 mile round trip unscathed and are satisfied at having seen a great natural wonder - and what's more we have natty polythene macs to prove it.

Somewhere over the Rainbow

The Man writes...Can you guess where we are yet? The clue is in the title.

Falling about

Another glorious day, save for a few drops of rain this evening. In the morning we went to the local town park and the kids used up some energy on the play equipment. Home for a swim etc, then mid-afternoon we drove up to Thacher State Park and 'did' the Indian Ladder Trail, followed by a long trek up-stream to a couple of waterfalls. This was all by way of training for somewhere we're planning to visit tomorrow...

They might be Giants

Well, what do weather forecasters know anyway? There was a bit of a shower in the afternoon, but apart from that it has been a lovely day.

So how did it go now? Took the Man to work first thing. Then the rest of us explored Five Rivers for a while (saw a snake, green frogs, a baby toad, a heron and a turtle). Back home for a chilly swim, then we split up - Rockfish party shopping and Girl and Boy to the dentist, where it was more than hinted that the Boy might want to give up sucking his thumb. Suggestions, anyone?

Another quick swim before heading down to the local cafe for the kids' dinner: hotdogs, fries and ice-cream. Then we caught up with the Man again and he took us to the University at Albany campus to watch the New York Giants practising. They play football (American kind) if you need to be told. In fact they are the world champions.

The youngest Rockfish has not been 100% today, though he has struggled on valiantly not wishing to miss out on anything. We all hope he feels better tomorrow.

The Rockfish Files

Readers in Linton will be happy to know that our mutual friends, known in this blogland as Royal Rockfish and family, have arrived here safely. The Boy literally jumped for joy when he heard the doorbell ring.

The kids tore around the house together for a couple of hours, but around tea-time the youngest Rockfish was flagging. He went to bed for a bit, then struggled to wake up again for long enough to shovel down a bowl of pasta before succumbing once more. Meanwhile the rest of the children settled in to watch Bee Movie on DVD and the adults ate a peaceful dinner and we caught up with the latest village gossip.

The weather is awful - stormy, wet and almost cold - with the outlook for the next couple of days not much better. Ah well, so much for that arm-long list of outdoor activities we were planning...

Saw a Dino

More heavy rain was forecast for today, so we planned an indoors activity. We headed over the state border into Massachusetts and visited the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, passing through a blinding storm along the way.

It's a good little museum, with a bit of everything and well pitched to interest children. The Girl was particularly taken by a display beehive. The Boy enjoyed the aquarium and tanks of reptiles. There was a 'Hall of Innovation', celebrating local innovators and trying to prompt visitors to think creatively. We had fun with some metal puzzles and printed mazes, which the kids innovated into a magic trick and a board game respectively.

There was an art gallery upstairs, but the kids had drunk some pepsi before we got up there so were a bit too speedy to appreciate anything.

There's an air of anticipation in the house tonight as we await the arrival tomorrow of friends from home ...

Last chance salon

Everyone survived last night's sleepover. Our guest stayed until mid-afternoon, so the day was filled with dressing up and make-believe and, for a while, a hair salon complete with bossy chief stylist (the G..uess who) and insouciant assistant (the Boy, plugged into a personal stereo). I was roped in as the hapless customer - or 'patient' as they kept referring to me, slightly disturbingly.

Later the Man and his daughter took an evening walk on the Vlomankill trail at Five Rivers, where they spotted a lot of mosquitoes. And trees.

Trojan Moor

The Man writes...Albaniana and co. passed another stormy afternoon indoors, but this evening a friend of the Girl arrived for a sleepover and all the children spent the hour before dark playing loudly and energetically in the frigid swimming pool.

At work, the inauguration of new premises was quietly celebrated with coffee and doughnuts. Later some of us went to lunch at the Rusty Anchor, a barge permanently moored on the Hudson opposite Troy's historic waterfront. Who knows: we might even have been looking at the site of Uncle Sam's actual meat packing factory.

But now, before I turn in, I must finish selecting my fantasy football team for the new English Premiership season. This being total fantasy, I might do something really crazy like play Lampard and Gerrard together in midfield.

The rain it raineth...

The Boy and I collected the Girl from her sleepover in time to give her lunch and ferry her to her next playdate. I then took the Boy shopping for various odds and ends, including an umbrella which wasn't on our list but was necessary in order for us to get back to our car without getting soaked.

My, how it rains here. Every day.

I've mentioned before how English culture has infiltrated our local Price Chopper. Here is the evidence. Anyone visiting us from the UK will surely feel at home.

Hot wheels

More fun at the dentist for me this morning - I tell you, it's endless.

This afternoon the Girl went off very excitedly for a playdate/sleepover. In his sister's absence the Boy eagerly jumped on his bike and led me, the long way round, to the local cafe. We both ate ice-cream. Given the distance we'd travelled in the heat of the day we felt we deserved it. My double scoop of pistachio was particularly excellent.

Ice factory

The Boy is very thrilled with our new freezer, which makes up half of the new fridge. He likes making ice in it, above and beyond the ice that the freezer makes by itself. He makes ice in cups and little pots, then decants them onto plates. He is proudest of the cups of ice with ice-cubes inside the ice.

Today was the Girl's turn for a cinema trip, while we left the Boy in the fine company of the Exiles. We saw Kit Kittredge, An American Girl, and very enjoyable it was - a bunch of kids getting the better of bumbling baddies and generally saving the day, all in an attractive 1930s setting.

We rounded off the day with a dip in the (unheated) pool, which is very effectively cooling on a warm evening.

By the way, you've heard how a chance purchase at a second-hand sale altered the course of my life. What life-changing jumble sale experience would you like to share?

The power of advertising

The other night at the baseball we were sitting opposite an advert which exhorted me to:

Change the way you think about caulk.

It is a very successful advert. I immediately changed the way I had, up to that moment, thought about caulk (ie not at all), and started thinking 'What the hell is caulk?'

Actually I do know what caulk is, thanks to the well-informed young couple sitting behind us. But do you know? No cheating now...

Locked in

Today rather got away from us, and it wasn't until mid-afternoon that we managed to get on the road to see this place: Lock 6 on the most easterly section of the Erie Canal, the 363 mile waterway built almost entirely by hand from the Hudson River at Albany to Lake Erie.

Now the Erie Canal has a very particular significance for me. Just as the Man and I had begun seriously discussing the possibility of moving to upstate New York, I happened to pick up a book at the Linton Mother's Union second-hand sale. It was 'The Erie Canal' by Peter Spier, and flicking through it a line jumped out at me: And every inch of the way we know, from Albany to Buffalo... Having never even heard of Albany until we'd started talking about living there, it seemed a strange coincidence suddenly to come across this reference.

I bought the book. Also a book about snow. Though we agonised about moving for many months (was it years?) to come, I think in buying those books I was already making my decision.

What a wash out

We'd been making plans for a seaside weekend, but when we checked the forecast for our proposed destination it read, literally, 'starting sunny, followed by thunderstorms, heavy rain, severe hail, strong winds and with the possibility of a tornado'. So we thought all in all it probably wouldn't be worth the three hour drive. We'll try another time.

Instead we enjoyed heavy rain from the comfort of our own house (and to some extent in the comfort of our own house - more mopping up in the basement). The Man took the children swimming at the YMCA. Then we played Scrabble on the Deluxe set I was given for my birthday. We've been reading and/or listening to stories. I got out a 500-piece jigsaw of some rather nauseating kittens which I'd hoped would provide a fun-for-all-the-family activity but as usual said family is letting me get on with it by myself. The Boy meanwhile has created his own form of occupational therapy, threading beads onto paperclips. Keeps him happy for hours.

A whole year older...

...and yet it felt like only a day had gone by.

So, yesterday morning I was out with the Boy doing some errands, and we ended up at Tea and Tattered Pages which we haven't visited for ages. There was a new cat there which the Boy fell so much in love with that in the afternoon we had to go back and introduce her to the Girl as well. Also at the bookshop the Boy decided he wanted to collect all the Ramona books, which is fine by me as it makes a change from Thomas the Tank Engine.

We saved present-opening until the Man got home from work, and I was pleased with my small haul which included a beautifully decorated vase that had once been a jam jar. In the early evening we managed a family walk at Five Rivers, for once without protest from anyone as this was Mum's Birthday Treat. The first thing we spotted was a red squirrel - very exciting, I'd never seen one before. It was a noisy little critter. Then we saw several turtles in the lake. And we heard, but didn't see, a frog which makes a plunking sound like a loose guitar string.

Home then, just ahead of the babysitting Exile, and out to our local restaurant for a nice meal. Although it was quite busy when we arrived soon after 8 o'clock, by the time we'd finished eating we were the last diners and the staff were busy swabbing down the floors. It was only quarter past nine. I have the impression that Americans dine very early. I'm not sure why. I hope it isn't because they all have to rush home in time to catch the latest installment of So You Think You Can Dance...