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.