A snowman with Texas connections

The kids discovered our first snowfall this past week provided ideal snow for building a snowman so they got right on it.

G. found a hat, scarf and carrot nose for their nearly completed creation. I saw one of their cousins put on the branch arms but then there was a big ruckus outside.

We need acorns for his eyes and mouth mommy! yelled L.

No one could find any under the snow after looking for a few minutes. But then I remembered the package we received from a Flat Stanley family in Texas. They had sent us some pecans from their backyard tree...



I've never made a Texas pecan snowman before but I think it worked perfectly.

Kid Tracks Column: Bald Pate Preserve

My family has speculated for some time about how many mountain summits in the lakes region we could see Sebago Lake from. Our curiosity was piqued after we hiked Douglas Mountain and then Rattlesnake Mountain and saw the state's second largest lake from each summit. We've also been learning how to identify some trees and wanted to test our new skills. With these goals in mind, along with the prospect of enjoying some fall foliage, we set off on an early November day to Bald Pate Mountain Preserve in South Bridgton.

The kids wore bright colored jackets and orange hats since we chose to hike on a Saturday afternoon during hunting season. The orange hats don't bother them nearly as much as the prospect of someone shooting a "cute little deer." My animal-loving children don't care much for hunting season and I'm always a little concerned about hiking at this time of year. But we didn't hear any shots or see any hunters the day we visited.

We took a direct route to the summit along the Bob Chase Trail and appreciated the wide, mostly graded, well-marked trail. It was about one mile from the trailhead with a steady incline that the kids managed well. I would gauge their ability and endurance at the intermediate hiking level now but with a couple of stops, most beginners and younger children could reach the summit without much difficulty. We did it in about 30 minutes.

Once we arrived at the summit, we tried to find an unobstructed view of the area. There were lots of trees at the top of Bald Pate Mountain and we couldn't find a clear spot, so we took a snack break.

While eating, we saw on the map that we could take the South Face Loop Trail that circled around the mountain at a little lower elevation. It turned out that we found a great view of the snow-capped Mt. Washington on that trail but never did find a better spot to see Sebago Lake. But the kids didn't care.

"OK mom, the lake is there through the trees. We can see it. It's far away. Now, can we go jump on the rocks again?"

So much for capturing their interest on the view for this hike. The large rocks and boulders were much more interesting. They started a rock jumping game similar to hopscotch and laughed and giggled all around the summit.

While the kids were playing, my husband and I made a notation that we had in fact found another place to see Sebago Lake. And after 30 minutes of watching the kids' rock jumping game, we pried them away to test our tree-identification skills.

We have been taking small steps with this project since I know nothing about trees. There are so many kinds that it felt a little overwhelming initially. But we narrowed our focus to four types of coniferous trees and it has worked out well. The kids have developed their own way to help remember each tree and offer these tips to help other kids:

White Pine - "There are five in a bunch and they are very long and soft." Red Spruce - "The needles are as flat as Flat Stanley. The needles grow up to the sky and they are sharp and hard. I don't like getting pricked by the needles." Balsam Fir - "They have longer, flatter needles than the eastern hemlock. Balsam fir trees are used for Christmas trees." Eastern Hemlock - "They have darker needles than the other pine trees and they have two white stripes underneath. They are short and flat."

We found plenty of eastern hemlock and white pine trees but didn't spot any balsam fir or red spruce on the one-mile stretch along the Bob Chase Trail where we looked for them. Even still, I was pleased we found at least a couple of trees we recognized. 

It was a rewarding day, having accomplished both of our goals. The bonus of the day was the pretty foliage, even with overcast skies. If you're planning on hiking to the top of Bald Pate to see a panoramic view of the area, you might be disappointed. But we found plenty of other things to see and enjoy on these well-marked trails.

Trip: Hiking Bald Pate Mountain
Nearest town: South Bridgton
Region: Western Lakes & Mountains
Length: 2-4 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation gain: 1,000 feet
Directions: Take Route 113 and turn onto Route 107. The trailhead is a about 7 miles from the intersection of routes 114 and 107. The trailhead sign is a little hard to spot on Route 107 when coming from the southern direction on the road until you have almost passed it because it's positioned at an angle that is easier to see from the other side of the road.
More: www.loonecholandtrust.org

Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram, November 27, 2005

It's snowing...

..and the kids are already outside. It's 7 a.m.

They grabbed shovels to clear out the driveway with the dusting of powder that was there.

We're helping mom, see?!

Yeah, like that will last....

Living vicariously

We haven't had time this past week to enjoy the outdoors much. The kids have been busy with school work and various other activities and I'm still getting over a cold.

But we have been living vicariously through our geocaching Travel Bugs (TB) in New Zealand, both of which have been quite active since being released last month.

Hiking Doggie looks like he's had the most fun, having gone to a wedding at Tongariro National Park on the northern island in New Zealand.

There are a couple of photos of the wedding at Tongariro and my daughters - being the quintessential girls that they are - were ecstatic with the photos of our TB with the flower girl and wedding cake.

What's really great is that both our New Zealand bugs, Annika and Hiking Doggie have been logged and photographed by geocachers there. The kids like getting the email notifications when one of our TBs has been picked up (or dropped off) to see if there's a new photo or story about their adventures.

My 7-year-old has been a little disappointed with her U.S.-released TB, Lilo The Swimmer. She was released in southern Maine in June and has only changed hands 4 times. Lilo was placed in a remote cache in Northern Maine (in July) and has yet to be picked up again.

Ronny has seen a little more action with stops in New York and Vermont and has changed hands a number of times during his 5 months on the road.

I love the TBs because even when we can't get outdoors, we can still enjoy mapping our travel bugs' adventures around the globe.

How much will our winter sports gear cost us this year?

Earlier this week the kids and I delved into the basement storage closet to dig out the winter sports gear. I thought it was time to figure out what fits - and what doesn't - for this fast-approaching cold-weather season. And see if we couldn't clean out the closet while we were at it.

DOWNHILL BOOTS AND SKIS
We have 6 pairs of downhill ski boots, in various sizes, accumulated over the year from yard sales, thrift shops and friends. I was relieved to find that the space required to store all the boots was worth it. Both kids have boots that fit their feet and ski bindings.

Score: 2 for 2 on both boots and downhill skis. A huge savings for us this year.

ICE SKATES
We moved on to the ice skate box that had 8 pairs of skates (from those same yard sales and friends) but luck wasn't on my side. We found skates to fit my 7-year-old but none for my 9-year-old.

Score: 1 for 2 but a friend thinks she has the size we need.

HELMETS
As I was sifting through skates that were too small for both my kids and making plans to give them away, my 9-year-old tried on her downhill ski helmet and reported that it didn't fit. It should have occurred to me that this might happen but I didn't even think about scanning yard sales this summer for new helmets. Bummer.

Score: 1 for 2. Definitely need to spend the money for a new helmet, probably about $40 on sale.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIS
Our final winter sports gear fitting included measuring the kids' feet and height for cross-country skis. The kids participate in the Healthy Hometowns program run through Pineland Farms. It's a non-profit organization that offers cross country ski rentals to Maine kids 5-18 years old for $45 for the entire winter. This is the second year the kids are participating in a Healthy Hometowns group (kids participate in a weekly ski group in order to use the rental program). We had a great time last year and I love the fact at least one of our winter sports doesn't require year-round storage (although my husband and I have, and store, our own cross country gear).

Score: $90 for skis, boots and poles for the season for both kids.

SLEDS
These would be the items that fall out of the closet every time it's opened. The skis and boards hang on racks in the closet but we have yet to find a way to hang the various, odd-shaped sleds.

Score: "No! You can't get rid of any sleds mommy!" Mom is out-voted - sleds will continue to fall out of closet for another year.

For our active family, this year's winter gear costs are pretty low compared to what we have had to pay in past years. Tracking down used gear over the summer and making storage space for it was definitely well worth the effort.

Now we just have to save our pennies for the lift tickets....

What a day!

It's 66 degrees and the sun is out.

It's an ideal fall day in Maine. Even our chickens are smiling.