A working, painting weekend

It was a working holiday weekend for the Almeida family without a whole lot of fun and games (although we did have good time at the alpaca farm's open house yesterday).

We have a long list of home improvement projects needing to be done this summer and at the top of the list (well my list, Fino's list is longer and much more complicated) was a porch make-over. If you recall, I am often on the losing end of my battle to keep the chickens off the porch.

The porch has been looking particularly bad lately with peeling paint and chicken poop stains all over it. Since we have large sliding doors in our kitchen with a view of the porch, I decided a few weeks ago I was tired of looking at the sad sight.

I solicited the girls' help with the project in hopes that they would have more incentive once the porch was looking good again to keep those darn chickens off it.

The kids were all smiles the first day of the porch painting project when we primed the floor and steps. The second day was a bit longer painting all the railings and they were anxious for it to be done (translation:  they were whining about finishing so they could go and play).

The kids really like outdoor carpeting so we bought some at the hardware store. They assured me the chickens were not going to ruin their new rug! I really hope my plan works...

On Fino's list of projects was building a new book shelf. Our house isn't that big and we have A LOT of books, magazines and random items piled up all over the place (we're all pack rats) so we decided a new bookshelf was needed to get us better organized. He finished building it today and we put a coat of primer on it.

And if all that painting wasn't enough, L. and I also painted a sign for our dance studio this weekend. She really enjoys painting and art (we've done a few for Schoolhouse Arts too) so we volunteer to make them when needed.

Painting large signs isn't all that hard with an overhead projector, basic tracing skills and the ability to paint in the lines.

Needless to say, as I write this the girls are getting ready to take showers to wash away the latex paint that covers most of their bodies at the moment. And I'm covered in my fair share too.

What did you do this long weekend?

10 reasons to raise chickens

10. They help you build upper-body strength by hauling their feed bags

9. They keep family activities interesting with their curiosity (but it's doubtful our chickens will get near diet coke again)

8. They help dispell myths about their abilities - like the fact that they really can fly

7. They give you eggs to eat, which can be more than you can handle sometimes

6. They eat any kind of left-overs, including gingerbread houses and ice cream cake

5. They are easy pets to take care of (my daughter takes exception to that in the winter when their water freezes)

4. You can play doctor on them and they don't really mind

3. They are pretty good actors with a little coaching (the next installment of the "Magical Leaf" will likely be out this summer)

2. They pick through the compost pile, which helps aerate and speed up the decomposing process

1. They love to eat ticks! - which are in abundance this year

The disco ducks

Well, I had to agree with the girls yesterday that the duck video they made was pretty funny. They recorded it the other day while the ducks were swimming in their little pool and dubbed it the "Disco Ducks" because the ducks "shake their booties all the time."

I think it could have been called, the "Funky Moves by L. and the Disco Ducks" because she's much funnier than the ducks.



The kids like to simply sit and watch our flock of chickens and ducks walk around (or swim). They find this highly entertaining and I too think they really are funny creatures to observe.

And since poultry is one of G.'s favorite subjects to photograph (the flying chicken photo was a keeper last year) she was at it again - but with the ducks this time. I guess they are the stars of her 4-H photography project this year.

And during the duck photo session, L. got laughing so hard doing her 'disco duck' moves she fell off her chair.

Well it certainly is an interesting way to spend an afternoon in the backyard.

Plugged in kids

It's been a busy week of nothing special, just keeping up with all our various activities. The kids downloaded some video of the ducks that they insist I share here once they edit it. We'll see how that turns out when I get home from the office later. G. just emailed me to tell me she was 'working' on the computer right now.

Actually, it's pretty funny to exchange emails with the girls while I'm at work. I started an email account for them a couple of months ago and both girls love it (they are 9 1/2 and 11 years old now). Of course I monitor what they're doing (I love Google mail's tools and the fact that multiple users can be logged on an account at the same time without a glitch) and send them emails periodically.

I often send them links to kid-friendly websites because:

a) They are disappointed if they don't have at least one new message each day b) If I don't suggest a new website to explore, they will play on Webkinz.com for hours and hours (not that the site's not good, it is, but I think a little variety once in a while is a good thing) c) They always email me back to tell me about it and I like that

I mentioned last week that L. had emailed me about getting scratched by the new ducks.

Today, G. emailed me about a website link (Math Cats) I sent her that can tell you exactly how old you are (from the months down to the seconds).

Dear mom we were on math cats. but i will tell you how old we were at home ok. math cat was cool. love g

And then there are the emails that L sends to her friends that she usually shares with me too. She tends to write more but usually forgets the punctuation. But hey, she spelled Amethyst correctly and she knows a lot about ducks so I won't worry about her too much.

we got two new duckings we don't know if they are boy or girl i think my sisters is a girl and mine is a boy but i gave it a girl name instead it is Gracie my sisters duck name is Amethyst do you know how to tell a girl and a boy duck apart? by there quacks i cant tell if mine is a girl i don't know which quack is a boy or girl  to tell if  the ducks are boy or girl (And no, we still aren't completely sure about the ducks' genders yet.)

But there has also been a fair amount of these type of emails from the girls recently.

Hi mom when you come home can I put a video on youtube?

Nope, they don't miss an opportunity to work things to their advantage; they figure out stuff pretty darn quick.

A mobile mother's day

Mother's Day was a lot of fun this year - I received a new bicycle and am thoroughly enjoying it!

When I got home from the office yesterday I received some special homemade cards from the girls - and Toddy.

The girls always make sure Toddy is included in the card-giving tradition. But he will likely spend the next week trying to get blue marker off his paw.

And then we attached the new bike rack (to go with the new bike) to the car to set off for the Mountain Division Trail. Since the girls only learned to ride a bike about 2 weeks ago (yeah, it's the first year they've seemed interested in learning), the trail was a little scary for them. And although I learned to ride a bike as a kid, I haven't owned one in over 15 years. Needless to say, the females of the family are not strong riders and the rocky, bumpy trail was a little stressful for us (not feeling in control going down hills with lots of rocks that move your wheels around). We decided to give it another try in a few weeks when we're more confident in our riding abilities.

The girls and I were being silly with a self-portrait on the trail.

Fino has a new bike too (an early Father's Day present) and was teasing me about being excited about my new bike. I thought he had similiar feelings about his bike but just wouldn't admit it.

Later in the afternoon, we set took a short ride to Grandpa's house together to show off our new bikes.

My dad gave me a basket for my bike and commented that he felt it was a bit odd to be buying his adult daughter a bike basket. I assured him it was just what I wanted.

L.'s bike has been around our house for years without anyone riding it until now. We found G.'s bike at Salvation Army for $10 this year and after a tune-up, it's a great bike for her.

Now the family is ready to explore some biking trails this year. If you have a favorite biking trek, let us know.

Duck education

The girls are working with our new ducks to make them more friendly than our last bunch. As you can see, this takes a lot of work.

Sun bathing by the duck 'pond' yesterday afternoon

Fino walked over while I was taking the picture to ask the girls about the towels the ducks were wrapped in.

"It's so they don't poop on us while we are teaching them to like us," G. replied.

Seems like the girls have put a lot of thought into the ducks' education so far.

The many uses of a sled

We have some new ducks this week and when we brought them home, the girls decided to use one of their winter sleds for a pool for them. This isn't too odd for us though, the girls' old sand box is used as a water trough in the main part of the coop.

The ducks were hatched by some students at Magdalen College and turned over to the older brother of the girls' friends.

And then we invited one of our neighbor's dogs (the friendly, well-behaved ones) over and Cody just loved the other sled.

Other duck news...
We were saddened - but not surprised - that our other ducks were 'lost' last week. They refused to go back into the coop at night and  after years of regularly chasing the ducks to get inside for their own good, we decided we'd had enough. It took about 2 weeks before one of the many predators in the woods behind our house finally caught them.

But now we have two new ones and the girls plan to "train" them (they think if they handle them more as ducklings, they will be "better listeners").


But I'm not sure I can say that's going so well. L. just emailed me to update me on something else she was doing and then wrote a "p.s." about the training.

p.s my duck scratched me again but it not as bad as the one yesterday.

The jury is still out about these new ducks.

Slip Slidin' through the years

Since it was so warm yesterday afternoon (and today!) the girls set up their new Slip 'n Slide. Every year we buy one (for $5 we're happy to have it last a single summer) and put it at the base of the swing set slide. Then the girls wet the slide and the Slip 'n Slide and have a ball.

How it works


And then I had a "mom moment" and had to track down the photos from the first summer we started this warm weather tradition - in 2002.

L. was 4 1/2 years old that summer and didn't like getting her face wet so she wore goggles. Hey, it worked for her at the time.

G. was 6 years old and a whole lot shorter.

I guess my peanuts (my nickname for kids that my little 3-year-old friend 'Mario' thinks is hysterically funny) really aren't peanuts anymore!

Learning about fiber arts with 4-H

The kids' 4-H club visited two farms this weekend to learn more about fiber arts.  The club met at one of the member's houses and while waiting for the rest of the group, G. spent some time with her friend's goats. But she learned that goats are tricky.

While G. was petting one goat, another was making a grab for her camera bag.

And it seems that G. has a knack for taking interesting photos of animals. I think because she loves them so much, she can capture a look or action that makes the pictures more fun.

The club's official first stop was at the Long Plains Alpacas farm in Buxton. The kids were invited to walk around the paddock with the alplacas and try to pet them. They were not aggressive, but a bit skittish and seemed to prefer the kids over adults. So with some extra patience, L. was able to get a animals interested in getting close to her (and of course the bribe helped).

Alpaca wool is really soft.

And G. didn't have any trouble getting close enough for some photos.

The young alpacas are sheared in early spring so their wool will grow back thicker in time for fall.

The farm also had a friendly goose.

If you're interested in learning more about alpacas, you can visit the Long Plains Alpacas farm during their Open House and Education Day on Sunday, May 27 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. For more information, visit their website: www.longplainsalpacas.com

The club went to Shearbrooke Farm in Standish next to learn about sheep and try their hand at carding wool.

Unwashed wool feels wet because it still has its lanolin.

Carding doesn't look hard until you start to do it. It's a labor-intensive - and time-consuming - process to get the wool to all go in the same direction on the carding brush.

And then G. was back to taking pictures of the animals.

See more of our photos in My.MaineToday.com
Long Plains AlpacasShearbrooke Farm

Have you been someplace interesting lately? Share your own field trip photos in My.MaineToday.com

Enjoying the blooms of spring

G. insisted we pull over to the side of the street so she could hop out and take a couple of pictures of this beautiful dogwood tree in bloom in downtown Portland yesterday.

Spring in Maine is a beautiful time to stop and smell the roses (or dogwood).

Mackworth Island update

The girls were really upset a couple of weeks ago when they heard that the trails at  Mackworth Island were "closed indefinitely" because of the Patriot's Day Nor'Easter.

So I emailed Portland Trails to see if they had any updates about the island's trail repairs.

Isabel Aley, Development and Outreach Associate for Portland Trails, emailed me back with some good news; the trail around the island is temporarily open!

An update about the trail was actually posted on the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf website (which I never thought to look at but now know to check in the future).

The walking path here on Mackworth Island has been re-opened temporarily.  The path is safe to walk but there are two areas of concern that will be addressed shortly by the Department of Conservation (DOC).  Dirt from the stone pier was washed away and until the DOC is able to bring in some new fill the pier will be blocked off from access.  Away from the path are trees that continue to litter the woods and plans are underway to contract with a professional forester to haul away and clean up the woods.  When this occurs the walking path will be closed for approximately 1-2 weeks.

Hopefully fairy house construction will resume soon as well.

If you visit the trail, take some pictures and share them on My.MaineToday.com.
Post your photosShare your stories about the island

The evil chicken and 'Quest for Magical Leaf'

The kids and their friend E. decided to make a movie yesterday. Like thousands of kids, they love YouTube and always seem to be planning their next video contribution to our channel.

The 'Quest for the Magical Leaf' was an interesting movie to make and I was vastly entertained by not only the kids, but their animal actors as well.

Here's the basic story line: An orphan girl Marie (played by L.) escapes the evil orphanage to find the magical leaf that will destroy the evil-doers at the orphange. But while searching for the leaf she runs into the evil chicken (voice of G.). Marie is saved from the evil chicken by Wilbeena (E.) and her magic fork. Then together Wilbeena and Marie continue the quest and find the leaf but have to get past the princess protecting it (played by G.) and the "kung fu master" (played by Toddy), which they do and everyone is happy in the end.

As one would guess, there were some interesting production issues to deal with while making this movie with our pets (and I was charged with recording with my digital camera but had little say on the plot or character happenings).

Here were some of the 'learnings':

Accomodate your actors. L. is learning to ride a bike (better late than never) and insisted it be in the movie. With much reluctance on E. and G.'s part, they agreed to have the beloved bike in every scene.

Trying to film a talking chicken without getting the handler's hands and/or body in the shot is not easy. I did my best but was told I needed to work on this skill in the future.

Being flexible and substituting actors when they prove uncooperative. A hen laying an egg had to fill in for the Evil King because the girls could not get their rooster to stay in one place long enough to film the scene. And several different chickens had to be used while filming because the kids could not keep track of the one they started out with (there was a lot of "flying" away and once the chicken did that, it was hard to track her down again).

Trying to get a chicken to curtsy is nearly impossible. But spreading its wings in a gesture of evil grandeure is much easier.

'Real life' can be helpful in getting your actors to show more emotion. There were no issues with flying insects (the kids were too busy having fun to notice) but the ticks were out. During filming L. spotted one crawling up E.'s back right at the moment that E. was doing her 'injury' scene. The look on L.'s face is one of genuine concern and a really great addition to the scene.

Heros do not need magical wands to defeat evil chickens; a kitchen fork will do just fine. And to the preteen actors, hysterically funny.

When your lead chicken doesn't fly away as originally planned, you change your dialog from, "I must fly away" to "I must fly, fly ... or walk ... away."

Kids that grow up with chickens don't say "cluck" to imitate their sound. They do a much more realistic, "bahgaaw."

You can't plan everything but sometimes things work out perfectly. Toddy meowed at a key moment when the princess handed over the leaf to the orphan. It was as if he was offering his own bit of dramatic skills with his reluctance at giving up the leaf.

Getting chickens to scatter in fear of the magical leaf proved harder than planned. The Almeida chickens simply aren't scared of the kids and therefore strut - more than run - away from them.

When the cameraperson says the movie has to stay short to adhere to YouTube guidelines, some compromises have to be made. Lines like "I've been sent by someone to get you there safely..." is used in favor of a longer explanation. Or having the princess argue with the orphan and Wilbeena that they can't take the leaf but then quickly agreeing to it. The consolation for the actors was the agreement of a sequel.

Out takes can be as funny as the actual movie when your actors forget their character's name, or a tick crawls up their back (the out takes are at the end of the movie).

The Movie: Quest for the Magical Leaf

Right between the eyes and a call for ideas

Yesterday afternoon I was driving our minivan with the windows rolled down and chatting with the kids about what a beautiful day it was. Then all of the sudden I was hit with something large and furry (yeah, I felt it) right between the eyes. Needless to say, it sacred the beejeezus out of me -- and when that happens, I scream. I simply can't help my natural reaction. I know, I'm such a female.

The kids started screaming after my initial distress because they saw what had hit me - a very large round flying insect. It was stunned for a minute on the floor of the van but then went airborn again trying to get back outside.

The girls were convinced it was some sort of bee out to get them and both started crying in ernest (being swarmed last fall is something neither of my girls have gotten over).

Meanwhile I tried to pull over to the side of the road so I could focus on getting the bug -- whatever it was -- out of the van while telling the girls to calm down. The thing flew out before I completely stopped and the girls immediately started yelling at me to shut all the windows.

It took about 5 minutes for them to get a grip on themselves and then L. asked in a teary voice, "Why did God make bees mommy?"

I explained about the whole flower and plant pollination thing but she wasn't convinced bees should really exist. Then she had an idea that we should move to a place that always has snow to avoid the issue.

So I have a query for all of you. How do I help my kids get over their immediate panic at flying insects? I've taken the reflective listening approach since it happened but with the onset of spring and start of bug season, I'm open to ideas ...

Kid Tracks Column: 4-H Trail Blazers plot storm damage at Wolfe's Neck Farm

A group of 4-Hers who signed up to participate in a trail mapping project in April at Wolfe's Neck Farm were cast in a much more important role after the Patriots Day Nor'Easter because they had a skill many adults do not have. They knew how to use a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit.

An opportunity to work on a Global Information System (GIS) mapping project at Wolfe's Neck Farm in Freeport came about through a grant from the Pine Tree 4-H Foundation that was sponsored by the Cumberland County Extension Office. The Trail Blazers project was to be a 3-day camp for 4-H youth to put GIS/GPS technology into practical application by making a new trail map for visitors and educators at the farm. My kids signed up and my husband and I volunteered to help.

But a few days before the Trail Blazers project was to begin, the Nor'Easter descended. The night before our first meeting, I received a call that there was extensive storm damage around the trails and that the farm was not allowing visitors the next day because they were without power and running water. But the project organizers believed all was not lost. The Trail Blazers simply had a new focus for their work at the farm the remaining two days - identify fallen trees and other hazards on the trail with their GPS units. With those waypoints plotted on a map, a clean-up crew would be able to prioritize and clear the trail more quickly.

ASSIGNING TASKS
Garbed in snow boots and snow pants to minimize the mess factor with the mud (shin deep in some places), the thirteen young Trail Blazers (with an average age of 11) were given a short walking tour of the trails by M.D. "Mitch" Mitchell, the Education Coordinator at the farm. Then Lisa Phelps, the Extension Educator for UMaine's Cooperative Extension in Cumberland County and organizer of the project, introduced the GPS (global positioning system) units to the group and reviewed how the group was to use them for the project. It took the kids about 10 minutes to learn to mark a waypoint and navigate through the screens on the unit to confirm their coordinates.

The Trail Blazers were assigned partners, one to manage a GPS unit and the other to record waypoint coordinates and the type of storm damage (mostly fallen trees) or trail feature (like bridges and outdoor classrooms). A few of the kids opted to clear the lighter brush and logs from the trails before two smaller work groups were formed and set out on the trail with adult volunteers assigned to help and keep them focused on their task.

FUN ALONG THE WAY
My 9-year-old was her typical spunky self while clearing brush and moving small logs with her dad while the older kids marked the waypoints. She spotted some lichen-covered branches and decided "lichen Lincoln" was the phrase of the day - and I mean the whole day.

Being in charge of clearing brush and moving small logs off the trail to make curbing, was not an unpleasant task for my 9-year-old. She decided it was the best way to scope out good branches to build a fairy house.
That kid is always thinking.

Our group of six girls opted to take a break on the trail so their youngest member could make her fairy house while the rest of them found their own fun balancing logs and playing with a small rotted log that moved "like Jell-O."

By the end of the first day the Trailblazers had marked waypoints of both storm damage and features for more than half the trail system at the farm. Anyone who saw the Trailblazers that day knew they had been busy; there was not one person - including adults - that was not covered in mud at least to their knees.

And although the trails at Wolfe's Neck Farm are only a couple of miles total, after the first day the kids were convinced they had "walked a million miles!" And in reality, walking the trails and backtracking several times throughout the day, they did walk more than a few miles.

DAY TWO
The tricky part of our second day at the farm was finding a section of the trail that we could not locate the previous day. There were several large trees fallen in the area that had the trail's blue blazes. Since there was not an accurate trail map - which was the reason for the project in the first place - we had to rely on general directions and some surveyors tape to find our way.

In the end it was a couple of younger kids who spotted the blue blazes in the distance that confirmed the actual trail through the fallen trees. There were a lot of proud young faces returning to the trail head for lunch after completing that task. But it was a fallen tree on the Long Trail that would prove the most exciting of the day.

AN EXCITING DISCOVERY
Because there was still a lot of work to do on the second (and final) day, my husband and I tried to keep our group focused on their task with only the necessary water breaks. But then one of the girls made a discovery that required our full attention; she found a round lead ball hidden in the rings of a fallen tree. My husband believed it to be an old musket bullet and found three more inside the tree. A 12-year-old in our group tried to count the rings on the splintered tree to estimate the age of the ball but without a saw to smooth out the cut, it seemed an impossible task. The kids excitedly shared their find with the other Trail Blazers at the end of the day and turned over their treasure to the farm.

SATISFYING WORK
By the end of the second day the kids had managed to collect the data needed to plot the trail on a map (which was done by simply walking the trails and saving the track on the GPS unit) and had marked all the serious storm damage. All the data for the second map that identified bridges, outdoor classrooms and other features was collected as well. Two of the older teens assisted the project's coordinator, Lisa Phelps, with entering the waypoints on the map. After many long hours, the comprehensive storm damage map was printed later that night.

The next day the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club volunteers were given the Trail Blazers' storm damage map and started their work.

My family went back to the farm a few days later to hide the Trail Blazer's geocache and my kids were both surprised and thrilled that so many of the trees that they had crawled under or climbed over for two days were gone. That's when the reality of the work that they had done had really hit home.

So when your child picks up an electronic device and asks to use it, you might want to let them. You never know when a 21st century kid's general knowledge of gadgets will make a real difference in their community.

GET INVOLVED

National Trails Day is June 2 and volunteers are needed for trail work projects around the state. For information about National Trails Day, and to find a project near you, go to: tinyurl.com/ypxde7.

 
MAINE 4-H
To learn more about 4-H in Maine go to: www.maine4h.umaine.edu
 
WOLFE'S NECK FARM
More about wolfesneckfarm.org

TRAIL BLAZER'S GEOCACHE
Check out the Trail Blazers geocache at Wolfe's Neck Farm. Get coordinates to the box

Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram, May 2007

Kid Tracks Column: Two-wheeling along the bike path

Exploring a trail on two wheels was a new and exciting prospect for my kids. The thought of covering five miles through two towns in a single afternoon would have been less appealing to them on foot. But riding their bikes on a paved bike path for that distance made it sound like fun.

Earlier this spring my 9-year-old decided to learn to ride a bike. I'm not exactly sure what brought on her determination to learn but with her firecracker personality, it took only a few days to develop the skill. Her older sister, not wanting to feel left out, learned how to ride in short order as well.

Not long after, the kids became quite vocal about only being allowed to ride around the yard and driveway and that my husband and I should find some bikes to ride with them. Neither of us had ever been real keen on bikes since we both grew up in big urban cities with plenty of roadway hazards to be concerned about. But we decided we should help the kids explore their new found interest and teach them about riding safely. Within the week, we each acquired a bike to ride.

Not feeling my kids were steady enough to venture on to the roadways just yet, I solicited advice on my KidTracks blog (outdoors.mainetoday.com/children/kidtracks) about off-road bike paths that were paved. The Androscoggin River Bike Path in Brunswick was enthusiastically suggested and since we had never been there - and it wasn't too far away - we decided to give it a try.

ANDROSCOGGIN RIVER BIKE PATH
Equipped with snacks, water bottles, a picnic blanket and first aid kit nestled in our bike baskets, we set off on the bike path from the Brunswick trail head on Water Street.

The path was smooth without many hills and the bike lane (yeah, the bikes have a lane separate from the foot traffic and that was great) was wide enough to accommodate the girls' occasional swerving as they worked on their steering correction technique.

But after spending years encouraging the kids to look around and enjoy nature, I found that bit of parental advice caused a serious problem while bike riding. They spent too much time being distracted with the natural world and repeatedly forgot to look where they were going.

For instance, a lone caterpillar had wondered on to the paved bike path and my 9-year-old saw it and stopped short because she did not want run over it. Her abrupt stop had me jamming on my brakes to avoid running in to her. When I explained that it was important to signal to the riders behind you that you're planning to stop she heatedly replied, "I couldn't mom, I had to save her before anyone ran her over!"
Being a parent means navigating the messy world of double standards.

But this demonstrated one of the many reasons why I felt my kids were not yet ready for the roadway. Though the busy Route 1 traffic behind a guardrail and chain link fence on the path made for a good lesson on the volume, sound and speed of traffic.

We continued our ride after the caterpillar rescue and before we knew it, we had traveled the full 2.6 mile distance to the trail head in Topsham. We found a small pond brimming with croaking frogs so the kids parked their bikes and went over to take a closer look.

On the way back we found a great shady spot on the grass along the river for our picnic. We lingered after eating to review hand signals before heading back to the car.

The car ride home was full of chatter about how much fun the Brunswick path was and the anticipation of exploring the Portland Trails the next day.

It took a little extra planning on my part to map out a route on the Portland trails that avoided roadway bike lanes but still offered at least a 2-3 mile ride. I settled on a portion of the Back Cove that linked to the Eastern Prom trail because not only did it stay clear of the road, the parking at the Back Cove was easy and free.

BACK COVE/EASTERN PROM TRAILS
Although it is not paved, the Back Cove trail's stone dust was easy to ride on. The kids commented that there were more hills in Portland but nothing they had much trouble with. And although the sites were different than Brunswick, there was still lots too look at and distract them.

When we spotted the graffiti wall I suggested we walk our bikes past it so we could take a closer look at the designs. Then we stopped again to read a sign about the aeration process at the wastewater treatment plant. After seeing the roiling brown water, the kids opted to get back on their bikes. They were not as interested in lingering there.

Picnic benches were scattered around the East End Beach and we settled on one at the top of the hill overlooking the beach. The gross-out factor about the treatment plant was discussed before my 9-year-old pulled out her Bird Identiflyer to help her identify the bird songs we heard. That birding device never fails to entertain the kids and my 9-year-old is getting more accurate every day without the aid of the device.

We took a detour to Fort Allen Park to see the cannon before returning to the main trail and back to the car.
The kids really enjoyed both the Brunswick and Portland bike trails, not only because they were smooth and easy but because there was plenty to see along the way. And the pride they felt at the mileage they covered each afternoon was a real self-esteem boost too. For me, it was easy on the blood pressure. I think my novice bike riders will be ready for the roadway soon but I would not be too disappointed if they wanted to stick to the bike trails. They really were a lot of fun.

NEED TO KNOW

Trail name: Androscoggin River Bike Path
Nearest Town: Brunswick
Region: Mid-coast
Difficulty: Beginner
Mileage: 2.6 miles one way (not a looping trail)
Trail Head: We parked on the Brunswick trail head is at the end of Water Street, just past the Water Street Boat Landing
Bathrooms: Porta-Potty at Brunswick Trail head and one on trail
Other: Bike Path Website 
 
Trail name: Back Cove, Eastern Prom trails
Nearest Town: Portland
Region:Greater Portland
Difficulty: Beginner
Mileage: varies
Trail Head: We parked at the Back Cove trail head on Preble Street Extension.
Bathrooms: Porta-Potty at Back Cove trail head and bathrooms at East End Beach
Other: Portland Trails Website

Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram, May 2007