July 2019

Summer in Vermont is absolutely amazing. The weather is gorgeous, everything is green, and the outside beckons.

The kids and I enjoyed an impromptu weekday picnic at Lake Champlain.
Not a bad view for a picnic.
I had to strap her into the carrier to keep her from running straight to the water.
She didn’t care for it.

Our little town of Winooski holds an open-air concert in Rotary Park every Wednesday (Winooski Wednesdays, obviously) and we walked over most weeks after dinner to enjoy it.

Independence Day 2019 was celebrated with our new local friends, Ryan, Claudia, and their son, Andrew. They welcomed us to their home and we got to spend the day playing in the pool and grilling up some yummy food.

Shenks all gussied up in their patriotic colors.
Taking an after-dinner walk with Mr. Ryan to catch the sunset over Lake Champlain.
Sunlight sparkling on the lake.

As Ellie gets older, James seems to enjoy introducing her to things that he loves– like listening to music on his phone.

Ellie listening to the dulcet tones of Baby Shark…

Our family loves to hike and now we have a whole new state of trails to explore. This particular hike was in Little River State Park, which is not too far away and offered some great scenery.

Ellie gives coloring a try.
To welcome friends over for dinner, James jazzed up our silverware with place cards and napkins. Love that sweet heart!

Here in Vermont, we have added family bike rides into our weekend mix and one of our favorites is the Burlington Bike Path that runs along Lake Champlain for a bit.

Taking the pictures that yield this blog.
Bridge across where the Winooski River flows into Lake Champlain.

Our epic bike ride earned us some tasty beverages with a stop at Citizen Cider.

Chris chose one cool, refreshing cider..
Too many delicious choices for me, so I went with a flight.
Not drinking cider.
James made a rainbow tie-dyed shirt and put a PRIDE logo on it in support of LGBTQ rights.
Ellie wanted a turn wearing the rainbow shirt as well. Because rainbow.
Such a darling little thing, when she is sleeping…
She’s finally old enough to play Lego and he is thrilled– even if they are Duplo.
James spent a week at a STEM day-camp sponsored by the DoD on the Air National Guard base here. They got to use flight simulators and shoot off rockets. He loved it.

With a noticeable lack of alligators (I’m looking at you, Florida), swimming in lakes and ponds in Vermont is a fantastic activity for summer fun. We spent a lovely afternoon hanging out in Blueberry Lake.

Ellie is finding the joy in Lego, and looking so cute doing it.
Summer wildflowers in Vermont.
Sunset over the Winooski River.
She borrowed my hat to block the sun while she was reading.
James couldn’t wait to show off his “muscles” from every direction at the suit store.
Oh, the confidence of youth.
My sweet dog snuggles with his toy.
Date night!

One Response

Comments are closed.