Cape Cod camping trip 9/21-9/25/16

Cape Cod Camping - September 21st- 25th 2016. On Thursday we went sight seeing - Millway Beach, Barnstable, MA. 

Made a quick stop at Cape Cod Beer Company before heading back to our campsite. 

We stayed at Bayview Campground (site #65) Bourne, MA. Nice campground with private oversized sites, a kids playground, swimming pool, dog park and convenient Cape Cod location.  

After getting back to our site we got a fire going and of course had to have some smores!

Grandma arrived on Friday and we decided to go on a whale watching tour. 

Such a fun trip and great experience with Hyannis Whale Watching Tours! 

We saw a lot of humpback whales during our trip to Stellwagen Bay. Often feeding in groups of five to nine whales at a time.

For dinner we fired up the grill for some fresh Atlantic Cod with lemon, pepper and onions, mango coconut shrimp and local corn on the cob. 

On Saturday we went up to Plymouth, MA. The Plymouth Plantation tells the story of two cultures: the native Wampanoag and the English colonists (Pilgrims)

Cheese! 

Mom and Stella walking thru a re-creation of a 1627 Pilgrim village. 

Role-players below tell stories and re-create the Pilgrims way of life in the seventh century. 

Below: Wampanoag homesite recreation from 1620. The Wampanoag were the only known natives that lived alongside the Pilgrims, teaching the English Colonists how to survive. 

Ancestors of the Wampanoag answer questions about native history and culture. 

Mayflower II is a replica of the original seventh century Mayflower, celebrated for transporting 135 Pilgrims to the New World. 

Built in England in 1955, the Mayflower II set sail from Plymouth, Devon, England on April 20th, 1957 recreating the orginal voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. 

Watch out for the pinchers! 

Apple pickin' 9/17/16

This weekend, we went apple picking at shelburne orchards in shelburne, VT.

They have 30 different varieties of apples but not all were ready yet. We ended up picking lots of Macintosh, Gala, and a few Honey Crisp.

We also taste-tested more than a few apples.

Stella was good at spotting the apples and enjoyed picking them from the trees.

We left we close to 20 lbs of apples and turned at least a few of those into an apple pie...

...A la mode...delicious!

Champlain Valley Fair

On Saturday before Labor Day, we went by the Champlain Valley Fair in Essex Junction, VT.

We made it just in time to see the pig races.

After the races, we went to the Old McDonald's Farm exhibit to see miniature horses, alpacas, swans, goats, ducks, and, Stella's favorite, the baby chicks.

We, of course, had to try out some of the fair food for lunch: bacon burger, fries, jerk chicken and frozen lemonade.

After lunch we headed over to see the K9s in flight.

Stella enjoyed playing with dad's hat while we waited for the dogs to jump.

She also enjoyed a fried Oreo on the way to the carousel.

Stella rode on her first ride all by herself and loved it. At first, the jerk of the ride starting startled her a bit but once it got going, she had a blast driving her sparkly teal sports car.

She rode the dinosaurs with daddy and went solo in the trucks

By this time, we were all in need of a nap so we called it a day. We all had a great time at the fair!