Today the real golf begins. We rent clubs, a cart, and get an all day pass on the last three holes of the course. John, Mario, and Rory have all played before but for my family this was their first real “game”.  Nicolai continues to amaze us all with his abilities and based on his enthusiasm for the sport I am sure will go on to play for his entire life.

As if the day was not full enough, the kids spent the evening in the “Quarter Deck” candlepin bowling, playing pool and air hockey.

Every evening featured a spectacular sunset.

The kids are seated on the edge of a cliff which falls 30 feet to the sea. Only Sophia is missing from the shot.

Jeanine and Sophia relax on the porch before dinner.

Once they discovered the golf course the boys spent quite a bit of time working on their skills.

The red-tailed hawk can see ten times farther than a human.

This bard owl lost one of its wings in a collision with a car.

Later in the afternoon, we all attended a raptor presentation featuring birds that had been rescued and were unable to return to the wild.  This is possibly the cutest owl I have ever seen.

Mario and I took some time alone to explore the tide pools along the rocky shore.

It does not take long before Nicolai has organized a game of croquet with the younger children.

Nicolai hates his mother’s crutches and Kyle was kind and strong enough to carry him from the dockto the main lodge. Maya gets a ride from her uncle while Rory checks out the crutch situation for himself.

Peter really enjoyed talking to the kids and answering our questions. You could not help but admire his work ethic and simple life style. Here was a man who was happy with his work and living in harmony with his surroundings.

We eventually located the “Just ‘N Time” and came along side to talk with Peter, her skipper, about the life of a lobsterman.

Maya found warmth in the arms of her brother as all the kids huddled together. Thankfully, the temperature increased as the morning passed.

Mario came dressed for the weather and enjoyed all things related to the sea.

Mario and Nicolai did not believe us when we told them it would be cold on the water.

Naturally, the cooks in the family took great interest in the culinary history of the lobster which started out as a food fit for consumption only by prison inmates.

We learned a great deal about lobsters, which they call “bugs” in Maine and how they are captured. Captain Phillip shared with us many colorful stories about lobstermen in Maine who in many cases have descended from generations of lobstermen laying fierce claims to their preferred trap setting locations.

Despite some very groggy children we started the day with a trip abord the Ruth to learn all about lobstering. The ruth we discovered is the oldest continuously operated tour boat on the Eastern seaboard. Nicolai forgot his crutches which would have normally been a disaster. Fortuantely, Jeanine’s foot has recovered sufficiently for her to walk unassisted and we were able to adjust her crutches to fit Nicolai.

Mark and Alissa’s families stayed in the main lodge. Our family stayed in one of the cottages which I neglected to photograph despite taking over 2000 pictures over the course of our five day stay.

This week we are vacationing at the Sebasco Harbor Resort in Maine with my brother and sister Alissa and their families. Most of today was spent traveling here from Schenectady by way of Concord. Pictured here is the dining hall on the left featuring breath taking views of the harbor and on the right is one of the many guest accomodations called the lighthouse.

Last night after my parent’s anniversary celebration, I made the three hour drive back to Concord so that I would not miss our soccer season opener. During the game I went up for a header against their goalie, ultimately driving my head into his shoulder. I heard a deafening cracking sound and fell to the ground sure I had broken my neck. Two hours, 8 x-rays, and a back-board, neck-braced, ambulance ride later, I was released from Emerson hospital with nothing more than really sore neck muscles. My team stepped up and won the game 2-1 and I drove another 3 hours back to Schenectady to pick up Jeanine and the kids. No photos today, but I feel compelled to document the days events. Note to self: You can not take photos in the future if you are dead.

My parents with all of their children and grandchildren.

The party was my first opportunity to meet my newest niece, Sophia. She is nine months old and could not be any cuter.

Despite recent health issues, my parents are still dancing and doing it with style.

After the guests had arrived, my brother introduced my parents as they made their grand entrance.

I never miss an opportunity to get a family portrait when we have managed to get the kids into nice clothes. This one will be a serious contender for this year’s Christmas card.

Maya tests out the dance floor. Later in the evening, I would dance with her for the first time. It was one of those special moments I will never forget.

As part of the celebration, I put together a slide show which chronicled my parents life before and after their marriage. In all the photos I searched through, I was only able to find a single one of them kissing each other. I realized that Jeanine and I had no such photos and asked Nicolai to take one of his parents. For the record, Jeanine started giggling and this is not an example of our best technique. Also note the decoration Jeanine has applied to the Frankenboot which looked remarkably at home in the dignified atmosphere.

Maya and her grandmother go for a stroll on the campus of Union College before the party.