Cape Cod Memories

We had the kids attempt to do a pyramid at Coast Guard Beach. . .clearly Gavin wasn't too happy with being on the top. We had a great lobster feast one night and had more than we could possibly eat. Kayaking on Cape Cod Bay was a lot of fun and Megan and Dan figured out the best way to stay cool was to flip the kayak. Several obligatory trips were made to Liam's on Nauset Town Beach for arguably the best onion rings ever. Finally, on our way back to the airport we were able to stop at Mystic Seaport where we met Jeannie, who was there on duty for the Coast Guard.

Nantucket Time!

We are on the ferry (Wi-Fi in the Atlantic Ocean is officially awesome) back to "America" right now. We had a great day of beaching it and bike riding around the island. Erin was a wonderful tour guide full of information. Here are some quick pics!

Here is the group on the ferry out to Nantucket. It was a two hour ride out there, but we did have free Wi-Fi so the time passed quickly. We caught the 7:30am ferry so we beat all the crowds.

Here is the light house on the way into the harbor on the island. Erin was there to greet us as we pulled up to the dock. She was the best tour guide we could have asked for. We loved her island home!

Speaking of Erin's house, here it is. We got to meet some of Erin's roomies and see where she rests her head. We picked up erin's bike and took off to go and rent 4 more.

This is a Finlay family pic taken at Sconset beach on the other end of the island. Thanks to Bill and Erin for snapping these.

Es-Cape

Well we are all here on Cape Cod now. It is great to all be out here together and enjoying the wonderful weather. We went clamming today and came home with quite a catch. It should provide us with chowder for the whole week and with a few bake-stuffed clams to spare! There are 4 generations of Finlay's here so it is really a time to celebrate. More pictures will follow in the days to come.

New Pics of Roots

Here are a couple of pics that Megan had taken of Rooter a few weeks ago. I really don't like taken pictures at a studio (pictures taken three weeks ago and we just are getting them today?), but I must say she doesn't take a bad picture. We have plenty of other pictures to post and will get to those in a day or two. The most recent are of Rooter putting her feet in Lake Michigan!

Back Home in Indiana(polis)

Alana and I took a trip back to Indianapolis for the National League of Cities Board of Directors meeting. The mayor of Indianapolis hosted us as he is the President of the National League. The first night we had dinner at the Super Bowl Champs Colts complex. Alana is shown here with Blue, the Colts mascot, and the Lombardi trophy. One of the players was at the dinner and let her try on his Super Bowl ring. . . bling, bling. The next night we spent at the Indy 500 track and got to take a trip around the track at 130 mph in a pace car. I wasn't afraid until the driver got within 6 inches of the wall at that speed (he had driven in 6 Indy 500's so he knew the track fairly well). The final picture is of the Mayor of Indy (center in blue shirt) with some of us at the Allison Krauss concert at the open air concert venue on the White River. Those all were the night time activities, but during the day we got a lot of work done.

Rollin' Rooter

This week we (meaning Brielle) received a super fun gift. It is a jogger stroller that also converts (in about 1 minute) to a bike trailer. After dinner tonight we took it out on its maiden voyage to Hawk Island Park. Since it is a two seater there is plenty of room for Rooter in her car sear (which we have to use in there until she gets a little older). It was fun to be able to take Rooter with us for change. Megan hasn't been on a bike for about 9 months so this was a treat for her as well. Here are a pics and a video! Enjoy.

May She Rest In Peace

Honey "Bunches" gave our family much joy and pleasure during the 15 years that she lived with us. Today is a sad day for our family as Helen and Dan had to put Honey to sleep because of a large tumor at the base of her tongue which was causing her much discomfort, in addition to other ailments. We are so grateful for the wonderful years that we had with her. Honey will be missed by all, including our two cats. "Bunches was a GOOD dog"!

Pictures by the lake

When James and Megster were out visiting for the veterinary conference in Anaheim, we had professional photos taken by the lake at Megan and Danny's place. Here are decidedly unprofessional pictures that we took in addition to the others.

4th of July... Going Nuts!

This 4th of July was a really fun one. We spent most of the day just hanging out with each other and playing with Brielle. We did some cleaning of the kitchen (ovens can get really dirty!) and made White Chocolate Fudge Torte. Later that day we had dinner at the Christensen's house (see picture below) and then were off to the Lansing Lugnuts baseball game. We had a great time and enjoyed our time outside. The evening was topped off with two firework shows. Happy Birthday America!

News from Nantucket and New London

Dan and Helen took a trip to visit our "East Coast" daughters over the weekend. Since Erin had just moved to Nantucket Island the week before, it gave us an opportunity to bring some much needed groceries and other supplies, including a bicycle for exploring. Nantucket is a beautiful, quaint and picturesque island about a 2 hour ferry ride from Hyannis. Erin enjoys the other interns at the Whaling Museum and has easily adapted to her summer home. The first picture is Erin standing in front of the Whaling Museum, which has some wonderful, informative exhibits. Next is Erin standing on the beach at the harbor. After Nantucket, we drove to New London to see Jeannie and some of her other classmates as they are the cadre that help indoctrinate the new "swabs" into the summer program at the Coast Guard Academy. It is amazing to see the growth and maturity that Jeannie has gone through in two years since she was a "swab" herself. We miss you both but we know you are enjoying your summer activities.