Boap, Boap

One highlight of our vacation was a visit from Tom and N. N thought the hardwood floors of the cabin were great - sure made pushing his trucks around really easy. The water was a great draw for him as well - especially if there was a "boap" (boat to the rest of us).

The first morning they were there N and I took a walk and quickly spotted a canoe whose passengers included a dog. This was of great interest to this dog loving little boy. By the time he'd been there a day he was an expert motorboat early warning system.

Another highlight of N's visit was his first high peaks hike. We tackled a portion of the Marcy Dam trail. N started in a back pack (he was just barely small enough to fit). It was a slightly gloomy afternoon with rain threatening. We stopped about half-way to have a snack. At that point the rain started in earnest and we decided to head back to the car. N, who Tom had taken out of the pack during our break, was adament that he was not going back into it. So we started back with N walking - and stomping in every puddle - some two or three times. At times it took all our persuasive efforts to convince him to leave one puddle for the next. He also insisted on climbing up and down every obstacle himself. He was especially fond of the bridges (which made his Daddy awfully nervous since the bridges along the trail don't have railings).

When the hike was finished Nick was one very happy and very filthy little boy. I'm not sure who was more excited about Nick's first hike - Nick or his proud Papa.

N was much less fond of the Rainbow Lake water - it was too cold for his liking. Amy thinks this shows that he is a very smart fellow. I think he'll come around when he gets a little older.

Day two of N and Tom's visit featured a drive up Whiteface and N's first (but probably not last) visit to the top of one of the High Peaks. He was not particulary happy to have to remain in the backpack, but did get a couple minutes of closely monitored freedom.

The trip down Whiteface resulted in a dead clutch on Tom's car - and led to an afternoon at the ice cream place in Wilmington. The good news is that we had shade, a place to sit, food, a bathroom and lots of trucks, dogs, trucks with boats, and people to watch. N just took this in as another part of the adventure.

The broken car meant a round trip to Albany for the Aunties so that the boys could get home. It was a long drive but traffic was light, and we were able to get back to the cabin that night.