the flora

In what seems to be my usual way of blogging of late, I loaded these pictures a couple weeks ago and am finally adding some text!  For those of you that have followed us since blog day one, you may recall there was a new and hopefully interesting adventure posted nearly everyday - my things have changed haven't they!  I knew when we started our volunteer position that the posts wouldn't be as interesting or as frequent but jeeesh louise, this isn't good!

Anyway, one of our tasks a few weeks back was to walk the trail to and along the gorge and pick up rubbish (hikers and campers in these parts are very very conscientious of litter so there was very little to pick up!).

The gorgeous swimming area at the bottom of the gorge.  Sir Arlo would LOVE to swim down here and the walk down and back would certainly be some good exercise for him (as it was for us).

Along the way, of course we passed lots of mushrooms (since it rarely stops raining here there is a plethora of fungi) and flowers

A "Jack-in-the-pulpit"

And a "lady's slipper"

and a man and his dog!

Last weekend was the annual Quechee Balloon Festival - I got some great photos - even a couple of the balloons over the gorge.  I think that I want to add "balloon chaser" to my bucket list.

Stay tuned ...

oh yes we are

HERE in Kwee Chee (aka Quechee)

Himself even has a golf cart (on occasion) to peruse his digs (as in we have a golf cart to use to do our "tasks" as well as our "rounds" a few nights a week) which concerns me - if we owned one how would we "enhance" it ....  oh what would himself, Mister "Gadget Man" do?

Our site is HUGE and I am trying to make it into one with a couple of enjoyable garden spaces -  we even have a few hummingbirds (such interesting creatures they are to me ...Sir Arlo is in charge of counting them each day)

a poor and dark shot above but trying to show the size of our space ...

as always, stay tuned ... photos for a post loaded a week ago, this one is, however, just to let anyone know we are alive and well in the land of Vermont's "grand canyon" (trust me I did NOT coin that phrase .... it is beautiful and all, but ...)

so, as the saying goes, stay tuned.....

just a ducky small town

A perfect small town America scenario.  A cool (60 ish degree) Sunday after what seemed like weeks of rain.  The community gathers to let the ducks out - at the Duck Race - an annual event here in New Boston, NH.  Until "researching" links for this post I had no idea what exactly the event was about other than a couple thousand rubber ducks (as many of you know, since Rick and I were married on a "Duck Boat" in Boston, I have a love of all things yellow duck like!).  I digress ... the duck race in New Boston is actually a benefit sponsored by the Community Church there in memory of a young man who passed away a few years ago - what a wonderful way to remember him.

Not only is the event about the ducks, it is about a community coming together 

with thousands of ducks in the bucket of a bucket loader

and precious Princess' sitting on the edge of said bucket

as well as face painting

and games for small children

including a fishing derby (her first I'm sure) oh T-T those aren't fish she is fishing for, they are, of course, ducks!  Silly T-T!

and finally it's time - the big event .... the bucket loader of ducks is on their way, with Police escort, mind you, to be put in the river about a mile down the road for their race!

 about 15 or 20 minutes later the first of them round the bend in the river

some get caught on the curves (yes, after the race is completed, someone comes along and gathers all those that made stops along the way!!)

Some travel in large groups ...

After the race is completed and the winners are announce and the prizes awarded, the booths packed up, the ducks bagged up and put away for next year, it is time to go to the playground

and practice climbing

and seeing if the old folks still know how to have fun on the big kid swings!  Yes, we still know how!

Now, since I have been so, shall we say lax about blogging .... here is a brief update.

We arrived at our volunteer position here at the Quechee State Park on May 23 and have been trying to adjust to it - not a difficult adjustment but an adjustment, the worst of which is that we have to "work" every weekend (not so good, in fact not good at all - we'd much rather be with our families when they are off for the weekend ...)

stay tuned for pictures and details of this chapter in our lives ...

trying to settle in

I will I will I will do a post soon - I PROMISE.  I loaded pictures some days ago and just haven't gotten to the text.

We are (well I am trying, Rick seems to be able to more easily) settling in to our volunteer/host position.

Be assured we are alive and well (and Marsha, we are no longer in Africa without electricity).