(double click for full size image)

Kara & Greg’s Year in Review 2010

January: After taking her first steps the previous Thanksgiving, Adalynne was steady on her feet and full on walking! Her abilities seemed to grow by the day and included: teeth brushing, rocking in a rocking chair, and an enhanced ability to reach things that had been moved out of reach. Also, Ada got really into Beyonce’s song “All the Single Ladies” and would perform her own little dance synched to the lyrics.

February: We had the good fortune to return to Maine with some friends from school for a ski and snowshoe weekend. It is always lots of fun to be in Maine, and Greg was able to revisit his old stomping ground at Sunday River (though due to a few inches of fresh wet snow, he reported that his legs tired of their “stomp” a little sooner than they used too!) One of the weekend highlights was the creation of a canoe luge course that involved steering a canoe down a steep and treacherous path- at night!

March: During our spring break, Kara led a travel abroad trip for twelve students to the Yucatan Peninsula. As one would expect, the Yucatan in March has beautiful weather and she enjoyed returning to many of the same areas that she knew from her studies during college. While the trip was exciting and rewarding in many ways, it was also tiring! Apparently traveling with twelve pre-teens isn’t the same as a “Junior Year Abroad”! All that aside, Ada (as well as Greg!) was thrilled to have her “Meme” home. It was the longest they had been apart in Ada’ whole life!

April: It was a mild winter in New England, and we were able to open up the Mancoon early in the month. It was this month that Ada fell in love with the rushing stream, and as the summer would eventually wear on she would spend hours looking at the frogs, minnows, dragonflies, and crayfish. Seeing her connection with our little piece of land has been one of the greatest reassurances that we “made the right decision” in purchasing it last year!

May: A month of good news and bad: The bad news was that we had to relocate Cappy to a new home in Maryland. After six years together it was crushing to relinquish her, but we felt some comfort knowing that, in addition to giving her to a good family, we had given her the best love and home that we could offer. The good news was that we found out that Kara was pregnant - due in the middle of February! Oh, wow…

June: School ended and we looked forward to the relaxed pace of summer! Kara lead off the season by going on a wild boar hunt (no joke)! She took a wild Russian boar that exceeded two hundred pounds, and we have been eating pork ever since! In seriousness, the hunt was part of a long exploration where Kara has been coming to terms with her relationship with the food she eats.

July: We spent lots of time at the Mancoon. Knowing that we had another one on the way and watching Ada move from walking to running, we decided to add on to our little cabin in the woods. We hired a local contractor to frame out an addition that nearly doubled the square footage. We were fortunate to have lots of visitors this summer and all were gracious about visiting while the land was a glorified work site! The upside is that next summer’s visitors will have a much larger place to stay in- still no indoor toilet though!

August: August was a month of bounty. We went wild blueberry picking on a local’s property near the Mancoon and picked forty one pounds of blue berries! Then, late in the summer, we collected a ridiculous amount of tomatoes from Kara’s plot in our community garden. We spent lots of time bagging, freezing, canning, and saucing.

September: School started up again and we both became immersed in the world of boarding school. Kara took on a new semi-administrative role (in addition to the same teaching load she had last year) as Class Dean of the Sixth Grade. The additional work was noticeable and, combined with a growing belly, made for many tired nights. One bright spot was the Junior Varsity soccer team that Greg’s coached had an undefeated season (without even a tie)!

October: Early in the month, we had the chance to go sailing off the coast of Maine with the Bates College Outing Club and Hurricane Island Outward Bound School. It was a great chance to reconnect with the organization as well as hang out with some current students and alums. The weather was clear, windy, and freezing cold! We ate, cooked, and slept under the stars on the little 30’ open pulling boats.

November: We were fortunate to spend every weekend this month up at the Mancoon. By the end of November it was getting into the teens at night and there were even a few dustings of snow! We stoked the wood stove and our little cabin did just fine at repelling the cold… until the fire died down in the middle of the night! Greg spent all available hours hunting for deer (without success!) and exploring the vast Maine woods. Despite coming up empty handed, he does feel like he learned more about the area and, of course, knows just the spot for next year!

December: As the year wraps up, our focus has been on the new baby. We have officially shifted into nesting mode once again, preparing our space for the new arrival, washing clothes, and digging out the bouncy chairs and swaddles that have been put away for the last two years!

Happy Holidays!

In the upcoming year, we hope you have the chance to laugh until you cry, eat until you are stuffed, and sleep until you wake up without an alarm!

~ Kara, Greg, & Adalynne

HTTP://BUGTENT.BLOGSPOT.COM