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| Mohican Cliffs - Block Island |
Anna had a great summer full of sun, friends, field trips, and vacation. Of course she also got to hear the recurring line from her parents: "When I was your age, I NEVER got to do that!" The grand finale for the Fagella family this year was a relaxing week on beautiful Block Island. This was definitely a trip of discovery on several fronts.
The first discovery was that leaving at 10 AM on a Saturday in August to drive I-95 north is NOT a good idea. We discovered many quaint towns along the way while trying to find an alternative to I-95 (Havre de Grace, MD - very nice). After 9 hours of traveling, we discovered that there were no diners in Westchester County New York for dinner, so we opted to drive closer to Connecticut. After finally making it to Connecticut, Theresa and Anna were happy to discover there was a Dunkin Doughnuts on virtually every corner, which proved very important the next morning.
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| Mystic Seaport |
Since our ferry to Block Island was not until 7 PM, we discovered that a stop in Mystic, Connecticut was worthwhile. We spent the day at the Mystic Seaport, which is a recreation of a 1700s/1800s fishing village. Anna had a great time exploring the town, building a model boat, and touring ships. She found the one-room school house particularly interesting and could not grasp the concept of all ages of kids in one room with one teacher. After a day in Mystic, we caught the ferry and headed to our vacation cottage on the island.
The week on Block Island was lovely with beautiful weather. We rented a small cottage at the back of a large house. Theresa quickly realized that native islanders were not particular friendly and really had no interest in small talk. Upon further reflection, it makes sense that if you live on an island you are not a particularly social person. Block Island has 1,000 year-round residents. It must get pretty quiet up there in the winter!
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| Block Island |
We discovered several beautiful beaches and hiking trails. While we found fishing spots, we did not catch any fish. Joe pledged to bring his snorkeling gear next trip as some men snorkeling off the beach were reporting striped bass swimming right by (we think the fish may have been waving at Joe). We did have what Theresa considers the best surf-fishing night ever after catching 3 lobsters - already cooked. This was the result of a wedding rehearsal lobster bake on the beach while Joe was surf casting. Timing is everything!
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| Lobster Catch - Already cooked |
There were many other activities for the week. Anna discovered how to boogie board. Theresa discovered her good friend Mari walking down the street in the shopping district (she just happened to be vacationing at the same time - what are the odds?). We went kayaking on the inlet, where Anna was able to practice her paddling. It took us all week before we found the local market -- complete with island prices. We learned that native islanders have their groceries delivered from the mainland (there is all sorts of things you need to think about to live on an island). We also found the farmer's market, which had only one stand of fruits and vegetables but numerous tables of homemade baked goods. Theresa and Anna enjoyed that trip immensely! The week concluded with a visit by Aunt Lucy, Terry, Luke and Andrew in which we discovered just how much food two teenage boys can eat (it was quite impressive). It was a great week and we look forward to returning.
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| Andrew the Sand Mermaid (w/ Luke & Andres) |
In addition to vacation, Anna enjoyed numerous other activities over the summer. She visited the National Zoo, where we at last got to see the pandas. We visited the Baltimore Aquarium where we met Theresa's good friend Rose and her family (Anna and Robin had a great time together). Anna also visited the Natural History Museum, the Reston Zoo, and the Water Mine water park with her daycare provider. In between, she hung out with the neighbors, sampled ice cream from various ice cream shops around town, and perfected her bike riding skills.She also spent a couple of weeks at an arts camp where she got to perform in a musical.
Anna will have lots of stories to tell about her summer when she returns to school. Next up - 2nd grade!
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| Baltimore Aquarium with Rose, Robin & Heather |
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| National Zoo |
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