Outdoorsy Evening

Monday, July 26th arrived with a much needed break from the >90° temps and atrocious humidity of the previous few weeks. Not wanting to squander the opportunity, not only did we eat dinner out on the deck, but we also finally whipped out the tiki torches and fire pit that I had gotten for my birthday and had some great family time out in the back yard...

Ocean City Weekend

The weekend of July 23rd, Mom and I headed south with the kids in tow to spend the weekend with Nana and Poppop at their place in Ocean City, MD. In the infamous words of Buster Poindexter, the weekend was 'Hot, hot, hot.'

We spent the daylight hours of both Saturday and Sunday on the beach. This despite the heat index being over 100°. With a land breeze offering no relief, most of our time was spent in the water...which wasn't a bad thing.

The evenings were notably cooler. So Friday night we spent wandering about the boardwalk, playing skee-ball, eating ice cream, and being serenaded by the sounds of Star Wars music on bagpipes. Saturday evening, after a fantastic meal at The Embers buffet, we headed over to the Jolly Roger amusement park to put the kids on some rides.

A huge thank you goes out to Nana and Poppop. We had a great time, you guys...

Independence Day 2010

There was a time for Mom and I when the idea of going to the beach for a holiday weekend was avoided like the plague or shopping on Black Friday. This is apparently no longer the case as we once again took advantage of a long holiday weekend, Independence Day this time, and headed to the Delaware beaches.

The usual sun, sand, and surf aside, one of the highlights of the weekend was our quest to see fireworks on Sunday evening. Earlier in the day we had learned that Towers Beach would be open after sunset for viewing of the Rehoboth Beach fireworks. While we thought Rehoboth might be a bit far off of Towers to really enjoy the show, we concluded this to be a better option over trying to exit Rehoboth amid several thousand other spectators when the show ended. So as the sun began to set, we climbed in the van and headed to Towers Beach.

Once we arrived, we made our way to the water's edge then wandered northward towards Dewey, hoping to get just a bit closer to the show. And what a show we had. Not only were we able to see Rehoboth's fireworks to the north, but Bethany's (we think) to the south as well as Cape May's to the east.

On top of that, we bore witness to what we think was a private fireworks show near some of the hifalutin homes in Dewey. This wasn't some guy who picked up a few bottle rockets in VA and was shooting them off one at a time; this was a well funded show that started before and kept running clear through and past Rehoboth's show.

All in all, kicking back in the sand under a star filled sky surrounded family and fireworks was an amazing way to spend Independence Day.

Against all Odds: A Tale of Two Birdies

A few weeks ago, a mom-to-be robin made a nest in a Redbud tree only a few feet from our back deck. Watching her care for her eggs, we saw a great learning opportunity for the kids. But alas, the lessons we learn are not always pleasant.

Trouble began Thursday, June 24th, when a really bad storm blew through our area. With hurricane force winds and hail, there were reports of major damage all about the area. So, when I got home from work, after confirming our home to be OK, I looked out our back door to check on the nest. And I couldn't see it.

Once outside, my fears were confirmed: I found the nest dislodged and on the ground. But more over, I found 2 newly hatched babies along with it. On the bright side, they were both still alive and Momma Robin was still in the area. Quite upset, understandably, but still present.

Mom and I worked quickly to carefully scoop the hatchlings up and place them back in the nest. Once in the nest, I ascended a ladder and placed the nest back in the same crook of the same branch from whence it came. Momma Robin soon returned with food in beak and began the ceaseless job of feeding her rescued brood.

And all seemed right with the world. Briefly.

A week later, Abby found a lifeless robin out near the garage, the victim of a cat attack. Fearing the worst, we watched the nest hoping it wasn't Momma Robin. But as the day wore on, it became clear; she wasn't coming back.


Unsure of what to do, and having a personal investment in these 2 little birds, we called the local Bird Rescue, wondering if we should bring them in. The Rescue workers informed us that the father robin, whom we hadn't seen to this point, should take over caring for the babies. So we watched and waited. Eventually, another robin did appear in the area. He seemed protective of the nest when we approached, but wasn't going to it himself. So we waited some more.

The next morning, I spied him standing atop the nest, food in beak, feeding the little ones, just as the Bird Rescue said he would. He was no mother; he never sat on the nest to keep the babies warm at night, but he worked as hard as he could through the day, flying to and fro, bring food and cleaning the nest.

Then, just as quickly as it started, it was over. After only 2 weeks, the hatchlings became fledglings and moved on.

So, I guess Mom and I are now empty-nesters...