Bak too Skool...

This past weekend we got Stacy ready for the start of school! If you haven't yet heard, she's heading back to get her teaching certificate at Husson University in Bangor. There's something about back-to-school shopping that makes you feel like a kid again!

In just two years, Stacy could be (gasp) shaping young minds!

Road Trip!

Given that it had been since last October that we saw our friend Matt, we (Stacy, Eric, Brian and Melissa) decided to take a little road trip to visit him in his home state of Connecticut. We were having too much fun to remember to take pictures, but we did manage to take a few...

Matt showed us around his office, the Hartford Courant. Somehow he lucked out and was assigned the desk under the largest flat-screen TV in the newsroom. I'm sure that helps with his productivity!

The Courant recently merged with a local TV news station so we got an up-close and personal tour of the set, too. Here, Brian predicts the day's weather...

Stacy and Brian chat about the local news...

For lunch, we ate at Harry's pizza. We figured we'd split two large pizzas among the five of us. Then we saw how big a large was...

It almost more than Melissa could handle! (That's what Brian said!)

Before we left, we wanted to make sure to get a group photo. It took us 20 minutes and as many shots to get this gem...clearly Brian was having the time of his life!

We had an awesome time catching up with Matt and exploring West Hartford. We hope to make it back soon!

Welcome Guests

Last month, our friends Brett and Megan, as well as their two daughters, Hannah and Josie, came up for a quick visit. While the boys hit some golf balls around the yard and played "corn hole," the girls played with everything from puzzles and balls to bubbles and chalk. It was a fantastic visit, aside from the unexplained fire alarm that went off at 4 a.m. and scared us all half to death!

Hannah, 3


















Josie, 9 mos.

We love company and were glad they took the time to stop by and see us!

A Pleasant Surprise

Tired of the added heat and weight of her long hair, Stacy decided to chop a good amount of it off. She gave Eric a warning that it was coming, but didn't tell him when. One evening last week, he walked in the house from work to discover that Stacy had gone through with it...and he loved it!

Your vote?

And then there was fire ...

It took exactly one year, but we finally finished our first "major" home improvement project ... a backyard fire pit.
The end result turned out great, but here's how we got there ...

First, we had to dig a hole.

We took turns digging until we reached a depth of about 8 inches (that's what she said).

Once the main hole was finished, we dug an additional hole in the middle another 6 inches deep to help with drainage.

Next, we filled in both holes with a layer of pea gravel, or small rocks.

We used sand for the last layer and leveled it off before placing our first row of stone pavers.

We built two more layers of stone, leaving a small opening for easy access (again, that's what she said).

Ta da ... Our finished product!

The next night, we invited Stacy's brother Scott over for the inaugural fire. He showed Stacy the best technique for starting a blaze.

Sure enough, it worked! We made fire!!

Thanks for imparting your Boy Scout skills Scott!

No campfire is complete without s'mores ...

... right, Eric?

In typical Alexander sibling fashion, they couldn't pose for a serious photo :)

It's not much, but we're pretty proud of our handiwork! We hope you all get to come up and enjoy it with us sometime!

Saquish Beach 2010

In mid-July, we accompanied our former landlords, the Taylors, on a week-long vacation to a rustic cottage on Saquish Beach in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Stacy had joined them last year, but this time Eric got to go along. It was a great week with good weather and good company!

Here is our "private" beach at high tide.

At low tide, we went for a walk along the mud flats looking for treasures. Stacy insisted on wearing flip flops because she didn't like the mud on her feet, but it turned out to be a bad move ... they kept kicking up mud at her!

Gilman, the youngest Taylor at 4.5, was a good sport until the walk back when he kept getting stuck in the mud. Eric had to carry him the rest of the way.

Peter, 11, was all about looking for creatures that weren't quite dead yet, which creeped Stacy out. Here, he's holding a horseshoe crab by its tail.

We spent most of our time down on the beach. Max, 17, enjoyed a little light reading when he wasn't testing the water.

Eric took advantage of some quiet time to read as well ...

.. when he wasn't serenading beach-goers with his guitar!

At low tide, Stacy enjoyed looking for sea glass. She found quite a bit, but not as much colored glass as she would have hoped.

The beach seemed to stretch for miles and was never that busy, even during some really hot days. It was nice to get away from our TV, laptops, cell phones and jobs for a week.

The Russells Go to Baxter

For Fourth of July weekend, we went to Baxter State Park with Eric's mom, Sandy, and his brother, Brian and girlfriend Becky. The trip was a Christmas gift from Sandy that we had been waiting for all year.
We left Saturday morning and couldn't check into our campsite until the afternoon ... so, we did a warm-up hike to Katahdin Stream Falls. Although beautiful, it wasn't on the same level as the waterfalls we saw a few months ago at Yosemite National Park.

After a quick swim at a nearby pond, we had a laid-back afternoon at the campsite and an early bedtime. The next morning, at about 6:30, we embarked on our quest to summit Mt. Katahdin.

Since we both wore matching red bandanas, we called ourselves Team Bandana!

The first leg of the hike up Katahdin was the Chimney Pond Trail from our campsite at Roaring Brook. Stacy still had a smile on her face in this picture, so it must have been early in the ascent :)

And here we are at Chimney Pond, which was about 3.2 miles from Roaring Brook and 1,400 feet up! This is where Sandy, Brian and Becky left us.

Chimney Pond offered a nice view of the Katahdin peaks.

We left Chimney Pond and ascended Katahdin via the Cathedral Trail. We knew there would be some bouldering, but it was essentially 1.7 miles and more than 2,000 vertical feet of scrambling. It was challenging and nerve-racking but made for an exciting climb.
Here, Stacy follows the blue trail markers.

The last stretch of the ascent was littered with smaller, loose rocks that moved every time you stepped. With diminished energy, we worried about turning an ankle and not making it to the top ...

... But, WE MADE IT!!! 5,267 feet. The highest point in all of Maine. It was a great way to celebrate our nation's birthday.

Looking down from Baxter Peak, you can see Chimney Pond. It was hard to believe just a few hours before we were standing at the edge of that small body of water.

The one thing we didn't do that we wanted to was Knife Edge, which connects Baxter Peak to Pamola Peak about 1 mile away. When we reached the summit, we were a little behind schedule and there was threat of thundershowers, so we decided to play it safe. Eric did go out a little ways to pose for a picture, but that's as far as we went. Maybe next time?

Like most trips, our time at Baxter was too short. But we had good company, good food and an unforgettable hike.