My girls, ages 2 and 3, promptly putting themselves to bed after their bath. They have the hotel routine down pat! :)

Our family likes to travel – road trips to be exact. We prefer to stay at the Marriott chain and have been able to achieve Gold status with them which means free upgrades. Under the Fairfield banner we are able to take advantage of roomsaver walk-in coupons while still accumulating points which is a plus. Our preference is Residence Inns as they have kitchenettes. We can prepare our own meals rather than rely on restaurant food all the time when on the road.

My only complaint is that if you leave anything behind, don’t expect to see them ever again. Twice now I have forgotten something at two Marriott hotels (one in Burlington, Vermont, the other in Halifax, Nova Scotia). In Burlington it was a brand new pair of pants I bought, tags still on…in Halifax it was the girls’ spring jackets. Despite contacting them right away and even telling them where to locate them in the room, their housekeeping swears they never saw them/recovered them. One of the jackets my mother had purchased for my oldest (my youngest was wearing at the time) it is worth nothing but has a lot of sentimental value as my mother purchased it (she is deceased). There’s customer service for you…it doesn’t exist anymore. I am just thankful we didn’t leave the laptop behind!

When in the Adirondacks for our anniversary, we stumbled upon this great little shop selling all kinds of flavored popcorn. It was your typical charming Lake Placid store with not only many yummy goods but fun camping gear to boot. It smelled delish in there!

We got a couple of small bags of both the cheddar and caramel flavors to munch on…and we immediately were hooked! We returned that evening to purchase a tin of this addictive snack from the Adirondack Popcorn company…call it a souvenir for our 5th wedding anniversary. :)

This weekend we traveled to New Hampshire to attend the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival, organized by the New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Growers Association.





It was a wonderful weekend, driving through rural New Hampshire while everything is turning green & new with spring bloom. The sky was dark with the threat of rain but Saturday the rain held off all day, and it was the perfect temperature to wander the fair grounds, checking out vendors, sheep & alpacas. The vendors were friendly and helpful, and besides my large haul of wool for felting, I also obtained a drop spindle and compact carders. Walking through the 4-H barn we were amused by the deafening sound of bleating sheep – their voices all slightly different. It was also sweet to see the children take care of their sheep, some with small beds within the stalls so they could constantly tend to the baby lambs. We day dreamed of someday owning a hobby farm & having sheep of our own…but we just don’t have the knowledge for such a venture at this time. :)




Our favorite alpaca – we loved his round head and how his shaggy wool covered his eyes…







We, like most of the attendees, blissfully carried large bags of wool to our vehicle. :)

I’m a bit behind on this post since there is now snow on the ground. Here are some shots from one of our many trips to Vermont. These taken in late November.







Photos from the Sand Bar National Waterfowl Management Area, Grande Isle.



It’s a great place for a pit stop!



What a one year old will do with a page of happy face stickers. :)



The girls love to spend the night in hotels. They are natural born travellers. We make a point to seek out rooms with kitchenettes – at least studios and even better one bedrooms. There are many deals to be had esp. in the US. We have several priority memberships with chains so that we have access to the good rates, and even free up grades when we check in. This pic is of bedtime story time.

While my dad & brother were here for a visit, we decided to check out the Eco-Museum in neighboring Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. After spending a wonderful afternoon there, we wondered what took us so long to go! We definitely would like to become friends of the zoo next year, and get a yearly family membership.





The animals who inhabit the Ecomuseum are all indigenous to the St. Lawrence Valley region, and are either rescued or would otherwise not survive in the wild.





What impressed us the most about the animals was how CONTENT they were…I don’t think we have ever visited a zoo where the animals looked so calm & happy. You can tell they are well taken care of and a great deal of thought goes into their man made habitat.



Besides the animals, a wonderful boardwalk encircles the park, which makes it an enjoyable place to go for a walk. Certain parts of the boardwalk truly make you feel one with nature (so yes, certain times of the year – you will want mosquito repellent. ;)).



The swamp for example, was so still & eerie with a healthy layer of green algae. You wonder how anything could live in it. Then, with curious observation you start to notice it is teeming with life!

We look forward to our next visit.

While away on our anniversary trip, we stopped into the New England Aquarium. Rick & I went four years ago, and not much has changed. That does not mean we were disappointed! It was nice to see the penguin exhibit again and the girls were fascinated by a giant sea turtle swimming around and around in the larger exhibit.



I wish I had taken more pictures, but the lighting was low and I was uncomfortable exposing the marine life to flashing bulbs. I have video from our first visit I should dig up and post…

All in all, we has a lovely morning there. The size is perfect for small children – enough to keep them interested but not too big that they grow tired half way through. Their cafeteria had tasty food and it was reasonably priced, much to our surprise.

While travelling, we like to look for parks to have picnic lunch when the weather is nice. It’s a great way to stretch and spend some time outdoors, plus I will take a natural setting over the plastic chairs and fluorescent lights of a “family friendly” restaurant any day.

After stopping in Derry, NH at Hood Park to eat, we found that it also contained a small beach and waterfront where several children were swimming. It may not be the ocan, but we enjoyed it just the same.

Minnows! That takes me back to childhood…

Sophie (age 2) has great timing when it comes to pottying.

“I ‘av to pee!” she chimes from the back seat. We are taking a leisurely drive from Burlington, Vermont to Manchester, New Hampshire where we will stop for the night. We look for a safe place to turn off…and it happens to be by this lovely covered bridge which is located in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. So she used the potette, & Rick took advantage of the beautiful photo op.