Early Fall at Alta

A couple of weekends ago (before our east coast trip) Keith took the kids hiking at Alta. I was sick in bed for 4 days with a nasty stomach virus/ flu type of thing, so Keith was a big help. I'm sad that I missed it; it looks like it was a lovely early fall day. Before you know it that place will be covered in snow!

Cousins

Last weekend we spent two days with Chris, Lauren, Andie & our new niece Reagan. We spent one night at their new house in Newport, RI, and one night at their apartment on the campus of Tabor Academy. Luke and Andie picked right up where they left off last time, running around, laughing, and sticking together. They are like two peas in a pod...

 Anna wasn't exactly welcome in the 3 year old club, though she sure tried to tag along with the big kids!

Some how we didn't get a photo of baby Reagan, who--at 6 weeks old--slept like an angel for most of the time. It was great to spend time with them.

Nantucket

Last week Keith, the kids, and I spent 4 days on Nantucket, where we enjoyed beautiful sunny, crisp September weather and no crowds. We rented a *tiny* cottage on Brant Point...

And spent time on almost every Nantucket beach, making sand mounds (not castles, exactly)...

 Then stomping on them...

 Keith and the kids even caught a sunrise one day (they woke up at 5 am)...

We had lots of beach picnics (Anna didn't seem to mind that her hands were covered in sand as she continued to eat her peanut butter sandwich)...

 The kids rode in a double trailer to the beach at Madaket...

 They (especially Luke) must have run 10 miles on the beach...

One day we rented a Jeep and drove out over the sand to the remote eastern tip of the island...

Where we had another beach picnic sitting between a lighthouse and the water...

 The kids loved throwing rocks and shells into the water...

 And racing Keith down the beach...

And chasing sea gulls. Luke chased this one for a long time and long distance. He was seeking revenge for the bird, named Mugsy the Gull, who got away with Keith's entire cranberry muffin on our first morning on the island. I think this poor guy was just a friend of Mugsy.

What a beautiful place. We really enjoyed our family vacation on Nantucket.

New York

Sunday night we returned home after a wonderful 10-day trip to NYC, Nantucket, and Newport, RI. We started the trip with a long weekend in New York, where my parents explored the city with the kids, while Keith and I joined his whole family to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the FDNY Pipe & Drum band. Since Bill is a charter member of the band, it was a big night for him--playing on the field at CitiField (home of the Mets), making a speech during the formal dinner, and shaking lots of hands. It was a fun and really special night...

 The night after the gala, we visited the 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero, where we took in the fountains that sit on the footprints of the two World Trade Center towers. We saw names like Denis Germain and John Ginley, who were firefighters and very good friends of the Duffys. It was a moving experience. 

Overall, it was a fantastic weekend in NYC.