Tunxis Flotilla

This summer we hosted the Tunxis Flotilla.  A big group met in the middle of the lake to eat delicious appetizers and have a drink together.  Despite the stormy weather of the day, the sun came out just in time for the fun.

Fall is Falling

Dimitri

Almost 30 years ago, the Russell family hosted Dimitri for a year as their Foreign Exchange Student.  While we have stayed in touch with him over the years, this was the first time the entire family has gotten together at the lake.  We had a wonderful weekend during which we played in the water together, shared French and English words, and ate delicious meals together.  

We can't wait to get together with this beautiful family again soon!

After taking this pretty great photo of everyone, we wanted to share the contraption we built to take this family selfie.  Pretty cool, right?

Russell Cousins

What an awesome weekend with three of the Russell cousins and their families.  We hope to see them at the lake again next summer!

Best Friends

I am a lucky woman to call these two friends for the past twenty years!

Tunxis Camp Out

We didn't do any camping but we joined the group for dinner and s'mores, all the best parts!

Bears on the Road

On the way to camp we spied two baby bears playing on the road! 

Tunxis from the air!

Michael and I flew down to New Orleans for s conference and we flew past Noyes Pond. 

Love!

Aunt Hilly and Ripley love playing the matching game at Tunxis. 

Middle Eastern Dinner

we had an awesome turnout for our Middle Eastern Dinner at the Tunxis Club.  Not only was the house packed, but everyone loved the food...especially the cookies made by a Syrian refugee living in New York.

Tunxis Adventure Week: Preschool Program

This was the second year of Tunxis Adventure Week and the first year for the preschool program.  I was thrilled to plan activities for the under 5 Tunxis kids so that they would feel part of the experience.  We had three campers, including Ripley, and we had a ton of fun this week.

We colored farm animal masks.

And we made tons of bubbles.

A Giant Spider - eek!

Look what we found on the Russell dock at the lake!  Yikes!

Hiking

This year, we thought Ripley was finally old enough to hike all around the lake on his own.  Both boys did a great job on the hike.

View of Noyes pond.

The boys on a rock!

The boys on an even bigger rock!

Silly family selfie!

Lottie Love

We had such an amazing weekend with the Brennan family.  While the boys love spending time with their cousins, they also love Lottie!

Hiking with Ripley

We had a super fun mini-hike with our little monkey and two crazy dogs!

Devon, Audrey and Liam

We were so lucky to have Devon Walterscheid and her two children, Audrey and Liam, visit us this summer.  We lived in Longmeadow, MA together and were lucky enough to meet through the Junior League of Springfield.  

It was such a joy to spend a few days with Devon, Audrey (who is just a little younger than Teddy), and Liam (who we have only met once right after he was first born).  

Ryan and Adriane

We were so thrilled to have Ryan and Adriane visit this summer with their new daughter, Izzy.  This was the first time we got to meet Izzy and she could not be a more beautiful little girl. 

Teddy was super excited to see his Godfather!

Izzy doesn't look thrilled but we promise that she had a good time!

Hiking at Tunxis

We did a little hiking at the lake this summer. It rained quite a bit and we took advantage of the full river to do some hiking by the Lester Walker Bridge.

Ripley fell asleep in the hiking backpack and he stayed asleep when we took him off Michael's back.  He slept like this for about 45 minutes, which was quite impressive because he had trouble sleeping all summer.

Fun At The Little Beach

We spent a lot of time at the little beach at the lake so the kids could swim. Both kids enjoyed the water although Ripley is a true water baby! Teddy's favorite beach activity was baseball with Daddy. In fact, he would play baseball anytime, anywhere.

First Swim In The Lake

Teddy is in the middle with the orange float!