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Feb 163 min read
Women's WFA weekend in a backcountry hut
Photo by Courtney Cronin What the heck is WFA, you may be asking? Pronounced "Woofah," it stands for Wilderness First Aid, and it's an...
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Feb 112 min read
Cross-country skiing, sledding, and skating at Riverside Golf Course in Portland
With all the fresh snow we've had this past week, I feel like a kid in a candy shop! Finally, winter has arrived, along with all the...
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Jan 282 min read
Pair it with something good.
Our 14-year-old woke up on Monday morning, lukewarm about school because his schedule said it was a "Blue" day. This meant French class...
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Jan 213 min read
Are frozen turtles under ice OK?
Maybe I was a strange child, but I had a pet cemetery under a tree in the backyard of my childhood home. It wasn't for our family pets...
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Dec 28, 20242 min read
Skating Ponds in Portland, Maine
Back in 2018 and 2019, I organized regular meetups at Portland skating ponds for multi-generational hockey games. It was called "Skate...
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Nov 3, 20244 min read
Easy Way to Manage Screen Time on the iPhone and Google Pixel
This pic was from 2018, many moons ago before either of our boys had a smart phone. Now they're 13 and 16, so we've had years to flounder...
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Jul 5, 20249 min read
Outdoor Activities in New York City
The list of outdoor adventures in New York City is endless. I will share some of our favorites after two recent trips to the city during...
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Jan 9, 20244 min read
Raising Outdoor Kids
I returned from my dog walk with Romy early this morning to find Henry waiting eagerly with this question, "Can I go on your morning run...
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Oct 17, 20232 min read
Stick Forts and Coffee Walks: For the Love of Tweens.
At age 12, our son and his friends are old enough to walk themselves to the neighborhood coffee shop for hot chocolate, but young enough...
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Oct 3, 20233 min read
Mount Apatite Rockhounding
This was a trip. One that involved people in the middle of the woods with pickaxes, shovels, wheelbarrows and sifting screens, hoping to...
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Aug 8, 20234 min read
Rafting the Kennebec River The Forks, Maine
Photo by Northern Outdoors White water rafting offers unrivaled family fun. Lucky for us, we have access to three places to raft in...
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Jul 11, 20234 min read
Wolfe's Neck Oceanfront Camping, Freeport
Last week, my son Henry and I took a spontaneous camping trip to the Wolfe's Neck Campground in Freeport. I had a few days off, he was...
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Jun 4, 20233 min read
Hiking with Teenagers.
Our 15 year old, Finn, does not like hiking. Never has, maybe never will. He's more into the adrenaline seeking sports like skiing,...
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May 17, 20234 min read
City Forest Play: Safe or Sketchy?
When we moved to our house ten years ago, we were most excited about the fact that it abutted Baxter Woods, a 30-acre city forest in...
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May 3, 20233 min read
We're planning a 1970's Summer. This could be my best OR worst idea yet...we'll know by August.
Here I am, circa 1979, in my Sunday best and webbed lawn chair. I must have had some fancy plans, because I wasn't generally this clean...
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Jan 7, 20235 min read
Tech-No Box: And finally, some sweet relief from screen time.
I've been coming up with inventions my whole life. Some of these not so great ideas have included: an ice cube tray that only releases...
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Aug 31, 20222 min read
The Desert of Maine, Freeport
I heard about this place three different times before deciding to explore it. The first time was from a camp counselor who was in WFA...
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Aug 13, 20223 min read
Why camp when you could sleep in a bed? Here's why.
Every year since our boys were toddlers, we've gone camping at least once a summer. And every year, at the 18th hour of packing up for...
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Aug 9, 20223 min read
Hydration for Hiking
I was so proud of myself for staying well hydrated during a recent hike in the 90 degree heat. Proud until I told my well informed friend...
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Jul 26, 20222 min read
Babb's Bridge Swimming Hole
On hot summer days, it's good to know about Babb's. This covered bridge spans one of the best swimming holes near Portland. It's also...
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