Supp Family Blog

A long time coming

2011-07-06T09:10:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! You may have noticed that we haven't updated this blog since last year! Wow. Time flies! I (Julia) am pretty much the person that keeps things up to date (or not!), so if you want to see more recent photos then you can head over to my blog.

http://jraesupp.blogspot.com/

Down the road this blog will probably be updated again, since we have some really big projects that we'll be working on and will want to keep people updated about. So... until then, my blog has some updated photos (mostly of the garden right now!). Enjoy!

A "Suppdate" from Green Gambrels

2010-12-09T12:08:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since the last blog post! Here's a quick "Suppdate". :-)

Dad put up a fence around his orchard to keep the deer and other critters out. The deer found the leaves on some of his apple and pear trees much to their liking! Now there's a tall fence that goes around the entire orchard.

Here's the groundskeeper...

...and his helper!

We had some other helpers, too...

... but they spent most of their time playing instead of working.

Working hard...

(Notice how Dad is the one doing all the work... ;-)

The gate, before the fencing was up

The final product, in the snow

So far it's working!

Here's our house...

And the barn and driveway.

Let it snow (more)!

You can also take a look at Julia's blog for more recent photos.
JRaeSupp.blogspot.com

Potatoes!

2010-10-23T11:35:00.000-04:00

It sure is Spring!

2010-05-29T21:30:00.000-04:00

Things are going well here at Green Gambrels. Here are a few photos of what's been going on outside.

Mom and Dad planted our potatoes.

The kitties helped!

"Look out Ollie, or you'll get planted!"

A friend of ours gave us two more chickens...

This white one is actually a meat bird. He's getting pretty big! :-)

On one of our trips between New Hampshire and Maine we picked up some dog kennel style fencing, which we're using as a "chicken kennel".

Dad planted grass in his orchard, and it is coming up nicely!

His trees are also growing well.

Now here are some photos from the inside....

The latest addition to our household is....

another cat!

You may get the idea from this photo that he's pretty small. :-) We don't know exactly how old he is right now, but he may be around 4-5 weeks. He's an orphaned kitten, and some friends of ours in NH were raising him but they didn't want to keep him, so we took him home with us.

He likes his milk....

...and his teddy bear...

and, of course, all of our shoes. :-)

Here are some photos of the upstairs construction.

The bathroom is almost completely done. The plumbing was inspected and approved, and the only thing that remains now is for the trim and molding to be put up. The floor is down too, and it looks really nice!

So that's most of what is new around here. :-)

More house photos

2010-04-27T12:23:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos of the construction of the upstairs of the main house.

If you walk up the stairs and turn right, this is what you'll see...

My bedroom door is to the left, and Jessica's room is to the right. Jessica's room is the only room upstairs where we haven't changed anything! We've removed the wallpaper from my room and Mom and Dad's room, and, of course, in the "flower room" we've added the bathroom. Speaking of which...

Here's the entrance to the bathroom. We've added a skylight. The rectangle cut out in the wall to the right is where the mirror/medicine chest will go.

The shower...

The closet in Mom and Dad's room...

The closet in my room...

The long closet at the top of the stairs

And last but not least, our new back door in the breezeway!

Speaking of new things, Dad has finally gotten all of his trees planted in his orchard!

They're not much more than sticks right now, but hopefully in about 4 years they'll start producing fruit.

Our high-tech deer scaring system

Mr. Appleseed himself

Spring is certainly in the air and on the ground! Our garlic is looking pretty nice...

and so are Mom's pansies! (And don't forget the spiders! :-)

Before and after

2010-03-23T18:48:00.009-04:00

Well, it's been a while since our last blog post! Lately we've been mainly working on construction inside our house. Instead of posting a ton of photos with the different phases of construction, I'm just going to post a few before and after photos for your viewing pleasure. :-)

Some good friends of ours from CT came up for about a week and a half and helped us immensely with our construction projects. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. K! :-)

The Garage:
Before

After (new sink, new floor, counter, cabinets)
The kitchen:
Before

After (new floor, new cabinets, new countertop (the old one went into the garage), reconfiguration of the cabinets, new stove)

And here's another photo of the garage/Great room. :-)

There'll be more photos of the 'updated' house soon!

What we've been up to

2009-11-17T21:43:00.032-05:00

It's been a little while since we've updated our family blog. So, what have we been up to lately? Well, here are a few photos...

We went to the dairy farm in November for where Jessica is staying now to take care of a friend's grandparents.
We had a really good time! One of their relatives has a farm where they raise bison for meat. They also have miniature donkeys, an emu, a pot-bellied pig and more. Here's Mom posing with a few of the animals.

Dad has been busy with his outdoor projects at home. We needed to have our greywater tank replaced, and he recently finished grading and seeding it.
He's also working on preparing the soil for an apple orchard that we hope to get planted this upcoming Spring.

So, not much has changed. We have less daylight now, and the weather is slowly getting colder and colder. We got our first snow a couple weeks ago!

We only got about an inch, though!

Well, that's all for now. Not much is new. Though I (Julia) did get a new camera, so you will certainly be seeing more photos! :-)

Julia's blog

2009-10-03T21:16:00.004-04:00

Julia now has a blog of her own. You can find it here:
http://jraesupp.blogspot.com

What's at the end of the rainbow?

2009-09-27T19:33:00.014-04:00

You might've heard that there's a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. But we've discovered that there's something very different there...

COWS! :-)

Here's a couple more pictures from around the farm.

Robby

Stacking wood

We're back home in Maine right now, but Jessica will be returning to the farm in a few days. :-)

Down on the dairy farm!

2009-09-19T21:23:00.001-04:00

On the 11th Jessica and I (Julia) went to our friend's uncle's dairy farm in New Hampshire! We have now been here for the last week, and will be here for another week. We're helping to take care of our friend's grandparents, and we're also keeping house somewhat.

Just today we went on a hike with some friends on Mount Monadnock. We had gorgeous weather! It was a little windy at the top, but otherwise it was very nice!

Here are some photos from around the farm.

Cows in the field

Kittens in a box

There's the momma cat!

The momma cat is very friendly, and likes to climb up on your shoulders and lick your face.

One of the kittens (which we might end up taking as a barn cat!)

The two pigs

More cows

"Cud you please wait 'til I'm done chewing?" (Do you see the heart shape on her head?)

The farmhouse and barn roof

Zwingli

Luther (the batch that he and Zwingli came from were named after reformers)

That's all from the farm for now!

New York: Friends, guns and relatives

2009-09-09T21:16:00.001-04:00

Recently we took a trip to New York. We went there for a relative's wedding and also so we could visit some friends and relatives of ours. We had a great time, as you may be able to tell from the photos...

Here we are, all dressed up for the wedding.

Our friends let us use their guns for target practice after they showed us how to use them.

About half way through our shooting, the sheriff from the next county came. As he was walking toward us, he said "NOW I've found them!". :-) Turns out one of the neighbors from across the town line had contacted the station letting them know that there was a lot of shooting going on nearby. They had a lot of trouble with poachers (people that hunt out of season) in the area. But we were doing everything above board, so the sheriff was reassured, and chatted with us for a little while. Then we went back to our shooting.

We were in the countryside of New York, and there were farms all around us. The view from our friend's yard is very nice. There was also a lot of haying going on!

We took a walk around our friend's property.

Mom and Dad found one of their deer hunting stands!

When we got back to the house, we had a nice bonfire, and Jessica and I played our instruments around it. It was a nice ending to a wonderful visit. :-)

Fall is sneaking up on us!

2009-08-29T15:41:00.001-04:00

Lately we have mostly been settling in here at Green Gambrels! Now that we have moved up here permanently (with all our stuff!) we have begun to organize it. I (Julia) personally think you never know how much stuff you have until you have to move it all. :-)

We've gotten a dose of Fall weather during the last few days. Today has been the coldest one we have had so far; the temperature says 52 degrees! I guess we'll have to start getting out the winter clothes. :-)

Fall is the perfect time of year for campfires. A few days ago we ate out in back at the picnic table by the fire pit with our friends. It was cool enough for a fire, but not too cold. A plus is that there aren't as many mosquitos out and about!

The garden is looking good. Mrs. H has been digging up potatoes, which we've eaten with several meals so far. Speaking of that, we went fishing the other day with Mr. H and Joshua. We caught about 6 fish altogether, with Mr. H and Joshua catching some very large bass! I caught two fish, and when we got back to the house we had a filleting party. :-) Mom baked my fish for supper (which we ate with some of Mrs. H's potatoes!), and it was delicious! Yes, I did share some. :-)

Speaking of the garden, here are a few photos.

Mom's tomato plant (courtesy of Mrs. H!):

Flowers:

Two frogs on a bump:

Ellie and Daisy (Remington went to a new home last week):

Wales:

Molly:

Stay tuned for a video of the animals! :-)

Poison and Opinions

2009-08-20T20:48:00.000-04:00

This is a short movie made by some of the attendees of BUCKIT Week '09.

The month of July... it flew right by!

2009-08-14T12:52:00.001-04:00

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that July slipped away so fast! It's been a busy month for all of us!

One thing that kept us busy was packing and moving. As of August 1, we are officially moved to Green Gambrels! After all the driving we've been doing recently, it's a relief to stay put in one place finally.

July 16-19 was the Follow-Me conference, held in New Hampshire. It was a great time of fellowship and challenges to follow Christ and be obedient to Him, no matter what the cost. There were three main speakers who spoke during the sessions. Jesse G. did a series on Spiritual Gifts, Jeremiah M. spoke on different New Testament principles, and Roy W. spoke on the role of works in the lives of believers, and how truth and love go together.
In between times we enjoyed talking, singing, and playing Pass the Story. The last evening several of us went door to door, inviting the neighbors to a gospel meeting on Sunday afternoon.

Two days of the conference, during the lunch break (which was about 2 hours!) a bunch of people from the conference took a walk up the road. When I say up, I mean literally! The house the conference was at was located on a road that was pretty much a hill from beginning to end. However, the view the top was well worth the walk!

We brought a friend with us from Follow-Me, and she spent a few days in Maine with us. It was so much fun having her here. She jumped right in and helped with chores - mowing a considerable part of the lawn the first day she was here! It was a fun but short visit - you'll have to come again soon, Sarah!

Then Mom took Julia, Sarah and I to the K's house, where we spent the remainder of the week. Mrs. K kept us busy with gardening and cooking. We weeded almost all of their large garden - it took all day, but we felt quite a sense of accomplishment when we finished!

The week after that we joined a bunch of friends from the New England area and traveled to Maryland in a 15-passenger van to attend BUCKIT week. BUCKIT stands for Bible University Christian Knowledge Intensive Training, and is a week-long classroom style conference that lives up to its name. This is its third year; I've been to all three BUCKIT weeks, and this was Julia's first.

The teaching was excellent. Craig S. took us through John 11-21 (we covered the previous chapters last year), shared some tips for better speaking, gave us a few illustrations to use when sharing the gospel, and numerous other things.
Jabe N. spoke on a variety of things. He gave us a tour of the continents during which we learned a lot about the countries in them, and the gospel work going on and the needs in each country. We also learned what Jesus thinks of our $tuff, and what He says about forgiveness. We were challenged to take the Lord at His word, and decide whether we'll follow Him whole-heartedly or not.

There was plenty of time for fellowship during the breaks and meal times. We met new friends, and got to see people we haven't seen in a while. One afternoon several of us BUCKITeers went to a park and played Ultimate Frisbee! That was a lot of fun.

The week seemed to go by too fast! The last day of BUCKIT week was Friday the 31st. We had our last session, had a late lunch as a group for the last time and then left.

Since then we've been slowly unpacking in Maine. Finding places to put things in our limited living space is a challenge, but Mom is doing a great job. Of course we're helping too, but Mom has a special talent with that.

Dad has been working on clearing out a spot in our backyard where he hopes to plant apple trees. He's been using his Kubota to pull out stumps and roots. We had quite a pile of them, so Mom got a 3 day burn permit from the town so we could get rid of it all.

Before:

During:

After:

The flowers are looking very nice! Mom and Mrs. H have painstakingly watered, weeded, pruned (and picked!) all the flowers in the garden.

Also, there has been a new arrival in the barnyard! The Japanese bantam, Poquito, and the brown bantam, Brownie, have a chick! The chick doesn't have a name yet, since we don't know its gender yet. But right now its unofficial name is "Chickie".

It's been getting bigger and bigger every day! Chickie follows Brownie everywhere she goes, and Poquito can often be found nearby, keeping an eye on his family.

Well, that's all from Green Gambrels for now!

A TRUCK for the Supps?

2009-06-22T19:54:00.006-04:00

It's true!

On Sunday we got a red, 1997 Ford F250, heavy-duty, 4 wheel drive pickup truck. It was my Dad's present for Father's Day. :-)

Dad and I (Julia) drove back to NH from Maine in it. It has a bench seat in front, and it's pretty comfy. It also has a ladder rack in the back, which we'll use for carting our kayaks around with.

Hopefully we'll have some better photos of the truck in future posts. :-)

The Kentucky Surge, Part 2

2009-06-19T20:27:00.000-04:00

Where to begin?! Our two weeks in Kentucky were very busy, but it was a great time. Julia wrote about about our first couple days already. She was hoping to post as things happened, but time and energy did not allow for that! Here's an overview of what went on during the outreach. More pictures will come in future posts!

Believers came from around the country (and other countries!) to help the saints at Bluegrass Bible Fellowship in Richmond, Kentucky. The Good News on the Move (GNOM) team was there also. The team had been on the road for about 9 months traveling to different assemblies around the US helping with more localized gospel outreaches.

Well, it was a great blessing being able to go to this outreach. Working together with other believers, especially sharing the gospel, is a great thing. I'm sure you're dying to know what happened, so I'll leave off the sentiments and begin reminiscing...

This outreach was divided into three weeks. During the first week, the materials were prepared and packets were hung on the doors of homes throughout Richmond.

Over 100 people traveled to Kentucky for Week 2 of the outreach. This week's activities included going back to the houses that had packets hung on the doors last week, and seeing if the residents had a chance to look through them and find out what they thought of them. Many times this led into an opportunity to talk with them further about the gospel, and many people wanted some of the believers from Bluegrass Bible Fellowship to come back and have a Bible study or talk with them more.

There were a series of gospel meetings held on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night on the topic of "Peace in the Eye of the Storm". Several unbelievers came, including two young ladies who were spiritually awakened during the last few days, and recognized that God was trying to get their attention. They both were very interested and took some literature with them. They proved to be very good contacts, and are excited about starting a Bible study with some of the local believers.

There were also four kids clubs going on every day in different locations. During a couple days, two of the clubs didn't get any kids, and some days only two or three came. I helped at one kids club for a couple days. The gospel was clearly presented in a memorable way through paintboards, Bible stories, verses, and songs, and the kids listened very well. One girl seems like she is saved, and one of the boys was asking questions about salvation and eternal security. Please pray that all the kids would remember what they heard and not just forget about it, that they would understand salvation, and that they would be able to keep in contact with the local believers. They plan on having once-a-week kids clubs as a follow-up.

About 50 people, including folks from Bluegrass Bible Chapel, remained for the third week of the
the outreach. This week we mostly followed up with contacts from the previous two weeks, going back to their houses and seeing if they really were interested in someone coming back. Some wanted more visits, others wanted a Bible study, and some were not interested in further contact. We also did a little more door to door, as we didn't finish it all last week, and we had one kids club on Thursday morning. The two afternoon kids clubs got rained out.

We really enjoyed spending time with all the people there. We played lots of volleyball, had impromptu Bible studies, sang, talked, played games, laughed a lot... it was fun. You really get to know people when you work (and play!) with them for two weeks!

Well, it's kind of hard to sum up everything that went on during those two weeks, but I think that about covers the main events. Christ was proclaimed, people were reached, lessons were learned, friendships were made, and fellowship was enjoyed. All in all, a great and profitable time. Please remember to keep the saints at Bluegrass Bible Fellowship and the others still working with them in your prayers, as well as the people they are still reaching with the gospel. It's exciting to see how the Lord has been working in Richmond!

The Kentucky Surge, Part 1

2009-06-01T22:29:00.003-04:00

Well, we are here in Kentucky at last!

Friday the 19th and Saturday the 30th
On Friday we drove down to the K's house. We were going to take Mr. Mrs. K and Rachel. On Saturday, at about 6:10 AM we left to go to Kentucky. We had a nice, uneventful trip. The scenery was beautiful! We listened to music and a few songs on our way down, and of course, we visited a lot.

We dropped off Mr. and Mrs. K at their host home, and then we went to the hotel where we were going to stay. We got to the hotel around 8:00. We visited with some of the other people that arrived from Connecticut. Then we all went into out hotel room and unpacked. We met a few people that we had met at a previous outreach in the hotel, and it was nice to see them again.

Sunday, the 31st
On Sunday we slept in a little bit. Then we got up and Rachel, Jessica and I went down to the breakfast nook. We were joined by another Rachel and two of her friends, Jessica and Michelle. Then we finished breakfast and went to the room where we were going to have the church meeting. The meeting began at 9:30.

The Lord's Supper meeting was very nice! There was a lot of nice sharing from the men and singing. There was a half-hour break where we were able to see people that we hadn't seen in a while and meet new people. After the break Mr. N gave the message. It was on different objections that people have to the gospel. The verse he preached from was John 3:16.

After the church meeting, most people headed over to the home of one of the local believers. They lived about 8 minutes from the hotel. We had great fellowship with the people there. We also played from volleyball and a little soccer. It was a lot of fun! We stayed there for most of the aftenoon. At that time most people were leaving to go out to eat. We went back to the hotel and ate a light supper. We visited with out friends until 7:00 when the evening church meeting began. Mr. H brought a stirring message about just going out and reaching the lost.

After the meeting we visited. A bunch of the young people started up a game of mafia. I didn't play, but I took some pictures instead. It was fun watching! The circle gradually got smaller and smaller, and I left as it went down from about 15 people to 6. I later heard that they had played another game after that one was over, and that some people got to bed around 3:15 AM! I went to bed before the first game was over, though.

Then, needless to say, we went to bed!

More updates from the Kentucky outreach should be up sometime in the near future.

Please keep this outreach in prayer!

You can sign up to the Good New Now mailing list and get updates from this outreach and others by going to Uplook.org.

Flowers of Garland

2009-05-30T20:38:00.000-04:00

It is a balmy 82 degrees here in Garland! It is nice and sunny, and all of Mom's and Mrs. H's plants are looking very nice! Here are a few photos.

Pansies:

Daffodils:

Bleeding heart bush:

Lilac bush/tree:

And this hummingbird isn't exactly a flower, but here he is anyway!

Good News Kentucky, Coming Up!

2009-05-21T13:17:00.004-04:00

From May 23rd to June 12th a major gospel outreach will be taking place in Richmond, Kentucky. The Good News on the Move 4 team (GNOM IV) will be finishing up about 9 months of traveling around the U.S. helping assemblies organize gospel outreaches in their local areas. The Kentucky outreach will be a larger town-wide outreach. There are generally more people involved during the outreach at the end of the year, as well, both on the giving and receiving end of the Gospel.

You can find out more information about the Richmond outreach by going to http://GoodNewsOutreach.info. Mom, Jess and I plan on going down for the second and third weeks (May 30th through June 11th). We're pretty excited! We were able to go last year's major outreach (Surge) in Waterbury, CT (which you can read about here) and it was a good time of fellowship, encouragement and witnessing (both giving people the gospel and seeing the neat things that God did throughout the week!).

Please keep this outreach in prayer!

The Signature

2009-05-10T19:45:00.002-04:00

This video was put together by Good News on the Move Team 4.

The Barnyard Bunch

2009-05-07T16:01:00.028-04:00

The kids (goat kids) have grown a lot. Today is a rainy day, so the kids stayed in-doors (or rather, in-stall). I got some pictures of them anyway, and they were just as playful as ever!

Buckwheat, Ellie and Spring, all posing in a line (one of the triplets got out of the line, I guess!)

Daisy and Ruger, with Daisy showing some sisterly affection

Ellie, as independent as ever

Ellie and Spring

Buckwheat, climbing on the stall door (his eyes aren’t really that blue!)

Daisy, Remington, Ruger and Ellie

Clockwise, from left: Remington, Ruger, Daisy and Ellie (this photo was taken at a very strange angle, so tilting your head may not help!)

Spring (isn’t she cute!)

Buckwheat (doesn't he look chubby?)

Smile, Buckwheat!

Ruger and Ellie (probably lamenting the fact that there is no hay left in the hay feeder since they ate it all!)

Buckwheat, Remington (laying down), Daisy, Spring and Ellie. Buckwheat, Daisy and Ellie seem to be wondering “Where’d all the hay go?”

“Could you give us more hay please?”

Since there wasn’t any more hay, Buckwheat and Spring decided to plunder the grain feeder while Ellie stood on guard.

When the grain feeder was sufficiently empty, Ruger, Remington and Buckwheat curled up for a nap.

See you at feeding time, kids! And that’s it for now with the small goats…

The big goats are all doing well. Showgirl and Wales are doing well…

Touché is, too.

While Tatty, on the other hand, has a very different personality. She is a very friendly goat (most of the time). She also likes posing for pictures!

Smile!

She likes being close to people…

She also is very spunky and sometimes stubborn…

But she is very remorseful!

But only when she is caught, because she always gets put back inside the fence!

Meggy is a very good goat.

Tatty is too!

Then there’s Poquito, always willing to pose for a photo.

Well, that's all from Green Gambrels for now. Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Spring is here!

2009-05-02T09:46:00.036-04:00

And so is Buckwheat, Ruger, Remington, Daisy and Lady Eleanor (Ellie for short). In case you're wondering who these names belong to, they belong to a batch of kids! Goat kids, of course.

We stayed up in Maine in April from the 3rd to the 13th. Three out of Arielle's five goats were pregnant. Two of them were due on Thursday the 9th, and one of them was due on Saturday the 11th.

Touche was due on Thursday, and she was very much on schedule! Arielle and Mrs. H assisted her, and she had a varied audience; from grandparents to a 3-month old!
Touche had Buckwheat and Spring, a buck and a due. Both of them are very fluffy! Buckwheat is more of a cuddler, while Spring certainly lives up to her name. She is one of the most energetic and adventurous kids.

Buckwheat soon after his arrival:

He has such a pink nose!
Spring just after her arrival:
Touche was a very good mamma goat, and licked off both her kids until they were both fluffed up.
Wales and Showgirl both had their kids on Saturday. The H's were using three stalls in the barn for the goats; Touche and her kids were in one stall, Tatty and Meggy (the two goats that weren't pregnant) were in another stall, and Wales and Showgirl were in the same stall.

Wales had her babies first. She had triplets!

Ruger was the first one. He was about the funniest looking kid that we or the H's had ever seen! He was weighed in at about 13 pounds, setting the record for the largest kid in their herd.

Daisy came next, and she was, in contrast, the smallest kid in this year's batch!

And then came Remington, who was a medium size kid.

And little while after the triplets were born, Ellie arrived! She is a really pretty little goat. She has a very independent personality, so we call her 'Independent Ellie' .

Arielle uses the goat milk for her soap (and the H's use it for drinking, cooking etc.) so the kids didn't nurse from their mothers for very long. The kids were separated from their mothers a day or two after birth. They still drank the milk from their mothers via bottle feeding. Bottle feeding gets the kids used to being around people, making them friendly, and they also follow people, so we can take them on walks!
For the first few days the kids got fed every 4 hours, with the amount of milk slowly being increased. Now the kids get fed 4 times a day, but soon it'll be shortened to 3 times.

Buckwheat and Spring:
The kids snuggling and sleeping...
Ruger and Daisy...

Up and about!
More playing, with Spring about to make a leap!
There will probably be more photos of the baby goats in the future, so keep checking back! :o)

Truth is always stranger than fiction...

2009-04-07T16:20:00.019-04:00

These are actual clippings from newspapers. Some of them are hilarious - enjoy!

P.S. Sorry for the lack of posts! Don't worry, we haven't totally forgotten about the blog. A post should be surfacing in the next few days that includes photos of Maine's cutest baby goats!

Let it snow!

2009-03-11T20:34:00.000-04:00

With spring weather already here, the snow is rapidly disappearing in Exeter. We all think the edges of the roads looked better covered in snow... but we still have snow in Maine!

A couple of weeks ago we had one of the biggest snowfalls of the year in Maine. Before the storm, we had between 3-4 feet (hard to tell exactly because of the piles and drifts).

With this storm, we got another 16-18 inches! We had a good bit of shoveling to do. Good thing we have the Kubota and a snow blower!

You can hardly see the tractor!

The goats... enjoying the snow?

Dad loves using his tractor.

Mr. H shoveled some of our paths - on his knees!

The snow is up to the top rail of the riding arena.

Looking down the driveway. The trees were so pretty with the snow on them!

Spring weather is coming to Maine, too... and we're trying to decide which are worse - icy roads or muddy roads! Dad says muddy roads are worse. He should know - he drives on them!

Winter Adventures

2009-01-28T10:47:00.015-05:00

Two weekends ago (Saturday the 17^th) we went for a walk down the road with about a dozen people and five goats. It was a lot of fun! In this photo there are only a few of us, but that’s because everyone else was behind us.

That was an adventure in itself. But, our property is in the process of being logged (actually, they’re finished cutting and stripping, and now they’re driving the logs away). So, to make things more interesting for our walk, a fully loaded logger truck was headed down the road as we were all headed up it! The driver obviously saw us. He was going a little fast, however, and when he pulled to the side of the road, the truck got stuck in the snow bank. A logging machine came out of the woods to pull it out. But first, the other machine had to clear the phone lines that were about 3 inches too low. So, after much maneuvering, the machine got through.

It was neat watching the machine pull the truck out of the snowbank.

Last Saturday we didn’t have time to do much around Green Gambrels, because we (Jess, Mom and I) went out to the fabric store with a few other young ladies. We left at about 10:00 and got back at about 3:30! Our family had been invited to supper by a couple that we’d met recently in our area. They lived about a half-hour away, so shortly after we got back from our first outing, we changed into church clothes and headed over to their house. We had an enjoyable visit and supper before going to the silo for church.

On Sunday we went for the walk with the H’s to their property (also known as ‘the property’). It was a nice walk.

When we got there, we visited with Sarah and some of us got to hold baby Wilder! The guys were hungry for lunch, so they all walked back ahead of us. Mrs. H and Jessica and I stayed for a little while longer. But then we decided that we should head back. Isaac met us about half-way down the road in the mini van and drove us back home.

When we got back to Green Gambrels, we all had a late but nice lunch together. After playing a game or two of ping-pong with Josh and Mr. H, we packed our bags, and the car, and left to return to our apartment in NH.

It is snowing right now, and the weather forecast says we’ll get a snow and sleet accumulation of 10 to 14 inches. Here are some photos of the snow up in Maine.

The Washtub Bass is Finished!

2009-01-07T20:08:00.007-05:00

About a year ago Dad set to work with a friend to build a washtub bass. Rich F. already built one, using the instructions from this website as a guide, and offered to help Dad with his. (Thanks, Mr. F!)

Over the past year he's been working on it on and off. Finding the right strings was the last step and took a while, but today he put the strings on the bass, and it's finished!

It needs to be tweaked a bit, but it's pretty much finished now. We can't wait to start playing it!

It's 2009...

2009-01-01T09:46:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year!!!

Green Gambrels

2008-12-17T17:53:00.001-05:00

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! We had a good visit and meal with relatives in CT. On our way back we visited the K family. They wanted to see pictures of our Maine house, but we didn't have any with us. They said, "You really should put some on your blog." So, K's and all our friends who want to see the house and haven't visited us yet (hint, hint...), this post is for you!

the front of the house

the addition (the office is on the left, garage is on the right, and the apartment is on top)

from the distance (when we were moving in)

the side of the house

looking down the driveway at our neighbors' field

the playhouse

the barn

the riding arena (the tarps were an attempt to kill the weeds)

the equipment shed (it's much fuller now!)

the tool shed

Enjoying our new tractor - a Kubota!

digging out a fire pit in the backyard

the fire pit completed

the fire pit loaded

the fire pit doing its job

the ping-pong table in the garage

apples from one of our apples trees

a familiar sight

Mom and Mrs. H spreading leaves on the garden

A couple more recent pics:

The Father's Day Moose

2008-06-19T16:48:00.004-04:00

The story begins when we were traveling up to our house up in Maine. We stopped at a visitor’s center, and on the wall was a framed poster advertising a chocolate shop. Have you heard of chocolate moose? Not chocolate mousse, chocolate moose. Well, until then, we hadn’t either. But the centerpiece of the poster was a picture of a life-size, 1700-lb solid chocolate moose. We decided that we should make a point of going out to that chocolate shop. Dad didn’t see the poster, so we decided it would make a good Father’s Day surprise. Well, it all worked out, and on our way back from Maine, on June 15^th, we went to Len Libby’s to visit “Lenny the Moose”. Dad got a picture of Lenny with his digital camera.

Don’t forget about the three chocolate bears!

And yes, we did buy a few things from the shop while we were there! :o)

Good News for the Valley (The Surge)

2008-06-16T19:30:00.019-04:00

We went to CT on Saturday the 31^st of May for a week-long Gospel outreach! The Waterbury Christian Fellowship, Good News on the Move Team III, and a few local assemblies teamed up with people from across the U.S. to help evangelize the Naugatuck Valley region.

Saturday several people were at a local park for a family fun day, and had many good conversations. One young girl professed to put her trust in Christ!

Sunday afternoon we hit the Naugatuck Green for Duck Day and an Earth Day event. We handed out lots of CD's entitled "Hope in the Storms of Life", and some people were able to have good conversations.

Jabe Nicholson thought of these signs to use during Duck Day.
(Click on the picture for a better view.)

The signs in action.

(Above two photos taken by John Nicholson.)

On Monday morning after breakfast, which was always at 7:00, we had a meeting and discussed the contacts we had made on Saturday and Sunday. Every morning except Sunday morning there were meetings from 8:00-10:00. After that, door-to-door teams were arranged and the dtd groups went out. There was also a 2-hour planning meeting for the kids’ clubs that would be going on in different parks for the people that would be involved with them. We all were in on the planning meeting. At 1:00, everyone met up at the Green in Naugatuck for lunch. The kids’ club at Salem Park (across the street from the Green) wasn’t going to start until 3:30, so we visited and stuffed some packets. Some people played a game of ultimate frisbee until it was time for them to leave for door-to-door.

The first kids’ club at Salem Park went pretty well. About 12 kids came and stayed for the whole time.

There was also another kids’ club going on over at Baummer Park in Naugatuck, so after the Salem club was over, we headed over to Baummer’s for supper. After we had supper, we all went back to the hotel.

Monday night was the evangelism training, so various members of the GNOM team did some door-to-door scenarios, and described some of the literature that is helpful to have when doing various methods of evangelism and follow-up. Daniel taught some of us how to do a three-rope trick to use in sharing the Gospel.

On Tuesday morning, the majority of the people went out dtd. After lunch, kids’ clubbers went off to the different parks, and dtd teams went out again. On Tuesday evening, Mr. Rob Sullivan gave an evangelistic talk called “Can we trust the Bible?”. It was very interesting! He gave different examples about how the Bible is accurate, from different methods of how to stay healthy to different prophecies. After that ended and all of the guests left, a group of us did some singing in the hotel lobby. We were told we had to move out of the lobby, so we went to the ballroom, which was the room the talk had been in. We stayed up pretty late, but we had a lot of fun.

On Wednesday morning, we did pretty much the same thing that we did on Tuesday morning. Most people did dtd in the morning, and then some did kids’ clubs in the afternoon. After the kids’ club at the Naugatuck Green (they had to relocate to the Green instead of the Park), the group there went to Baummer’s for supper. The kids’ club there was finishing up. Wednesday evening, there was another evangelistic meeting with Mr. Sullivan as the speaker again. The topic that night was “You can know your Future”. It was about Bible prophecy and how we can trust it when it talks about our own personal destiny. After that meeting was over, we did some singing and then played a game of Mafia. It’s a game where everyone sits in a circle and is given a card. The Aces and the Jokers were the “Mafia”, the Kings were the sheriffs, and the Jacks were doctors. The Mafia would try to “kill”, or eliminate all of the other players, the Kings would try to eliminate the Mafia, and the doctors would try to save whoever the Mafia was trying to kill. It’s pretty hard to explain, but if you play it you’ll get the hang of it (no pun intended!).

On Thursday morning, we pretty much did the same thing that we did on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. We didn’t have supper at Baummer’s, but we went back to the hotel instead. We got back a little bit earlier than usual, so we had time to do some singing.

Jessica and I went out to eat with a few other people. That evening Jabe Nicholson gave a talk called “Does God care when I Suffer?”. It was very good. After the meeting was over, we did more singing.

On Friday morning it was raining, so we didn’t go door-to-door. Instead, we had a pretty relaxed morning after the meeting. We had lunch at Cheshire Bible Chapel around 12:15. After lunch, some of us went back to the hotel, and some people stayed at the Chapel until the kids’ clubs were going to start. The rain had stopped, so we went door-to-door in the afternoon.

That evening Jessica and I had bagels with ham, and then ice cream for dessert! There was no evening meeting on Friday, so we mainly had visiting time on Friday night. We did some singing, played Mafia, and got a lot of group shots, among other things. Many people were leaving early the next morning, so we said our goodbyes to them.

On Saturday morning, we said goodbye to some of the GNOMers that had not yet left. We got several more group shots between bites of breakfast. A couple of us girls ran out to get a quick picture of the bus before it was driven away.

After we’d packed up all of our stuff, we said goodbye and left. It was an amazing week!

So, there’s a much-abridged version of what we did at the Surge!

We're back!

2008-05-27T19:20:00.017-04:00

Hey everyone! Sorry for our long absence. Life has been very busy and exciting around here!

We decided to move from our rental house in Nottingham to a smaller apartment in Exeter, right near the train station that Dad commutes from. The month of April was a very busy time of packing and moving, and we are grateful for the help of the Hebert family.

The Moving Truck

Dad and Mr. Hebert

Mom and Dad

We've been wanting to move to Maine eventually, so we've been looking at houses up there this year. Not long before we moved to the apartment, we came across a property that sounded very interesting. It was 25 acres, and had

a house

a large addition with a two-car garage, office space, and an apartment above

a five-stall barn with paddocks

a little log-cabin

a riding arena, and lots of woods. We did the majority of our Maine house-hunting in the winter, so we didn't really know what the property would look like in the spring or summer. However, we took a look with some friends in Maine, and after much praying decided to put in an offer! Well, the property belonged to a bank, which was having some troubles with communication but in the end the bank accepted our offer! The closing was on April 22 and took less than an hour. Praise the Lord!

So for the last several weekends we've been going up there to, moving up what won't fit in the apartment and taking care of the property! There's plenty of work to do, but we also have time to enjoy the land. There are lots of deer and turkeys, singing birds, a resident woodchuck, and plenty of annoying bugs. Despite the bugs, we enjoy going there, as it's our get-away from a small apartment and bustling town life.

(That's not all we've been doing lately... stay tuned for a post about our time with Newtown Christian Fellowship and the Good News on the Move team!)

The Jamestown Quadricentennial - Part 4

2007-11-03T20:06:00.000-04:00

Here's the next blog post you've all been waiting for! Sorry it's been so long since our last post. The Jamestown installments are coming to a close, with only two more days to write about. I hope you've been enjoying them so far!

Thursday, June 14

It sure felt good to sleep in this morning! After a leisurely hotel breakfast (and meeting a few more families attending the celebration!), we packed our day bags and drove over to the Jamestown Settlement. As we neared it, we drove along the James River.

The first thing we saw when we arrived was... a building! Yes, we did see a building, but there was also something I'd never seen before. Just outside the museum, the flags of all 50 states, lined up in two rows, waved in the breeze. At the base of each flagpole there was a plaque that gave a few facts about the state its flag represented.

We went inside, purchased tickets, and began our tour with a short, informative video about Jamestown's history. Then we looked around in the exhibit hall (we saw a few sleuths dashing around, solving clues!) and then headed to the outdoor exhibits.

A short walk brought us to the Indian village. There were several wigwams, each containing lots of furs, a few weapons, pots, and other things. One of the beds looked so comfortable that Mom wanted to try it out.

We checked out the different activities you could do, talked with an employee who was making arrowheads, and then we continued down the path towards the docks and the fort.

We caught sight of the fort before we reached the docks. As we rounded the bend, a large ship loomed into view. It was the Susan Constant, the largest of the three ships that brought the Englishmen who founded Jamestown. The other two are the Godspeed and the Discovery.

The Susan Constant was very crowded, so we decided to wait and see the other boats first. The Godspeed was out for a sail,
so the only other boat we could see was the Discovery. It wasn't too crowded, so we climed aboard and poked around. We worked the bilge pump and the rudder, and listened to a sailor tell us about the boat. As I recall, it held 21 people - 9 were the captain and crew, and 12 were passengers.

We we finished exploring the Discovery, we walked back to the Susan Constant to see if it was less crowded. It was, so we went aboard.
We explored up on the main deck first. The stairs leading to the hold were in the very middle of the deck. To the left side were the cook's and captain's cabins. The cook's cabin was tiny! It had a cooking fireplace in it, and it must have been boiling hot in there when the fire was going!

Beyond these cabins was the upper deck. There were lots of different ropes, and we wondered how the sailors remembered what each rope was for!

Below deck there were chests, cannons, ammunition, eating utensils, beds, and supplies. The beds were small, as the Englishmen back then weren't much taller than 5 feet, but they were pretty comfortable!
We discovered a shirt, vest, and pants hanging on some rope, and found a pair of shoes in one of the chests.

When we finished looking around the Susan Constant, we made our way to the fort. Just outside, we saw a canoe. Three girls were posing in it for a picture. When they were done, Julia and I hopped in and pretended to canoe!

Once inside the fort, we saw several houses. To our right was the large church, to our left was a large house (beyond it was the blacksmith's shop), and in front of us was a large open area that all the buildings were clustered around. We came to a bench that had some armor to try on. Nearby, you could try building a fence by weaving boards between poles.

We made our way around, looking in all the houses and shops.

The lumberyard

We passed the well, where several people were taking turns carrying buckets of water on a yoke. Each house had similar furnishings, but the smaller items varied. All houses had a garden, a few had writing desks, and one had a very ornately carved cabinet.

One house we came to had a couple of brooms in it. I immediately picked one up and started sweeping the floor - it felt great to be doing something! (Even if I was only stirring up dust!)

The church was quite large, with one long row of benches on either side of the aisle, a pulpit, and an area at the back in which the Apostles' Creed, The 10 Commandments, and the Our Father prayer were hung. This area also had a fancy chair in it. I'm not sure what this spot was used for.
We spent quite a while at the fort, but finally made our way back to the museum. We looked around in the gift shops for a bit, and then left.

The Jamestown Quadricentennial - Part 3

2007-09-09T20:23:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, June 13

Early in the morning we received a text message similar to yesterday's: we were to be at the Marriott between 6:30 and 7:15. We didn't eat breakfast before leaving, because we knew we'd have plenty of time after the meeting.

This time we were fairly early, so there were still empty parking spaces. Several families had already arrived, and were waiting in line. This line began at the closed double doors leading to the entrance of the auditorium, and extended through the hotel doors out onto the sidewalk.

We chatted with a couple families while we waited to go in. Soon the door opened, and the line began to move forward. One by one, the families entered the auditorium. As people found their seats, the announcement rang out:

"Sleuths sit up front! You will find your name on your seat. Everyone else, please sit behind the designated seats. Again, we request that you be silent. When the moderator comes, there will be no talking and no questions. Thank you."

When the moderator came on stage, everyone held their breath. What was he going to say? Well, he said something like this:

"Jack is disappointed."

When this had sunk in, he went on.

"You were given the chance to prove that you could work on your own, but you showed that you could not. Many of you simply gave up. That is not what Jack wants in the fifth trustee."

But after that, he was a little more encouraging. He said that Jack was proud of those who persevered. I felt a little better. :o) Then it was time to separate those who were eliminated from those who would continue.

"When I call your name, please stand and remain standing."

Not hearing my name called, I figured that these were the ones who would continue. Good for them! However, I soon discovered I was wrong when I heard my name called. Bummer!

After a few final words, we were dismissed. As each family exited the room, their sleuth was given a Jamestown 400 T-shirt for being in the 100.
We chatted in the lobby, and met more sleuths and their families. Before long, the remaining sleuths filed out of the auditorium and headed out the door to begin another assignment. We congratulated them and cheered them on. They followed the rules, and said nothing about their assignment.

We left soon afterwards and went back to our hotel to eat breakfast. When we finished, we decided to go back to Duke of Gloucester street. We didn't get to enjoy it very well the day before, and we were also prohibited from taking pictures during the hunt. So, now we could explore DOG street at our leisure and take plenty of pictures! The pressure was off!

We did not purchase a ticket, so we couldn't go in any of the buildings except the stores. However, there was still quite a bit to see! We met a few more families from the Quadricentennial, and some of them were curious about this hunt, so we told them what it was about.

We saw a muster and watched a fife and drum corp parade down the green. We explored the stores (one was a replica of an actual general store from Colonial Williamsburg), and walked up and down the street. To our delight we found a Scottish store, and spent some time looking around there.

The wall decorations were neat!

We spent most of the day touring DOG street. Then we had supper and lounged in our hotel room until bedtime.

The Jamestown Quadricentennial - Part 2

2007-08-21T18:23:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, June 12

Bright and early Tuesday morning, we received a text message instructing us to be at the Marriot no later than 7:15. Since it was only about 5:00, we stayed in bed and tried to get a little more sleep. We got up around 6:00 and prepared to leave. We had a quick breakfast, put on our nametags, grabbed our bags, and hurried out the door.

We were one of the last families to get there. The parking lot was nearly full, so Dad dropped us off at the entrance, and went to find a parking spot. Mom, Julia and I joined the long line of families waiting to enter the auditorium. Everyone was armed with books, papers, and other material for the hunt.

The line gradually moved forward, and we soon came to the auditorium door. As each family went in, a man made sure the main sleuth was there, and then admitted them into the auditorium.

In the auditorium, the lights were dimmed. People talked in hushed voices as they tried to find seats. I didn't know if there was designated seating for the sleuths, so I wasn't sure where to sit.
Shortly, the man up on stage began giving instructions.

"Sleuths sit up at the front. Families, please find seats elsewhere. Silence in the room, please!"

"If you are sitting in the front and are not a sleuth, please find another seat. There will be no talking and no questions. Silence in the room! Thank you."

I silently made my way to the front of the room, and found my seat. I picked up the folder laying there, which was marked 'Confidential'. I opened it, and saw a message from Jack! I read it, and then prepared to decode the clues at the end of the message, feeling the familiar excitement of a new clue to solve.

The moderator came out, and spoke to the audience. I don't remember exactly what he said, but he gave a brief overview of the previous phases, and then talked a little about Phase 3. Then he gave a roll call of the sleuths. I stood up when my name was called, and then sat down and continued trying to decode the clues. They were all Caesar Ciphers, but each clue was solved with a different letter. The first clue was easy enough, but I began to panic on the second one. "I hope we don't have to solve these by the end of this meeting!" Thankfully, I realized we had all day to work on it. Whew!

We were given strict instructions not to speak to any other families participating in the hunt, and then told to quietly exit the room. Everyone went out into the parking lot, many families heading to their cars. Some sleuths decoded the clues rather quickly and were heading out. I finally finished decoding them! We weren't sure where we should go after that, but soon we decided to try the visitor's center. Many other families were there, too!

We split up in the bookstore. Each of us took a clue to work on, and began looking at books we thought might help us. We were there for several hours, and then decided to hit a local library. We were there for a while, and finally we had to break for lunch. When we got outside the building and were heading to the van, I heard a sound from my pocket. "Oh! Maybe we got a text-message." Sure enough, we did!

The text message said that Eccleston Peabody was alive! "I knew it, I knew it!" I was so happy! I know most of you don't know who he is. He's a main character in the story of the Jamestown 400 treasure hunt, and near the end of the hunt he apparently was killed by the bad guys. Many of us treasure hunters were skeptical. Now we KNEW that he was alive!
The message also said that he was at DOG street, and if we saw him there we were to identify ourselves to him (by saying, "New history for a better tomorrow", the answer to one of the clues from Phase 2) and then he would give us a hint that would help us solve one of the current clues.

"DOG street? Where's that?" I asked. "That's Duke of Gloucester street! It's not very far from here." Dad said. I was so excited! We ate a quick lunch and went to find DOG street.
We found it, and Dad dropped us off at one end of it. We kept our eyes peeled for anyone who might look like Peabody. However, we did not know what he looked like. I was fairly sure that he would be dressed in a dark suit and maybe be wearing glasses or carrying a briefcase, but we had nothing definite to go on.

We walked all the way down DOG street, not seeing anyone who looked like Peabody. Dad joined us at the other end, and we walked back up the street. We did this several times. After a while, we decided to approach men who were sitting or walking by themselves and who looked like they could be Peabody, and say, "New history for a better tomorrow." (not the thing you'd want to say to a complete stranger!) Needless to say, we got very interesting reactions! Some people smiled, shook their heads and said, "No, but good luck!" Others looked very confused. Several said, "I've had lots of people say that to me today. What is this all about?" We gave a brief explanation, an apology, and moved on.

We never found Peabody, much to my disappointment. But we did meet several families from the Quad celebration! Many of them were involved in the hunt. After a few more hours on DOG street, we decided to go back to the library and do some more searching.

Hour after hour passed by. We didn't make much headway. The library closed, so we headed back to the visitor's center which was open a little longer. When that closed, we went to another library that was nearby. We saw a few other sleuths and their families there, too!
That library closed, and we still didn't have the answers we needed. We found a large bookstore, and spent a couple hours there. I received a text message, saying that the deadline was 10:05 pm. We were finally making headway on one of the clues (we were very excited!), and then I looked at my watch. "Well, we can stop now - it's after 10:05 p.m."

We packed up and went back to our hotel room. I was a little disappointed that we didn't make it, but I wasn't too surprised. I expected the clues to be hard, and they were!
Even though we wouldn't get to search for the treasure, I was still thankful that we made it into the first 100 and could come to Jamestown.

Scenes from Colonial Williamsburg

2007-07-15T20:49:00.000-04:00

Hello again! Sorry we haven't posted in a while... we've been rather busy. The next post about Jamestown will be coming soon! Here are some pictures of the different places we went in Virginia. Enjoy!

Duke of Gloucester (DOG) Street, Williamsburg

This is the Capitol Building, when Williamsburg was the capital of Virginia.

Some of the merchant shops on DOG street. Scotland House was one of our favorites!

This looks like Thomas Jefferson, deep in thought!

Tending the garden.

One of the many carriages on DOG street. The horses were beautiful!

Looking down DOG street.

Some houses had beautiful gardens!

These men are on their way to recruit some tourists for the militia.

The fife and drum corps waiting to march.

The Governor's house. Later in the day, the fife and drum corps marched down the green. The clear fife music was so pretty, and the drums were almost as loud as thunder!

The Jamestown Quadricentennial - Part 1

2007-06-25T20:17:00.000-04:00

We had a wonderful week in Virginia! We heard great speakers, met many Christian families, learned lots of history, and toured historic Virginia. This first installment covers the weekend we left New Hampshire to our first day in Virginia.

Saturday, June 9th, we packed our van, hopped in, and began the drive to Virginia! We stopped at the CBD headquarters in Peabody (pronounced Pea'-b-dy), MA and picked up some books we had ordered on the topic of - you guessed it - Jamestown!
We stopped in CT for Saturday evening and Sunday. After a friend's bridal shower Sunday afternoon, we once again began our drive! We drove for a few hours, and slept at a hotel for the night.

Monday morning (June 11) we hopped back in the car, and made the last leg of our journey. As we drove through Maryland, we saw the Washington Monument in the distance. We didn't actually visit Washington D.C., though.

When we arrived in Virginia, we headed straight to the Williamsburg Marriot to register. I was both nervous and excited. Finally, we were HERE! I noticed a few cars had signs like, "Jamestown or Bust" and "The Jamestown 400 - Go for the Gold!"

After we got our name tags, we looked around the hotel until the registration for the hunt opened. We chatted with some other families who were waiting as well.

Registration opened, and the line was formed. When it was our turn, we handed in the waiver we had signed previously. After showing photo I.D. and giving our birth dates, a photographer took photos of the family members who were participating in the hunt. Our whole family was, so he took photos of each of us, and then a group shot. Afterwards, there was a short cell phone text-message test, and then we were done until the next day! We chatted with a family we met from the forum, and then we left.

We wanted to get to our hotel - but we couldn't find it! We stumbled across the visitor's center, so we went in to ask directions. While we were there, we met two other families from the forum. Three families from the forum in one day! I couldn't wait to meet the others. :-) It was so much fun meeting people that I worked with over the last few months!
We explored the bookstore and gift shop, and then left.

We found our hotel, and settled in. In the evening Dad, Julia and I went to the opening night ceremony. Mr. Phillips gave an overview of the week, recognized the Jamestown 400 sleuths, led us in a song, and introduced the men who would be speaking during the week. They each gave a summary of what they would be speaking about. Also, we watched a short movie produced by the Botkin family about the founding of Jamestown, and why modern Americans don't want to celebrate its 400th birthday.

There was more after this, but we left during the break at 9:00. Tuesday was going to be a long day, and we needed to get to bed as early as possible.

Off to Virginia!

2007-06-07T09:41:00.000-04:00

Don't fall off your chair - yes, we're finally updating!!! : )

We're going to Virginia next week for the Jamestown Quadracentennial. We would not be going except that I (Jessica) have been involved in Vision Forum 's The Jamestown 400: Our National Treasure Hunt. Click on the link to read more about it.

I started the hunt because I heard about the codes, and I love solving codes and puzzles! After finding the secret website, I didn't want to stop! There was an intriguing story line, combined with learning history and cracking codes. Some clues were harder than others; I was practically stumped on some, but I had a lot of help! Mom, Dad and Julia all helped, and I found a forum where other sleuths helped each other (giving little nudges, but no direct answers).

I am very glad I could do this hunt; I learned so much! I learned much about the founding of our nation than I ever knew before! I also learned to practice patience, and to persevere even when the clues looked impossible!

It's amazing to see God's hand in the forming of America. Even though it is not a Christian nation, it was founded on Christian principles by Christian people. It's something that many people today don't want to acknowledge, which shows how far America has fallen. The purpose of this hunt is to show God's hand in history, and I think Vision Forum has succeeded in achieving that goal!

The first 100 to solve all the clues on the website by the deadline qualified to go on to the final phase: the physical search for the treasure! I finished minutes before the deadline, so I wasn't sure if I had made it. A few days later (it seemed like a week!) I got the news that I was IN!
Mom and Dad had said that IF I was one of the 100 (which seemed very unlikely at the time) we would go to Jamestown so we could hunt for the treasure. So, we're going to Virginia! I'm glad we can go, not just because we'll get to hunt for the treasure, but because I'll get to see the town I've been learning so much about!

Last weekend we visited a family we recently met, and they helped us sew costumes for Jamestown. They came out beautifully! Here are a couple pictures of Mom, Julia and I in our dresses.

(We were trying to look serious... which is very hard when everyone is laughing!)

We still need to add a few finishing touches on mine, but they're done for the most part! We still need to find a costume for Dad; then we can post a family costume photo!

We're leaving this weekend, and we'll be there for all of next week. I'll try to post some pictures, and a little more if I have the time!

Snowfall, Snow Power

2007-04-07T15:41:00.000-04:00

This past Wednesday, we had another snowfall. Early the next morning (it was still dark out), I saw several flashes outside. A little while later Mom came upstairs and told us the power was out! Since our heat runs on electricity, it got cold very quickly! I didn't want to get out of bed when it was time to get up! Everybody bundled up, and we prepared to face a cold day at home.
A Christian family we recently met called and said we could come over to their house and keep warm with their wood stove. It sure sounded tempting!
We shoveled off the deck and part of the driveway. The snow was starting to melt already! It was heavy. Quite a few trees were bent over under all the weight! Most of the trees were dumping snow little by little, so we got snowed on while we shoveled!
We drove into town after breakfast. Some stores were up and running (there was a long line at the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru!), but for the most part there was no electricity. We stopped by our friends' house, not intending to stay, but they invited us in. So, after accepting their invitation, we ran out to a store to get lunch fixings, and then headed back.

They have a large wood stove in their kitchen, which they use for cooking, too. It’s especially nice during power outages because they don’t need to rely on electricity to keep their house warm. We visited, had lunch, and sipped hot cocoa. The mom had recently gone through the book supply and had several boxes full that she was getting rid of. I had a fun time perusing them and found ‘Mountains of Spices’, the sequel to ‘Hinds' Feet on High Places’, both by Hannah Hurnard. If you haven’t read these yet, I highly recommend them! I also found a Hardy Boys book that I hadn't read. (For those of you who don’t know, I love to read!) Several times someone flipped the light switch so we could see better! Of course that didn’t work. :o)

We played a game of Monopoly with the 'kids', Bonnie and Ian (both around Julia's age), and then went back to check on our house. The electricity was still off, so there wasn’t much to check. Dad put a few buckets under the deck to catch the dripping water, in case we needed to flush the toilet.
We went back to our friends. We played some more, and then it was time for supper. We ate by candlelight. The food was delicious! I believe it was our first time eating beef in a while, because we usually eat venison at home.

After supper, we had a concert. Bonnie, Ian and their mom all play the violin. Bonnie was about to play when Mom flipped a light switch and the light went on! “Was that the generator or real electricity?” she asked. It was real electricity! Everybody cheered!
Bonnie, Ian, and their mom took turns playing. They played hymns and fiddle tunes. I was itching to join them with a guitar, but the only one they had was buried somewhere. Oh well! Julia played a couple pieces on the violin, and then Mom wanted me to play something on the piano. I played “Turkey in the Straw”, and “Come Thou Fount” with Julia on the violin. Then Bonnie joined in with her violin and we played a couple more hymns.
Afterwards we had dessert, and then it was time to go home. It was so nice to flick a switch and turn on a light!

New Hampshire Memories

2007-02-21T18:43:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the irregular posting! It's been way too long since our last post, I know. I currently have the ailment known to many as 'writer's block'. They say 'a picture is worth a thousand words', so to make up for lack of writing, here are some pictures of where we live, and what we did while house-hunting and before moving in. Stay tuned for more posts!

Exeter Train Station

This is where Dad boards the train to Boston every morning.

Pawtuckaway Lake

The lake, just across the road from our new home.

This loon sat on the dock for quite a while.

Look at those tree roots!

Dave and Elizabeth (our landlords) and Mom and Dad.

Fun with Friends

Chess game in progress... these young men are excellent chess players.

Jamming...

Dad and a new-found acquaintance playing noseflutes.

Reflections on Moving

2007-01-15T18:38:00.000-05:00

Once again, sorry for the belated post! One of my resolutions for this new year is to update our blog more frequently, especially since all our friends in CT will want to know what we're doing! :)
Speaking of which, the transition between Connecticut and New Hampshire has been something. Even though it's rather hectic and stressful at times, it's amazing to see how the Lord is working things out. He has provided and continues to provide everything we need at just the right time! Truly, God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him! We don't really want to leave our friends here, or our local assembly and the brothers and sisters there whom we have come to know and love very much. However, we know that God has us in New Hampshire for a reason. I'm rather excited to see how the Lord will use us there!

Finally - an update!

2006-11-27T17:41:00.000-05:00

Time has just flown by - it's hard to believe we haven't updated for three months! Sorry for keeping y'all in suspense about what we're up to! We've been very busy for the last few months, and this is what's been going on!

As many of you know, Schlumberger is moving to Cambridge, Mass. (Please see our first post for details.) We didn't want to live in Cambridge, but where should we look? Mom and Dad settled on southern New Hampshire, so Mom started looking for houses in that area on the internet. When she found a few that seemed suitable, we went to New Hampshire for a couple weekends to look at them.

The second weekend we were there, we looked at a house in a lake community. We liked the house, the owners, and the area, so we kept it in mind. After looking at a couple more houses, Mom and Dad prayerfully considered the lake house. After talking to the owners about various things, we knew that this was the house to rent! It’s slightly bigger than our house, and it’s right on Pawtuckaway Lake! We’re just down the street from Pawtuckaway State Park, which has miles of trails and great camping spots. Check out this link to explore the house! www.pawtuc.com/rental

Over the next couple weekends, we explored the area. Mom arranged things with the moving company, and we went up the weekend of October 28^th to sign the lease! When we came back to Connecticut on Sunday afternoon, we set aside what we didn’t want the packers to pack. They came bright and early Monday morning, and had everything packed by the afternoon. Tuesday morning the men came to load the truck. That evening we rode up to New Hampshire. The truck arrived the next morning. It took them all day to unload, and the moving wasn’t finished until late afternoon.
We had skipped lunch, so we were very hungry! After the movers left, Mom called our landlord to ask him about a good place to eat. He recommended ‘Bessie’s Lunch’. It’s a small home-style diner, and the service and food are excellent! There were several little plaques hanging on the walls. We enjoyed reading the sayings on them! Mom wrote down a few favorites. (I can't find the paper right now, so they might show up in a later post.)

We spent the next few days unpacking, recovering, and working on little projects. One evening, Julia and I (Jessica) played several hymns, I on my keyboard and she on her violin.

We came back Saturday afternoon, looking forward to a relaxing evening. Dad installed the washing machine from our new house (which we swapped with the one from our CT house), and Mom ran a load of laundry.

Later in the evening, Julia went down to the basement to get something. She ran back up the stairs and announced, "There's a flood in the basement!" Everyone ran down to look. Sure enough, a small lake of water covered a good deal of the floor. We spent the next hour mopping up the mess, and then set up fans to dry the floor the rest of the way.

Now we could enjoy the evening. :o)

Hiking in the White Mountains - Part 1

2006-08-21T20:17:00.000-04:00

Whew! August is one of our busiest summer months this year! Nearly every weekend is filled up! (of course, we're busy during the week, too. : )

The first week in August I was up at a friend's dairy farm, mostly helping with the cows. I plan to write a post (or two!) about that.

Last weekend, we went with a few families from our church to go hiking in the White Mountains. For more about that adventure, just keep reading! : )

Friday, Aug. 11
We left a bit before noon for the White Mountains! We were hoping to leave earlier - the Kresinas left about an hour before we did!
A couple hours later we arrived at the Vermont Welcome Center for a quick trip to the restrooms. On our way out I spotted the Kresinas! We went over to say hello. We talked for a while, and the Kresinas wondered why we brought so much stuff! We packed pretty much everything except the kitchen sink - from camping stoves to a futon mattress! However, we ended up using everything we had brought, which was good.
We left the Welcome Center and continued up. New Hampshire/Vermont is so beautiful! I love the mountains, the fields, the wide open sky... it's all so pretty!
We arrived at Living Water campground around 4:00. The weather was slightly chilly. After checking in and finalizing a few details, we went to our site. It was perfect! It had several picnic tables, a large fire-pit, plenty of tenting spots, and a drinkable water supply. We were right on the Ammonoosuc River, and had a great view of a nearby mountain. We unloaded, pitched our tents, and greeted the others who started to arrived. The Ritters came while we were unloading the car, and the Kresinas came while we were working on setting up our big tent.
So, we had a tent-pitching party! In a short time 4 or 5 little tents were neatly set up near the banks of the river. Rather, 4 little tents and 1 big one! : )
When the tents were set up, we arranged our sleeping gear, and started preparing for supper. The coolers and firewood was brought out, and the guys were looking for kindling. Everyone bundled up in long pants and jackets. It was much colder there than in Connecticut, that's for sure!
Mr. Kresina and Daniel got a roaring fire going. We sat around the it, enjoying the heat. As the evening progressed, it got cooler and cooler, and the fire was very much appreciated! Dad and Julia went down to the river to fish for a bit. The water was cold! Julia didn't catch anything.
Soon it was time for supper! We were still waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive. The Chidesters would arrive sometime that evening, and the others wouldn't come until late that night.
Supper was delicious! We had hot dogs, kielbasa, salads, and chips, complete with condiments. Supper lasted until all the hot dogs were gone. The food was put away, and the dishes taken care of. We sat around the fire, talked, and watched for meteors. We saw several, and even a couple satellites! Several times dessert was mentioned, but we never got around to having it that night. Those going on the early hike prepared their packs and lunches.
The Chidesters came after dark, and the Heberts came as we were getting ready for bed. Everybody settled down into their tents, anticipating hiking the next day.

I love my yard!

2006-07-21T17:02:00.000-04:00

Okay. This is the Mom. Patty to those who don't call me Mom. I am new to Bloggomania, though not mania. The only Blog I have read in my life thus far has been our own. The only one I have written in is this one. This is technically MY first post, because Jess typed our family newsletter in THE first post, even though I wrote the newsletter. What a fancy introduction, ay?

The news here is: I have been itching to remove my wedding band and today I did. Why? It got in my way. See, I recently joined the ivy league gardening club and it promotes puffy fingers. It was either off with the ring or off with the finger. The latter option being rather rash, don't you agree?

Now another confession. I am a sluggard. I didn't mean to be. While still out in my ivy league yard, I uncovered a big surprise. It really opened a can of worms. I mean ants. The kind that bite people who blow their cover. Ever had a bunch of biting-mad ants up your pants? It makes you dance. No matter how evil you consider it or made it your business never to do. Not graceful ballet either. This is the kind that has you foot stompin', leg slappin' and hootin', all at one time. So when I recalled the words "Go to the ant.....", what could I call myself?

So, that's all the time I have for my first blog experiment. I have to go make puff pastry for dinner. Get it?! That's really bad, I know.

Happy Independence Day!

2006-07-06T20:41:00.000-04:00

Hope everybody had a good 4th of July! We had some relatives over, and enjoyed some good food and a visit along with patriotic music! Here some pictures:

The Meal

Dad grilling ribs. They were great!

Baked beans, made by Aunt Barbara

Dessert!

Fourth of July cake made by
Grandma and Grandpa.

A very large, frosted, chocolate chip cookie,
courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa's neighbor.

Grandma and Grandpa enjoying dessert.

Grandma, Aunt Barbara, Mom, and Julia playing Upwords with Grandpa looking on.

Tigress the cat sleeping on Dad's lap.

Our very first post!

2006-06-24T15:38:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Supp Family Blog! Pardon the length of our first post. We were going to send it to family and friends as a newsletter, but decided this was a good opportunity to start a blog!
Future posts will probably not be this long, but this will bring you all up to date on our doings. Enjoy!

This is Patty, it is June 2006, I’m finally writing the family news we want to share with our family and friends, summarizing some highlights of 2005 and some of 2006. Way later than intended, but here it is none-the-less. I’ll insert Mike’s contribution first:

In the course of my work I had taken a trip to the Schlumberger product center in France last March. I traveled with several other SDR people. It was my first time in Paris but we had just a little time to be tourists…walking down the Champs Elyse and over to the Eiffel Tower (didn’t have time to go up) and having a meal or two in fancy restaurants. Oh, my presentation at the product center went well also. PS. The French make great hot chocolate!

This past March (2006) I was granted a Patent along with several other people I work with which applied to some of the work I did in Indiana a few years ago. I also received my 25 year pin at an awards ceremony. Hard to believe I’ve worked at SDR for 25 years! Which brings up another work related topic. My company is moving to Cambridge, MA by the end of this year! I am only 2.5 years from being eligible for full pension so it seems sensible to finish out that time. I was considering renting an apartment somewhere in the Cambridge area to live there during the week and come home on weekends. That plan was shelved and we will all be going up to the Boston/Cambridge area to live for at least a couple years. We plan to rent out our house for that time period. It will certainly be an adventure… We will continue to seek the Lord’s will in our lives…in all things.

We have been involved in a Bible study recently on prayer. We listened to a series of messages by Boyd Nicholson who is a spiritually gifted teacher. His messages were convicting and wonderful to hear.
You can download his messages for free and much more at http://www.voicesforchrist.org/order.html

Oh…one more thing…I have a beard/mustache now…the kids wanted me to grow it. Patty thinks I look better with it…I think it makes me look more extinguished!

And now…back to Patty.

Now I’ll see how I manage to put down some family recollections and some of my own adventures, that will hopefully be of some interest to you all……

Musical instrument playing has increasingly become part of our home life. We have begun playing various instruments together as a family. Mostly Appalachian & folk style music to accompany our favorite hymns and songs. Besides the piano, Jess plays the hammered dulcimer, guitar, and recorder. Julia, along with her grandfather’s fixed up violin, is learning and already doing well with her mountain dulcimer, mandolin and tin whistles. Mike is learning the hammered dulcimer, Jess is his instructor. He is also an accomplished nose-flutist. You have to see it and hear it to believe it. But believe it! He takes a break during allergy season, or when he has a head cold.

As for me, well I am TRYING to learn the banjo and the autoharp. The autoharp is much easier so I am spending more time on it. I am also making an attempt to improve my vocal inabilities. I do NOT give performances for any reason, but you can always come visit and not hear me.

Jessica was in a couple piano performances, played for some nursing home residents and had some judged theory exams; invaluable experience in front of audiences small and large. Her last piano performance was March 4th. She is studying for her Amateur Radio General License, which is an upgrade from beginner tech level. She has been a licensed tech since she was nine years old. She is more active with ham radio than Mike or me. Mike has the Amateur Extra, that’s the highest level, allowing him full privileges. If you happen to be a ham, and want to send traffic our way, our call signs are: Mike - KB1GAX, Jess – KB1GAW, Me – KB1PAT (I had to keep mine easy).

The regular orthodontist visits have started for both girls. Four years to go…. The ortho Dr. is three minutes down the street. Very convenient for those times when a wire impales a cheek or some other metallic malady necessitates an office visit.

Oh, the girls’ ages: Jess turned 15 on the 13^th of April; Julia is now 12 as of the 19^th of March. Their minds are growing as well, in their studies here at home. Jess has a full plate; some daily staples for her include New Testament Greek, Spanish, Biology, Algebra and Science to name a few. I’ve got her doing more in the kitchen, she is taking over the bread baking, but not totally, I still enjoy it and don’t foresee letting it go completely. Both girls make the breakfasts most of the time and we don’t eat boxed cold cereals! They actually prepare it from scratch, including grinding the flour. (Then vacuuming up the white dust...)

Both girls continued sewing lessons this year, from a good friend of ours, Arielle Hebert. They’ve produced some nice skirts and dresses. I’ve learned right along with them. Arielle has also involved our girls with the scripture memory club for the younger-than-they folks during the break time between our church services. So they are enjoying the interaction and learning that goes with that kind of responsibility. It is my desire that fine-tuned domestic skills will be passed on to our future generations. Any outside help is cordially welcomed.

Julia does the three “R’s” but is happiest when bouncing around doing something physical. She is very into ancient hand weapons, and has a growing collection of homemade (cardboard and wood) daggers, quarterstaffs, swords, etc., and owns ONE steel dagger and sheath (VERY sharp, which stays mainly in her curio cabinet.) She would like to take classes from and become a member of The Higgins Armory Sword Guild, where she would learn and practice techniques from medieval and Renaissance combat manuals. Areas of focus include the long sword (also called the hand-and-a-half sword or bastard sword), staff weapons, dagger, sword and shield, and rapier, based on German texts dating from 1300 to 1570. Last year our family made visits to Higgins Armory in Worcestershire, MA. Since their website gives a better description than I ever could, I’ll quote it:

“The Higgins Armory Museum enjoys the distinction of being the only museum in the Western Hemisphere entirely devoted to the study and display of arms and armor, but this is just one of many ways in which the Higgins is unique. Our founder, John Woodman Higgins, chose to house his fascinating and eclectic collection in a building of surprising contrasts, from its steel and glass Art Deco exterior to the vaulted Medieval Great Hall. Visitors will be amazed at the scope and breadth of historical, cultural and technological periods represented by the objects, amassed by a passionate collector over the course of a lifetime. Artifacts ranging from Corinthian helmets of ancient Greece to ornate suits of armor from the height of the Renaissance give our visitors an exciting glimpse into the past, while our many informative and entertaining programs help to interpret the collection in a broad cultural context.”

Mike and I wonder where this all will lead to, but the historical study of that period is an education in itself and who knows? She may be a museum curator some day. Or a good bodyguard…

Jess really enjoys horses, and has been riding during the spring and summer months for about 3 years now. We just switched instructors, and will be having year-round lessons now much closer to home – five to ten minutes away versus 50 minutes away. October marked one year that she’s had her miniature horse job, turning out Tee and Bailey early morning each M-F and any other times she is needed. I drive. (But I do help with the chores too.) Julia has begun to do the work on Fridays, giving Jess one morning off., and earning some much desired money. Mike drives that day, giving ME one morning off. Though the work can hardly be considered demanding for us. Julia does the evening chores when we are needed for that shift.

In March of 2005 the girls took a 6 week archery course. That was a good experience. We didn’t continue because that particular club trained for Junior Olympics and that wasn’t an interest of ours. Plus the girls didn’t want to spend their hard-earned money on a bow set-up for something they weren’t hugely interested in or weren’t going to pursue.

Justin - He was serving his term of enlistment (Air Force) in Germany up until August of 2005. He had been to Iraq and we’re thankful he returned safely. Several factors led to his decision to come back to the states last summer. Mostly to be back among family and friends, and realizing the brevity of time. He had come to the states on leave in May, and that whetted his longing to be back here again. He has switched from full time active duty to the National Guard. He took firefighting training at the Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, TX. He did very well in the course and was certified the beginning of May. Now he’s back in CT. He’s also completed his EMT course and has one final test which he’ll take soon.

At the beginning of August (2005), we went camping with a group of friends to Mt. Washington, NH. We hiked to the top and back. Mike and I hobbled down last, the round trip only took us 13 hours! The girls even beat us down. My souvenirs were purple toenails on both big toes, which fell off almost 5 months later. At the end of August we went to NH again, this time to a camp with cabins below the White Mtns. near the border of Maine. Some friends from church have relatives who own and operate a summer camp there. A group of us have been going there for the past few years. We rent the place for four or so days, and unwind, get lots of fresh air, exercise and fun, and enjoy the quiet beauty of God’s creation in a special setting.

We started our first woodstove fire of the season on October 12th. It’s a big deal here. We LOVE our pellet stove. We have it in our family room and that is where we spend most of our time all of fall, winter and early spring.

In December, we entered the world of butchering our own deer. But not hunting! And not collecting roadkill either! Friends shot a few deer over the course of the month and since they didn’t need the meat, we asked to have it along with some dressing and butchering lessons. So it was that we now have some experience with that, and a freezer full of good meat and broth. Maybe we’ll learn to hunt next. Seems the order got reversed for us.

That seems to be a fair sampling of glimpses into our life last year. Since this year is one-half underway, guess I can mention our recent trip to Florida. Mike had a convention to attend in Orlando mid-March so we decided all of us would go and make it a bit of a vacation time.

We spent about two weeks total there. It was the first time flying for the girls, which was a highlight for them. It was the first time in FL for both them and Mike. We had the best of weather while there. We aren’t into the typical touristy attractions or crowds, so didn’t go to any of the popular spots. We spent some wonderful time with friends in Clearwater and saw other friends inland. We visited the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, watched manatees up close in their natural habitat.– that was something. We took an airboat ride on the lower St. John’s River and that was great. We saw our share of alligators, up close and personal.

Captain Frank did make us feel like we were flying when we weren’t slowed for viewing all the wildlife. Julia’s highlight was attending the Medieval Dinner and Tournament. Lots of lancing, jousting, knighting, fighting, horses, Kings & Princesses, Lords and Ladies and eating dinner Medieval style: ripping fried chicken apart with your hands, that sort of thing.

Since I meant to get this done in January, then April, but now it is June, I have to mention our latest home improvement project. We covered our foundation (all 376 sq. ft.) with cultured stone.

We had a friend of ours, a young man of 16, do most of the work and we worked with him some. It was a very big project. Hopefully the photos we’re including come out alright.

The stone has improved the appearance and value of our home greatly.

Thanks to all of you who sent us greeting cards, this is our card to you (and to everyone else too!) We appreciate that you stay in touch with us. Hopefully this brings you up to date on us a bit. If you are ever in Middlebury, CT be sure to look us up. We can put together a quick Medieval style dinner for you anytime!