The Keenan Family 411

Old-School Tree Cutting

Yesterday we decided to take a different approach to the annual cutting-down of the Christmas Tree; we did it the old-fashioned way, with heavy emphasis on the word "old". 

How old?  Try pre-invention-of-the-wheel old!

It went something like this:

Step #1:  The entire family climbed to the top of "T-Rex Mountain" which is a rather long and steep embankment at the back of our property.  In fact, it's so steep you can reach out in front of you and touch the ground as you're climbing

Step #2:  Hiked about .3 miles across a wide-open cropfield in the middle of nowhere.

Step #3:  Found a tiny tree farm and chopped down the largest Christmas tree in family history.  And yes, we paid the farmer for it first!

Step #4:  Hauled the enormous tree across the cropfield (did I mention it's a .3-mile trek?) with the help of one of Cameron's camouflage tarps, cursing out each other and the weight of the tree every step of the way.

Step #5:  Transported the tree down T-Rex Mountain (did I mention it was wicked-steep?).  This falls squarely in the "don't try this at home, kids" category.

But everyone is still alive and the tree wasn't entirely mangled during the trip.  It was quite a tree-cutting adventure.

And here's a trivia question:  I'll give you three guesses...did this idea originate from me or Amy?!!

Photo album's on the right...

Our New Favorite Weekend Activity: Backyard Archery!

Snowed In!

The Nutmeg State got walloped with snow today.  It started last night and didn't peter out 'til about 4pm today, at which point 21 inches of snow had settled on the ground!

Both the Glastonbury School system and Keenan Law, LLC shut down their operations for the day, which gave us an unexpected mid-week respite from the weekly grind and we made the most of it.

I kicked the day off with a memorable 9-mile run in the middle of the blizzard (no cars to worry about!).  Then we loafed around for the morning; we watched "Despicable Me" on DVD and the resident bookworms (me, Amy and Cameron) got a ton of reading done.  Then the mother (and father) of all snow-shoveling assignments took up the entire afternoon while the boys took advantage of the enhanced snowfall and constructed a snow fort with exceptionally high walls.

Well, the snow's great and all, but there certainly was a lot of it!  Suffice it to say that the 36-day count-down for our Universal Studios trip has begun in earnest!

The "Blizzard!" photo album is on the right...

 

Weekend Hike at Cotton Hollow!

Please note that Owen, who is practically certified as a trail hiker, is dutifully toting nothing but the basic, essential hiking gear. 

That would be a boogie board and one ski pole (not pictured). 

Behold..."Fort Timberwolf"!

We erected a brand-new structure on our little plot of land this weekend...Fort Timberwolf!  After creating a beautiful tee pee-shaped fort along the  Cotton Hollow trail across the street last weekend, we decided to apply a similar architecture to our own backyard.

It took several hours and a few bruises, but the boys now have ready-access to a relatively decent-sized fort!  And it's all-natural...no nails, screws, etc.  Not even duct tape.  

Please note that it's a work-in-progress.  It has a solid framework, but the boys will be adding wood, leaves and bark to it for probably several months before it's completely enclosed.

Anyway, for a better look at Fort Timberwolf, check out the photo album, top right!

Boys' Day!

Amy took a day-trip today with her buddies to NYC, which meant that the boys ran the show at home! 

We spent the first half of the day working on Cameron's book report and playing a half-dozen board games.  Then it was adventure-time as the boys loaded up their backpacks with various and sundry plastic firearms and swords and we drove over to the Blackledge Falls trail system at the other end of town.  We don't hit these trails very often, but they're beautiful...one of the town's best-kept secrets.

Amy had recommended doing some letter-boxing, but I think the boys have just as much fun trekking into the woods with no grown-up-generated assignments.  Not to mention that letter-boxing triples the administrative issues for me!

Anyway, we simply hit the trails and I let them set the agenda; they decided which trails to explore, what pace we traveled at and how many breaks we took.  It's hysterical to watch and listen to their minds soar as they plunge into the jungles of Vietnam, the beaches of Normandy and the deserts of Iraq, all in one hike. 

Meanwhile, after a stressful morning of playing Mr. Mom I got to take a break and relax a little bit by strolling through the forest and clicking through my MP3 player.  Whoever thought that Yo-Yo Ma could make such a great hiking companion?!

Anyway, we had a blast on our two-hour hike.  The highlight was spotting a buck with a pretty good-sized rack.  The low-point was little Shanie falling face-first into a small stream.  He stood there in his soaked pants and coat and screamed for a couple minutes before instantly shaking the whole thing off and rejoining his brothers so that they could continue the expedition.

We celebrated the hike with ice cream and Playland at McDonald's.  Tonight's agenda includes a major four-boy effort at straightening up the basement, followed by "Movie Night", complete with hot chocolate and popcorn in the newly-cleaned "Downtown" area.

And mommy thinks SHE's having tons of fun!

Paddlin' on Burr Pond!

It looks like we've discovered a new family summer weekend activity...canoeing! 

Yesterday, I hauled the old aluminum Grumman canoe out from behind the garage (after bushwacking my way through the tall weeds) and then we took a brillo pad and a hose to it and it looked like new!  Well, almost.  Then we hoisted it on top of the beast and and trekked out to Burr Pond State Park in Torrington, CT.  Not sure why they call it a "pond" and not a "lake" since it's enormous. 

Anyway, we launched from a boat ramp, had a Subway sandwich picnic on board and paddled across the pond to the beach area.  We parked the canoe in a tiny, little cove, now dubbed "Keenan's Cove". 

While we were there we picked LOTS of wild blueberries.  Shanie was a huge help as he contributed one blueberry to the bag every five minutes, each of which he had squashed flat!  We then paddled around the shoreline, picked more blueberries while still in the canoe, and even explored a little trail system. 

On the way home we stopped for dinner at one of our favorite pizza hang-out's, Bohemian Pizza in Litchfield, CT. 

So we had a ton of fun and I'd like everyone to know that not a single person fell overboard!  Now THAT'S what I call a successful family canoe trip!

Photo album's on the right!

T-Rex Mountain Ascent

Cameron, Owen and I did our first climb of the season up "T-Rex Mountain" this afternoon.  This particular "mountain" is actually the back half of our property.  During the other three seasons of the year it's completely overgrown, but it offers a very challenging climb for the little guys in the winter. 

The slope is about 150 meters long and pretty steep...impossible to run up it or sleigh-ride down it.  I don't have the necessary equipment to measure the grade, but my best (very rough) guess is somewhere between 20 and 30 degrees.  So it's a tough climb in the snow, especially today since the snow was mostly frozen...Owen was only able to make it to the top with me behind him, digging in on each step and pushing his butt. 

Up at the top there is a huge open field, a very long and old tobacco barn (a.k.a. T-Rex's house) and we usually see lots of wild turkey tracks (a.k.a. baby T-rex tracks).  And we had a lot of fun up there today...there are a few slopes and the kids were able to belly-glide along the frozen snow at a pretty good clip.  Very cool!

The best part about every T-Rex Mountain ascent is actually the trip down.  While the trip up is slow and painstaking, the trip back down is fast and fun!  I sit down at the top, put the kids in my lap and we have a wild ride all the way to the bottom!  My main job is to steer around all the trees and the kids' job is to scream at the top of their lungs.