After a few difficult days we did not know what to expect today, but I talked with Avi to try to help make Marsha’s birthday a good day for her. And in the end, it mostly worked out. The day began horrible however. We wanted to take a hike, and we found what was called a moderate hike to a waterfall in Smuuglers Notch State Park, Bingham Falls. Avi would not do anything we asked of him. Mostly he decided he would not put on his sneakers. I do not understand this, but Avi hates wearing socks and he hates wearing sneakers. I have yet to figure this out. I finally got him in sneakers without socks. Had he not agreed to put on the sneakers, he would have been forced to stay in the bedroom all day with nothing to do, so in the end, he realized what he needed to do.
Of course Avi was the kid who loved the hike the most! It starts as a well defined path that leads down towards a river which you can hear. As you get closer, you have to step down a steel slope with rocks designed as stairs to go down. Once a the botttom the payoff for your work is amazing, a beautiful waterfall!
After we stayed there for a while we went back to the car and back to the resort for lunch. After lunch I got Avi to go with me to the pool. While we were in the outdoor pool, I looked up and there, maybe 25 yards from the pool was a bull, enjoying grazing! Where else can you swim with a bull watching over you!
After we got back we got the kids out again to do some hiking on the Trapp grounds. We took a short walk (up a steep hill) to a chapel built by one of the children of Maria and Georg Von Trapp. Then we took the senic route back to the main road. The kids complained a bit about the lenght, but in the end it turned out ok.
Finally we ended the day with a birthday dinner for Marsha in Waterbury.
Tomorrow we will start the day at Cabot Creamery and learn all about their cheeses, and after lunch we will finally get the kids to the Ben and Jerrys factory tour! I know they are looking forward to that.
Marsha and Shayna at the falls
The falls themselves