2014 Sauerkraut

The annual family tradition - cabbage from Somerset County and spending time with the kids stomping kraut for New Year's and 2015.  We expanded this year and did a couple hundred pounds of cabbage in a few different crocks.  Going to be a healthy 2015!

Chestnut Trees

Jack and I were walking around the yard while digging potatoes and Jack found a chestnut that fell from the trees my Grandfather planted about 20 years ago in our yard.  It got me thinking that I should take these chestnuts and try to regrow a tree from one of the seeds.  So we picked up the handful of nuts that the deer hadn't found yet and I took them home.  I put them in some damp potting soil that I will keep in the fridge for the next 4 months.  More to come on this experiment....

Digging Potatoes

It was that time of year to go up to my Mom's in Donegal and dig potatoes.  Fresh giant potatoes are the highlight of the harvest season and nothing can top fresh cut french fries!  I needed a helper and decided to take Jack for the afternoon.  I dug em and Jack put em in the wheelbarrow.  Quite the tandem!  Here are a few pics from the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Working hard or hardly working?

 

 

Summer Update

Not much to report out....just the dog days of summer, get chores done before hunting season and spending time with the twins.  Caught some monster wild trout and bass...haha..Very much looking forward to the fall.

Yough Baptism for the Twins

Cooper thinking we're completely crazy

Spencer and I took the twins out for their first fly fishing adventure / baptism on the Yough.  Now, I know what you might be thinking,...that I've lost my mind taking a couple 8 month olds and my dog out on the river fly fishing, but all I can say is my wife thought it was a good idea at the time too (and one of the many reasons why I love her!)

Clara quickly grabbed an oar....future river rat!

  I cant claim it went exactly as I envisioned it, but I'm glad we gave it a whirl.  The trout were rising as they always do and Spencer was doing her best to occupy both babies.  But there is just something not very relaxing about casting to rising trout when twin babies are having mini meltdowns in the middle of a river. 

 



Clara famously waving in all of her pics! 

I think we could have handled just one meltdown, but not two.  I did get enough casts off to realize that the fish were not taking the big obvious yellow sz 14 cahills, but I didn't stick around too much longer.  There were a couple guys fishing below us and I felt terrible about the screaming babies.  Its one thing to have to accept screaming babies on an airplane, ....but on a river, you should NOT have to listen to other people's screaming babies. 

So we paddled upstream as we sang, "Row, Row, Row your boat"  and I just put the rod down and floated merrily, merrily back down the river. 




Dad with the best catch of the evening....a 22" wild Clara!



The nice thing was the twins aren't moving yet, so when that day comes (which will be soon,) we wont be able to take them out in the boat until they're a little older.  So I am so glad we got this float in now.




But it wont be long until ol Jack is rowing his old man down the river and I cant wait for the day!

 

Jack told me the fish were midging, but I didn't listen to him and kept casting that cahill dry fly.

 

Twins!

Spencer and I have been expecting twins, so my time has been spent getting the house and nursery ready for the past few months instead of trying to catch every fish in the tri-state area.  Well after all the waiting, the twins were finally delivered on 10-11-12.  John Robert 'Jack' and Clara Spencer were born at 5#8oz and 5#2oz. Both babies and Momma are doing great.  I can't wait to go camping, flyfishing, hunting, biking, boarding, etc, etc with our two new little babies one day!