Babies on the high seas / Catting around on Salem Common

Avonlea Jane had another busy week. After filling up her calendar with storytime and playdates, we spent Thursday enjoying Free Salem Ferry Day with another mom and baby duo. The Salem Ferry is a high-speed catamaran that gets you from Salem to Boston in forty-five minutes. It takes a little longer than the commuter rail, but you cannot beat the coastal views, especially of all of the lighthouses and harbor islands. This was Avonlea Jane's second time on the ferry, but her first time being awake for most of it.

Avonlea Jane enjoying Pirate's Booty on the high seas

Playing with her friend Justin as we pull into Boston Harbor

You disembark the ferry at the entrance of Boston's historic North End (home of the Old North Church: "one if by land, two if by sea").

Between the North End and Quincy Market is currently a carousel being used to raise money for land conservation. The kids were lucky enough to enjoy their first rides.

After the carousel ride, the four of us enjoyed lunch at McCormick and Schmick's in Qunicy Market. David and I normally dine there on the weekends, when it is primarily full of tourists and families. We had forgotten that on weekdays the restaurant would be full of the business lunch crowd, which unfortunately did not find our babies as adorable as most people do. Thankfully after a slightly rowdy lunch, Avonlea Jane and Justin were both able to get a nap on the ferry ride home.

Avonlea Jane especially needed to rest in order to be alert for her swim lesson. Unless David has to work late, both of us are in the water with her throughout her lesson. However this week, we were pressed on time to get her changed at the YMCA, so only David got in the pool with her. Fortunately, this allowed Mommy to get pictures of the lesson.



Here is more of Avonlea Jane in her lesson:





This was an important weekend for another one of our babies as well; Mabel entered the Official Cat of Salem Contest. We had been preparing for the contest for the last year and were really looking forward to being able to tell people about Mabel's newly found fame: "Hi, we're Liv and David, surely you've heard of us; our cat is the Official Cat of Salem." In order to compete, Mabel was dressed in costume, and she went as Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter. We were sure with such a fabulous Salem-centric costume, she would be a shoo-in. Alas, it was not to be. Sadly, all of the cats who placed in the contest were black cats. So, next year is clearly Maxwell's year. Until then, we will cheer ourselves by knowing we have the Unofficial Cat of Salem.

David is carrying both of our girls to the Common for the contest. Hosting a cat contest outdoors is not the brightest idea, especially when it is held right before the dog contest. Surprisingly, Mabel did really well on a leash and enjoyed walking around the Common and checking out all of the new people. She was even complimented on her calm and cool stage presence.

Mabel psyching herself up for the competition

Mabel is showing off her "A" for adultery. Clearly, she's been catting around.

While she wasn't a winner in the Official Cat of Salem Contest, she did take third prize in the Cat Halloween Costume Contest. She was beat out by a white Persian cat dressed as a chicken and a hairless Sphinx dressed as a bat. Perhaps had she agreed to wear Hester's bonnet she would have placed higher. Regardless, she was thrilled with her prize gift bag of treats and toys.

After our disappointment at the cat contest, we treated ourselves to a trip to Ipswich's Russell Orchards. (Our competitiveness, and subsequent malcontent, in this contest has made it clear that we can never put any of our children in a pageant.) The weather could not have been better, and we were thrilled to see Avonlea Jane have such a good time on her first trip to the orchard. This particular orchard not only has different fruit fields and a pumpkin patch, but a wide variety of farm animals to visit and a fabulous orchard store with fruit wines, hard cider, and apple cider doughnuts. The doughnuts are so popular that there is generally a winding queue with signs posted detailing how long of a wait you will have from various points in line. Our first visit we waiting nearly an hour to get ours.

Checking out the ponies

Playing in the pumpkin patch

Picking up leaves to eat