BenSpark Family Adventures

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02492 Today Allison and I drove down the Cape to go to Scargo Cafe for lunch with Mem and Grandfather, Cindy and Wayne and Aunt Cathy and Uncle Roger. Scargo Cafe was one of Grandma Bennett's favorite places to go for a meal. The food there was excellent. We arrived a little early and visited a couple of shops across the street from the cafe. Found some Christmas gifts for the kids and an anniversary gift for Allison. Our meal was excellent and we had a wonderful waitress. Allison got a chicken meal that was very tasty and I got the braised short rib meal. That was also very good. In the end Mom and Dad, Cindy, Wayne Cathy and Roger split the bill and took us out for our anniversary. We were celebrating what would have been Grandma and Grandpa's 76th wedding anniversary. It was nice to go there and think of them for a while and have a lot of fun with family.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02398 When you work hard all Summer and it is your last day at your very first job I think you deserve some ice cream. Today Eva and I headed back from the Cape and on the ay back we stopped at Somerset Creamery for some ice cream for Eva. I did not have any. It was tough to stay strong on that one. We then headed home and ran into very little traffic. When we got home we were greeted by Allison’s parents. They are staying with us for a few days. Marcia found me a great set of Marvel themed glasses. We had burgers from Chartley Country store thanks also to Marcia and Dan. We enjoyed a nice meal and then I headed to the office for a night of work.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02397 This morning Andy and I went paddle boarding over at the beach. Allison had asked the kids what things they wanted to do on their last week of the Summer on the Cape. Andy wanted to go to Eugene Henry’s and go paddleboarding. We’ll we already went to Eugene Henry’s so it was time to go paddle boarding. We pumped up the paddle boards yesterday so that they would be ready first thing this morning while the water was still. We had a wonderful morning on the water even though I continually scanned for dorsal fins because even though Falmouth has not had any major shark sightings I was still going to be vigilant. We remained shark free. In the afternoon I drove Allison and Andy to Middleboro to meet up with Colleen so that Allison could get the house ready for her parents. The drive had some moments of traffic but we were lucky to have left when we did because when I was returning I saw that a large accident had happened on the road that we had driven on earlier...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02396 On the way back from our walk today I took a photo of the Hydrangea by the fence. It is nearing the end of the season and this particular plant is starting to wilt. Why does it look so vibrant? Well, I have been playing with the effects on my phone’s camera app. So, I am editing this on my phone to make the image much more striking. You can see the wilting, though. Tonight Eva was back at Folk dancing and she even jumped off the drawbridge twice. She had a great time. Before Allison and Eva went off for their trip to Folk Dancing we had ribs for dinner. I had gotten a rub at Eugene Henry’s the other day and in the morning I took the ribs out of the fridge and let them thaw. Once they were thawed I rubbed the ribs with brown sugar and the rub that I had gotten. Then I put them in the oven for 2 1/2 hours. Finishing everything on the grill afterwards.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02395 On our second day at the Cape this week Eva spent the entire day at Science School and then had a fun night with friends at Folk Singing and then they had twice baked potatoes together. She’s had some great times with friends this Summer. It has been an awesome experience for her. Tonight Allison, Andy and I went to Anejo for dinner with my friend Stephanie and her son and boyfriend. It was our first meeting of her boyfriend and her son. Stephanie worked with me several years ago and we’ve kept in touch ever since. We had a great dinner together and enjoyed our time with Stephanie, Josh and Julian. Andy even got to hold Julian and Andy looked so happy. The kid loves babies and dogs. Andy is very gentle with both. I did not get any photos at dinner but Stephanie did and shared them with me. They are of Andy and the baby but I’m not posting them. So, I have a photo of the tomatoes in my Dad’s garden. He’s got a ton of plants and lots and lots of tomatoes.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02394 We are down the Cape this week for the last week of Eva’s job at the Children’s School of Science. While she was at work we went to Main Street in Falmouth and visited Eugene Henry’s. There Andy got a few things including a tropical soda to use to make a tropical soda float. We enjoyed some time on the porch and Andy enjoyed their float. It had a very strong coconut scent.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02377 Today was the last day of classes for Andy. Andy did the ROV / Robotics class this time around. Andy and their classmates built their own underwater vehicles. Today we got to watch the teams drive them around. The teams would put their vehicles into the pool and then would drive them underwater and attempt to pick up some items on the bottom of the pool. It was fun seeing the teams work together to achieve this goal. There were various items of different shapes and sizes. Andy’s team had already gone when we got there but they had a second run. I was able to capture some video of the team’s vehicle and then also Andy getting into the water to make repairs. I had an underwater camera with me that I put on a selfie stick so that I could record the events underwater. I had put on some plastic covers that should have been water tight but they leaked and so the recordings aren’t that great. Andy had a good time and really enjoyed this class. We headed home so th...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02376 Tonight was the Children’s School of Science picnic. They moved it from the park around the corner to the school itself. I liked it better at the school. I always found the park to be so hot and buggy. There is a great breeze at the school so it was pleasant. Allison and I dropped Andy at the picnic and then went to the Woods Hole Market to get dinner but the deli closed at 5pm and we were there at 5:10pm. So we made an about face and walked up to Pie in the sky. At Pie In The Sky we were able to get some sandwiches and a salad with Lobster salad on it for me. The lobster salad was great and had plenty of meat in it. Expensive but I did get a lot. They did forget my dressing, though. So the salad itself was a bit dry. Andy hung with us and Eva hung out with the other TAs. She’s got a great little group of friends there and I like how they are together. Eva is very happy with her new friends and she loves her job. Andy had a little excitement at their class ...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02375 Tonight I went with Allison and Eva to Folk Dancing in Woods Hole. I went because Eva said that she would be jumping off the drawbridge tonight. That is what the Science School TAs do after Folk Dancing and when the bridge attendant leaves for the night. I did dance a little bit tonight, did two songs and then it just got so crowded that I couldn’t stay inside the event. I had to get outside for fresh air. I also took a walk around the area. Around 9pm the bridge was filled with kids all excited to jump. Eva and her friends also got up there and did their jumps, too. However, I did not get a good shot of her actually jumping but did get one of everyone on the bridge. Eva has really branched outside of her comfort zone this year.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02374 Allison and I took a walk tonight and as the sun was setting there was a sliver of sunset cast upon the comorants that all gather on teh pilings over on the private beach near us. Andy and I have been playing a round of Command of Nature every night so far and so far he has beaten me each and every time. He has a great ability to dominate this game.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02373 I came down to the Cape later today because I went and saw Superman before I headed down. I slept a few hours and then went over to the movie theater to see Superman. I didn’t have high expectations for the movie but I knew that James Gunn was in charge of it so I knew it was in good hands. The movie did not disappoint. It was the best DC movie since the Dark Knight, the last one I really enjoyed. The movie was bright and fun and had an excellent soundtrack. I laughed and I certainly teared up more than once. Such a fun movie to see. When I arrived at the Cape my niece and my sister’s dog were sitting on the bench at the table and I was able to catch a very happy expression on both of them.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02370 Allison and Eva headed home today because Eva has senior photos tomorrow. So, Andy and I had some time for ourselves and I decided to take him to the movies to see How To Train Your Dragon. This was the live action remake of the animated movie. It was really good. We went to DJ’s for wings before the show and then split some popcorn at the show. I had a bit of it and it did not spike my blood sugar so I was happy with that. Andy enjoyed the movie and dinner. After dinner we went over to Shaw’s so I could get some cream for my iced coffee. Andy saw the Pokemon kiosk and asked for a pack. He has decided to get back into Pokemon for a bit. I have all his old Pokemon stuff because I kept it for him. Might be fun to start playing that again together.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02369 During my morning walk today I saw a Great Blue Heron along the water of Great Bay. I saw it as I walked along and made sure to grab a photo today. Tonight andy and I played a new game called Command of Nature. It is a great strategy and deck building game. Andy caught on very quickly and in the end he won. Partially because I let him have one more turn and partially because he’s devious. I won’t go easy on him again.

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02368 My parents have a birds nest on the front porch and the state of the baby birds in the nest has been a source of discussion and entertainment all Summer. When we got down initially one of the baby birds had fallen out of the nest and my dad put it back in on a couple of pieces of cardboard. We were speculating on whether or not it was dead. Apparently there are 3 babies in the nest and they appear to be doing okay. Today one of the baby birds sort of flew/fell down onto the floor of the porch. It ended up hopping under a bush in front of the house. Somehow it got back up to the nest and there are still 3 babies there. tonight Allison and I went to a comedy show at the Wharf. IT was pretty good. Allison and I brought down the age range of the audience but the comedians were even younger. It was an okay show and we had fun. It wasn’t the best comedy we’ve seen nor was it the worst.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02367 Back down to the Cape today. Allison, Eva and I went for a walk down the beach after dinner. The sky was looking very pretty tonight.

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02364 I went for an early walk along Great Bay today. I had last night off but have to work in the office tonight so I wanted to get home early so that I could sleep. I took Andy with me because we were all headed home. Eva went with Tara and Erik because they were bringing her to the bank for a new checking account. They set up all that she needs for her accounts. Allison went and picked Eva up from the bank and then went to the Farmer’s Market with Eva to pick up a few things. We all vegged out in our respective spaces when we got home. A couple of days to recharge before going back down to the Cape. The kids have always needed a couple of days to just be back in their own spaces doing their own things each Summer. When I got home I removed the protective screen on the garden. My zucchini plants are growing HUGE. They have started to bend because they were pressing into the screen. We’re even starting to get some blossoms on the plant. On the walk this morning the w...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02363 Today is the Fourth of July and I am not at all excited about celebrating. I started the day with my morning walk along Great Bay and nearly ran into my old manager, someone I despise. Luckily he did not see me and I shot past him quickly. I did text my cousin to let him know what I saw. It took the rest of the walk to calm back down. Around 10am we headed over to Eva’s friend Max’s house so that we could park in his yard and walk down to the Science School so Eva could link up with the staff there to be a part of the parade. Allison, Andy and I walked around Woods Hole for a while and then found seats to watch the parade. I don’t like parades. Rather, I don’t like people at parades. No matter where we are there is always someone moving right in front of us or squeezing by me. We were 15 people all seated along steps and for some reason every person who wanted to get behind us went by me. Every one. I was watching. Then there are people who crowd in on the parade...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02362 This is how I am feeling about tomorrow’s celebration of America’s independence day. Feeling pretty shitty about it. I’ve always thought of politicians as evil but now.. confirmed.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02361 I’ve been trying to walk along Great Bay each morning while on The Cape. I had been doing a ton of walking this Winter and need to get back into it. Great Bay is one of my favorite places to walk on the Cape. Allison has been walking too but she is working back up to walking the whole 3 miles in a shot. Tonight Allison took Eva to Woods Hole for folk dancing night. This is a weekly activity that Eva goes to with the kids from Science School. She’s really enjoying being with all of them and she’s gone to Folk Dancing before with Tara. I figure she’s get out to do this each Wednesday over the Summer. While there Allison got some great sunset shots around Woods Hole. I may have to go next week to get some good photos.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02360 Tonight was Open House for the children’s School of Science. The kids are both there again this year. Andy is in the ROV class to make an underwater robot. Eva is a teaching assistant and is having a great time in that role. She’s made some great friends already. We went for the whole event because Eva had to help clean up and then afterwards we would go out for dinner. We had to get our yearly photo of the two of them by the Woods Hole Harbor, too. Can’t believe how tall Andy has gotten. I had intended to got to the Anchor Ale House but they did not appear to be open when we got there. I confirmed that by going to the door. Then we figured that we’d go to DJ’s Wings and they were not open on Tuesdays. So we went to Taco Blanco. I was not sure how much I could have there because of my Virta diet. However, I had to Barria (sp) tacos and that did not seem to move my blood sugar in any way. While we were there we ran into my cousin, Bill who is up with his fam...