Pleasantly surprised

Yesterday, around lunchtime, we decided to head out to get Matthew's hair cut (yet again). We typically have lunch at Flatbread Company when he gets a haircut (gotta justify going all the way to Canton somehow), but we had pizza for dinner Friday night so we just weren't feeling it. We decided instead to have lunch at this little Mexican joint in Enfield called Sarapes. Dennis had heard great things about it recently, so we thought we'd give it a try.

From the outside, it doesn't look like much - it's a tiny little store front in a building with a dry cleaner and a laundromat.


We started out with a basket of homemade tortilla chips and three different kinds of salsa. One fresh, chunky mild salsa with lots of yummy cilantro, and two thinner spicy salsas - one green, one red. We tried plying Matthew with Cheerios until his lunch came, but he was not satisfied. We gave him a chip (his first chip ever!), which he promptly devoured. We gave him another, expecting he'd eat it, but instead he made a dunking motion with it, as if to tell us he wanted it dunked in salsa like we were having. After doing that a few times, I decided to just move the mild salsa within reach for him. He LOVED it (and proceeded to dunk his Cheerios in it as well)!

Here's a shot of him giving the nosy lady next to us ordering takeout a dirty look (just like Daddy had just done). Don't you just love when people talk to your kid as a way of getting a message to you? She kept making comments about the salsa being spicy. Seriously, lady, mind your own damn business. First of all, it's not spicy, and second of all, if I want to give my kid spicy food, I really don't care whether you express your disapproval. There are entire cultures whose children are raised on spicy foods. Besides, does my kid look like he's not taken care of? Buzz off.

Our lunches were outstanding. Even the rice and beans were awesome - the rice was nicely seasoned and not at all dry, and the beans were topped with a perfect amount of oaxaca cheese. This was definitely not like your typical Mexican chain restaurant style food. Don't get me wrong - I'm a big fan of On The Border and Taco Hell myself, but sometimes it's nice to have something a little more authentic.

Matthew enjoyed the atmosphere, as you can see in the video below....

I can't wait to go back again and try some other dishes!

And that's the way it is...

R.I.P. Uncle Walter

The Great Outdoors

This past weekend, we took Matthew on his first camping trip (and my first in....ahem....30 years). Last time I camped was in Girl Scouts, and let's face it, all I really had to do then was show up and eat s'mores. We planned this outing with our friends Jay and Liz & Adam and Chrissie, along with their kids. We always have a fun time together, so I knew it would be a great weekend.

We set out on Friday afternoon, and made our way to the campground in Bozrah, CT. Less than an hour away, and only 20 minutes from Jay and Liz's, so we knew we had a contingency plan close by should the weather become an issue. (Fortunately, it didn't - got a good storm on Saturday night but nothing we couldn't handle.) The place looked gorgeous on the website, but you never know what to expect. As we pulled up to the campground, I knew for sure we had a wonderful weekend in store - it was even more beautiful in person.

We got up to our sites, at the end of a dead end road up a pretty steep hill. That hill proved interesting for trips to the restrooms, but I think we had the best sites in the place. Lots of privacy, and really tucked away in the woods - just what we were hoping for.

Dennis got the tent all set up while Matthew and I explored a bit. Jay, Liz, Abby and Wyatt arrived shortly after us, with Adam, Chrissie and Timmy not far behind. The tent worked out great - Matthew's pack and play fit perfectly in the little side room, and the kids enjoyed using the air mattress as a mini bounce house!

One of the best parts of the trip was watching the kids play together. They really had a fun time, and it's so great that they're all so close in age. I can just see the many years of fun these guys will all have together, and I just love it.

On Saturday afternoon, we decided to check out some of the many amenities of the campground, even though we were perfectly content to just hang around by the campfire. The kiddos all had a fabulous time in the pool - Matthew absolutely loved it! Not only was he not afraid of the water (which I was so happy to see), but he looked like he was ready to just take off swimming. Here's one of my favorite pool shots...

There are just tons and tons of things to do at this campground, including this gorgeous 30 acre lake (with water trampoline, canoes, kayaks, paddleboats, etc.). They have different activities every weekend, plus mini-golf, shuffleboard, Bingo, horseshoes, tennis, basketball, and my favorite - a restaurant on the beach that will deliver food to your site. Definitely want to take advantage of that next time! I think Liz captured it perfectly when she said "This place is like Kellerman's!" Oh, and if you don't get that reference, then shame on you!

Of course, camping isn't camping without coffee perked cowboy style on the fire....

And lots of yummy food.....

But, the best part of all was the company. I feel lucky to have such wonderful friends in my life. We brought cards and games to pass the time, but the great thing is that we truly enjoy each other's company so much that we just played with the kids and cooked and hung out by the fire, chatting and relaxing. I'm looking forward to many more camping trips together in the years to come. Love you guys.

I took a boatload of pictures, so check them out here. Those of you who are used to looking at pictures I take will see that as usual, I took lots of pictures of the same thing (remember the sunset pictures from Debbie & Brendan's wedding? Yeah, just like those.) There are lots of the kiddos playing on the rocks at breakfast, and lots at the pool. It's just what I do...

Hope you enjoy!

Take Me Back Tuesday

Date Taken: June 11, 1982

I recently reconnected with an old childhood friend, Larry. We grew up on the same road, and our mothers were good friends. We lost touch after high school, but he recently joined Facebook and found me. This is a picture taken before a 6th grade dance we went to, some 27 years ago now.

It's been so great getting in touch again. There's something so cool about having someone else remember all the same things you do, and also remind you of things you'd long since forgotten.

Larry - good to be back in touch. Looking forward to more trips down Memory Lane.