Claire has been out of the womb for 621 days and nights. Each and every day has ended with a good night kiss from Mommy. An impressive streak for any mother but one that has finally come to an end. For tonight in a quiet wooded area of Ellicott City Maryland where deers prance around at will, Claire has gone to bed with her mother nearly 2400 miles away in San Francisco. Early this morning we drove Sarah off for a weekend in the city by the bay. It is her chance to unwind and live care free experiencing life without a child for the first tim
e since Claire was born. In her first trip
back to California since the move, Sarah has choosen to coerce her body into a relaxing half marathon walk giving her a chance to see and hear the sights of a city that was once so familar. Back here in Maryland, Claire and I did you best to have a wonderful day. Without mommy things are never as good as they could be, but we certainly had an action packed, fun, and exciting day. After an early morning viewing of Elmo's "Potty Time" Claire and I ventured down to her boyfriend Cameron's house for their daily play time. With Claire in tow on her Chariot, I then hoped on my bike and took a nice ride along the Patapsco river in the very leafy and colorful Patapsco park. We stopped to enjoy a playground and enjoyed leaves falling on us on this beautiful fall day. After a difficult uphill ride home Claire napped for 2 hours before we headed out to Woodbine for an afternoon with the Ellicott City Kosters at Larryland Farms. Normally a bustling "pick your own produce" farm, this 100+ acre compound transforms into a must-see Halloween destination this time
of year. Complete with Hayrides, the "boo barn", a straw maze, refreshing apple cider, and a large pumpkin patch, there's something for everyone. According to the farm's website (
http://www.pickyourown.com/), they " started the pick your own farming operation in 1973" and today they "grow 14 acres of strawberries, 2 acres of tart cherries, 1/2 acre of sweet cherries, 1 1/2 acres black raspberries, 3 acres of red raspberries, 1/4 acre of purple raspberries, 5 acres of blueberries, 1 1/2 acres of thornless blackberries, 14 acres of peaches, 1/2 acres of nectarines, 16 acres of apples and 15-20 acres of vegetables including spinach, beets, tomatoes, cantaloupes, broccoli, and pumpkins". Claire had fun with most of the activities but was most entertained by the 4 chickens roaming free on the property. Her, Alex, and a group of 9 or 10 other children ranging from 1-12 chased these poor chickens endlessly around the property. When the chickens tried to get away from the pesky children by hiding under thorn bushes, the crew led by a fearless 12 year old girl devised a divide and conquer plan in which she risked her safety by entering the bushes while the other children surronded them in hopes of chasing them out into a clearing. I must say, if this were the year 1200,
these children would make excellent hunters for the loc
al village. Anyway, after a long day we headed back to historic Ellicott City for a nice dinner at "La Palapa" before retiring for the evening. Even being sans mommy today, she largely maintained her cheerful demeanor and went to bed without a fight, whispering her usual soft "goodbye" as I closed the door to her room.
Claire has been out of the womb for 621 days and nights. Each and every day has ended with a good night kiss from Mommy. An impressive streak for any mother but one that has finally come to an end. For tonight in a quiet wooded area of Ellicott City Maryland where deers prance around at will, Claire has gone to bed with her mother nearly 2400 miles away in San Francisco. Early this morning we drove Sarah off for a weekend in the city by the bay. It is her chance to unwind and live care free experiencing life without a child for the first tim
e since Claire was born. In her first trip 
back to California since the move, Sarah has choosen to coerce her body into a relaxing half marathon walk giving her a chance to see and hear the sights of a city that was once so familar. Back here in Maryland, Claire and I did you best to have a wonderful day. Without mommy things are never as good as they could be, but we certainly had an action packed, fun, and exciting day. After an early morning viewing of Elmo's "Potty Time" Claire and I ventured down to her boyfriend Cameron's house for their daily play time. With Claire in tow on her Chariot, I then hoped on my bike and took a nice ride along the Patapsco river in the very leafy and colorful Patapsco park. We stopped to enjoy a playground and enjoyed leaves falling on us on this beautiful fall day. After a difficult uphill ride home Claire napped for 2 hours before we headed out to Woodbine for an afternoon with the Ellicott City Kosters at Larryland Farms. Normally a bustling "pick your own produce" farm, this 100+ acre compound transforms into a must-see Halloween destination this time 
of year. Complete with Hayrides, the "boo barn", a straw maze, refreshing apple cider, and a large pumpkin patch, there's something for everyone. According to the farm's website (http://www.pickyourown.com/), they " started the pick your own farming operation in 1973" and today they "grow 14 acres of strawberries, 2 acres of tart cherries, 1/2 acre of sweet cherries, 1 1/2 acres black raspberries, 3 acres of red raspberries, 1/4 acre of purple raspberries, 5 acres of blueberries, 1 1/2 acres of thornless blackberries, 14 acres of peaches, 1/2 acres of nectarines, 16 acres of apples and 15-20 acres of vegetables including spinach, beets, tomatoes, cantaloupes, broccoli, and pumpkins". Claire had fun with most of the activities but was most entertained by the 4 chickens roaming free on the property. Her, Alex, and a group of 9 or 10 other children ranging from 1-12 chased these poor chickens endlessly around the property. When the chickens tried to get away from the pesky children by hiding under thorn bushes, the crew led by a fearless 12 year old girl devised a divide and conquer plan in which she risked her safety by entering the bushes while the other children surronded them in hopes of chasing them out into a clearing. I must say, if this were the year 1200, 
these children would make excellent hunters for the loc
al village. Anyway, after a long day we headed back to historic Ellicott City for a nice dinner at "La Palapa" before retiring for the evening. Even being sans mommy today, she largely maintained her cheerful demeanor and went to bed without a fight, whispering her usual soft "goodbye" as I closed the door to her room.
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