Ithaca

We left earlish on Good Friday morning and drove the 4 hours up over the Catskills to Ithaca to stay with Matt's brother and his family who luckily for us are living there. It's funny that we have both been living in the States over the last 6 years...and on the same side of the country. And lucky because they are great people who we have lots of fun with.

The Catskills are gorgeous with streams everywhere. We were driving through flurries most of the way and I loved the way you could see the low snow clouds ahead before you drove through them.

So we got up there nice and early...just after lunch, and when Darby got home from school we went out for a walk in the woods right next to their place. There's a huge ornithology lab there and lots of birds around (right up Remi's alley). The woods were gorgeous and the kids had a great time mucking around with frozen ponds and running in and out of trees.

I had a ball photographing all the wonderful colours.


At the bird lab there was a window where you could watch the birds coming down to feed at the birdfeeder. I had my super long lens on so I was able to catch a number of different birds for Remi. Here's two of my favourites: the red cardinal and the downey woodpecker.

I was also able to get photos of a little chipmunk who kept running out to feed on spilled seeds.

Remi got a bird book as a late birthday present. He would have bought half the soft toy birds in the gift shop if given the chance. We stayed there until closing time before walking back through the woods.


Here's Oscar and Remi with cousin Bethan and Ella with cousin Darby. Darby and Ella are remarkably similar in looks. I kept mistaking them all weekend. Kit was being a beastie and hiding from the camera. We have so many shots of the back of him or him hiding like this...


The boy loves his sticks (I love how Darby's caught in mid air in this photo).
But Matt finally got him with that telescopic lens of mine...hiding behind a car. Aren't those teeth fantastic!