Lovely Walden, ever so Lovely.

 I've been sitting here trying to remember the first time I dipped my toes in the loveliest waters of Walden Pond. It was the summer of 2001, probably sometime in July, probably with Alicia dear.


I kid you not... In that moment, even though I don't remember it exactly, I'm sure I must have had an awareness that I had found a little piece of swimming heaven. And I still feel the same way, more than a decade later!! 

(shh...I didn't actually take this pic. I stole it from some unknown blog. Forgive me, please, unknown blogger and fellow lover of Walden. I have my own pics, they're just not scanned into the computer -- from yesteryear, predigital, you know??)


Ah, Walden...
Crystal clear water. No slimy bottom. Very few bugs and/or creepy crawlies. Perfect temperature -- not too cold, but cool enough to take the edge off the hottest summer day. And a lovely, picturesque setting. No wonder Thoreau built his camp out there! I'd join him in a heartbeat, if that kind of thing were still "the thing." (and if I didn't have kids, and another life, etc. of course.)

So, anyway, being soooo close to this lovely little haven (because we all know NY is close to Boston, right? ha!) I convinced my friend Lindsay to make a little overnight trip with me, so we could experience Walden and introduce our kids to its loveliness. It did not disappoint, not in the least!

Just as I remembered, it was the perfect temperature, crystal clear waters I loved so long ago. And, remarkably, the parking is STILL only $5 for the day. What a bargain. We loaded up our kids and got on the road by 9 a.m., arriving at Walden by 12:30ish. 

Even more fun than just the water and the essence of Walden, was the company. See these lovely ladies? I had so much fun reconnecting with both of them. We knew each other as single ladies, way back when. Made me feel even more nostalgic for the good ol' days of Boston life. Aww...

Also, sis-in-law Alysa joined us for her first experience at Walden. Yay!  

And, she brought her girlies, Aftyn (not pictured), and this little cutie girl, Bronwyn ...

 The kids were in heaven. I didn't get a good one of Spence and the twins, playing cars in the sand, and diving in with their life jackets. But here are Samantha and L, building a very creative sand castle, moat and all (which Natalie later sat on top of, oops).

Natalie took to the the water with no hesitation...

But her first love, of course, was the sand... Crazy baby!!

We stayed allll. day. long. And finally left at 7p.m. to venture over to Kimball Farms for ice cream. That's right, we fed our children ice cream for dinner. And they did not complain one bit, surprise! :) I missed that glorious photo op (might beg Lindsay for the great "messy" shots she took with her phone... or you can just imagine). 

Then off to the hotel. Our kids were tired. And they slept hard. And looked very cute and peaceful... 

Samantha was going to share a bed with me... until I realized she is still an infamous roller! She was quickly relegated to the floor, and didn't mind a bit...

Next day, a stop at Robbins Hill Park, in Arlington. One of my all-time favorite parks. I mean, check out this wonderful slide, all the way down a steep hill. So cool!!

Our kids went down it over and over. Then, before we were leaving, Lindsay and I decided to give it a go. OUCH!! It was H-H-HOT! How did our skinny kids bear to put their little bottoms on that, time and again? I don't know.

Here's L, queen of the monkey bars. Every time we're at a park, she's out to conquer the monkey bars, so cute!...

Another reason I love this park, is for its original toy selection. Check out this funky tetter-totter. So fun!

Or, this little train/house/sand pit. The kids would have been happy to stay all day!

 We marched them up the hill to get a view of the city. Turns out, they were more interested in the bushes, and the bees. Samantha and L were being a dual Statue of Liberty (bush as torch). .

And then, no surprise, they all crashed out in the car for a couple of hours, which made for a peaceful ride for a lot of the trip home. :)

Goodbye, Walden, until the next time...