Liam's 6th Birthday Party

Liam "the Animal" Wagner celebrated his 6th Birthday
with this boa constrictor (Marcus is holding the rest of
the serpent's tail). At one point, Liam looked really
nervous and said to the animal rescue expert..."He is
choking me." Our home was also host to a flying squirrel,
a skunk, a chinchilla, a kid goat, a barred owl, a ferret, and
a bunch of baby mice. The reviews are in: "This was my
best birthday ever!"

Liam's Birthday Bike - He is Six!

Here is Liam celebrating his birthday present from his
grandparents Marlene & Bob Bailey. He is absolutely
smitten with his new ride.

The pregnant Mom and the expectant
Grandfather in Chicago.

The Bailey In-Laws, Stu (Marcey's husband), Valeria
(Bill's wife), and me (Jenny's "partner"). We were BBQ'ng
at Marcey & Stu's in Chicago.

Here are Liam and his grandfather Bob Bailey
(Liam is the one in the tree) in Lincoln Park,
Chicago. We just had a lovely visit with Jenny's
family for 5 days.

Here are Liam "Shaggy" Wagner and his bro, Marcus at
their first Portland Sea Dogs game at Hadlock Field. We
watched the Dogs (Red Sox AA farm team) play the Trenton
Thunder (Yankees). The boys slurped up their ice creams
and were entertained for almost 4 innings before we threw
in the towel.

I just had to post this picture of Marcus, because,
frankly, how could I not.

View west from the summit of Mt. Cutler looking at the
Presidential range in New Hampshire.

Here is the gang (Jenny, Steve, Marcus, Lewie and Liam)
on the summit of Mt. Cutler with the snowy Mt. Washington
(New England's highest) in the background. After the hike,
upon parental inspection, all three of the boys tested positive
for ticks digging into their scalps. Tweezers please.

Liam and I on top of Mount Cutler in Western
Maine. As you can see, I'm not yet wearing the
ubiquitous Red Sox cap. No one here recognizes
the Washington Nationals cap.

Here's my best buddy Steve "Beaver" Woodard,
holding my son Marcus (we are preparing for a
girl, so we are practicing on little Poonsy right now).
We are atop Mount Cutler in Hiram, Maine. Our
family along with Beave and his son Lewie
summitted with no injuries and energy to spare.

Earth Day on the Maine Coast

Liam and Marcus participated in their first earth day cleanup on the Schoodic Point area of Acadia National Park (Maine). Their mentors (as shown here) were my able brother Daniel and his girlfriend Meg. Leading us that day was my father, Jim, who is very dedicated to Schoodic and when I was a wee lad, was a Park Ranger for a spell in Acadia. Liam and Marcus pursued the occasional pieces of garbage with the vigor of a raptor after a field mouse. Notably, much of the garbage found on the coastline came from the lobster/fisheries sector.


This is a view from Schoodic Point looking towards Mount Desert Island (and Mount Champlain). The running on the massive pink granite slabs here cannot be beat. As I watched my boys scamper on these rocks, I remember my youth on these same formations. This type of rock is so strong that no visible erosion has taken place in my lifetime.