4-27-13: Seera and i arrived late Saturday night after observing at the Division 3 College regionals ultimate tournament in Saratoga Springs, NY. Went to bed before even turning the water on.
– Adam
5-2-13: It rained all day Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Wednesday was sunny and 70 degrees, although the bugs were out. I spent most of the day hauling the small dock out of the water with my new truck. Even in 4 pieces, it’s very heavy!
This is the first time in 13 years tha i’ve been here with only one dog. I said goodbye to Teco on January 26, 2013, just past his 18th birthday. He loved it here and stood up in the car as soon as i’d turn onto the grade. I miss him. Seera and i are still getting used to being a one-dog family.
Driving back to Vermont today. There’s a couple of bridges that need new decks, but they’ll have to wait for another visit.
Adam & Seera
5/24/13: Just took lovely evening stroll, calm, quiet. AND THEN WE SAW A SCARY BEAR! Apparently Rebecca & Sharon thought it was cool. I was too busy trying to remember how to breath to properly appreciate it.
Abby Kay
5/27/13: Thanks again for another great weekend. A much-needed rest & time with friends. A’ndrea
5/27/2013: Great weekend with everyone, hope to see all soon again! – Diane Chan
5/27/2013: Coldest Shunk ever (that anyone can remember!) Great time though.
–Jason
5/28/2013: We arrived on a cold rainy afternoon and we are leaving on a rainy morning, but the weekend in between was bright and sunny if a bit cold. I’ve had a wonderful relaxing weekend (and the bear wasn’t all that scary, just a mama bear defending her two cubs, one of which didn’t seem to want to run away).
Rebecca Nielsen
5-28-2013: I had a great weekend, even if it was a bit cold. I was looking to get away from life for a few days & this weekend surely accomplished that! And ___ some things I’ve never done before, including seeing a bear and a fishing . . . .
Sharon Nielsen
5/78/13: Wonderful long weekend. One bear, two cubs & numerous deer. Awesome hikes, including a 9 mile hike (longest I’ve done here!) Good hikes, good food & good company to those who follow this summer!
Abby Kay
6/18/13: Here to look things over – 2 trees chopped down by beavers (neat job!). Much needed dock, I hope to have built by end of summer.
2 Days here. Joanne
7-20-2013: Paul & Casey here a week.
Lots of good cooking and bicycle trips. Dinner at Blueberry Fields farm. Lakota was here too. Casey mostly slept in the barn.
7-25-2013: Caroline here Friday — Thursday.
8/3/2013: Adriana & Thomas here from NOLA! Only 3 days and 2 nights, but we packed in a lot, hopefully she’ll be coming back next year!
7-25-2013: Daniel here from July 7–Aug. 5. I played lots of tetherball.
8-5-13: I was here for a long weekend of bridge building, Scabble, Bananagrams, and a whole lotta food!
Adam & Seera
8-9-2013: Dear Ken & Joanne
We are so glad that we got to share time and space together in Shunk again this year. I am signing up now for the online SCRABBLE app so I can make a come back next time. It was fun playing w/ Mark Nina Isaiah, Naima, Java and all (cat geeks!)
Love Diane
Thank you once again for a wonderful visit to Shunk! very relaxing and at the same time fabulous conversation. Look forward to hosting you for a Salmon dinner in Ambler…
Claire
8-9-2013: I had a great two days here at SHUNK! From berry picking to boating to ice creaming to trampolining, I had an awesome time!
Looking forward to next time,
Issy
8-9-13: It was really fun in Shunk! I had a fun time jumping (mostly playing Midnight Monster) and also got very sore kayaking! It was nice picking berries and the milk and brown sugar tasted very good with them. See you soon Shunk!
– Abbe Goldstein
8/11/13: We loved our short stay. Thank you soooo much! You have a very special home. xx00 —Catherine & Frank
10-11-12-13: I had an amazing time! From the great dinners to jumping on the trampoline, I had a very special time. I hope to come back very soon! – ???
8/13/13: Dear Fords
Another wonderful welcome to me and my family. This Ford enclave is a truly special haven and my family is so thankful! I love the Isaiah, Naima, Polly combination! Thank you, Ken, for the 100%+ lesson. Dear friend, Joanne, many thanks, and to be continued…. Love, Donna
8/16/13: We are leaving after our longest visit in years. We arrived July 15 in transition from a Wonderful year in Washington, DC, back to Providence. I was working at the State Dept. (Bureau of Intl Security and Nonproliferation), Mark was working at the Nationa Science Foundation, and the kids attended Long Branch Elementary School. Mark and I have been back and forth to Shunk for various porposes, but Naima has been here straight since July 15. Isaiah took a week out for Boy Scout camp in RI.
The lake seems especially beautiful this year – until the Snort came in and put in the dock! I did a lot of cleaning of the forest and blackberry picking. The blackberries were very good this year (esp. at the top of the driveway), the blueberries lousy. I made two pies. Despite all the talk of global warming, it was pretty cool here — we sat by the fire in the mornings, wore fleeces, and didn’t do much swimming.
We have with us 3 pets — Java (small dog), Cloudy (grey cat) and Wiggles (stripey lizard). We’re off to Providence today in two cars (Toyota mini-van and Mini Cooper). Mark and I have to start getting ready for classes at Brown. I’ve been working on a paper on the Geneva Conventions while I’ve been here.
It’s been a lovely visit. Nina
8/16/2013: This was a summer of transit: DC to Shunk to Providence to Shunk to Providence (and Camp Yawgoog) to Shunk to NYC to Shunk… and finally, today, back to Providence. In between, I weeded the lake (or tried at least), ran a bit, swam a bit (to test the weeding, or at least to justify it), and paddled a bit. I also had fun with the kids — swimming with Naima and playing Boggle and “Apples to Apples” with Isaiah. And I read Jane Austen’s Persuasion, interspersed with watching 24 on my iPad — a balanced intellectual diet! All in all, a great visit. See you next year, Shunk!
– Mark Suchman
8/16/2013: I had FUN! – Java
8-16: I had Fun!! Jumping on the trapaleen a lot.
Naima age 6
I had fun outsied.
8/16/13: I had a lot of fun at this very long time in Shunk this year. I made 2 villages out of blocks of wood and moss, sticks, & bark: Riverton, and Sandsdale. I also jumped on the trampoline, went boating, and found 41 Red-Spotted Newt efts, 6 Adult Red-Spotted Newts, 7 Red-Backed Salamanders, 3 Dusky Salamanders, 3 Mud Salamanders, 24 Swallowtail Butterflies, 2 Monarch Butterflies, 76 Pickered Frogs, 6 American Bullfrogs, 2 Eastern Garter Snakes, 3 Northern Ringneck Snakes, and 11 Spring Peepers. I also saw 2 American Beavers, 4 Great Blue Herons, 2 Turkeys, and 3 Canada Geese. I did a lot of very interesting stuff this year.
from, Isaiah Suchman
8/17/13: Abby, Steven, and I stopped by for a day on the way back to Maryland. Great weather, great company!
– Jason
8/30/13: Leaving on a beautiful warm day. It was lovely & so nice to have most of our children here at one time or another. – and practically perfect grandchildren!
New this season:
Dock
Refurbished bridges (Adam)
16 trees cut down by REA, leaving a mess in the forest & roads. Sigh. Lots of work to be done here.
News of the day: should we bomb Syria? (after they used chemical weapons)
Joanne & Ken
Shunk was good. Nothing new to write. See all my previous entries and average them together.
– Jason
9/2/13: Nice to be back! Had a great time in one of the most peaceful places of all.
— Sean
Marvelous Time! Lots of Catan Talismen and Pandemic and visiting with the relatives.
— Abby
10-14-13: Long weekend here with no running water, as it had already been shut off. That meant trips down to the lake with a bucket to fetch water in order to flush the toilet. And i did it all, as well as stow the trampoline and various other items, while on crutches! Into week 6 post hip surgery, yum. Shutting everything down and heading back to VT on a gloomy drizzly day.
– Adam & Seera