After weeks of postponement, we finally took a summer vacation! The original plan was to revisit Rockland, Maine—a place we adore and return to annually. Due to a lack of time, we needed to find somewhere closer this year. I’m a die-hard ocean fan, but anyplace with water is fine by me, and we settled on a trip to Lake Winnipesaukee—New Hampshire’s largest and most popular.

The goal was to leave by noon on Sunday. As usual, actually stepping out of the house was the biggest hurdle and we were many hours behind (it seems like one thing after another always pops up and I’m paranoid about forgetting something. We ended up taking a cooler, a big day bag, and my purse, which is my version of pared down).

The first hour of the drive, I was consumed by worry about the hour, needlessly it turned out. Because we were headed north while most everyone else was going south, the traffic wasn’t too bad, and once I calmed down, it was nice.

The drive took us along Rt. 11, and there was amazing scenery everywhere: rock cliffs along the highway, Mt. Major, and lots of boats in the water. New Hampshire is particularly beautiful during the summer, and only fall foliage can surpass it, in my opinion. 

Our first stop was Weirs Beach. This is a well known tourist trap famous for Funspot—which claims to be the world’s largest arcade—2 water parks, and a drive-in movie theater. 

Our intention was to walk along the sandy beach, but it was so crowded we couldn’t find a parking space. So we headed a bit further up, where the Mount Washington boat cruises launch and walked along the boardwalk instead (picture an endless amount of ice cream stands, fried seafood shacks, and tacky T-shirt shops).

While the boardwalk is supposed to be family friendly, it tends to attract a rougher crowd, similar to Laconia’s Bike Week. Within 5 minutes of our arrival, we saw a forty-something couple screaming/swearing and pouring beer on each other in the middle of the street while a crowd watched and laughed…

After so much “excitement,” we’d worked up a good appetite and headed to Meredith, in search of Hart’s Turkey Farm. This restaurant is a Lakes Region landmark that’s famous for their “Every day is Thanksgiving” motto. The platters are huge and tasty, plus there’s a nice gift shop. Outside, there were multiple RV’s and a mini tour bus, with a bunch of folks milling about. Because Hart’s is so well run, the crowds aren’t an issue, though. We stuffed ourselves silly and had a wonderful meal of turkey and trimmings.

Meredith is a lovely, scenic town and I wish we’d had more time to explore. If we ever go back, I’d love to ride the Hobo Railroad.

Next up was the town of Alton Bay. We arrived around dusk and found an amazing semi-private cove that was ideal for swimming. Naturally, bathing suits/towels were the only thing I’d forgotten to pack and I was so sad! In an uncharacteristic move, Hungry Bear suggested we jump into the water with all our clothes on and I agreed (normally, we’re such squares and don’t try anything spontaneous). For over an hour, we splashed around and had tons of fun. I hadn’t been swimming in a lake for at least 20 years and Hungry Bear and I had NEVER swam together in all the time we’ve known each other.

Swimming is the best exercise for chronic pain, and I couldn’t believe how good I felt in the water—not just physically, but also mentally.

After our swim, we dried off using a roll of crushed paper towels from the car, ate chocolate chip cookies, and had a very insightful chat with tons of laughs—the first in such a long time. There has been a lot of chaos/arguing/tension between us lately, and the trip helped tremendously. Day to day living can be so stressful and boring, I often forget that we can still enjoy each other and have fun together like we did during the early years. It felt amazing to take a break and recharge and we’re already planning our next trip.

Wouldn’t it be nice if everyday was a vacation…

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Groove on over to the Groovy Lab in a Box website to check out It’s Electric, now available as a single box, and join the Engineering Design Challenge.

Here’s how the challenge works: You are a groovy electrical engineer who has been contracted by the latest groovy dance group. Using only the materials from your Groovy Lab in a Box, can you design and build a dance pad with specific criteria and constraints?

Investigate static electricity, origin and structure of the atom, paper circuits, switches, a groovy door alarm to keep any trespassers out of your room and explore various science and engineering practices aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards.

Don’t forget: Every Groovy Lab in a Box comes with a retro-themed Lab Notebook where STEMists will take notes, draw pictures, redesign their engineering projects and apply their critical thinking skills. Plus, all groovy STEMists get access to the Beyond…in a Box web portal for additional learning and fun!

It’s Electric is designed for kids ages 8 and up.

Whoever said miracles do happen must’ve had this adorable young boy in mind!

Zion Harvey, an 8-year-old from Baltimore, became the world’s youngest double hand transplant recipient earlier this month. Even though he lost both his hands and feet to infection, nothing could keep this little champion down. With a lot of struggle, he learned to eat, write and play video games all on his own. (How’s that for perseverance? Wow.)

Despite having a serious disability that would make most of us bitter and depressed, Zion is one of the most optimistic people I’ve ever seen. Watching him being interviewed on The Today Show nearly brought me to tears! Not only is he warm and open, he’s also extremely articulate for his young years.

I predict he is going to have a major impact on the world, not just medically but personally. I was very inspired by his story and his attitude. Here I am, so much older, with 4 perfectly good limbs, and I am not even half as positive! Sometimes we forget just how lucky we are to be functional, taking basic activities for granted. Instead of looking on the bright side, I’m guilty of focusing on everything negative in my life, when my problems aren’t even that bad…

Zion’s story has reminded me that I need to focus on the good and forget about the bad. I’m going to say a special prayer for him today and I hope my readers will, too. The world needs more angels like him!