Sorry about the long space of time between posts. Not a whole lot is going on, but we do manage something of interest now and again. Last week was our annual Family Vacation. Tom's mother's Christmas gift to the family is a week long vacation in the summer. We have come to realize that,over the years, it gives us a great opportunity to forge relationships that might not otherwise happen--simply because we lead separate lives. Unfortunately, this year was a bit fragmented by the late arrival and early departure of some members of the family that simply could not manage the entire week. We also missed those members of the family that could not join us. Those of us who were there enjoyed a beautiful week. We shared a two-level home with individual condos on each floor. Tom and I shared one floor with Jen and the kids, and T.J. and Jodi. Upstairs were Linda, Bob and Mitchell, Carolyn, Dina and Bill and their four kids. I was confused all week because last year we were upstairs. This year we were downstairs. I actually began to carry luggage up the second story staircase when we unloaded the car!
Anyway, as usual, we shared mealtimes. After our dinner on Monday(tenderloin steaks, baked potatoes and corn on the cob), I suggested a game of Milles Bornes. We had to relearn the game since we hadn't played in years, but we had a good time doing it. Dina's girls, Emily and Sarah, seemed to be the quickest at picking up the rules and nuances of the game--and all the games we played, now that I think of it. We had fun playing. I forget who won....doesn't matter. The next night, dinner was upstairs. Afterward, we played more games. I went downstairs after a round of a storytelling game whose name escapes me. I wanted Jen to have the chance to play, and she couldn't leave the little ones alone and asleep. Sarah came down with me and we played two rounds of Milles Bornes, each winning one game. We'll have to continue the contest to see who is the champ!
On Thursday evening, Bill let me tag along when he took his children to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince-the 10:00pm show. I enjoyed the movie, but the book was just so much better. I can't see how anyone who hasn't read the book could follow along with the movie...but they did. Naturally, I slept in the next morning. That meant I missed going to the end of the island for low tide. Everyone else on our floor went, as well as several from upstairs. They had a blast! Jen, T.J., Lily and Ryan stayed longer than anyone else. Jodi came back with Dina and her family. She relaxed on the beach with Bob and the rest of the family while waiting for the return of the rest. It was a good day.
We came home on Saturday--I rode home with Jen and the kids because Tom had come home earlier in the week. The kids were very well-behaved, especially when you consider the length of the trip. We had a few too many bathroom stops spaced close together, but that really isn't all that big a deal. They didn't whine or fuss or fight with each other--which was really quite nice.
Sunday, besides being Tom's birthday, was the final day of ArtScape. We took the Light Rail into the city and enjoyed a day of artsy-fartsy fun. We ran into Janet and Jim there--who had driven in and had been there at least an hour longer than we had. They had seen so much more than we had already. Janet told us about displays and performances inside the buildings, including a performance by Chinese acrobats at 5:00pm at the Lyric theatre. We ended up going to that show, and enjoyed it very much. Don't know if Janet and Jim made it there or not. We ended up not getting home until 8:00pm or so. Sort of ruined any chance to sing happy birthday to Tom with the kids and grand kids. We'll have to do that this coming weekend.
The rest of our days have been spent playing Scrabble with each other, and general house stuff. Oh, and Tom has been building some toyboxes for Jen with Ryan's help. When Ryan is here, Tom and the toyboxes have to compete for Ryan's attention with the Tour de France. Ryan has enjoyed watching America's Lance Armstrong return to the Tour. I told Ryan about Lance's previous seven wins and that some people call the race the Tour de Lance. Ryan got the pun, too--which I was pleased to see. The boxes are well on their way to completion, and are looking good.
