Vacation Journal

Yes, I arrived at the lake for vacation! And yes, someone was there before me.

Rick (who had ridden his bike up north over two days) and I spent our first day and a half cleaning up squirrel poop and more.

The little rascal ate a pillow, blanket, mattress pad and every piece of kleenex in the house -- and what it didn't eat, it left behind!

Rick was very tired. But he had a sweet bed buddy to purr him to sleep for his nap!

One of our favorite moments was the arrival of Greg! It was a joy to have him around for a bit!

We truly let go while we were there. Having Greg around to watch paint (I know -- but it's fascinating) and learn about his new projects was an unexpected bonus.

At night, he and Rick explored some guitar music and Greg introduced Rick to Spotify!

He looked very dapper as he took his farewell!

Of course, Lizzie had some dislocation issues.

She was a great traveler, nary a peep from her cat carrier. But upon arrival, she was relatively anti-social.

Guess the trip wore her out, too!

For me, it was fun just to loaf!

I read three books (some of which will be reviewed here or on Chopsticks and String) and chilled out. Sometimes reading in the sun, sometimes the shade, sometimes the porch, sometimes in bed. Didn't matter -- it was nice to read and not feel guilty about doing something else.

Yes, everything tastes better on the grill -- especially when you are sharing it with your family! It was fun to have my cousins there, and with them, Herbie, dog extraordinare! He and Lizzie got on fine. It shocked us all.

It was fun sharing birthday dinner, complete with a newly painted table (accomplishment -- I've been eyeing that white metal table too long. Here it is covered up, but you can see its pretty blue legs!)

Rick did most of the cooking on this trip, but I helped!

 

And a trip to the farm market yielded great fruit.

We enjoyed fireworks on July 6 (go figure -- guess they were waiting for a Saturday.)

As always, they were just lovely.

There were bike rides for Rick.

Beautiful sunsets.

Pretty tables.

And bad news -- at the end of the trip we discovered how our little friend had entered the house.

We'd long had this covered by a plank with a tarp (and I do mean LONG had it covered). Now we have to figure out how to fix it.

And I was doing so well with the home equity loan payoff!