Easter Dinner With My Sisters And Their Families On The Shores Of Lake Erie

Our Niece, Julia and Her Beau, Hampton

6:57

7:01

I was up around 6:33 (Julia!) to a apricot colored sky, no rain or snow forecast for the day, a high in the 50's later.  When I walked outside, I heard the first honks of Canadian geese, not my favorite bird but a sure sign that spring is on its way.  At the moment it's 7:23, Evie's up as well, and our living room is filled with sunlight.

Snowy Easter Morning

Yesterday morning was typical, a long coffee hour or two, listening to NPR, before breakfast, an omelet with eggs, salsa, and Mexican cheese, finished off with a bagel. The surprise of the morning was the two or three inches of snow that fell why he had our leisurely Sunday morning, covering the lawn as well as tree branches.  It would have been exciting if it were November, not Easter.  Around noon, we both got organized, showering, Evie filling the Treasure Chest because we were driving into Euclid for the afternoon, to my sister's home for Easter dinner.

Our Hosts, My Sister Linda and Her Husband, Rich

With My Sister Ellen And Her Husband Walt, From Herndon, VA

We left around 12:30, arriving around 2:30, after stopping at Love's Truck Stop to buy some lotto tickets for our family, Evie's idea, not mine.  By the time we hit Erie the snow had disappeared though we witnessed a car off on the road on Interstate 86 near the PA/NY border so there must have been some black ice.  We were excited to spend the afternoon with my sister Linda, her kids and grandchildren and my sister Ellen, in from VA, with her daughter Julia and, Hampton, who none of us had met.  Julia and Hampton live and work in Charlotte, and Julia wanted Hampton to meet her family (not sure why).  Anyways, it was fun seeing everyone again,  and Hampton passed muster when he had a manhattan with my brother-in-law Rich and me.

Treasure Chest Frenzy

Grand Niece Emily, Niece Kathryn with Easter Egg Hunt Prize Money

Grand Nieces, Shea and Emily

The hit of the afternoon, always, was Evie's Treasure Chest for the grandchildren. And no matter what age, from eight to eighteen, they all get excited when Evie pulls it out.  Many of our Woodlawn neighbors grandchildren also know this excitement because they have come knocking at our door.  All the kids got something they liked, and even Julia and Hampton got to choose a treasure, Julia a mood ring, Hampton a tongue tattoo. Cool. And everyone got a lotto ticket, my sister Linda five because it's her birthday in a couple of days. The youngest grandchild, Owen, won five bucks.  We spent much of the afternoon catching up, watching Lake Erie melt, as the ice seems to have disappeared and we even saw a small motor boat cruise by.  Easter dinner for a family of 15 is daunting but my sister Linda, like my mom, makes it look easy.  We had an Easter ham, heavenly hash browns, asparagus, coleslaw, pineapple souffle, rolls, and a strawberry pie for dessert. Yum.

Easter Dinner

Grand Nephew Dan

Grand Niece Claire And Sean

My sister Ellen and her family have been in Euclid since Friday, enjoying some of the pleasures of Cleveland, and staying with my sister Linda.  Everyone is leaving this morning, some by plane, others by car.  We left  Euclid around 8:30, getting home about 10:30, tired from our drive but happy because it's always great to get together with our families, something we never seem to do enough. We always vow to see each other more often but always seem to be too busy to do so.

It's Monday, which means the painting begins again this morning at 9:00 and by Friday, our house should be done.  We cannot wait for the finished product.