Final Day In Bristow

Happy Merrifield Nursery Day

Up at 6:30, just Drew and me, talking about politics and military matters.  Drew has spent lots of time in Iraq, so he clearly does not like what's going there now and sees ISIS as a real threat to the US as well as the rest of the world.  The problem is what to do about it, whether we need to be more involved, perhaps putting boots on the ground, or just advise, which is what we seem to be doing but does not seem to work.  As usual, no easy answers as politics, military strategy, and popular opinion intersect.

Great weather returned to Virginia yesterday, with a full day of sun and warmth, the highs in the 70's, perfect for walking the dog.  Because the cleaners were here at 9:00, I wanted to get out of the house so Coco and I took a long walk in the neighborhood, packed with parked cars because no one seems to use their garage for cars, but for storage.  Interesting.  And every house has at least two if not three cars.  Around 10:30, we drove off to the amazing Merrifield Nursery, about ten minutes.  My sister Ellen turned us on to this nursery.  It's a huge place, with just about any tree, shrub or plant you could want.  And inside, not only do they have anything a gardener would need, but also a coffee shop, a wine area and my favorite, free popcorn for when you browse.  We picked out a couple of Endless Summer hydrangeas for Jill as well as a two Dahlia's for potting.  Evie picked up a swan like water can, plastic but pleasing and I bought a plastic flower that glows in the sunlight.  We lingered, wanting to buy, buy, buy, but knew we had no room in our car so we left it at a water can and a fake flower.  We then stopped at Target to get Hayden an alarm clock, so she could be like her sister.

Decking It

Happy To Be Home

When we got home, the cleaners had vamoosed, thankfully, so we had the house to ourselves until the girls came home at 3:30.  We did not do much, had lunch and watched HGTV programs, one called Affordable Lakefront homes, the other, Log Cabin retreats, a good way to waste the afternoon. I picked Halle up from school at 3:40 and by 4:00, everyone was home, both Jill and Drew from work, Hayden from school.  Hayden immediately grabbed her Dad and they went downstairs to do the Insanity workout, while the rest of us chilled.  Evie had simmered the chicken thighs mid afternoon, for grilling later.  When Drew and Hayden were finished, we moved out to their deck, with Drew's new umbrella shading us from the sun, and had wine and appetizers.  It was a perfect late afternoon to enjoy the fading sun.  Hayden, however, decided to go for a run with a girlfriend, even though she had worked out an hour before.  We stayed out on the deck until 7:00, then Drew barbecued the chicken and Evie cooked the noodles in chicken broth, the best.  Hayden was back in time for dinner, and all of us were hungry, devouring the noodles, chicken, broccoli and coleslaw.  For dessert, Evie had cut up strawberries, so we had them, on top of pound cake, with a mountain of Reddi Whip, compliments of Halle.

Barbecuing With Wine and Jack

We sat up watching Modern Family reruns until about 10:30 when everyone was ready for bed. Today is our last day with the Bissells, alas, as tomorrow we drive to Darien, to spend time with the Albarrans. So though we are sad to leave, we get to enjoy more grandchildren for a few days before heading back to the lake.