Their Bags Are Packed, They're Ready To Go, Alas, (Panama Rocks)

Aloha!

5:47

5:50

An awesome morning here on the lake, a crispness in the air, most likely from the long awaited rain yesterday afternoon.  The lake is calm, a whisper of a breeze, the sun hangs in the East, behind a few clouds and the mostly blue sky.  I can hear the birds singing over NPR.  All's right in the world except the boys are leaving for home today, the end of a great week.

Famished

Our mornings have become a routine since the boys arrival.  I am up around 6:00, Evie around 6:30, then Peyton around 8:30, and he's off for a run. Yesterday, however, I went to breakfast in Bemus with the guys, then headed into Lakewood, to do some final shopping at Wegmans.  When I got home, around 10:00,  the other two were up and took a dip in the lake to wake up.  By the time they came in, Peyton was back, and breakfast was ready and we sat down to enjoy eggs, bagels, and orange juice.

Enjoying The Climb

On Top Of The World

Yesterday rain was predicted for most of the day.  Fat chance.  We decided to hike/climb the Panama Rocks, an amazing out cropping of rocks and crevasses about twenty five minutes from here.  It looked threatening out and I am sure it rained somewhere in the area but Panama Rocks was fine. The boys were not sure what to expect but once they got there, they loved it, climbing like monkeys up the rocks, in between the crevasses, some just wide enough for a single person.  The trail is circular, leading you around the bottom of the seemingly random pile of rocks, begging the hikers to climb.  Halfway through, we are on the top of the rocks, looking down at where we climbed and we had to be careful to avoid holes/crevasses, some 30 or 40 feet deep.  I am sure people have been injured and when we walked in, we had to sign a waiver that we knew the rocks could be dangerous.  We climbed for over an hour, actually working up a sweat before heading out of the woods to the car.  It was a fun way to spend a cloudy morning.

Hello

We then drove to Bemus Point, to do some shopping for souvenirs and presents.  The boys bought Evie a pair of earrings, to thank her for all her efforts this past week, especially those in the kitchen. They all seemed to have good luck finding things.

Rolling Out The Dough For Evie's Sticky Buns

When we got home, we had a quick lunch of guacamole, chips and Evie's hanky pankys.  Then it was time to make sticky buns.  All three boys were involved in flattening out of the dough, putting the cinnamon sugar on it, rolling it into a jelly roll, then cutting it and putting it in to cup cake pans. They quickly got the knack of it and each made a pan of sticky buns.

Pouring The Carmel Sauce In The Tins

While the buns were rising they went outside and played some more bean bag with Evie and I cleaned up the mess, about the only thing I am good at.  Around 4:30, they were driven in by rain.  And the first batch of rolls, Nick's, were ready to bake so Evie put them in the oven and we went into the TV room to watch some videos, one from this winter of guys kayaking down the Chautauqua Gorge in the middle of winter.  We had just hiked it the day before so it was fun for them to see it in the winter, when much of the creek was frozen, the walls covered with ice.  We waited patiently for the sticky buns to finish and were rewarded with sticky, hot buns.  Yum.  The boys loved them what else, especially since they had made them.

The Boys Are Ready For The Drive To Pine Junction

We left for Pine Junction, one of our favorite restaurants, about twenty five minutes away, set in the middle of Amish Country.  To celebrate our final dinner together, I got out my aloha shirts and both Nick and Peyton picked out one to wear.  Chris already brought a nifty one with him.  Since it was mid week, it was not very crowded, so we easily found a table, ordered drinks, onion rings for an appetizer, and all of us had burgers with either curly fries or sweet potato fries.

High Chic In Their (my) Aloha Shirts

The burgers were huge, the fries hot and good, and despite having had a couple of sticky buns an hour or two ago, all plates were empty.  We were home by 8:30, in time to see the run up to the Cavs game.  And we all stayed up to the bitter end, enjoying the Cavs victory (except for Chris, who is a Golden State fan), and awed by the spectacular performance by Lebron.  Maybe he is a God.  We went to bed tired but happy.

Pine Junction's Outdoor Patio

Its now 7:15 and the boys are still asleep.  We will give them another hour and then get them up because they want to off for KC by 9:00.  They may drive all the way, about 14 hours or, if they are tired, stay somewhere for the night.  My guess is they will drive all the way, getting home around 11:00 as long as they don't run into any traffic jams.

A Parting Shot