Now We Are Nine

 

Beth In The Morning

6:05

Dahlia

It's 5:30 and I am the only one up thankfully, and I am hoping everyone sleeps in. It looks like a fine morning, 61º, with a high only in the low 70s, the way we like it. Now, it's just before 8:00.  I had a good hour-long paddle, my typical route. Drew and Beth are also up now, sitting on the front porch talking as the rest of the gang sleeps in, lucky dogs. It's now 8:50 and the gang is slowly rising. 

Kayak Morning

Great Blue

Yesterday seemed like a marathon, a long one, as we waited for two families to arrive. The first, Jill, Halle and Drew arrived from Virginia, around 4:00, their daughter Hayden, from West Virginia, at 5:00. And finally, around 8:00, Beth, Tyler, and Marisa arrived late because of flight delays from Dallas.

Back To The Lake

Three Generations

Dad And His Mountaineer

Anyways, our day started out as usual, with a long kayak paddle, then breakfast and the blog, and then the fun began. I thought, and so did Evie that we were all prepared for our kid's arrival. That obviously was not true because both of us were busy most of the morning and afternoon, but I won't go into the details. Just that we still had lots of little stuff to do, and big stuff like mowing the yard, washing down all the chairs and tables, O, yea, I did have lunch, the leftover chicken parm, and finished Season Three of Peaky Blinders. 

Crazy Granny

With Hayden

Drew, Hayden, And Jill

Daughter And Mom

I am able to keep track of our kid's travels on a Find My app. So we were able to track when they would arrive and be ready. This is the first time since our grandson Nick's wedding in April that all of us will get together, the first time at the lake in the year for everyone. We helped Jill, Drew and Halle, move their bags up to the bedrooms then relaxed on the porch with beers or wine, catching up and having a good laugh, led as always by my daughter Jill. Hayden soon arrived and filled us in on her life at West Virginia University where she will be a senior. 

Dinner Al Fresco

A Marisa Hug

Siblings

By 7:00, we were all hungry, so boiled Slovenia sausages, made coleslaw, and heated up some mac n cheese, an easy dinner, and a family favorite. Beth and her family arrived at 8:00 and they grabbed sandwiches and drinks and joined us on the porch as it started to get dark. Around 10:00, Evie helped the three girls get settled while the rest of us cleaned up the kitchen. All of us were in bed by 11:00, except for Tyler, who lives in LA.  He stayed up I assume until at least midnight watching TV. I am sure it felt good to all of us to go to bed, tired from traveling.