Tuesday & Wednesday
Ken was reluctant to spend much time away from the house during the summer until he had been through a monsoon season and discovered whatever issues the house had. So I flew back by myself for my family reunion and to cruise through the Lansing house to see what else I might take back with me in my suitcase.
It was a lo-o-ong flight out. Mechanical problems kept me in Minneapolis for several hours and I didn’t get to Lansing until ~8:30pm. Body time was only ~5:30pm but I was still way too frazzled to do much of anything except raid the fridge for supper and plop in a chair to watch some TV. Not my original plan, but I made it there in one piece so go with the flow.
The next day, I drifted through the house looking at things and collecting my camping gear. Even though I had vowed never to tent camp again after last year’s reunion, I was going to do so again this year. The weather was nice, it was just myself, blah, blah, blah… Then off to the grocery store for my personal food; i.e. caffeine & breakfast needs. I also picked up three racks of ribs from King of the Grill near Lansing’s airport as my contribution to the communal food situation. The rest of the time, I’ll just eat off everybody else’s supplies. There’s always plenty of food.
Thursday – Sunday
Thursday, I headed on up and pitched my tent. It was a beautiful clear day. And the night was cold. Friday morning I creakily got up, made myself breakfast, and wandered over to the main campfire. Where I announced that I would be moving to the sofa in my sister’s fifth wheel for the rest of the weekend. And promptly offered my tent and gear to anybody who wanted it so I would never be tempted again! My nephew took it with the idea that, when his kids got older, they could sleep in it rather than the pop-up. Whatever. I no longer owned a tent; that was the important part.
Scenes from the weekend
Sitting around reading and talking. Our most typical activity.
Doing jigsaw puzzles is also fun. Even with the kids’ help.
Hanging around Grandma
And Grandpa – actually Naomi (in green) belongs to my other brother
The parents get to relax
Chicken for supper tonight – plus pulled pork and lots of sides
Chow time!
It’s getting harder to get the kids together for the group shot.
The eldest (by 6 mo) decided he wanted to help Grandpa hitch up the trailer
All in all a very pleasant and relaxed weekend. The kids really have a blast running around and making lots of noise. I drove around a bit looking at several cabins/motels with next year in mind. There were a couple of decent possibilities so when the others put in their campsite reservations, I’ll reserve a room for Ken and myself. It’s not quite as nice as being on-site but it sure beats tenting!
Monday
Alice had taken some days off work and, while at the reunion, suggested the two of us drive up to Unionville to see our remaining Aunts. When I got back on Sunday, I called to see if they would be open for a visit on Monday or Tuesday. Either day worked for them so Alice and I opted for today.
It’s about 140 miles from Lansing to Unionville. We rendezvoused about 40 mi north of Lansing and drove the rest of the way in my rental car. A pretty uneventful trip until we reached Unionville. Then Alice couldn’t remember the way to our cousin’s house where we would be meeting for lunch. I had never been there so I’m absolved, but Lynda and Alice were/are best buds. It took two phone calls before we finally got there. But when we did we had a very nice visit. After lunch, we went back to Aunt Maxine’s and chatted away much of the afternoon. It was good to see Lynda, Aunt Maxine, and Aunt Edith again.
Aunt Maxine, Mary Lou, Aunt Edith, Alice in Lynda’s laundry room
Tuesday
I finally spent some time cruising around the house trying to decide what I wanted and could take back with me. The trick was that it all had to fit in my suitcase AND be under 50#. The latter was a little difficult to be sure of since there was no scale in the house. But I made it. There is a lot I still want, but it is either too bulky or too heavy. That stuff will have to wait until we drive out next year.
[written 2/25/14]
