Mama and Papa had a night away!

Yesterday morning around 10am Ben and I left for a night in Wisconsin with relatives and Art, Lewis and Bubbe stayed back at the house. Ben and I had a great time with my cousins and aunts and uncles drinking beer and wine, eating cheese and crackers and lamb and having a poetry slam in honor of our dear cousin, daughter and niece, Nora. We laughed, cried and just had a really good time. And we slept in our tent in the cold, damp autumn air. So nice. We love sleeping in the tent.

Back at the house the kids had extended Bubbe-time making brownies, playing with toys and attending a neighborhood birthday party. When we got home around 7:45 they were on our bed reading books. Both kids smiled big, broad smiles when they saw us and laughed and laughed. It was a great reunion.

I know my mom had a good time, too. She was all smiles when we got home and when we called for reports she sounded happily busy and just in her element. I asked her for details. She said that she was cleaning up the rice off the floor after dinner with her hands and up comes Lewis holding the broom and dustpan! He had pulled them out from behind the fridge to help her. I asked Art what they did while Bubbe cooked and cleaned up and he said she wouldn't let them touch the stove or be in the kitchen! Weird. I'll have to ask about that.

All in all a good time away for everyone. Thanks, Bubbe! We'll have to do that again soon!

Here's the clan that was all staying at the cottage. We all went on a nature walk this morning. I called home from the walk to check in and Art wanted to know what I was doing. "I'm on a nature walk in a forest with Papa." "How did you get in the forest?" "I drove on a road and then walked down a path."

This is the "plant paparazzi", as my sister called it. We were all looking at a tiny moss that had red tips and then everyone started taking pictures of it. When we were home tonight Art asked Ben and I at different times what we saw in the forest. Both Ben and I talked about the mushrooms, trees and a tiny red squirrel. When Ben mentioned the squirrel he asked, with enthusiasm, "And do you know what color it was?" "Was it red?" Papa had been scooped by his wife! I told Art all about that red squirrel when he quizzed me earlier.

Here's Aunt Nance taking more pictures of the moss and plants on the trail. It was a really pleasant walk.