Our Gommie and Pop Visit

My parents have headed home after being in the northeast for about a month.  They visited upstate NY with a stop at Niagara Falls (too many tourists!) and time in the Adirondacks (beautiful color) and later northern Maine, including Acadia, and Vermont; no moose though. They were with us two for two long weekends, which we packed full of activities.

(And on the weekends that Gommie and Pop were away, we went to see the Faerie Villages, which were lovely and whimsical as always.)

I already told you about Applepalooza, our annual fall party with lots of tasty treats.  It was great to introduce my parents to all my friends and vice versa; I like to show them all off!   We also saw many of the kids' friends at their induction into the National Junior Honor Society.  The ceremony was short and sweet--our favorite--and it was fun to watch the teens bustle around taking photos, eating, and laughing afterwards.  I'm glad my parents could share in our pride at their academic accomplishments. 

Otherwise, they bounced back and forth between horses and kung fu.  Regular lessons and big events.  There was a big kung fu performance over the weekend.  Bud performed numerous forms, including Tong Bei (a hand form), spear, nine chain, three-staff, group broadsword, and group straight sword.  Twice.  Gommie and Pop enjoyed watching his skill and stamina.  And that evening, we all went out for a celebratory meal at The Place, an outdoor grilled shellfish place.  I picked up extra salads (potato, cole slaw, and a prosciutto pasta salad), some bread, and cookies to go along with the grilled corn, veggie kebabs, clams, mussels, steamers, and chicken we ordered.  A lovely evening together outside.

Gommie made several trips to the barn with Sis, getting to know Patience and the routine.  And Gommie even rode Patience!  She said she hadn't been on a horse since the 1950s.  It was wonderful and very impressive; she looked good. I love how my mom is always up to try anything and is so curious about the world around her.

Sis had her first away schooling show at a farm in central Connecticut, on what turned out to be a very cold day with huge wind gusts and chill below freezing.  It would have been okay, except we didn't quite prepare well enough (I didn't realize it was going to be so windy)--Sis was just in her show coat and shirt, not even winterized!  The day started for Sis at 4 am as she got up to head to the farm to prep her horse.  There were braids to loop, coats to brush, shipping wraps to affix, and all manner of blankets and gear to take (that horse has more blankets than I do--and I crochet them!)  We had a lot to learn and were a step behind (more Mama and me than Sis, who knows what she's doing) and tensions were high.  Not enough sleep or caffeine!  We caravanned to the site, at one point with 7 cars stuck behind the trailer and our 5 cars.  Once the horses were out and warming up, everyone settled.  And we realized the cold wind was only beginning to blow harder.  We braved the weather and saw Sis earn a ribbon in each of her events!  We are so proud of her.  And the horse!  Especially for her ribbon in jumping because this was the highest Sis has ever jumped--2 feet!  I didn't know she could do that.  But together, they did.  When the competition was over, Sis and Mama had to settle the horse at the home barn while Bud, the grandparents, and I took some down time.  And then we celebrated at hibachi.

We managed to do a few other things.  My parents were educated about BTS, watching a documentary on the K-pop phenomenon and seeing several BTS videos.  Bud danced for them and even Pop wiggled a bit!  (We also found a dance class for Bud, cemented by the fact that they were learning a routine to a BTS song while we were there!)  We had a couple of Mario Kart tournaments--it's Pop's favorite computer game.  He's getting better and even routinely placed in single digits.  And I scored my very first First Place, running Cheep Cheep Beach.  It's fun to play together.  And we laugh a lot.  We also took the kids out of school for a day and went for a hike at a local park, one of my favorites.  Except I managed to get us lost!  I made a wrong turn, adding an extra mile to our excursion.  So, not lost-lost, just more than we expected.  Even though the trees were still green, it was a delightful outing.

Pop found the gate post!  We've been to this park several times and have always
looked for the old cedar post mentioned in the didactic label.  Pop found it
a-ways off.

And of course we ate.  We always make time to eat.  Bud made his famous lasagna.  Mama made her delicious garlic chicken.  And we had apple cider doughnuts, Greek food at the diner, Peruvian food, Mexican food, pizza, ice cream, seafood, hibachi, to name a few.

Now it's quiet, less busy.  We probably all need to rest after the vacation!