We spent Memorial Day weekend at my parents' lake home in Alexandria, according to
tradition. Natalie was so excited and so good in the car all the way there (she was a holy terror on the way back, but let's focus on the positive). It was rainy on Friday when we drove up and there was a minor fiasco with the keys but eventually we did get inside and dried off and straight to bed.
Saturday was our big day. I started out by sleeping in and watching a loon go fishing just off the dock in the morning. The city's big Awake the Lakes festival was duly disappointing when Natalie refused to go in the bouncy house and paid $1 for a sad face painting. However, she did enjoy seeing ponies and the animals in the petting cage. Jenna and I spent the afternoon garage sailing and hit the jackpot of baby girl clothes.
The highlight of our day was inheriting my parents' riding mower. Jerry drove up just to load it into his van and bring it home for us. I took him and my dad out to lunch at a truly depressing new "brewery" restaurant. They can't brew on the premises for a year, so in the meantime they serve a dismal five tap beers, and the most outré offering is Stella Artois. I weep.
Anyway that evening we went out for ice cream at a place where you can mix your own soft serve flavors and that was awesome.
On Sunday I went for
a run. Natalie dropped a golf ball in the lake and I went in after it, which made me the biggest hero of all time to her little two-year-old eyes. Also the cows ate grass out of her hands and she loved that. After a drizzly boat ride and fire-roasting marshmallows and working in the garden we retired for the day, and drove home on Monday afternoon. Then we cleaned our garage all evening. THE END
We spent Memorial Day weekend at my parents' lake home in Alexandria, according to tradition. Natalie was so excited and so good in the car all the way there (she was a holy terror on the way back, but let's focus on the positive). It was rainy on Friday when we drove up and there was a minor fiasco with the keys but eventually we did get inside and dried off and straight to bed.
Saturday was our big day. I started out by sleeping in and watching a loon go fishing just off the dock in the morning. The city's big Awake the Lakes festival was duly disappointing when Natalie refused to go in the bouncy house and paid $1 for a sad face painting. However, she did enjoy seeing ponies and the animals in the petting cage. Jenna and I spent the afternoon garage sailing and hit the jackpot of baby girl clothes.
The highlight of our day was inheriting my parents' riding mower. Jerry drove up just to load it into his van and bring it home for us. I took him and my dad out to lunch at a truly depressing new "brewery" restaurant. They can't brew on the premises for a year, so in the meantime they serve a dismal five tap beers, and the most outré offering is Stella Artois. I weep. Anyway that evening we went out for ice cream at a place where you can mix your own soft serve flavors and that was awesome.
On Sunday I went for a run. Natalie dropped a golf ball in the lake and I went in after it, which made me the biggest hero of all time to her little two-year-old eyes. Also the cows ate grass out of her hands and she loved that. After a drizzly boat ride and fire-roasting marshmallows and working in the garden we retired for the day, and drove home on Monday afternoon. Then we cleaned our garage all evening. THE END