Homecoming

We've landed. After two weeks of sleeping bags, shared bedrooms and tents, more hot dogs and sausages than I can count, planes, trains, cars, buses, cabs, snow, sun, mountains, beach, boulevards, campfires, cappuccinos, and over 1,600 miles on Ben's borrowed car, we have returned to our corner of Concord, NH. The trip was a huge success. Itenerary: Rocky Mountains (Peace Corps reunion), Chicago, Madison, Shady Rest Lodge (family reunion), Porcupine Mountains, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Lansing, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Home... and many stops on the way. Highlights include: seeing old friends, meeting new family members, water skiing for the first time in twenty years, finding Madison WI when we most needed it, swimming in lake Superior at out own secret beach, sunsets over lake Superior, climbing dunes on Lake Michigan, drinking Danielle's coffee every morning in Chicago... and much more. Lowlights include: massive flooding in WI that took out 20 interstates and blocking our path to the reunion, losing our camera in the Porcupine Mountains, Josie's explosive diarrhea (six diaper and outfit changes a day for five days), threatening to let Jasper out of the car on interstate 96 because he was "fussing for no reason" (in hindsight it was probably the previous 1,500 miles in the car that made him a little on edge). When the kind soul who found our camera sends it back to us, I will post pictures with more specific reminiscences. For now, I can only say that the kids were troopers, the weather spectacular, the bugs forgettable, the accommodations comfortable, and the company fantastic. Every time we left a place Jasper would ask, "Why are we going?" He could have stayed at any location all summer. Only twice did he say, "I'm all done with vacation!" usually after five hours in the car. We had a time to remember, but are happy to be home. The grass in the yard was knee high, and my vegetables have been slaughtered by weeds, but otherwise the homestead was ready to receive us... complete with a freshly painted hallway. Last night we slept to the sound of thunder and rain. It is summer in earnest in New England.