It’s hard to believe that it is already mid-August and that the summer is winding down. It’s definitely been a fun summer. Here’s a recap:
The summer started off with a bang. Parker wrapped up 1st grade and the following week set off for a week of adventure at Camp Kanata. This turned out to be an adventure for us all. On Sunday, the four of us loaded up and headed to Wake Forest, NC. We arrived just as they opened the gates. We checked Parker in, got his cabin assignment (21), and reported to his cabin to meet his counselors. Jay helped him make his bunk and Kristie helped him unpack his things. As Parker started making a sign for his bunk, we realized that it was time for us to go. The whole drop off took about 20 minutes.
Now a family of three, things seemed much quieter. Camp generally posted pictures and daily updates around 10:00 pm. Of course Jay would have to stay up to see what was happening. Then he’d be so keyed up that he couldn’t sleep. We made it through the week. On Friday, we headed up to Charlotte to spend the night with Kristie’s cousin Lance. We had a good time hanging out with Lance, Anne, and their daughter Sam who is Ansel’s age. We woke up early Saturday morning to drive to Kanata and see Parker. We arrived at Camp just as the campers were heading to breakfast. While they ate, we walked down to the lake to wait on Parker. We sat under a beautiful tree and were checking things out until Ansel started screaming. We could not figure out what was wrong but soon realized that a bird had pooped in her hair. After a quick shampoo in the bathroom sink, we were once again ready to meet up with Parker. We intercepted him as he walked down the hill to the lake. The first thing he said was, “next year I want to come for two weeks.” We took that as a good sign. We attended morning Chapel and then packed Parker’s things to head home. On the way, we stopped by our friend Jen’s house in Raleigh. We know Jen from Nashville and it has been over 10 years since we have seen her so it was fun catching up with her and meeting her husband and two sons. After lunch, we headed downtown and took in the NC Museum of History and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. Next it was back to Columbia so that Parker could catch up on his sleep (and Jay too).
The next phase of the summer featured a lot of kayaking. The big event was that Ansel finished up preschool. This was a very bitter sweet moment since her school has been a part of our lives for over seven years. She wanted to take jello to her friends on her last day of school so Kristie and Jay went and had lunch with everyone and took jello. Next stop, Kindergarten!
For Kristie’s parents’ 50th anniversary, all they wanted was for us to let the kids stay with them for a week or so. We were happy to oblige. On July 12, the four of us drove to Richmond, VA where we met Kristie’s parents. We walked around Richmond, including the state house and canal, and took a canal cruise. After one more night with the kids by our side, we ate breakfast and headed our separate ways.
Quiet.
We got frequent updates from the kids and it was clear that they were having a good time. Their stops on the way home included Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Chincoteague Island. It sounded like they adjusted to life on the farm pretty well. Parker became really proficient at running the lawn mower. His mower doesn’t have a blade, but he learned that if he rode over the grass five times, then Pop Pop didn’t even need to cut the grass because it would mash it down. Parker also enjoyed playing basketball. They both enjoyed running around in the wide open spaces and visiting Mom Mom Hertz for candy.
In addition to life on the farm, Parker and Ansel did some day trips. During their three week stay, they made it to Dutch Wonderland, Funland at Rehoboth Beach (twice!), Washington, DC, Philadelphia (where they saw the Liberty Bell and went to the Franklin Institute). While in Dover, they toured the Air Mobility Command Museum.
Kristie and Jay really enjoyed the calm and quiet break. We were able to clean the house (and keep it clean). We made the most of dinner dates. We also managed to go on an eight mile sea kayak paddle on Lake Murray as well as a getaway up to Bryson City for a quick paddle down the Nantahala in our whitewater boats. In the downtime, we worked on jigsaw puzzles.
After three weeks, it was time to head north to retrieve the kids. We left midday on Friday and arrived in Delaware to find the kids asleep. We woke up Saturday morning and wished Ansel a Happy Fifth Birthday! To celebrate, we all attended the Wyoming, DE Peach Festival Parade and then headed off to Fifer Orchard for peach ice cream. One of the birthday traditions that Kristie has developed has been helping the kids make their birthday cakes. Usually, this process begins days before their actual birthday. In this case, Kristie had one day to squeeze in three days worth of work, but she and Ansel tackled the project like pros.
Sunday, we loaded up and headed to Suicide Bridge for a crab feast. Parker and Ansel have never been finicky eaters and crabs were no exception. They both devoured them. After crabs, we headed back to Mom Mom and Pop Pop’s house for birthday cake.
Monday, the four of us and Mom Mom drove out to Bombay Hook to walk around. It was very pretty, but we decided that it might be prettier in the winter when the deer flies weren’t so bad. The highlight was seeing a fox walk down the road.
Tuesday, we set off for an exciting adventure at Hershey Park. We arrived, rode a few rides and then met up with Kristie’s friend Alexis. Waiting in line at rides turned out to be a great opportunity to catch up with Alexis and we had a fantastic time with her. Parker feared no ride and rode everything he was tall enough to ride including two roller coasters that had upside down features. Both Parker and Ansel were non-stop and the three of us followed behind with shaky knees and weak stomaches, debating the vomit inducing qualities of each ride. It was a perfect day. Parker and Ansel closed the park down and were exhausted as we were heading to the hotel. But they had been so good that we had to wake them up for milkshakes.
We spent the night and headed back to the park for a morning at Chocolate World. Then it was off to Harrisburg where we toured the PA State Capital Building. This turned out to be a really impressive building and we were glad we stopped by. After our tour, we drove to Winchester, VA for the night.
From Winchester, we headed to Shenandoah National Park. We watched a movie about the park and then took a quick 1.2 mile hike (Fox Hallow Trail). After our hike, we drove down Skyline Drive and were lucky enough to encounter a black bear on the side of the road eating blackberries! After exploring the park for a bit, we headed to Luray Caverns for a tour of the caverns and then on to Harrisonburg for the night. In Harrisonburg, we ate dinner and then drove around JMU.
The next morning, we woke up and headed back into Shenandoah. We hiked the Frazier Discovery Trail, then drove out the south end of the park and headed back home.
Parker and Ansel had quite an adventure this summer. If you were keeping track at home, you probably noted that they bagged five state capitals (Columbia, SC; Raleigh, NC; Richmond, VA; Dover, DE; Harrisburg, PA). Throw in the Nation’s capital (Washington, DC) and the tourist trap capital of VA (Luray, VA) and they had quite the geographical odyssey.
Enjoy the pictures of our summer!
