We Made It

Well, I'm afraid I have to post with no pictures this time. It was a drippy day yesterday, and the one outing we made was at night.

We woke up at 3:30 a.m. to make a 6:30 a.m. flight. We really like connecting in Minneapolis - it is well organized and not as crowded as O'Hare or Denver. We arrived at 4:30 p.m. in Manchester, NH. The kids fell asleep in the car driving to Grammy's house. I didn't sleep at all. Kurt took Dramamine on the first leg and slept through the two boys having a punch-up in the row in front of me. At least they weren't mine!

It's a different experience staying in my in-laws house instead of the Shacklettes' vacation home. The allergy situation is much improved. Kurt's parents recently replaced wall & floor boards which helped a ton. The bed doesn't jiggle with every turn and our heads are level with our feet. But I do miss waking up first, making tea, and looking out the bay window at Lake Winnesquam.

Last night we met up with one of Kurt's high school classmates. His wife is a photographer (yes, I REALLY enjoy talking to her) and they have two boys so our kids were entertained. We ate at The MUG in Center Harbor. It was a bar/restaurant: pub-like (great Black & Tans, but no steak & ale pie), with a bank of video games on one wall and two pool tables in the middle of the floor. We had chicken/veal parmigiana and the kids had pizza. Our friends knew the waitress from way back, so I was relaxed even with the kids running wild. We went back to their place where the kids watched Nanny McPhee, the guys listened to indie music and ate ice cream, and Michelle and I played with her new iBook. Great fun.

After our near-death experience on the Trail of the Gargoyles, I gave Kurt permission to drive home on the "back road." Six miles of dirt and gravel encompassing three unmarked intersections. Unfortunately it was dark and FOGGY, obscuring many of the landmarks we normally use. It's amazing how similar Cape Cod houses can look when you can only see the front step.

But we made it, watched the Red Sox lose with Kurt's parents & brother, teased Kurt's dad about his Adirondack-willow rocking chair, and went to bed. I promise pictures next time - as I'm meeting one of my neices for the first time. My shutter finger is already itching...


Quote of the Day

While driving home on the back road:

Ian, "When are we ever going to get out of these trees?!?"
Megan, "That's all New Hampshire is - woods."
Ian, "Oh, so that's what all the green stuff I saw from the airplane was."