I Can See Clearly Now, the Rain is Gone

Another great weekend at Saranac!
It was really, really nice. And, for the first time, I acutally spent some one-on-one time with my step-mom. Can you believe it? Joan and my dad have been married for (more than five but less than ten?) years and this is the first time I was really able to spend some quality time with her. We dined with her friends, Marsha, Connie and John, after I arrived at Camp on Thursday evening. It was one of those lovely, warm, Adirondack evenings. Marsha made this wonderful chili-like dish (called something like Picadilly) that she served over rice. We, also, had toaster-oven brownies, made from scratch, and filled with peppermint patties. A semi-sweet riesling was my wine of choice and Joan finished off my Seneca Steamer (which I'd left at Camp last weekend). Conversation centered around stories of platform tents and the island on which their families all camped in the 60's. For the first time, I found myself wishing I were alive in the sixties and had experienced platform tent camping and summers on an island.

Creativity on the Rebound...

It's been so long since I last blogged that I seriously needed to think about my log-in information. How awful is that? I LOVE to write; I don't really consider it a chore or a task, rather a "release," but for the last month I've found my creativity at an all-time low. This is not a good way to feel. Thankfully, I was able to do a little recharging this weekend at Saranac...

Friends and Family ~ Adopted or Otherwise

With my BFF in town for the last couple of weeks, I've been ignoring my blogging responsibilities. I can't help it; we had so much to do and far too little time in which to do it...

The last week of Shelby's visit was by far the best. Of course, I've grown accustomed to having to share her when she is here on vacation but this year, I spent a huge amount of time with both "sides" of her family and didn't feel nearly as miserable about our too-little time together.  During her first week, we enjoyed Stauffeneker gatherings and outings and, last week, we spent time on Seneca Lake with John's families---the Davies and the Farleys. Having grown-up with Shelby's family, her family is like my own, slightly extended, family. I like spending time with her brothers and their families. It is terrific to see all of Shelby's nieces and nephews and I can never quite believe how much they've grown.
This year, I had the pleasure of meeting John's extended family--both the Davies and the Farleys. I feel as though I should capitalize PLEASURE or add some sort of animation to it because that is                 E-X-A-C-T-L-Y what it was to meet this terrific group of people.