Family Reunion/Bonfire

My girls are with their dad now & I am filling the time this week with packing my entire house up (which doesn't sound fun and isn't) and looking for a backpack (which sounds fun but really isn't since it entails a lot of trying things on and then having people tug at straps, turn you around, and drop 30 pounds of sand down your back). Current front runner is the Osprey Ariel 65 medium in brown sugar; second at bat is the Gregory Deva 60 medium, color irrelevant because there's a website selling a discontinued Coastal Sage color for a lot less ($161.97) and who doesn't love a great deal? Looking for a pack before actually planning a trip makes sense, though, because there's no time crunch and you can make sure you get a pack that fits you properly instead of rushing and buying something because time is of the essence. You can also rent packs at places like REI and then buy the one you like once you are SURE the fit is correct. Walking a few steps in the store is not the same thing as walking all day, as we all know from buying pants and/or shoes that were fine for a few minutes but deucedly uncomfortable after a serious length of time. And when you are in the wilderness of West Virginia you don't get to change your mind and take it back. You just have to keep carrying the darn thing.

Anyway, Saturday was the day of our family reunion. The girls and I went to get our color-coded tee shirts, based on which person we were descended from, and ended up with a nice light mint-green number. I'm not a tee shirt person but I can deal with one every 2 years. We had a yummy barbecue lunch and then gathered for a photo on the lawn. Amazingly, all my girls were facing the camera this time. They are older and not so wiggly. Down to the beach to play in the water, home for naps, and then it was off to a bonfire at 8 pm -- a little late for my children but doable since there were naps involved earlier in the day and it is staying light for so long this time of year. Happy Solstice to everyone, by the way. There were s'mores at the bonfire, of course, and the girls built sandcastles and a good time was had by all.

For a few more days we can all swim in the Chesapeake Bay (assuming, of course, that this kind of thing appeals to you). Shortly the jellyfish will be in. Stinging sea nettles arrive just in time for the 4th of July, like clockwork every year. Like the swallows of San Juan Capistrano. Only not quite so pleasant.