All the Boys: Together Again!

This makes it all worthwhile!

Our "Middle" (Lennon) up from Florida for a week during his vacation.

Recuperating today after many days of over-doing...but so worth it!

We plundered Plainfield, Cox's Nursery and Plants, The Shoppes at Perry Crossings and Cracker Barrel.

We enjoyed (nearly) EVERYONE together at James and Nicki's for a Saturday Cook-Out! Burgers and Dogs on the new grill, Baked Beans and Chips (and best of all...family!)

(back left to right...Tina, Chris, James and Aiden, Nicole, Emma, Brittany and baby "son" bump, and Savannah, Lennon, Hannah and I, Amelia Rose and Brenden. Missing: Preston [who was there earlier in the day] and Kaylee)

Lennon and I did a Trip Down Amnesia Lane on Sunday with a Tour of Every House he had grown up in with us 1992-2010

The First Being Montclair.

Proof that Robert Frost was right. You can't go home again. Basically because there is a No Trespassing sign affixed to the boarded up front door. At least the hideous sky blue trim seems to be gone. Morel of the Story: Never trust Walmart to mix paint...and no it never darkened up when it dried...for years.

Overgrown and boarded up. Left to decay, as were all but 2 houses in the entire town. Quickly becoming a ghost-town. Doc Singer will be so pleased (the ghost from the time our house was Singer Station...the Hub or Montclair)

Our next stop was the Lake House Coatesville

In good order...and the small trees that we had planted as sticks now towered over the house. The Cherry Tree that Lennon planted for me on Mother's Day which was not much taller than he was back then, is HUGE now.

When we arrived at our (past) home in Bainbridge I was amazed to find this!

I think I want it  back. (the tree)

Although my Magnolia and Wisteria are long since gone and the decorative pond we worked so hard on- filled in...this Willow Tree was planted as literally a 1" in diameter stick-of-a-tree.  Nothing reveals the passage of years quite as clearly as a tree you once planted.

The Modular Ranch House was in good shape and the blooming Yucca were some I had planted. An improvement would be the removal of those horrid (pre-existing bayberry) bushes that ran along the front. Not sure if the giant elderly lilac bush that graced the back is still there or not. We used to get baskets full of blooms off it.

And my Rose Cottage in Roachdale

Sadly rose-less and bushless. They were all cut down. 
This my have well been my "favorite" of all our "shells".

~sigh~

We had a great time "chasing memories", though...and there were a million of them.

Also enjoyed a day at Turkey Run

 And an impromptu photo shoot through the one way glass at the Nature Center

                            
                           (...you had to hand it to this guy for persistence...)

He even snagged me a piece of black granite off one of our trails.

On the way back we stopped at The Big Berry.

"What do you mean you are out of STRAWBERRY ice cream???? You've a giant strawberry on the roof of the building for crum's sake."

(...Lennon fixed this later that evening by bringing me back a pint of Ben and Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake from the store...which is every bit as decadent as it sounds...still enjoying it slowly...) 

He and Chris also managed a couple of solo evenings out.

Pre-flight we brunched at Jackson's Family Restaurant before he had to leave.

We have been coming here since all the boys were literally head-high to the tabletops.

Oh...and he found this sign...now we are listening for the banjo music. Seriously.

So- now he is back to work...and the Morning Zombie Walk to the Keurig and Shout at the latest TRUMP blunder seems lacking.

Did I mention the kid turned out as political as Bill and I...and puts down even more coffee than me. So proud.

A wonderful time...see you again soon!

Woke to Monsoon Conditions on NPB this morning, so no basking today...just taking a quiet Zen Retreat here until Monday.
Have a Wonderful Weekend.

More Anon...