Oblah di, Oblah dah, Life Goes On...

We all went back to the lake last weekend for one last bittersweet trip of the year. The "campground" where the "house" is closes down for the winter, shuts the water off in the bathhouses, and except for a few dedicated and slightly insane people who enjoy roughing it, it will be pretty much abandoned until spring. As much as we knew the weather was supposed to be beautiful, we needed the trip for closure and, I hope, healing. Some random images from the weekend...Andrew concentrates on trying to master the monkey bars after breakfast Saturday morning. A local church sponsors a "make a donation" breakfast once a month, and they have a great playground.We had gone on a slightly wild goose chase after breakfast to find a large thermos. Although it was beautiful, it wasn't quite beer drinking weather, so hot cider with spiced rum sounded like a great idea. The chase was well worth it. Andrew enjoyed his cider plain.James spent some time at the helm both days. I think I'm the only one that doesn't like to drive the boat. I'm perfectly content to ride.Saturday night called for another bonfire, mostly because we had promised Andrew s'mores. By the way, if you haven't tried microwave s'mores, they're just as good.Andrew waiting patiently for the short ride down to the dock on Sunday morning. He's wearing his "captain's" hat that he has to wear for at least part of every boat ride. He insisted on taking Grandma's hat (she got a white one when Dad bought her the boat for her birthday) with us on the ride both days because, "She can't go with us on the boat anymore." The day was perfect, except for one thing. I was missing Edna terribly, and I think Andrew was too. Andrew was disappointed that the Smith Mountain Dock marina store was closed. They sell popcorn there to feed to these monstrous "pet" carp. Feeding the fish is one of Andrew's favorite activities, and luckily, we had some Little Debbie crackers on board. It turns out that the fish like them just as much as popcorn. My sisters and my dad in a thoughtful moment...



...and some pictures of the beauty of the day, which somehow just made my heart ache more.

Even holdout leaves have started falling....

Before I start the post, a quick nod to songwriter Hugh Prestwood for today's title. It is a line out of a song he wrote for Jimmy Buffett, "Savannah Fare You Well", and very appropriate for today. Every breeze brought hundreds of leaves down from the trees in the yards around Fort Vegas.

The temperature was in the low 60's today, but only felt that warm in direct sunlight. Andrew was in his new Plex from "Yo Gabba Gabba" hoody, so he was in good shape. I was in my usual in-house garb (t-shirt and gym shorts), so it was a bit chilly.

We logged a good three plus hours in the yard including time in the sandbox, making a huge leafpile, playing some "Red Light, Green Light", and enjoying PB&Js and chips on a blanket in the yard.

So it wasn't the lake or the beach or the park, but a pretty good bulk of a day.

And now...it is October

First, an apology to our loyal readers - the blog has fallen in some disrepair. As Tam joked earlier this evening, "Life has caught up with the blog." While the Rick news made it on quickly, the other events of the past few weeks that would normally be blog-fodder have not made the Web. We'll try harder.


In the past few days, Fort Vegas has been feeling the change of the season. We've gone from leaving the kitchen door open at all hours to slamming that puppy as soon as you walk through it. The leaves are quickly changing and dropping. The garden gave us the last few gifts she had left. We don't think the peppers are worth a squat, but the tomatoes show some promise. The house is a bit chilly in the mornings. In fact, it is a bit chilly right now (9:04 p.m.), but I refuse to move from my Awful Arthur's t-shirt and gym shorts. Tam and Andrew are both bundled like mummies. As I type this, the weather widget on the Avalon Pier website tells me that both the air and water temps in Kill Devil Hills, N.C. are both currently 70 degrees. (Insert sound of my heart breaking or my head hitting the desk, whichever entertains you more.)


Tam's birthday is coming up. The Rick show was the big present, but she has been adamant about going out. Plans for the Big A to stay with Grammy and Poppy are in place. Fuzzy cellphone pics will be posted if allowed by law.

REMEMBER - ONLY 236 DAYS TO JUNE 1ST!
---J