Visits with Cousins

Photos from assorted visits with cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents. Ethan and Lydia got a chance to spend some time with their cousin Addie this June, which was nice. Tom figured out a way to finagle his work schedule so as to touch down in Tyringham for a couple of days, after which Addie headed off to music camp. I drove Lydia out on a Thursday night so that she could spend Friday and Sat with her cousin. I had to work on Friday, but I drove out again to  spend Saturday with the gang. It was great to hang out with Tom and Addie -- don't get to see them very often.

The kids spent time working on a fairly elaborate tree-house-like contraption in the big apple tree just north of the pool:

It's hard to take good photos of Ethan these days, since half the time I point the camera in his direction he's having fun mugging for the shot:

The pool was in very nice shape; everyone enjoyed their swims.

There were numerous card games: hearts, "Oh Hell", and others:

On Sat night we had a marathon "charades" game, which was a lot of fun. The teams were Tom, Addie, Lydia, and Carey on one side, and Bob, Ethan, Sue, Joanie, and myself on the other side... or at least something like that (can't quite remember the setup). Here is Tom trying to act out "The Hunger Games" for Lydia and Addie (second word first syllable I believe :-). It took Addie and Lydia quite some time to figure it out, in spite of the fact that both of them have read the book:

More charades photos:

I had fun acting out  "Oedipus" and "The Oxford English Dictionary". I also made a determined effort to set a speed record for the clue "Justin Bieber" (the key is the hair flip, of course). Here is Lydia acting out something tricky for her teammates:

.. and of course there were many opportunities to lie around reading various books. Among the popular selections: my dad's big book of jokes (which includes an entire chapter on "Blonde" jokes), the latest "Zits" book, and "Big Nate":

Climbing rose bush by the pool is particularly nice this time of year:

.. and of course there was chamber music:

Next up in the various visits: a trip to Tinmouth for the July 4th holiday. Lydia and I drove up on Thursday so that we would have a little extra time; Amy and Ethan joined us Friday night.

Lunch Thursday at Rustin's cabin:

Friday night we had dinner at the Red Clover Inn near Killington. Very tasty; we'll have to go back again.

My mom at work in her garden, which is in amazing shape considering all the rain we've had this spring and summer. It looks as though it should be featured in a gardening magazine:

Lots of blueberries, but none ripe just yet:

My mom arranged an archery target setup for Lydia; here she is trying it out:

On Saturday: Kate, Janet, and Ken arrived to pay us a visit; we headed off to Lake St Catherine for a picnic and canoe-kayak expedition. It was actually kind of tricky to get photos of the kids-- it seemed as though every time I pointed the camera in their direction, they were taking off on a new game or adventure of some sort (or they were underwater).

More photos. Lots of wonderful meals courtesy of my mom (with help also from Lydia in the cooking dept):

Wow, what a cake!

We were all a bit exhausted after Sat (lots of time out in the sun and on the water).

On Sunday morning we had a nice brunch and I went for a run in the morning. Got rained on, but only lightly.

All in all, a nice visit to VT.