After Twin Lakes, we spent the remainder of our trip in and around Williamstown, MA at Oma and Opas. More friends to see, food to eat and great culture and beauty in the Berkshires. And Pete and I got a kid-free weekend in NYC while Oma and Opa babysat (post to follow)! Last summer's 31 day trip had us staying in 12 different places. So this summer, we knew we wanted to slow our pace. The kids only slept in 7 different places, which allowed us to keep our stamina for all 37 days!
I was working sporadically while on this epic trip, a few days for 3 of the 5 weeks. Lest anyone think we're able to spend an entire summer with neither of us working! One of those days, Pete and Oma took the kids to a child-friendly exhibit at Mass MOCA.
We drove up to Brattleboro to meet the newest member of our extended family clan. Jude and Maeve got to meet their 3rd cousins Desmond and Vera and as an added bonus, Arthur was there from London, too!
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| With the Amidons |
We came back to help Oma and Opa celebrate their 43rd wedding anniversary with a nice dinner out.
Pete took Jude to get their hair cuts at his childhood barbershop. Pete says it was refreshing to see that the place hadn't changed in 30 years, neither had the haircut styles unfortunately.
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| Same barber who used to give Pete his haircuts. Working his magic on the bowl cut style since the 1980s! |
Pool time at the Muirs where Maeve fell for Bob and I saw a bear!
Quentin, Chandra, Mio and Issei came up to spend a few days with us after our get away to NYC. Lots of back yard play and time at the local pond collecting tad poles (sadly, they did not turn into frogs during out time there).
Pete and I took in the Clark Art Institute one afternoon during nap time.
Then Jeff, Char and Aurelia came out from Boston to spend a few days with us. We had a night out getting drinks at Mass MOCA and pizza at Village pizza (I hadn't had motzerella sticks in 4 years- yum!!). The guys got up early one morning to do some droning up at Mount Greylock. So many meals with corn on the cob from the local farm.
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| So many pepperonis consumed this trip |
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| The goat ate her hair! |
One of the highlights of the week was going down to Tanglewood with Oma and Opa for a young audience Boston Pops concert. It was a beautiful night for our picnic on the field before taking our seats in the shed. The kids were so excited and so enthused, boping along to the music. They lasted 15 minutes or so until their shrieking sent us back to the lawn for them to run out their energy. A very special night experiencing their first concert with them.
We extended our trip to the max this summer. Arriving home on August 14th with Pete starting work 2 days later. We were so glad that we did though because after the flights were booked, we found out that there would be a bridal shower for Pete's high school friend's fiance our last weekend in the States. Not only did I get to know Krista better, but the event brought everyone "home" for the weekend so we got to see all of Pete's friends and their families at playdates and two nights out.
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| Uncle Mike working the room |
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| So many cuties! |
It was also fortunate that we were in Williamstown our final weekend because my friend Ella had come down to neighboring Pownal, Vermont for a family reunion. My goodness Cora and Gus have gotten so big and so cute! Ella's extended family owns a farm and gorgeous farmland. We spent a fun morning eating breakfast out, visiting the animals and swimming in the rain.
And the icing on the cake of our wonderful summer was a final Durning family reunion at Twin Lakes, where Jude and Maeve got to meet a number of relatives for the first time! Tetsuo had come from Japan and the Chicago Durnings and Jenny were all there, too. Pete and I headed down a day early to have some good family time before the kids arrived en route to our flight home from JFK. You can't beat time spent swimming in the middle of the lake with loved ones. And feasting with a family of chefs! Our last stop was to visit Pete's grandparents one last time. You never know when might be the last time to get to see any loved ones, but we feel this acutely with Popsie living far away. He may not be so clear on who we all are, but we cherish hearing him tell stories, laugh, and flirt with any woman in the room.
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| "Even if we weren't family, we'd be friends" |
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| More dock drinking time before dinner. |
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| When did the babies of the family become so grown up? The youngest cousins are off to college this year! |
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| Reunited with her pals |
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| Entertained by uncle John |
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| Jude is not a dog lover, but really has a bond with Nagma- so sweet! He recreated the picture from when he was 16 months! |
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| Saying goodbye to Nonnie and Diane |
When I find the emotional energy, I will blog on our feelings being back in America and what we are thinking about for the future. Until then, we just have so much gratitude for everyone that we got to see and for all of the wonderful memories made with family and friends this summer. It was one for the books!
