Escape

We escaped dry, brown Colorado to Rhode Island this month to visit my family. It was great - and I do mean really, truly, wonderfully, great to spend some time with them. Also: Rhode Island is GREEN this year, due to plentiful water in many forms: rain, ocean, humidity. <insert happiness sigh>

The boys made full usage of their umbrellas every time it rained.

There are many attractions to visit within an hour drive of my parent's place. However, we often find the simplest things are the best. This child-size stage in the woods is always a big hit. It's right next to a playground, but you would never know it if you followed the boys' beeline paths to the stage.

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One of the official attraction we did visit this year was the Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. It is my favorite living history museum because the atmosphere is very low-key and all the hands-on activities have a high degree of new-ness. Sail setting, anyone?

Or perhaps some boat building?

Or maybe we'll just wade out in the water and catch something.

Below would be a hermit crab.

We also went to the zoo in Providence. I gushed about the number of trees in the zoo. Ah! Shade! Feels like such a novelty!

The boys were duly impressed by the Del's Lemonade carts at the zoo. Del's is a Rhode Island specialty. I don't know what they put in their frozen lemonade (probably something addictive and unhealthy) but it's unlike any other sort that I have ever had. Deliciously refreshing in spite of my suspicions.

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We rode some swan boats at Roger Williams Park. You can't really tell they are swan boats from the photo below. Before I could come up with a better-photo-angle idea, I was kicked out because other people wanted to pedal! Can you believe it? Five year olds!

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So I occupied myself by taking funny photos. See? Swans boats.

There was also some hair cutting, just because grandma does such a great job...

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and there was some hair styling by apprentices. Thank goodness my brothers are good natured...

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because Noah and Mattias played long and hard with an old Lego monorail which – we would discover in the process of assembling – is a collector's item. Amazingly, my mother didn't vacuum up all the pieces. Do you think I should have her guest post about how she managed that?

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Oh, yes, and then there was this: a birthday party for my father. 

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All in all, it was one awesome trip that kept me from spending too much time obsessing about the things in Colorado that I can't control. Although, I'm happy to be home and looking forward to a less eventful and more reflective September.