Something of the Past

Wow, what a summer we're having!!! There's an old saying that fish and family smell the same after 3 days, but I have to disagree. That might be true for some families, but not mine!! We had a visit from my niece Tina and her two daughters McKenna and Jadyn. A week with three women in the house.... hmmmm.... how were we going to deal with this?? It turns out they're all actually tomboys so with the exception of a few shrilly screams from time to time.... it wasn't scary at all!! Not having been around them during their early years, I really had no clue how well or badly behaved they might be, but I soon learned Tina carried some sort of invisible whip with her that those two girls were VERY aware of. So, like all good Uncles... I made it my mission to not only help them avoid said whip, but to actually GET AWAY with things that might have actually put that whip into action.

I could sit a week and still not be able to recall all the things we did. It seemed like some days we just vegged in the coolness of the air-conditioning, and other days we stayed out all day. Several times the girls helped with meal preparation.... this one time they helped pick... clean and tasted the Chocolate Basil. NOT a big hit with either of them. Poor Jadyn couldn't speak for fear of swallowing what she had already chewed, meanwhile McKenna was spitting hers in the trash. It may not have tasted good fresh, but there were no complaints about the roasted chicken it helped season.

One particularly hot afternoon we went to the river. Now there's an ongoing debate over which river has the least amount of sewage treatment facilities, but I've noticed there are fewer dead fish floating in the Shenandoah, so that's the one we went to. McKenna kept asking when we could go to water they could swim in. I guess, since I DO NOT swim, I had taken for granted that kids would enjoy splashing around in water that was only waist deep and pretty much drown proof. In no time at all they figured out that "rapids" meant "natural water slides"!! We followed the river all the way to the 340 bridge and back again. Collected rocks and bits of pottery and for some reason.... pieces of broken glass.

The rule of the river when anyone's down there with me is..... Don't go near the grass.... that's where the snakes are! If you can swim.... you can go wherever the hell you want to, if not... then stay between me and the shore...... because you won't see me in water that will drown you. If you slip on a slimy rock....go with it....because I carry NO ONE back home. Overall we had a great time at the river. The girls discovered just how cold our outside shower is when we got home. I told them they couldn't go in all covered in river slime.... and they believed me!!! Tina of course gave me that "I have the whip" look and promptly went inside to shower and change. Probably our most exhausting day involved a 3 hour hike to Md Heights. This is the mountain across the Potomac River which sits directly in front of our house. They had been admiring it for several days, so I figured they'd enjoy conquering it. I was right!! We packed up water and sandwiches and some ice. The ice was for many reasons. Injuries, cooling down, and if not needed for either of those reasons.... then as it melted we could drink it. We went up the back way which is steeper, but gets you there faster. We hung out on the cliffs for awhile, but the girls were eager to keep hiking, so up up up we went. Actually there's only a little more up from where we were before we arrived at the fire road that leads back down down down. It's a nice hike because its mostly shaded and that early in the day.... we only passed 3 other humans. The following day we only hiked as far as Jefferson Rock and the graveyard. We started out at the church ruins...... got to Jefferson Rock, and realized that no matter how hard we pushed, it wasn't going anywhere. There were many opportunities for sisterly moments this week, and believe me I've got them all in pictures. Some were funny, some were sweet, some were scary, but they were all moments I'm glad I got to share. I just hope this isn't their last visit and I sincerely hope this is just the beginning of generations of visits. Saturday, the last day of their visit, was spent at the flea market..... ugghhhhh.... HOT HOT HOT!! On Friday however, we were treated to a free lunch at the Quarter Master Tavern, by our neighbor Donna who owns the restaurant. Thanks Donna!!!! Afterwards we headed out the back door of the restaurant to take a little walk through town and ended up at the Old Time Photo Shop. I really need to get out more often, because I didn't even know it was there. Well, the cost is something you need to be prepared for, but I have to tell you.... it's worth it. Not only is Paula (the owner) one of the nicest shop keepers in town, she's an excellent photographer. She knows what she's doing with a camera. Tina, McKenna and Jadyn picked through all the dresses before finding the perfect ones, and after being accessorized, posed for an incredible picture. Talking with Paula, I found out she could use some help with advertising, so I offered to make her a page on our website. In turn, she gave Tina her framed photo at no cost. How nice!! I'm not sure how I can possibly repay the joy that photo has brought, but I'll try!! So it only took a week and Harpers Ferry turned one Big and two little, tomboys into well mannered, posture perfect, southern ladies. Just imagine what it could do to the rest of down county!!! The week came to an end.... Sunday morning with luggage piled outside I sadly trudged up the hill to bring the van around, only to find it with a dead battery. After only a slight delay we got them loaded..... hugs all around..... and waived our goodbyes. Memories can be and are created everyday, but add the necessary family ingredient and that memory becomes timeless. When a warm yet faded memory becomes this moment, you'll know it's smell, it's taste, the sounds that bring a smile to your face. Those lazy hazy days of summer.... I thought they were something of the past, but they're not.