In and Out

[Answer to anticipated question of: why aren't there photos accompanying this post??: I accidentally deleted all of them, including the cutest of all -- where my nephew plays with his second cousin. Or is it that she is his niece... Well, whatever. Photos gone. Memories remain.]

Sometimes connecting from one place to the next is so easy, other times it's not. My nephew, traveling great distances to be here -- for a wonderful visit and, too, to stay at the farmhouse while Ed and I go off adventuring -- should have arrived in the evening, by plane, but in the end he did not get here until the middle of the night and by bus. But I'm thrilled he's here!

And so breakfast, on the porch, is for the three of us.

Well, in addition to the rooster, crowing noisily all morning long, to assert his importance.

Then comes a day of roaming the neighborhoods and stores in our area, acquainting my nephew with what's where. He's not here for as long as the last time and he has a great recollection of everything and every spot, but still, it's quite fun taking him around to our various local favorites.

But we have to be back by afternoon, because Snowdrop is to spend her Tuesday at the farmhouse.

It is a first meeting of the cousins who are separated by an ocean and have only these meager opportunities for coming face to face with each other.

Snowdrop plays, stands, rolls and even gives a good effort at downing bananas and squash, squeezed onto a dish with sketches of Peter Rabbit on it. You'll have to imagine it. The vignettes are all now just in our heads.

In the evening, my nephew, Ed and I eat take out Thai and we fall into the farmhouse habit of just hanging out. And of course, I pack.
Don't you think I need a better flashlight? Do you like my new whistle? In the book "Wild," she carried a high pitch whistle for emergencies...
Okay, nice whistle. No, you don't need a bigger better flashlight...

The usual back and forth that accompanies pre-travel.

In the wee early hours of the morning, Ed and I will fly to Albany, where we will pick up a car and go due north, to the heart of the Adirondacks. If you're unfamiliar with the geography of the region -- think "where the escaped convicts hid when they wanted to avoid detection." We'll be canoeing through the wilder and more remote areas and this makes Ed very happy.

As for WiFi -- I'll have it Wednesday and early Thursday and then I'll likely be out of the loop for at least a couple of days. It's the first time in over a decade when I will have acquiesced to being off line. Even when we hiked the Rockies and camped our way across Scotland, on nearly every day, I found a way to post on Ocean. I'm not going to try so hard this time. I have put Ed through a lot of irritating maneuvers to get myself connected for blogging purposes. I owe him a couple of days of peace, without the worry of finding WiFi.

Alright, time to check for leaks in my new inflatable pillow. The tent? We'll find out if it developed rips if and when it rains. Adventures are made this way.


UPDATE:

Talk about a heroic recovery of deleted photos! Thank you Ed. Now, you match the photos with the text!