The weather may not say summer, but the activities do. John drove to New Jersey to get grandson David. The first photo by cousin Jay is the segue to David’s summer. The college choir sang in Northfield MN, where Kirsten and Jay hosted David and his tour partner Aaron overnight. Cousins Carolyn and Eric were there for the concert, as well, and joined the others for an ice cream treat. (Kirsten and Eric are John’s first cousins on the Norwegian side.)
David always makes me laugh. I wish you could have heard him tell the tale of ripping his jeans on tour. Every year they dare him to climb in the overhead luggage compartment on the bus, and he is still thin enough to do it. He was pulling himself out when he heard a ripping sound. Standing in the aisle, he reached his hand behind him and felt UNDERWEAR! He had to hold his jeans together until he could get to his luggage and change.
Grandson Nathaniel sent us a photo of himself taken in a town near where he lives on Long Island. He, David, and John always dressed to go to the parade on Memorial Day. It was great to see he was upholding the tradition.
We didn’t have a parade to go to, but our neighbors came for a cookout. John found David’s DVD of Arlington National Cemetery, which he had playing mutely on the TV. That was most appropriate. As we sat around chatting, neighbor Bob asked if any of us had relatives who had died in service. Only Dave did. His brother died in Korea 20 days before the end of the hostilities.
I always enjoy this group of people, and I was glad we got in some neighbor talk. We have common concerns, after all. The funniest was about carpenter bees, something we all battle. There are as many ways to fight them as there are households. Bob said he uses carburetor cleaner! After the bee makes its tunnel in the wood, he squirts in the cleaner and plugs up the hole. We reached for our can of spray meant for these pests, and Frankie said they had tried it, implying it wasn’t very effective. I think it was Connie who mentioned swatting the bees with badminton rackets. I can tell you this, if there were a contest for bee beating, either Frankie or Bob would win. Bob made a bee bat out of wood. It had a handle and holes drilled in the paddle to let the air through. He claimed the bees taunt him, staying just out of reach. Frankie demonstrated her technique using a net. She went through the motions as she said, “It’s all in the wrist. Twist, throw, stomp! Twist, throw, stomp. I’ve gotten 30 at one sitting.”
Logan (6) didn’t take much time to eat, because he wanted to play with David. They built a tower for marbles with a set of plastic pieces. David said they were going outside, so I presume they flew an airplane and did other active things we didn’t see. When Logan asked if they could play with the Nerf guns, I said yes, not knowing that David didn’t want to. He said it would make a big mess, and it might interrupt the visiting on the porch. I backpedaled quickly, suggesting computer games. The two of them stayed with that until the party broke up. I overheard David suggesting strategy, but he paused the game so that I could take their photo. Both fellows cooperated quickly, putting on their happy faces, knowing I’d then leave them alone. Later I found David playing the game by himself. He must have been exploring the possibilities he had seen when Logan was at the controls.
At different times John, David, and I watched the documentary on Arlington with the sound on. I feel we truly celebrated Memorial Day in a reverent way.
The real end to the holiday came a day later. Joyce, next door, could not come to our gathering because she had company. Tuesday afternoon she texted to see if we were home and if she could come over. She, John, and I had a delightful visit. For me, that was the final touch that made the holiday complete.
Mehrling Muse 
I’m so glad you had one of the boys home for the holiday. Logan looked as though he was more than pleased too.
xxx Hugs Galore xxx
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Logan was thrilled to have his old playmate back
xxx warm summer hugs xxx
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Nice shots Anne!
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Thank you. People are getting used to the little toy camera coming out of my pocket.
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I love seeing and hearing about your family and friends, glad you enjoyed your holiday weekend! Love your new background pic too!
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Thanks for reading, Kim.
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I like seeing your photos and learning about how you spent the holiday weekend. I’m kind of laughing here because our holiday weekend was the complete opposite of yours! Not a neighbor in sight. No family around. And friends were all off on vacations. Funny how people ebb and flow through a person’s life.
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Until we moved from Long Island, we always had family and neighbors getting together for the outdoor holidays. Now, in North Carolina, we have just neighbors, and they are wonderful! That’s something that you had such a quiet holiday this time. I hope the quiet was to your liking.
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Actually it was fine. Relaxing. Just not very celebratory like many Memorial Days have been. Oh well…
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I got to see my brother but otherwise it was a solitary (cool and rainy) holiday here. Funny how those holidays ebb and flow. Usually July 4th sees more people around here.
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I’m glad you saw your brother. I should have called mine. Easter was our quietest holiday yet.
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A great gathering it looks like. We used to swat bees with a plastic bat. Cheap entertainment, and needed for survival.
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Our bees hovered too high for swatting. John and grandson David sprayed something in the bee holes yesterday, so hopefully they will not be seen again.
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Gorgeous pix!!! I didn’t know if MN meant Montana, Minnesota, or New Mexico-backwards! lol But then you said the name “Kristen” and I knew it had to be Minnesota.
Hey, I’ll bet you don’t know which Canadian province MB stands for! No fair Googling! 😀
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That was amusing — New Mexico backwards! We do lots of things backwards, because John is left-handed. You are right. MN is Minnesota.
I racked my brains for MB and couldn’t come up with anything. Of course, my brain quit working about four hours ago. I would recognize Manitoba as a province, but I never saw the abbreviation before.
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At least you knew it was a province…as opposed to, say, an island off the coast of Spain. 😂
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what a beautiful post! I bet everybody wants to visit at your house-I do! Handsome g-sons! they seem like such nice young men
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We love having company. Please let me know if you ever come this way. I would love to meet you in person.
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Hi Anne,
David seems to be having a grand time, torn jeans and all.
I am so glad your life is filled with friends and family and that you live in the mountains where the beauty of nature is there for the taking.
Is it my imagination or does Logan’s face looks different from the other photos ? He looks more mature too.
I liked to see Nathaniel all suited up.
Was your Memorial day lunch potluck ?
Please share your potato salad and biscuit recipe in another post.
Susie
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Logan’s face is changing. He will be 7 years old in a few weeks.
People brought food to our party. We provided hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwursts, buns, condiments, potato salad, baked beans, chips, and pretzels. People brought deviled eggs, watermellon, vegetables with a dip, cookies, and a chocolate pudding dessert. No one went away hungry.
I have written myself a note to send you recipes. We are trying to get our car back today. Tomorrow $ will go home, and David and John will go to Tennessee to work on the train tracks. If no one else is in the house, I might get work done on the computer
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