While daughter Lise and grandson Nathaniel were here, I took a number of photos while we were eating. It reminded me that having three square meals a day is considered the norm in this land of plenty. Those square meals make me rounder than round!

We did more than eat. We watched food being prepared. After Nathaniel laminated the croissant dough, he let it rest overnight. He measured it meticulously several times, then he cut it and rolled it into the classic shape. He was highly critical of the result, but we savored every bite.

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There was only one shot with everyone here, and we were having a late snack. You can see that my place was marked by an emptied plate.

Between eating times, Lise and the boys got in a little exercise playing Throw Throw Burrito. It was the most active card game I’ve ever seen. They drew and discarded cards, and suddenly everything would erupt as they jumped up and threw fake burritos at each other. The most avid spectator was dog Sadie. She could have shredded those burritos in three seconds flat.

The last photo was taken at Stone Ridge Tavern in Asheville before Lise drove Nathaniel back to Charlotte. My plate did not remain empty. Nate and I shared a steak and a baked sweet potato.

This group of people was very special. We had all but one of our children here and both grandsons. When daughter Kate comes in August, we might have six again, but Lise will be back in Denmark.