Was it really two years since Charles and Jenn last visited? It didn't feel like it. They rode the train down from NYC to spend Columbus day weekend with us in Charlottesville.
And is there a better board game for a train fan than Ticket to Ride? Carrie taught Charles and Jenn how to play when I took Shane to soccer. It was a big hit.
"We buy a new game after every visit," Jenn said.
We went to Duck Donuts for breakfast.
Jenn loved it. Her family is from Oregon and she's a University of Oregon alum. The Ducks were scheduled to play Saturday night, too (we streamed it).
The ladies and Shane napped it off later (even the cats, and they weren't there!). Charles and I played Ticket to Ride while the house slumbered.
Then the bridge building began.
Charles is the engineering type. He likes buildings and architecture.
Carrie is competitive. She never backs down from a challenge.
Shane likes toys. He also likes to wiggle and weights forty pounds.
I sat him on the bridge, because I like trouble.
It didn't hold.
Version 2.0 took home the gold.
The football game didn't go so well (Sorry, Ducks).
The next morning, we went apple picking on Carter Mountain. We tried to go Saturday, but the line of like-minded fellows was incredible.
A certain someone wakes up early regardless of the day, so it was no trouble to visit before nine.
I love the view from up high.
Our mountains aren't as tall as the Rockies, but the trees make up for it.
The weather was perfect for apple picking.
And apple eating. Shane couldn't wait.
We picked winesaps, jonagolds, and golden deliciouses (I think).
Shane and I left for church aftewards. Carrie drove Charles and Jenn down the road to Monticello.
Charles, the stinker, didn't tell anyone he'd already been. Jenn, Carrie, and I thought that he'd love the tour since he's a history and architecture buff. When the tour guide asked, "Has anyone been here before?" Charles raised his hand.
We spent the afternoon at the house. Carrie cooked pumpkin pie. After Shane's nap, we went en mass to the barn. Jenn and Shane played with the dog while Carrie rode.
Carrie rode (of course).
Jenn got voluntold to hold on to Pixel later. She's quite the animal fan.
Shane had his normal run of the barn. He enjoyed telling Charles where to take pictures.
There were hot air balloons everywhere! We saw two take off while we were at Costco. I've half a mind to track down where it is they're launching from.
Meanwhile, Jenn and Charles were fascinated by how 'empty' our Costco was. Compared to New York City, it was a ghost town. I parked up front.
The next morning, I dropped Jenn and Charles off at the train station on the way to work. We loved having them visit and we hope that we don't have to go two years in between until the next time!
PS - It's amazing the difference a good camera can make.
My picture:
Charlie could zoom in and see the people riding on hot air balloons. Blew both Shane's and my mind.
It blew my mind further when Charlie let Shane take pictures with his camera.
Shane's aim wasn't always the greatest, but the camera did a lot of work for him.
The cats also got to pose.
Charles could make dirt look good with his gear. I don't plan on upgrading from my phone anytime soon, but I can appreciate what Charles' can produce with his skill and equipment. I'm glad he posted a selection, so I could raid and re-post them here.
Thanks, Mike! This was such a fun and interesting blog. I want to go apple picking with you next year. That really looks like fun. I looked up the info for hot air ballooning and it's really expensive (from $185 to $250 per person for one hour). It's at Boar's Head Ballooning. So it would have to be a pretty special occasion to spend that much money. Think how many games you could buy for that money.
ReplyDeleteJama told me tonight how much she enjoys reading your blogs. We all do. Keep them coming, please.
Love,
Mom