Checkin' In with the Elder Kids
Trip Start
Jun 24, 2010
1
3
66
Trip End
May 18, 2011
Where I stayed
Peter & Paula's Home in Bend
Bend, Oregon
Friday, June 25, 2010
We hooked up with Chris and his family again this morning as he wanted to take his little brother and sister out for a little fun showing them his new hobby – remote-controlled race cars! And yes, they ARE fast! What a kick! After a quick stop to see John’s best buddy Richard and get in yet another round of nostalgic stories and post-adolescent giggling as they are so prone to doing when they get together (yea, but I LIKE that kinda stuff……….), we “turned left” and headed east over the gorgeous Cascade Mountains enroute to Bend. I know we’ve got a whole world to see in the upcoming year, and I’m sure we’ll see plenty of breath-taking sights around the globe, but I gotta tell ya that there’s really not many places ANYWHERE that can compare to the incredible beauty we have right here in our own backyard of the Pacific Northwest! On a warm sunny cloudless sojourn through the mountain passes, with endless forests of evergreens surrounding the serenity of the bluest-of-blue lakes that together frame the magnificence of all those snow-capped mountains of Central Oregon…………………….my gosh, it’s one mighty purty drive!
We arrived at Peter & Paula’s home late in the afternoon, and enjoyed the peacefulness of just sitting around on their wonderful backyard deck, having a mighty tasty home-cooked meal, and imbibing in a glass……… or two of wine, and then just kickin’ back chit-chatting with them as we listened to the collective non-stop giggling of all four kids (grandkids Caleb & Berkeley, and Benjamin & Lisha) as they scurried tirelessly around the yard and through the house and on the trampoline and on the play structure and down the driveway and……………….good golly, it wears me out just WATCHING these kids play! ;-) But I’m thinkin’ that even though my tired old bones aren’t quite as perky as they used to be, I find myself quite heartened at the sight of having all the kids just so easily gravitating towards one another and watching them tirelessly run their little legs off, while all the time never seeing any of them without the presence of their full-face smiles! Man, is that just a big hit of déjà vu taking me back to the incredibly rich and memorable days of growing up with all my cousins!?!? I count my blessings that apparently some things really are in the genes!
