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| Alex, Dana, and Genna on the Mall just a stone's throw from the Capitol |
Last October we traveled East for a visit with Dana's father and stepmom, Michael and Moira, Dana's brother Michael W., and Dana's brother and sister-in-law, Richard and Sarah, and their two kids Alexandra and Zach.
We flew to Washington on Friday 10/7 and enjoyed a long, relaxing weekend with Michael and Moira. Alex and Genevieve spent almost the entire time outside in Grandma and Grandpa's huge, magical backyard.
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| Alex and Genevieve on the swings in M & M's huge, gorgeous backyard |
A highlight for me was eating ice cream with Alex behind the parapets atop the two-story castle. Michael treated us to lavish dinners each night; we had to remind him that feeding large desserts to two and four year-olds after 8pm would probably not be worth the next 4 hours of madness. (So instead, we saved the desserts for breakfast!)
In case you're wondering what it's like to be a grandfather of incredibly energetic young children, here's a photograph of Michael during our visit that should tell you everything you need to know:
Moira gave us a behind-the-scenes tour of her model apartment at the Vinson Hall retirement community, which has helped put her at the center of an "accessible design" renaissance.
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| Genevieve tried so hard to sit still while Grandma explained all of the features of the model apartment, but it's soooo hard! |
One of the things I'll miss most about Genevieve being a two-year old is her adorable pronunciation of certain words and phrases. What rhymes with 'fork' and swims in the water?
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| Why, a hoark, of course!! |
We even managed to make a brief visit to Washington, DC to show the kids our nation's capital. I was hoping that, despite their young age and short attention spans, at least a few images would imprint on their minds. Mostly, however, they wanted to ride the carousel.
On a grey and rainy Wednesday we boarded the midday Amtrak train for Philadelphia. Perhaps not too surprising, the kids got a big kick out of riding the train. Alex's last "real" train ride (excluding scenic and novelty trains) was our trip to California in 2008, and this was Genevieve's first.
Dana's brother Michael greeted us in Philadelphia, and proceeded to treat us to a delightful 24 hours in his adoptive home town. We spent the afternoon at the Please Touch Museum, which we all thoroughly enjoyed.
We got a tour of the beautiful home Mike purchased last year. Despite its pervasive Victorian charms, I was reminded of some of the reasons we sold our own 100+ year old home. Dinner that night was at a local Greek/Italian bistro, and then a luxurious top-floor suite at the nearby hotel thanks to some string-pulling.
Then on Thursday, after visiting Michael's three-century old employer, some frozen yogurt, and playing at the park we boarded the train again for Bridgeport and thence Fairfield to visit Richard, Sarah, Alex, and Zach.
The kids had a ball together. They have all reached the age where they can play together on their own for a good, solid 15 or 20 minutes before somebody starts crying, shouting, or becomes injured. (I'm not kidding) But during those 20-minute intervals we were able to catch up with Richard and Sarah. It turns out their lives are
way busier and more stressful than ours. It's always good to have a measuring stick against which to compare your own insanity.
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| Zach, taking Genevieve on one of his many guided tours of his house |
On Friday, Richard took Alex, Dana, and I into New York City for a few hours of urban exploring, while Zach and Genevieve had a playdate. We visited the roof of Rockefeller Center, but the clouds blocked our view of the city.
So instead we had drinks atop Central Park, and walked, taxi'd, and drove around the City. It was exciting!
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| Alex and Daddy on the 35th floor lounge of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel overlooking Central Park |
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| Zipping around NYC in Richard's convertible - clouds and drizzle would not stop us! |
On Saturday we drove thru the New England autumn landscape to an apple orchard to pick apples. The kids all loved it, especially getting to eat as many apples as they wanted, plus apple donuts, apple cider, etc., etc.
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| Zach in an especially jubilant moment, Genevieve, Alex, and Alex |
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| A budding poet? Perhaps, but she did not take the road less traveled by this time - she ate her apple, then insisted that Daddy carry her |
Finally on Sunday it was time to depart. But first we made a visit to the beach in Connecticut.
