Well, it’s been a busy week in Cross Plains, my hometown out on the edge of Nashville. Jim, Dianna, Alex and Chris Cotter have been in for a visit and our house has been a whirlwind of activity. We could not have asked for better weather and everyone has had a wonderful time. They arrived last Sunday evening and left Saturday morning, so I now sit in a relatively quiet house as I reflect on the events of the week.
AT THE SWIMMING HOLE. We went down to the river to play on Monday and Friday. The kids had a great time rebuilding their dam from last year and sloshing up and down the creek. Kenny and Lori have two kayaks stored down there and everyone enjoyed having a go at it. Everyone, including the kids, got the hang of it pretty quickly, but Ben, Alex, and Chris seemed to be drawn to one low hanging tree limb much to the pleasure of Vicki and Dianna. Nate also enjoyed a few trips with me.
We enjoyed our lunches on the two new picnic tables. I say new because the old ones were washed away with the spring floods. The water had completely covered the deck railing which is about 10-12 feet above the current water level.
Vicki worked Tuesday so we all packed up and headed for the YMCA to meet her afterwards for a picnic lunch and swim. Thursday evening presented us with another swimming adventure. This time we went to Kenny and Lori’s barn and pool where we grilled hamburgers for supper. (Thank you Kenny and Lori for sharing the river, barn and pool with us.)
GOOD EATS. Of course, meal time is central to any family visit. Aside from the picnics and grilling out, we also enjoyed the Catfish House Monday night and Baldwin’s Barbecue for lunch Wednesday thanks to Mom and Aunt Mar. Mom took the Cotters to Thomas Drugs for sandwiches and shakes Thursday. These three eateries fulfilled their annual culinary tradition.
Friday night we grilled out at Pauline’s. The Dees drove in from Ashland City for this meal so Riley and Harper got in on some of the cousin fun. After supper the kids started chasing each other through the corn field . (Who needs a corn maze?) Shortly after they disappeared, Jim and I snuck in the field behind them to try to set up an ambush. I happened upon Alex in the field and scared him half to death. As I snuck up behind him and roared, his eyes got really big and he was tripping over his own feet trying to get out of there. It was fun teasing him later by asking him if he needed to go home and get fresh underwear.
SPEAKING OF UNDERWEAR. We are still working on Nate to be dry all night. Things fell apart while in Virginia, but he has been dry every night for almost two weeks now. One morning last week he wanted everyone to see his dry pull-up, but he and I were the only ones awake. He decided we should hang it up on the fridge with a magnet. Upon seeing this odd sight and hearing the explanation, Vicki said,“ Well, I was dry but you don’t see me hanging my panties on the fridge! Do you think we should all put our underwear on display?” The kids thought this to be quite funny and, of course, Dianna had more (clean) decor on the fridge before too long.
MISCELLANEOUS ACTIVITIES. Other highlights from our time together included bowling, seeing Ratatouille, sundaes at Mom and Aunt Mar’s, and a Kids Only Breakfast at Pauline’s. The kids really enjoyed bowling (it was top on their list of favorite activities for the week when asked at breakfast Saturday morning). Alex and I were the high scorers of the family, tying at 127. Nate got tired before we finished our games and decided to stretch out on the bench for a nap. We all laughed at his rigid sleeping position (he looked like a soldier laying at attention). He was out of it!
Even with all the planned activities, the kids still had plenty of down time. The Gator got a work out (I know we recharged the battery twice) as well as the swing set and chicken house. They played the board game Sorry and Pac Man on the computer. Alex and Chris also introduced Jenna and Ben to the card game War. Jim brought his DVD set of Star Wars: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi which the kids enjoyed. (Jenna has already insisted that I put The Phantom Menace, The Attack of the Clones, and The Revenge of the Sith on the Netflix queue.)
So it was a good, long visit and we all enjoyed it.
Joe
