Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

My nephew and my brother's wife

Sunday happened to be Father's Day, so we were there when my brother's wife presented him with his card and gift, a level that he said he'll use both for home improvement projects and when he finally completes his course in building inspection and sets up his own business.

Afterwards, he put up the new mailbox that they'd purchased a little while ago.

I joked he was doing it in order to remain worthy of his Father's Day gift.

Later in the morning, he and I found more uses for the box. The smaller box turned out to be a perfect little seat for my nephew, who perched on it as if it were a little chair. I took a cue from him and tried to sit on the larger box, doing a prat fall and rolling backwards off the box, squishing it in the process.

He loved this so much that he didn't tire of it, no matter how many times I'd try it. I'd prop the box up again so that it was relatively square. "There. Now it will hold my weight," I'd say, once again discovering, to my great surprise, that it gave out. He giggled and clapped his hands each time.

After the box was extremely flat, we found yet more uses for it, such as this wacky hat.

It was also useful for hiding behind, as we discovered.

Eventually, we just played with his trucks on it, which made a satisfying rumbling noise, a bit like rumble strips.

After lunch, the children took naps, along with their mommy, while my brother and I looked at some web sites that feature photos of abandoned structures. He said he became fascinated with such sites, and with so-called urban exploration, while he was studying for his building inspection courses. He searched for "structural failure" and found many fascinating photos of abandoned and decaying buildings.

One of his favorites is a photo essay by a young Russian who explored the so-called Wolvesland, the area in the Ukraine that has been abandoned due to the Chernobyl disaster.

At about 2:30, after everyone was up from their naps, we visited the parents of my brother's wife, who live in a little cabin nearby, where they stay for half the year. The other half, they live in Florida, having sold the house where my brother's wife grew up in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

They were pleased to see us, and they were both in a good mood. I was fascinated to learn that they'd taken a five-week journey across America, visiting many of the places they'd always wanted to see, such as Graceland, the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone Park, and much, much more.

Unfortunately, their camera had given them problems about halfway through, but they had a couple rolls of photos and a scrapbook of maps and postcards, which they showed us while relaying their experiences. I'd love to go to many of the places they visited, so it was interesting to hear their response.

They were most fond of the sites where there was something to do other than just sightsee. For example, my brother's mother-in-law described the Grand Canyon as "just a hole in the ground." She explained that it was a sight to behold, but once you'd seen it, there wasn't a whole lot else to do there.

The rain came and went while we were there, but when it was nice, we spent some time on the deck, where I got this shot of her with my niece.

Part of the reason we moved onto the deck was that I spilled a glass of water on the couch where I'd been sitting, making the back of my pants all wet. We moved to the deck where it was sunny and I could dry off.

My nephew laughed hysterically at my pants, which were wet through in a big spot in the back. Just to make sure everyone knew what was so funny, he pointed at me and said, "Wet butt!"

What a great use of language skills, to recognize something is funny and let everyone else in on the joke!

By contrast, my niece was funny accidentally, such as when she tasted a cloth duck.

Or later, when she honked Ernie's nose repeatedly, which for the record, did not make any noise.

For dinner, we enjoyed a delicious meal of grilled chicken with salsa, served with baked and seasoned potatoes, baked beans and a selection of ice cream treats for dessert. We chose a low-fat Klondike bar.

My brother's father-in-law grilled the chicken on his grill on the deck. My nephew now knows to stay far away from this grill, having burned himself recently when he got curious and touched it.

We moved inside for dinner and talked about a variety of things, such as the plans The Gryphon and I have for our honeymoon in Orlando, Florida. My brother's mother-in-law promised to e-mail me with some recommendations for things to see while we're there. She joked that we should give them a call, "And we'll hang out with you on your honeymoon."

Actually, if it were any other sort of vacation and we were near their summer home, we probably would give them a call.

When the kids started to get tired, we said goodnight, and both of them gave us hugs and wished us a safe journey home the next day.

We didn't have a lot more time with my brother, because after he put the kids to bed, he went to bed himself. He has to get up before dawn every weekday for his job on grounds maintenance at a culinary college. He's looking forward to receiving his building inspector certification so that he can set his own hours. I told him that I'm a light sleeper and I'd probably get up while he was having breakfast the next morning. But just to be sure, we said our good-byes before he went to sleep, too.

My brother's wife stayed up later, working on the wedding photos and printing out an invoice and other related items. The Gryphon got to see her photos and agreed with me that she did a fantastic job. We're happy that she's agreed to take candid shots at our wedding, which combined with the formal portraits from our photographer will make for a great keepsake of that special day.

More from the trip to Vermont:

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 - Playing in Vermont

Thursday, June 21, 2007 - On the Road Again

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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