Getting ready to head for NJ, taking the old kayak frame on the top of the van.
Getting ready to head for NJ, taking the old kayak frame on the top of the van.
reset: The van swayed too much at high speed, so we turned around and took the
kayak off the top and tried again. It still swayed too much, so we turned around
again. A call to Jenny
ascertained that we could borrow some bulky things like pillows and blankets
from Shelly. We managed to fit the rest in the Subaru and on top in the roofbag.
We finally arrived in Denville after midnight. Jenny had made brownies for
anyone who wanted a midnight snack.
Surprise! This display was set up on the table. We were so tired, it took a couple
of passes to register, much to Jenny & David's amusement. They're expecting
a baby next January 25th.
Baby's first abacus - compliments of Shelly.
David opens his birthday gift (just a little late, but fun to do in person).
Karma in the thick of things, and Squirt in his customary spot.
Jenny's snapdragons.
Their hydrangea bush out front.
pool party on Saturday at Shelly's house. We missed Shelly herself, though.
She was in Boston at a dance event, and would
then be traveling straight to CA to be with her mom over the holiday.
So nice of her to let us use her pool!
I like Jenny's hat.
David, Becca, and Lauren.
Chris and Jane came over.
Also Jamie.
Sunday we checked out the Denville Farmer's Market, and then had lunch at
Thatcher McGhee's.
old Irish style decor in the restaurant/tavern.
This is their closest access point to the community lakes. It's just a couple houses away,
and there are racks to store canoes or kayaks.
Jenny's herb garden
Squirt
Glen and Anne did some local exploring on Tuesday. On the way back
from checking out roadside fruit stands, the engine overheated. We pulled into
this VFW to assess the situation. A very helpful woman pulled in, took a look herself, and recommended a local
repair man. She called him and he drove over to assess the car. He couldn't
help us on the eve of the Fourth of July, but thought the 'youngsters'
just up the road might.
so we crossed our fingers and drove the car a 1/4 mile up the road to
Sussex Repair at the LukOil station. They diagnosed a blown head gasket, so we
were definitely stuck. But they also were willing to work over the holiday
to get us back on the road as soon as possible. So we called Jenny. She and
David came to pick us up, and Lauren kindly agreed (thank you!) to let David use her car
for a couple of days so we could all still get around.
evening entertainment: happy kids
Glen and Anne went back on Thursday but the kids chose to enjoy video games and A/C with Jenny while David went to work. They got Denville Pizza for dinner.
Friday we all met David at his office and walked over to the Thai restaurant for lunch.
happy Karma playing in the front yard.
Karma on her throne.
games on the wonderful game/dining table.
Dinner at the Chinese restaurant in Denville.
Lovely presentation.
Sunset over their community lake.
David made up some waffle batter to try out the Death Star waffle maker.
And then the experiment of brownie mix.
He succeeded in destroying the Death Star, yay! so brownie mix is not a good
choice for waffles, as it turns out. However, David reported later that
adding an extra egg helped a lot and he was able to successfully create a nice shape.
so the next experiment was to use the brownie batter to make pancakes. yumm.
Our Subaru wasn't quite ready yet -- it also had a cracked radiator they
were working on replacing. So we had time to walk with Karma Saturday morning
before hitting the road for home. This is a large home on the edge of the big
community lake. Wonder if they ever consider renting it out?
We saw several homes for sale, in a wide variety of sizes.
I just liked the look of this old swing.
the south end of the big lake, where the railroad crosses.
looking north at the lake.
whimisical planter that appealed to me.
German and American flags on display. The man doing yardwork was
wearing very traditional German peasant clothing, including the suspenders and
leiderhosen.
and back to Jenny & David's home.
The car was ready so we drove up to Branchville to retrieve it. We
passed this shop on the way; it amused us.
Finally on the road home later that afternoon. The repair shop did
an excellent job on the car; it made it back to Ohio with no trouble.
The final joke, though, was the ding on the windshield as we drove it
from the shop back to Denville. We now have a small crack.
Sunset on the turnpike, with Jupiter clearly visible in the evening sky.