A Trip

This picture makes me feel like I'm back in the airplane that took us home from Missouri. We got back a few days ago from a trip to visit Brent's side of the family.
It was a good trip. In many ways it reminded me of trips my family used to take to visit relatives in the Midwest. Highways of light-colored concrete that go bump-bump as you drive over them, everything the deepest shade of green, so many trees crowding wherever they're allowed to grow. The houses there look so solid to me. Maybe because there is so much brick. They seem to grow up out of the ground and look like nothing shall move them, they are fixed to the landscape. When I got back, the buildings here struck me as having a much more "we just got here" appearance. And there was the humidity to contend with. Air with a heavy weight, a constant companion that reminds you of its presence whenever you step outside. You sweat, just standing there.


On the last day we were there, we went swimming in the lake near the vacation house the family rented. It was nice to slip into water that felt the same temperature as the air, though it felt funny to look around at the shore and see deciduous trees congregating around the water. I'm used to chilly mountain lakes surrounded by steep pine covered hills, trees seeming to march down to the water like formations of soldiers.

The kids enjoyed the water. Though they enjoyed splashing and taking rides on air mattresses accompanied by a grandparent or aunt, their favorite activity was throwing rocks into the water. When it was time to go, we could hardly get K to put a halt to her "splash show". T was a little more ready to go home. While throwing rocks, he lost his balance and sat down hard on the sharp rocks, breaking into tears at the impact. "Hurt..pants!" he sobbed.

I will post more pictures tomorrow.