After years of only traveling by plane we decided to tackle this summer's vacation via the open road. Or at least it was open in West Virginia - I-95 in Connecticut is a whole different story. Thank goodness we got some sound advice from friends to ignore the guilt and plug the kids in for the duration of the trip. This explains the set ups you see in this picture - a DVD player for every child, that's our motto.
This was a vacation with many destinations. On our way through New York we stopped and had a brief visit and a tasty ice cream with Neil, Karen, Alon, and Sonia. Unfortunately our visits with the Pederson-Ross family always seem too short, but it was good to catch up with them and meet Sonia. But we had to be on our way for our first pool party at the Skonieczny's in Madison. Mike, Kristen, Ella, Eli, and Ethan were generous enough to host a big gathering that included many of our favorite people, including Aunt Katie and Brendan who joined us in the pool.
The girls didn't take long too warm up to the Skonieczny kids, which just warms Mike and John's hearts. We weren't going to be able to spend our week on the Cape with them, but we were lucky to get the chance to play with them while we were in town. Hopefully the next time we venture to Cape Cod we can arrange to have them out there as well.
The pool party also brought out the Loeber and Zanardi clans which meant we got see Bo, who is getting so big and very talented off the diving board, and Jack, pictured here, who might possibly be the sweetest child we have ever met. As you can see, we did our best to have Reese spend a lot of time with Jack. If nothing else, we hope that Reese gets a little sweeter and Jack isn't scared off.
With two nights and one day in Madison under our belt, it was time to hit the road before the grass grew under our feet. The next stop was Fairfield and a sleepover at the McBean residence. We did manage to work in a quick breakfast with the Woods-Hajizadeh clan and the McBeans before we left the Shoreline. It's always great to get the families together. Somehow while we were in Fairfield we did not get a picture of Jackson, but managed to capture Hayden and Reese playing in the sand. We did manage to make it to the water in between watching numerous World Cup games. I mean you have to have priorities.
Michelle even brought out their latest toy, a paddle board that enabled both her and Sarah to take turns paddling the girls out on the Long Island Sound. Reese and Callie had fun and they went out pretty far. It was a gorgeous day and it would have been great to stay and see the fireworks that had been rescheduled from the night before, but already we were getting restless. It was time to hit the road once more.
What better place to travel on the heels of the 4th of July but Lexington, Massachusetts. Of course, our real reason for being there was to spend time with the amazing Basak family. Unfortunately, Maya was away at sleepover camp, so we did not get to see her. But we did get some good time in with the boys. Anjin and Sachin are now 11 years old and now are almost taller than Una. The boys loved having Callie and Reese around and they all spent a lot of time on the swings and on the trampoline. And of course we can't forget the slip and slide. It was great to see them all play together.
We were constantly on the move during our brief time with the Basaks, and even worked in a great walk along the Minuteman trail. Amit insisted that we make note of the spot where Paul Revere was captured, among other things. He wanted to show off the great historical landmarks to John, hoping to make it into one of his class lectures about the Revolution.
This photo definitely has a chance of getting into a Powerpoint in the not too distant future. It's always good to show the kids in class where they can go to see these slices of American history. What made this trip into downtown Lexington even better was the Dunkin Donuts that is conveniently located just blocks from the Minuteman statue.
We cannot say enough good things about Amit and Una. We admire them as people and as parents and we feel extremely lucky to call them friends. They have always opened their home to us and are just incredible with each other and with their children. They are thoughtful in everything they do. Amit even makes sure that every time we visit that they have smoked gouda cheese.
It has been over twenty years since John first met Amit and that friendship is one of the reasons John has such great memories of college and the years that have followed. It is not every day that you meet someone so generous, full of life, intelligent, and sincere. He's also just as cheesy as John, which helps. The only thing to regret is not having more time together. Hopefully we will increase our visits to our sister-city of Lexington in the years to come.
