Just got back from our summer vacation at the Merrill family "camp" on South Lake. I'm working the rest of the week while Carey and the kids visit more family in central and northern New York. My mom says we got the best weather of the summer -- three straight days of temps in the 80's, no bugs, no humidity and the water a balmy 75+. The kids had a blast and I thought often of my childhood on the same body of water. Of course, a few things have changed since then:
- You don't have to leave the building to take a crap, although the outhouse still works and nothing beats pissing on a tree.
- Eighty percent of the camp's power comes from the sun.
- There's XM radio, DirecTV and an analog phone (but for a touch of class, I'd like to replace the wall-mounted keypad unit with a rotary dial).
- The shower works and is quaintly stocked with shampoo bottles swiped from hotels.
- Mom made a beach. (It's getting bigger every year and the kids can spend hours dumping water on the rocks or relocating sand.)
- The Merrills own a barge. It seats 9 (or 1,420 lbs., but we don't weigh you before you board), has a horn, an iPod jack, and a depth finder.
Still, as the French (and
Canadian prog-rockers Rush) say, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose:
- Aunt Judy's Endicott slate still paves the main walkways.
- There are always canned nuts and individually wrapped chocolates (Planter's cashews and Hershey's nuggets this visit).
- Every breakfast can have bacon, but it's not a requirement.
- Smores. Every. Night.
- There are no rules and you don't have to work, unless your mother continually reminds you that your father needs help. (We fell and recycled two trees between the camp and the lake. Shhh, don't tell my nephew Max, who fancies himself the Lorax.)
- Dad is still painting wildlife on rocks. (Adding to his "Welcome to North Lake" and "Welcome to South Lake" scenes, this weekend he conjured a moose on a boulder outside our neighbor's garage.)
Next year we hope to either share South Lake with some of our friends or coordinate our visit with other family -- Sara, Ryan, Karin, Chris, Colleen -- you listening?
Enjoy the slideshow. It took a hell of a long time to upload, so humor me and read the captions.
Greta wears dresses. Every. Day. But happily that doesn't stop her from doing things like climbing trees.
A lovely Labor Day weekend here in New Jersey's wealth belt. Haven't taken very many recent photos, so here's a classic of Lincoln enjoying a Spider-Man popsicle.
Greta never names her stuffed animals, unless they are already named by the manufacturer. So we have a rabbit named Grace and a unicorn named Mystic. The rest occasionally get diminutive titles, but never a name. I haven't counted, but she must have at least a couple dozen and they are called simply "Black Kitty, Pink Flamingo, Lambie, Hedgehog." You get the deal.
Fast forward a few days. Greta spends some of her piggy bank money on a stuffed Goldfinch at the zoo. Plays with it all day and drags it upstairs at bedtime. As Mommy's tucking her in, she asks the bird's name.
Because we're busy and because contractors have owned our house all summer, our fridge has recently been pretty bare. No eggs last week when Greta wanted to bake during Lincoln's nap. So Carey consulted The Four Ingredient Cookbook for something without chicken embryos. Turns out 1 package coconut, 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 can sweetened condensed milk and 1 cup Rice Krispies, baked for 14 minutes at 300 degrees in a convection oven (325 for you old-school oven lovers), would probably let humanity survive the apocalypse.
But I really like the photos and Lincoln really likes Charlotte, who celebrated her second birthday on Sunday at the South Orange pool.
While in Syracuse, we enjoyed lunch with Great Grandma Manguno at her senior independent living community. Greta loved the chandeliers in the dining room, and could not believe how fancy her place setting was. "I have too many forks!" she declared. While we waited for our meals, Greta entertained herself, and us, with her artistic masterpiece.
I'm very pleased to report that Lincoln David Merrill takes after his father and his great grandfather when it comes to food. He loves a moderately cooked piece of bacon, just chewy enough to firm up the fat but not too crispy to take away the flavor.
My Dad e-mailed me this photo the other day, asking if it was a picture of him or Lincoln. You decide. (Click the image to enlarge it.)
We had a fantastic weekend in Syracuse, Adams, and Rodman. Greta and Lincoln were excellent travelers, good eaters (did someone say dessert with breakfast?!), patient shoppers, and great playmates. We can't wait to see everyone again in two weeks! Click here for some pictures of their fun visit with Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and dogs (oh my!).
