Weekend in Annapolis

Jim worked in Florida a big chunk of last week, and we missed him like crazy. Our daddy's girl Clementine cried real tears for him over the course of a couple under-the-weather days (under-the-weather, possibly, from two immunizations: the last she'll need until sixth grade). Rachel and Zach slumbered over with us one night, and Rachel helped get my minivan to and from the garage for a messed up motor mount.

I'd determined that the van had to be fixed by the weekend and didn't want to take any chances in waiting until Jim came home to put it in the garage. And good thing because he didn't get home until 11 pm Thursday, and we both needed a vehicle early Friday: he not for work, as one might expect, but for a trip to the doctor and lab for what turned out to be kidney stones.*

Jim's pain was pretty manageable, and he never once suggested we cancel our weekend plans, so Friday evening, we took off for Erin Quigley's house in Annapolis. Cade was reunited, there, with Sidda, whom Erin adopted almost two years ago after the dreadful flea incident.

I have a separate (and long-overdue) post to write about Erin Quigley, but the brilliant thing about giving a cat to a friend of twenty years is that one can always visit and love on the cat, again.

If you've been reading here for any amount of time, you know I have a thing for fairy-tale parks, so Saturday, the family, Erin, and I visited Clark's Eliok Farm in Ellicott City, Maryland, which features many of the characters and structures from the Enchanted Forest. I have a separate post to write about that, too, but guess who met up with us there? Happygirl! She really is happy, as it turns out, and we enjoyed her company.

(Cute photo of Happygirl, not such a cute photo of me, but it was sweltering. I'm not even kidding. Look at poor Charleigh.)

Erin treated the family and me to a feast of Maryland Blue Crabs on her back deck, Saturday night. Oh, my mercy.

I grew up eating these bad boys, and I've proudly raised an enthusiast in Cade. The girls got into the action, Saturday night, and--would you believe it?--Baby Chip ate his belly full.**

After the girls went to bed, the rest of us watched Beasts of the Southern Wild. What a strange movie, and not at all what I expected. I felt a little let down given its reviews and awards, but that little Quvenzhané Wallis can sure nuff act.

Sunday morning, we went to the bay (at Sandy Hook State Park) for a little while before showering and heading home. It was, all and all, a lovely weekend.

Red-headed Wonders Erin Quigley and Charleigh

*Jim hasn't been in pain since Saturday morning, and the urologist with whom he met, yesterday, isn't planning any sort of treatment for now. Jim still has one stone.

**Times have changed regarding baby food. With the one exception of honey, our pediatrician says to feed Baby Chip whatever we're eating. It does need to be soft and smaller around than the tip of my pinkie so Chip won't choke, but our pediatrician recommends yogurt (a probiotic) and seafood especially highly: says seafood's good for the brain. I figure--as much crab as Chip ate Saturday night--he's gonna be a freakin' genius.