Homeward bound
It was hot in Denver too, but nothing like we’d had in Greece. We stayed with Peggy for a few days before driving my sister Laura’s car to Minnesota to meet Mia and Laura at our cottage on Lake L’Homme Dieu for the pre-wedding prep. My niece Megan and Nolan were to be married in a week, and there was a LOT to do. Peter and I have always loved being at the lake with Laura. We’ve opened the cottage together in spring and closed together in fall. In addition to all the work, we have a very, very good time. Hendricks is consumed on the patio next to the lake before dinner, along with the lunchtime Leinenkugel grapefruit shandies out on the dock. We have been known to get silly. And it had been years since I’d had the joy of being there with Mia. This time we were joined within a few days by my brother Dan with niece Clare and her husband Sam, then my sister Molly with her grandson Dillon, Laura’s good friend and “+1” Meg, Laura’s son Pete and his wife Quinn, and the bride and groom themselves. We all worked hard and played hard.
The cottage – complete with skeletons, a kraken and a canoe – was gorgeous in time for the wedding. The bride was stunning, the ceremony (officiated by Mia) was genuine and emotional, and Peter and I were happy and relieved we’d been able to be there for all of it.
I’m pretty sure Nolan’s family didn’t know what to make of us.
The rest of August in Denver was a blur. Cliche, but completely true. Peter buckled back into work; I spent time with my father at his assisted living and tried to see as many people as possible before we had to leave again. We amassed two large duffel bags full of things to take back to the boat: spare parts, a new pump to fix the port side AC (not a moment too soon…), silicone zipper bags, laundry detergent sheets, and a brazillion other necessities we couldn’t live without, including Cracker Barrel mac and cheese. Seriously, I love that stuff. Comfort food at its finest.
And just like that, we were headed back to September onward on the boat, by all accounts the loveliest time of year to sail in Greece. YAY!