Adventures Close to Home

Many of my latest adventures haven’t involved passports or overseas travel.  They’ve taken place very close to home.  In fact, some of the best times have happened right in my own house. Just two days after I returned from Stockholm, I welcomed Elisa, Christian and Sylvie back from their year in South America.  They’ve been staying with me while they make plans for the next phase of their lives.  Having a full house again, especially with a toddler in the mix, provides plenty of excitement.

Suddenly going from a quiet, calm, and solitary existence to being part of a multi-generational family of four has been quite an adjustment. As you can imagine, I haven’t been able to devote much time to writing, reading, the gym, etc.  While I’ve given up much of my freedom, the emotional rewards of having my family nearby are tremendous.  Just today, Matt came over and joined us for brunch.  We all sat around the table eating freshly made waffles topped with berries, syrup and whipped cream and it was one of the happiest moments in recent memory.  And Mothers’ Day was very special, too.  

Happy Mother's Day! 

Visiting Great-grandma Katie

After taking a fairly minimalist approach to meal planning, I now do lots of cooking, along with Elisa and Sylvie.  Sylvie’s enthusiasm regarding pie even motivated us to turn to The Joy of Cookingand attempt a banana pie, which was a great success. 

Our daily lives seem to revolve around Sylvie’s schedule.  She’s been taking weekly gymnastics and ballet classes, and she also spends lots of time outside, riding her scooter, blowing bubbles and playing with neighborhood children.  

Ballet outfit with Wonder Woman cape

Sylvie is an enthusiastic helper – to her dad when he’s working outside in the yard, to her mom when she’s sewing, and to me, whatever I’m doing.  I’m pleased to see that she has inherited artistic interests from both sides of her family.  

Plein-air painting 

When the weather permits, we make frequent trips to parks and playgrounds in northern Virginia, and are looking forward to daily swims at our community pool.  

A few days ago, we went into Baltimore where we joined Marie-Claude, Peter, Darren, and Shirin at the National Aquarium.  

Captivated by the jellies 

That’s not to say that travel isn’t part of the picture at all.  In fact, I just returned from a Road Scholar trip Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico. Look for details and photos in my next post.