Arrrgh!!!

My nephew and his wife live in a small Iowa town with their two sons. The boys are one and four in age. Their dad signed on to take the boys for the weekend so that the "girls" could get together and veg out for a couple of days.

We left home close to one o'clock on Friday, and rolled up the drive about four in the afternoon. We unloaded the car, and settled in, and then all seven of us had dinner before the boys departed. We chatted after dinner, played some cards, and headed for bed early when everyone started yawning.

Saturday morning we had a late breakfast and then went into town to visit the shops. I found some lovely gifts for sisters and friends, and we stopped at a new wine bar for a glass of wine and their cheese and fruit plate. We found Red Hat Lady items, and Scottish shortbread, coasters and all sorts of gifts.

It was chilly and overcast and VERY windy all weekend, so after our snack, we went home for a bit. I hate to report that I was the big looser at Spite and Malice. Even when I win a game, I win so late in the hand that it does my score no good. I'd made a dip to take to our gathering that I'll describe in more detail in another entry, and collected Gouda and chevre and tapenade and crackers from Trader Joe's. We snacked and talked our way through the afternoon and then went to dinner at a tiny café that has been mentioned in Oprah's magazine.

There were three specials for the night, and the rest of the menu was very limited. Everything was incredible! The girls ordered (and shared) a roasted rib-eye steak that was perhaps three inches thick. It had a sprinkling of frisee, and two sunny-side-up quail eggs. There were roasted veggies including mushrooms, potatoes, and radishes, and croûtons wrapped in prosciutto.

One of the other specials was quail stuffed with pulled pork BBQ. The soup was a creamy plantain curry, and the desserts......ahhhhh the desserts were to die for. We had apple rhubarb creme brulee, and an espresso chocolate cake with hazelnuts and buttermilk ice cream. We were stuffed....sated....filled to the brim, and VERY happy with our dinner choices.

Saturday night my niece used me as a guinea pig for a scrap-booking project that she hopes to do with junior high aged kids this summer. I was delighted to create this wonderful little folded scrapbook that I can use to keep memories of my granddaughter. We plays cards again, and I got some quilting done, while my niece knitted, and Mother read.

Sunday, we were still so full that we had toast and peanut butter for breakfast.
Enough was enough.

We waited for the boys to return home so that we could have hugs and kisses before we left, and then piled into the car for the trip home. The rain held off. God watched over us and kept us (narrowly) from two serious accidents, and we made the trip door to door non-stop. There's really no go place to stop on this trip. My tush and knees protested being folded for almost four hours, but I'm yet living. I distracted myself with even more quilting.

There's something wonderful about communing with three generations of women from your family. I learned a lot from the younger ones, and really enjoyed their company. We'll have to give some thought to doing this again in the fall. The trip through the countryside would be a heavenly perk!