Summer 2009

Hi! I am finally getting an entry about LAST summer. Emily and Brenden very graciously invited me to visit when their baby arrived. Cora arrived earlier than my flight plans. She was still being swaddled when I first met her. She was beautiful. She and her mother were still worn out from the transition of birth. Emily was so active though, it was hard to remember she was still recovering. Emily, her father, brother, and sister helped me feel welcome in their home. I didn't get to stay nearly long enough to visit and see everything they wanted me to see. They live in a beautiful and green part of the country. I learned from them that you can't often tell what direction you are travelling. The roads are mostly narrow winding trails from destination to destination. It looks like you're in a wilderness, and then the other side of the curve has a little settlement. The distances aren't far, but seem totally separate. They took me to a tower that was built to overlook the crossing of the Delaware that Washington used. The trees are so dense there is no way you could see it from the ground until you were right there. They still have some covered bridges in use in the area. There are lots of areas that I doubt would look too different than a couple centuries ago. I learned to just keep the camera out and click away. If I pointed it toward the back, the pictures weren't so blurry. I could go through when I got back to see which pictures were worth saving. There are many rivers and streams. The old canal has been drained, and the mule path turned into a biking path. There were people floating lazily down the Delaware. The posts showing high water marks were way above our heads in several areas. You can see the ancient benches like in the Salt Lake valley. So, there is a lot of water when it gets high. I really liked the different types of buildings in the area. The parks and trail systems were very nice, also. The tile factory and cement museum with ALL sorts of tools were facinating. Some places could keep you busy all summer. The food places they took me to were fun and good. My favorite were the steak and mushroom calazones. Fresh made cheese daily and hand made crusts. Fantastic. I enjoyed all the surprises anround the different corners. The "ringing rocks" were interesting. Just take a hammer and start hitting the rocks in the boulder field. Some are just rocks, and others RING like bells. It would be fun to see if you could do a concert there. It was fun to get a turn holding Cora. She was very popular with all 7 of the adults in the house. Maybe thats why she prefered sleeping at day. I had a wonderful time and recommended the trip to anyone. Emily even found out, before me, that my flight out was delayed. The connecting flight was therefore missed. And the rescheduled flight the next morning was also delayed. I did get home for school though with lots of fun memories and stories to tell. THANKS Brenden and Emily and familly. I LOVED meeting beautiful Cora. I've enjoyed all the pictures Emy has shared. Now that they aren't doing a blog, Brenden has said I can post their pictures. So I will try. Love to all. Mom Becca