Sweat and Guffaws

Since last Friday’s post was a slightly sparse in the the grand kid department, I am going to make up for that today.

Before I do though, let me show you a photo of something I have never before witnessed: Summer sharing her space with another dog!

Gordon and Nancy Goertz, long time friends of ours,spent the week vacationing in our house while we were in Florida. When they heard that we were going to board Summer in a kennel, they insisted she spend the week with them instead. I was delighted because I knew Summer would be much happier at home but I was also a little apprehensive because Summer is 99% Sweetness and Light and 1% Dedicated Guardian of Her Space.

However, since Gordon and Nancy have five small dogs (they only brought one),I figured they were pretty dog savvy and could handle the situation. Turns out Summer did great and only had two very small altercations with her canine housemate, Gretchen.

I never thought I would see the day when Summer would take a nap within two feet of another dog. 

Gordon posted this photo to Facebook with the caption, “I did a Summer-salt.”  It took me a minute, but I finally got it.

They ended their week in Manteo with Gordon singing and speaking in our church service yesterday.  

Before moving on, let me just mention that back in 2002 when Gordon got news that Sarah had just been diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma, he got in his car and drove 23 hours from Connecticut (where he was a pastor) to North Carolina just to be with us. Now that’s a true friend!

Okay, on to a few grand kid pics: 

Aunt Sarah enjoyed hanging out with her darling nephew . . .

and charming niece.

We spent a little time playing some shuffle board with Noah while Madi took a nap.

I had to laugh at how truly grandmotherly I felt during the whole shuffleboarding thing. There I was, renting a place in a Floridian retirement community, playing shuffle board with my grandchildren, AND getting my first Seniors discount at a store that starts their discounts at age 50. 

Speaking of shuffle board, I had never played before but Meagan assured me I would enjoy it so I gave it a whirl. Please don’t ask me what I am doing to this rather awkward photo; I look like I am about to pitch forward on my head.  A graceful grandmotherly shuffleboarder, I am not. (And that alarming swirly thing I’m wearing is a cover up for my swim suit.)

Madi had a great time feeling her Grandpa Smith’s scratchy face.

Nice to be so easily entertained.

As it turns out, Noah’s entertainment came in the form of an actual, real, old timey phone that was hooked up in the house we rented.  He had never seen such a thing before and was fascinated.  Nathan got on his cell phone so that the two of them could pretend to talk. Good times!

And just in case you are wondering if we had splendiferous meals throughout our vacation, the answer would be a big no.

We tried to eat several meals in our rental to save money, but when it’s so hot out that geckos are threatening to spontaneously combust, cooking does not hold any great appeal.  

For one meal, Sarah whipped up her Kickin’ Chicken in the crock pot and for the next meal (when it was my turn to cook), I whipped up this ponderously alarming display of a chaotic food demonstration.

My appetizing spiel was, “Here is some meat. Here are some rolls.  Here are some chips. Fix it yourself.”

Because I am all about gracious entertaining.

One particular day when the temp had decided to move beyond plain ol’ hot to downright blistering, we did what any sane family would do under those circumstances: we went to the park! 

I was hopeful that if I moved very slowly and thought about things that were cool, I wouldn’t emit copious quantities of perspiration or pass out in an overheated faint in the middle of the playground. (I was only slightly successful.)

While I was busy making my elderly plans for survival, I happened to look up and notice what Noah and Nathan were doing.

They. Were. Running.  

Let me repeat. Run.Ing. In.The.Heat.

This is how you tell the difference between the people who are over forty and people who are under forty.

After the appeal of running had (quickly) worn off, Nathan introduced us to a whirly jig thingie that causes you to whirl. And also jig.

Such a good dad.  He holds a sippy cup, even when he’s playing.

 Trying to navigate little wobbly things.

Let me just say that Grandma Smith (of the sweating, slow-moving, prone to fainting variety) did not feel any compulsion to try any of these fun park gadgets out. I was too busy fanning and sweating and longing desperately to be whisked away to wintertime in the frozen tundra of my Wisconsin childhood home.

But the youngsters (and Grandpa Smith) were all about being active so I took refuge in the shade and gallantly cheered them on between wiping rivers of sweat from my person. 

Which brings me to this final series of pictures.     

That whole day when we were out and about, Meagan and I were arrayed in less than stunning ensembles. We kept saying that we were going to shower and put on make up and do our hair, but then something would come up and it would get postponed.  By the end of a day full of shuffle boarding, park playing, thrift store browsing, and grocery store shopping, we finally gave up on any hope of beautification and we contented ourselves with trying to outdo each other in the sweaty, grimy, unwashed department.

It occurred to us that snapping a few photos of us in that state would be a fun contrast since in the last photos I posted, all of us were gussied up for dinner out.

Here are the Smith women after a long, hot Florida day. (Sarah had actually showered that morning so she was looking pretty good.)

Sisters in sweat.

I just love this shot.  Meagan is a funny, funny lady and she had just said something that made Sarah guffaw. Steve is the designated guffawer in our house and since Sarah a more quiet laugh-er, I’m really happy I captured her in the very act of guffawing.

The merriment continues.

I’ll close with a photo I took from another day of our visit–a picture that sums up the beauty of grown up children and growing up grandchildren and the love that flows between the generations.  

Every picture tells a story and this one tells me that I am blessed beyond words.