I've fallen off the wagon!

The blogging wagon, that is. Much as I'd love to try to convince myself (and additionally, anyone reading this) that I'm more about quality than quantity, let's face it, this is a blog. How much "quality" can really exist? No, there will be no attempted convincing involved. In reality, I know that I was not blessed with the gene that some of my favorite bloggers possess... the consistency gene. What can I say? I'm a Gemini.

(On a nerdy side note, there's an interesting story behind the phrase "fallen off the wagon" that I researched while writing this post. That's right, I researched "fallen off the wagon." You see, I have this tendency of combining and misusing idioms. And while I prefer to think it an endearing quirk, others have found it dorky, annoying, confusing, etc. Long story short, whenever I want to use a common expression in writing, I make sure to research it so as not to confuse it with another. You can learn more yourself at http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/6/messages/1202.html ). [( On perhaps a nerdier side note, I feel like Levar Burton at the end of Reading Rainbow, "But don't take my word for it...")]

Ok, side notes aside, after a 5 week hiatus, here is my Fall 2010 Cliff's Notes edition.

Even though Fall doesn't technically start until late September, most of us mark Labor day weekend as the beginning of Fall. After all, that's when the last of the Summer vacations wrap up, when most schools start back, and (most importantly) when college football gets under way again!

I was blessed to spend Labor Day weekend in Amish country in New York with my family (no, nobody in my family is actually Amish, my grandparents just live in Amish country). Mom and Phil drove up from GA; Sissy and James drove over from Cincinnati; I flew in from Chicago; Uncle Butch and the family drove down from Ottawa; and Papa, Bev, Nana, Aunt Sandy, and Sacinda were all on the premises.

What I love so much about being in that part of the country is the purity of it. The air smells so clean; the most pervasive scent is of the sweet clover grass. You can hear the birds in the day and see the stars at night. Life happens at a slower pace (Unless, that is, you're a passenger in my Papa's van at any point. Then your life flashes before your eyes. I swear that man gives Jeff Gordon a run for his money!) It's in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains. Early September, the countryside is covered in green, save for the old red barns that dot the hills.

 

I refrained from photographing the Amish farmer passing by, unlike someone else... Ahem *Phil*



A barn that was, no doubt, red in it's earlier life



Every time I'm at my grandparents' place, I'm always amazed at all the projects that have been completed since my last vist. This time there was a huge new vegetable garden tended by Bev and a beautiful barn built by my Papa's bare hands, amongst other things. Sissy and I sat up in the barn loft for a good long while catching up and counseling each other on life's problems in a way that only sisters can do. Thanks for the quiet space, Papa.

Bev and Papa, the gardener and the carpenter... 2 happy Swedes!

We had a great time together as a family doing a whole lot of nothing. We bonded over the sweet Georgia peaches that my parents brought up with them (one of the best peach crops in years!) and laughed over several baskets of Cheddar Bay biscuits when the Red Lobster in a neighboring town was the only place big enough to seat all of us for dinner (so much for our plan to eat at a local joint!) Of course, I made our entire family stop at a produce stand before dinner because Aunt Sandy said they had the best ice cream for miles. Ice cream? Say no more! Everyone made the detour begrudgingly... until they actually tried the ice cream. Once the face-stuffing silence came to an end, all I heard was a chorus of "good call" and "I'm glad we stopped here." Nothin like some sugary frozen dairy to turn those frowns upside down (I didn't even have to research that one!)

The craziest part of the trip, by far, was this tiny little restaurant where we took my Nana for lunch Saturday afternoon. This was in the parking lot:


Part Easter Bunny. Part totem pole. No explanation.

 It gets better (or worse, depending on your perspective). This was in the ladies room:


Garden State, anyone? If you look closely, you can see my eyes bleeding.

 But the time together more than makes up for the wackiness. In fact, I think the wackiness added to the time together.

Mom and Phil, exactly how they exist when I think of them. Happy. Laughing. Together.

James and Sissy. Not Swedish, but you could easily think so.



Me and my sweet Nana. Kindred spirits.

It is my sincere hope that this New York trip becomes a new family tradition. Although, with Michigan and Bama opening their 2012 seasons with a matchup in Cowboys Stadium, we may have to visit New York during the summer and have our Labor Day family reunion in Dallas. After all, we've already established what's most important in the Fall!