Family visits always consist of a set of necessarily completed tasks. Slowly but surely, Dave and I have been hacking our way through the list.
One of our primary goals on this trip was to have Dave's parents meet my parents. I mentioned that my dad and stepmother got together with his parents last week for dinner. Well, two days ago, my mom drove down from Tampa and went to lunch with us at a Bradenton seafood restaurant. We followed that by going to see "Lincoln" (which we all liked, although I thought the first half-hour was a bit slow). Everybody got along well, and I'm glad finally to have our families integrated.
I also had several friends to visit. I completed that list yesterday by having lunch with Jay in Sarasota, where I lived and worked back in the '90s. I met Jay at noon, and before that took a walk through the downtown area, which is even swankier than I remember. (Brooks Brothers and Eileen Fisher on Main Street?!) After lunch I drove through my old neighborhoods (winter traffic in Sarasota -- ugh!) and then briefly and spontaneously visited my friend Tricia and her daughter. I didn't even know she was in town until Jay told me. Tricia's daughter has grown a lot since that Betty concert back in 2007!
While I was doing all that, Dave and his dad were picking up Dave's sister and her family from the airport. (They flew down from Michigan.) By the time I got back to Dave's parents everyone was here and cooking. Standing rib roast beast for dinner last night!
Our list is now more or less complete. We've had a very busy two weeks. We're just a few days from going back to England!
(Photo: A back alley in Sarasota, yesterday.)
The Sarasota area is amazingly, uh, wealthy. Good shopping! but who can afford to buy? Not me, baby.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you're getting everything accomplished. Just think-you'll be able to go home and feel as if you've really and honestly had a very constructive vacation. And then you're going to need a vacation to rest up from all that accomplishment.
doesn't sound much like a vacation if it had a long to-do list. but it's a good thing to get the families together. and see friends.
ReplyDeleteI guess the people who own that house need to "get things done" and decide on a paint color!
ReplyDeleteOur "vacations" home when we lived in Europe always consisted of rounds of visits to family and friends. It was always good to see everyone but we didn't get much of a vacation. Vacations are good but getting back home again can be just as good.
Loving your "home" posts! Love the silly mary and jesus! So tacky and so strange. I am sure it will be great to get back to London, the dark, the rain, the chill factor...the loveliness that is London!
ReplyDeletethere is such a contrast between your florida photo and your london photos. sense of place really comes through.
ReplyDeleteI need to do a better job of visiting people when we go to NC. It always seems like our trips are too short & "we'll get to that next time" & the next thing you know I haven't seen my cousin Scottie in 3 years!
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