After lunch today Maggie announced that she needed a rest, fetched her pacifier, walked to her room, lay down, and fell asleep.
We need to conduct further tests to determine whether she has been replaced by a doppelgänger or possessed by aliens.
Two glorious days in Charlottesville, Virginia, with Kate, Paul, Sam, and Toby. Heat wave made outdoor activities difficult at times, and the kids were not on their best behavior (see below), but the company couldn’t have been better. Sipping wine with old friends after the kids have gone to bed, talking about whatever comes to mind, is a solid 10 on my scale of favorite things.
Click on any image to see a larger slide-show version.
Challenges
Despite enjoying this visit as adults, it was clear that our kids haven’t adapted as well to this trip as they did last summer. They’ve just been off—crying over small stuff, bickering more than usual, an uptick in meanness and defiance. We think it’s a combination of sleep deprivation (not excessive, but later bedtimes have added up), too much driving in the first few days, and transition stress for Griffin leaving Kindergarten. We’re hopeful that a low-key week with their grandparents in Bethesda (our next stop) will help reset things.
On Thursday we left North Carolina and headed into Virginia. We stopped for lunch at a rest stop with the iconic Virginia slogan, “Virginia is for Lovers.” (It’s hard for me to believe that this 1969 campaign wasn’t referencing the 1967 Loving v. Virginia decision, but a quick on-line investigation wasn’t conclusive. If anyone has good sources on this, I’m interested in learning more about it.)
We stopped in the early afternoon at Hungry Mother State Park; it came recommended as a family-friendly spot not far from the highway. It’s a great park with trails, swimming, boating, and lots of other fun activities. Definitely aimed at families, there are plenty of things intended specifically for kids. We loved, for example, a nature scavenger hunt brochure that had Griffin and Maggie hunting for mushrooms, wildflowers, and other features of the region. We had nothing but positive interactions with park staff and a super-friendly ranger.
Two down-sides for us, that don’t reflect on the park at all:
Conversation while passing the hotel at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville:
Maggie: “Hey guys, you know what, it’s called a hotel because they do lots of things there!”
Sarah: “What do you do at a hotel, Maggie?”
Maggie: <pause> “I LIKE MONKEYS!”
Two nights and lots of fun in Asheville, North Carolina, while visiting our friends, Sue and Chris, and their three dogs, one cat, and six chickens. (Sadly, two chickens were nabbed by a raccoon on our second night, so now there are four, in a newly reinforced coop.)
Asheville has a lot to recommend it and we enjoyed a great tour with Chris while Sue was at work. Naturally, some of my best memories are dominated by food. Had some spectacular barbecue at 12 Bones, which is apparently President Obama’s top choice in town. Then, on our way out, we stopped for breakfast at Biscuit Head, which is in the running for my favorite breakfast restaurant in the world.
Below are an assortment of phone shots from our Asheville stint.
We survived the night, dry and free of unwanted atmospheric voltage. Not a great night’s rest, alas, but we’re thankful for our new, more spacious tent.
Two quotes from our journey thus far:
Monday, 4:30 PM:
Maggie: “Griffin, laugh when I say ‘Chicago.'”
Griffin: “Why do I have to laugh?!”
M: “Chi–Ca–GO!!”
G: <no laughing>
M: “Laugh Griffin!!”
G: “I don’t want to laugh. Chicago!”
M <yelling>: “NO! I want to talk about ME!!!”
G: “Chicago. Chicago. Chicago.”
M <yelling>: “NOOOOOOO!”
Tuesday, 8:30 AM:
Sarah: “Ok guys we’re going to stop here because I need some coffee and Daddy needs to go to the bathroom–”
Griffin: “–and I need an Icee!”
Midsize thunderstorm on our first night, as we camp by a river that’s four feet over flood stage. Luckily, the deluge held off until after dinner and the weather reports suggest that it will be short-lived. (But wow is it coming down right now!)
Griffin: “I really, really like thunderstorms but I’m a tiny bit scared of them.”
New tent is keeping us dry thus far. 
The second epic road trip begins!
Mileage: 118454
First destination: Asheville, North Carolina
Griffin and Sarah had to go run some errands this evening, so I’m home alone with Maggie. She’s been more interested in stories lately and occasionally launches into one at the dinner table. On a lark, I asked her if she wanted to make up a story together tonight and she said yes. Here’s the result.
Original story and artwork by Maggie. Typing, scanning, and shoe-outlining assistance from Daddy.
Froggy’s New Shoes and Poison
Once upon a time, a frog was getting new shoes. The frog made new shoes. The shoes were pink and green and purple and yellow. He put his shoes on and he walk walk walk and he found his friends and his friends said, “You got new shoes!”
The frog got poisoned by an elf. He goed to the elf and he got poisoned. Then he go to a doctor and the doctor fixed him and he got green again.
Then he go back to home with his friends. Then them go to his little bed and go to sleep. His bed is pink like his shoes and soft.
The he got to our home. He dropped his shoes and he broke them. Then he couldn’t make some more. Then he was sad. Then he couldn’t make new shoes. Then Daddy fixed his shoes up in Mama’s sewing room and he got them fixed and the frog put them on and he go back to his home.
The End
Sarah’s out of town. I’ve been solo dad for the weekend. It’s been good. But despite best intentions, I do occasionally lose track of my progeny and have to track them down. Today I documented two unexpected incidents.
Maggie was down for a rest. I rested for a while too. Griffin was awfully quiet. I went to investigate.
Griffin is sleeping on a bit of lumber about four feet off the ground. (He rigged the precarious “bridge” earlier to create an easier method for Maggie to get into the climbing tree.)
Later, after Maggie woke up, they slipped out the side gate while I was mowing the back lawn. Upon my successful pursuit:
Nothing is cooler than the neighbor’s giant red dumpster. (Yesterday, Griffin asked for my help deciphering all of the warning stickers, then proceeded to ignore them.)
