JOURNAL: July 29, 2006

Yesterday, my first day back from my hiking trip in the Lake District, I paid visits to my two grandsons. I first drove to Millbury to see Luke, Krissy, Kaylee, and little (seven-week-old) Josh. Krissy was feeling sick, and I was lucky enough to be available to help out for a few hours. Soon after I arrived, she helped me load the little fellow into their nifty “sling” and I proceeded to spend the next two delightful hours walking around their shady, peaceful yard with this small bundle of life cuddled next to my chest. I had brought a book along, and I actually got a lot of reading done as I walked. Every so often, I lifted the cloth of the sling and peaked in, and there was this magical and lovely boy, sleeping in utter serenity. As I walked back and forth, I often repeated to myself how totally fortunate I was to be right there doing exactly what I was doing. Around 1:00, Luke came home from work to help Krissy, so I left and drove down to visit with young Noah (almost 3). He greeted me at the door and rushed me right in to see his new “office”. Jaimie had set up an old computer keyboard and some fake credit cards, and Noah proudly explained how it all worked. Next we drove over to a lovely state park near their house, where small groups of families were enjoying the cooling water in pond. Jaimie and I dipped into the water to refresh ourselves, and then we played with Noah in the sand, driving his two toy trucks back and forth as he directed us. Later, we walked into the woods a short way, pointing out various things and playing hide and seek now and then as we walked. We drove back to Jaimie’s under dark clouds, listening to rumbling thunder in the distance.