Well, I'm back
We left about the time intended - 1 pm - on Thursday, got to the lake cabin without any real difficulties although interestingly the office at the place closed at 3 pm (which we hadn't known) and we got there about oh, 4:30. They'd left our cabin unlocked and the keys in it, though, and there was a sign on the office door with a phone number, so SO called just to make sure we were in the right one.
After unloading stuff we went into the lake. It's a rocky shore, and I mean seriously rocky, and not much shore, but we managed. SO spent perhaps an hour in the water; I was in for only maybe 15 minutes. Juno did a lot of running up and down over the rocks, but eventually went into the water a few times, never for very long at once but by the end she was going in voluntarily without being coaxed at all. When SO splashed she would jump in. She also found the waves that were created by boats to be very interesting and would chase them along the shore.
Leisurely evening, basically. We brought some food from home and I cooked sausages for dinner, then I read for a while while SO napped, and then we watched a DVD we'd brought. Friday morning SO and Juno went back into the lake (I stayed out that time) for a while before we packed up and left, stopping for breakfast at a diner which was very cheap (coffee for 46 cents) and quite decent diner food. It wasn't too hot yet so Juno was okay in the car, and we ate quickly for that reason too.
Got to my dad's in St. Louis a little after 5 in the afternoon, and took Juno for a walk before going out for pizza at Joanie's, where my stepmother's son has worked for years. My dad lives in a mixed-use building which has a hotel on some of the floors, and condos on others. My stepmom's daughter and grandson were there at the same time, so my dad put us up in one of the hotel rooms, which was nice of him. Juno was very good in the hotel, and in fact got more walking than usual since of course she had to stay in the room much of the time. Saturday she had probably two hours of walking spread out over three or four sessions. In between dog-walking, we had lunch at O'Connell's (which has seriously good burgers - if any of you visit St. Louis, consider going there, it's an Irish pub on the edge of the Italian neighborhood called The Hill), went to the art museum, had dinner at a crepe restaurant, and then walked through the CityGarden which is brand new.
We left Sunday morning about 10:30, and got home about 8, which is long but we stopped more often and longer on Juno's account, plus hit some construction. All in all, it was a very nice relaxing trip, and I deliberately did not even try to get online (there was a wired hookup in the hotel, so I probably could have, but didn't have that much time). I also didn't write at all, or do any work of any sort. Just hung out with SO and my dad, plus stepmom and her daughter and son, and talked mostly.
No CSA report this week since we were gone Friday and didn't get anything. I'm making southwestern chicken kebabs and Mexican rice tomorrow; the chicken was totally frozen when I bought it this morning, so we're having salmon casserole tonight, plus a couscous salad, green beans, and blueberries.
Between having a doctor's appointment this morning and needing to get groceries/cook, do laundry, and catch up on finances, I decided not to go in to campus today; will go in tomorrow but for the rest of this afternoon I'll probably try to work on syllabi. Whee. I will say that taking two summer classes really makes me feel like I had no break; somehow doing research just isn't the same.
Uh... I'm behind in writing, i.e. haven't really done any in, like, over a week now, which is unhappy-making. Also behind in reading even what had been posted by last Wednesday. If there's something I just shouldn't miss, fic by any of you or RL stuff or whatever, point me to it, okay? I'm not going to have a chance to go back and read old posts. Sigh.
I'm missing my high school 20th reunion this month; I'm kind of sorry about it, but not overly so. There are certainly people that I'd enjoy seeing again, and HS for me was on the whole a pretty good time (although I will never understand the notion that those are supposed to be the best years of your life - yeek). But my mom no longer lives in Ashland, which is a tourist town and therefore very expensive to stay in, and the timing was rotten for me since it's basically right before my semester. So oh well; maybe I'll make the 25th. I haven't been to any reunions for either HS or college, actually. I suppose I could dig out my old yearbooks...
Hope everyone had a good weekend!
After unloading stuff we went into the lake. It's a rocky shore, and I mean seriously rocky, and not much shore, but we managed. SO spent perhaps an hour in the water; I was in for only maybe 15 minutes. Juno did a lot of running up and down over the rocks, but eventually went into the water a few times, never for very long at once but by the end she was going in voluntarily without being coaxed at all. When SO splashed she would jump in. She also found the waves that were created by boats to be very interesting and would chase them along the shore.
Leisurely evening, basically. We brought some food from home and I cooked sausages for dinner, then I read for a while while SO napped, and then we watched a DVD we'd brought. Friday morning SO and Juno went back into the lake (I stayed out that time) for a while before we packed up and left, stopping for breakfast at a diner which was very cheap (coffee for 46 cents) and quite decent diner food. It wasn't too hot yet so Juno was okay in the car, and we ate quickly for that reason too.
Got to my dad's in St. Louis a little after 5 in the afternoon, and took Juno for a walk before going out for pizza at Joanie's, where my stepmother's son has worked for years. My dad lives in a mixed-use building which has a hotel on some of the floors, and condos on others. My stepmom's daughter and grandson were there at the same time, so my dad put us up in one of the hotel rooms, which was nice of him. Juno was very good in the hotel, and in fact got more walking than usual since of course she had to stay in the room much of the time. Saturday she had probably two hours of walking spread out over three or four sessions. In between dog-walking, we had lunch at O'Connell's (which has seriously good burgers - if any of you visit St. Louis, consider going there, it's an Irish pub on the edge of the Italian neighborhood called The Hill), went to the art museum, had dinner at a crepe restaurant, and then walked through the CityGarden which is brand new.
We left Sunday morning about 10:30, and got home about 8, which is long but we stopped more often and longer on Juno's account, plus hit some construction. All in all, it was a very nice relaxing trip, and I deliberately did not even try to get online (there was a wired hookup in the hotel, so I probably could have, but didn't have that much time). I also didn't write at all, or do any work of any sort. Just hung out with SO and my dad, plus stepmom and her daughter and son, and talked mostly.
No CSA report this week since we were gone Friday and didn't get anything. I'm making southwestern chicken kebabs and Mexican rice tomorrow; the chicken was totally frozen when I bought it this morning, so we're having salmon casserole tonight, plus a couscous salad, green beans, and blueberries.
Between having a doctor's appointment this morning and needing to get groceries/cook, do laundry, and catch up on finances, I decided not to go in to campus today; will go in tomorrow but for the rest of this afternoon I'll probably try to work on syllabi. Whee. I will say that taking two summer classes really makes me feel like I had no break; somehow doing research just isn't the same.
Uh... I'm behind in writing, i.e. haven't really done any in, like, over a week now, which is unhappy-making. Also behind in reading even what had been posted by last Wednesday. If there's something I just shouldn't miss, fic by any of you or RL stuff or whatever, point me to it, okay? I'm not going to have a chance to go back and read old posts. Sigh.
I'm missing my high school 20th reunion this month; I'm kind of sorry about it, but not overly so. There are certainly people that I'd enjoy seeing again, and HS for me was on the whole a pretty good time (although I will never understand the notion that those are supposed to be the best years of your life - yeek). But my mom no longer lives in Ashland, which is a tourist town and therefore very expensive to stay in, and the timing was rotten for me since it's basically right before my semester. So oh well; maybe I'll make the 25th. I haven't been to any reunions for either HS or college, actually. I suppose I could dig out my old yearbooks...
Hope everyone had a good weekend!