Friday, July 31, 2015

We planned it for months but the week itself just flew by! So much fun but over way too soon.

Christy and family were the first to arrive on Thursday and the rest (except Big Dylan and Dave) came in on Friday. Everyone was staying at the beautiful Higgin’s Inn just a short walk from Donkersley beach. The accommodations were more than adequate; Christy and Kathryn’s family shared a balcony on the second floor and Elizabeth had the entire upper floor with a connecting back stairwell. The doors were seldom locked and everyone wandered between the three suites.

We tended to eat at Elizabeth’s because she had a table both inside and out on the deck. Meals were easy – the grand kids each picked a favorite meal and we had that for either a lunch or a dinner. The adults filled in a few empty spots and there were often calls of “Who picked this?”. We were also able to accommodate a couple of extra picks by Gavin (fish) and Alex (pancakes).

Although I hoped it would be this way, I was thrilled that all the kids got along right from the start. They don’t see each other often and as they get older I thought there might be some awkwardness. Madison, who is 14 now, was in high demand and she was so good to split her time with everyone. I loved seeing all the groupings form depending on where we were and what we were doing. Sleepovers were happening in one form or another (and in one suite or another) almost every night.

Saturday was our SeaFair event and the kids (with Christy and Ray) took full advantage of their All-Day ride passes. Again different rides called for different groupings; I was watching a spin on the Scrambler and saw Christy riding with Alex and Will while Ray was riding the Fireball with Dylan. It was too late for the kids to stay for the fireworks but Pat and I enjoyed them from the comfort of our living room.

On Sunday Pat and I were able to check in at our accommodation, just a short walk through the forest from Higgin’s Inn. Everyone made the trip at least once; Kathryn described it as “through the woods to Grandmother’s house”. Taylor worried about the big, bad wolf but Will and Alex were able to reassure her when they found Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the garden. The blackberry bushes were frequent stops along the way.

We had a friend take some very informal family photos that included a few mixed-up families. We had a lovely surprise birthday cake for me one night; the grand kids did the decorating and it all tasted yummy! Taylor was very very good at keeping the secret.

When Christy and Rick headed home on Wednesday, Pat and I moved over to their suite so we were in the middle of the action too. All too soon it was Thursday again and time to head back to Comox for flights home. Before we headed out to the ferry Alex and Emma raided my wool bins; Alex has learned to knit and Emma does beautiful weaving. Auntie Kathryn gave a few finger-weaving lessons on the ferry.

There was a long wait at the airport but we were lucky to get seats and a couple of tables while we ate lunch. The kids played on their electronics until Aunt Elizabeth bought a cube puzzle game for each of them; everyone managed to get it completed but it took a lot of collaborating and copying by both adults and children. The owner of the restaurant stopped to say what a well-behaved group the kids were.

I woke up very sick this morning and spent most of the day in bed. Was it something I ate? Was it the flu? Was I overtired? Possibly any or all of those things, but I was very definitely missing everyone.