family time in late spring

My sister and her family came to stay with me for a weekend a couple of weekends ago. The weather was lovely, and we had a great time.

On Friday, we went to the water and hung around. We had a great time splashing about. The kids waded, and I dipped my toes in. There were ducks with purple iridescent heads and lots of little kids running around. The sun was hot and the water was cold.

We went out for Chinese, which was actually really good -- lots of different tastes. But then one of my least favorite dining experiences happened: they literally forgot about us at the end. I kept trying to catch the waitress' eye and almost went over and said something. It's true that they were really busy, but it was ridiculous how long we sat there. I felt like it was long enough that they should have been paying *me* and I completely did not succeed in enjoying the moment and not being bugged by it, as you can see evidence of, unfortunately.

After reading Scrambled Eggs Super, we went to bed, and didn't get up until the next morning, when we had eggs and bacon and blueberries with our Cheerios. Then we all trundled into the car and went to the waterfall. The kids didn't really want to go, but I think they were glad they went in the end. We had a good time taking pictures and found at least six different kinds of berries on the way down.

The waterfall is beautiful. The last time I was there, it was in September, and it had a very different feel. Also, we couldn't walk down the little path, because it was closed. But it was a good time, and I'm glad we went.

Here are some family photos (above) and some photos of the waterfall (below). The spray was nice and cool, and there was actually a double-rainbow, but the camera lens doesn't pick it up very well. The elevation of the falls is approximately 270'.

I wondered how old the tree that got stuck at the top was before it got sent down the river. Then I wondered if they put it there on purpose, as, if you look closely, it appears that the tree is being held up by the electrical wires. I dismissed that idea, and then set about trying to determine how tall the tree was, but my proportional geometry failed me and I said "big enough" and gave up.

Later, after lunch at a cafe, in which I determined that it is better to get a hamburger or breakfast at a family diner/cafe instead of Asian-inspired salad (one would think I would not have had to learn this lesson, but apparently my desire to believe in diner salads hasn't yet been sufficiently quashed), we played Pandemic a couple of times and then, after Princess Furball, we went to bed. It makes me glad that my friends and I have hauled all my picture books everywhere...now I can share them with the people I love. :)