The Fastest Man in the World

I don't even remember when (how pitiful is this overdue blogging?) we visited Pete and Sarah and the boys, but leaves littered the ground, and the view was exhilarating.

We don't see these good people enough. Pete and I are (not really) twins; both of us are left-handed and extra pale, and we squint with cataract-infested eyes. He has a sordid history of copying my favorite things, too. Lucky for him, one of his favorite things-- Wife Sarah-- is now one of my favorite things, too, and I always enjoy spending time with them and their four boys.

They took us on a short hike to see the Sleeping Bear.



Millie, Susannah, and I kept picking teaberries from the side of the trail. I'd never had them before, and so ate several handfuls for good measure. There are probably some shriveled leftovers yet stuffed in the cracks of our van.


The sleeping bear. See him?


The Sarah and King Henry.


The sage on top of the mountain.


The left-handed, extra-pale, squinty, cataract-infested Mama with Papoose.


The Haven. (I think he looks like little-boy-you, Pete, with the 70's vibe.)



Nixie and Haven showing off their respective treasures, shirts stuffed with the same.



Here's the best snapshot from the walk. All the children are crowded around Uncle Pete. Question: What great mystery do his hands hold? Answer: He's doling out sourpatch kids. Score one for the continuing Johnson affair with sugar!




Haven took some super pictures with my camera.

Self-portrait.


Annie's stash.



John and Pip.



Manchop. Look at him!




And my pick of the lot, a bawling Nixie. (No, I don't remember the cause...)




Lastly, here's a picture of their back deck, my favorite picture of them all. PIRATES (Sarah) left a note with clues to a TREASURE (candy). THEY (Sarah) were careless (clever) enough to leave (draw) their footprints on the back deck. Haven and Augustine are credulous boys and were concerned about the pirate's motives. "But what if they're BAD pirates?" Gussie kept asking with a furrowed brow, and this picture shows that he wasn't yet entirely convinced that the pirates meant well.




Ah, family. They're great, aren't they?