Why we do it

Laughing Vonnie

Shirley with me and Judy

Our cottage

    Every year at Rehoboth the women of my generation get together at a restaurant for a women's breakfast out.  This year my sister Eileen suggested that the nine of us  meet  on Judy's and my porch, since there would be no husbands or children to inhibit us, and no impatient wait staff to hurry us out.  What a great free time we had!

Stephen with Jack and Charlie

   We milled about and ate too many pastries while  Shirley and Chris told stories that had us hooting with laughter.  After an hour or so, we went over coming events  next summer:  a bike ride across Iowa, a commitment ceremony, quadruplet graduation party, bar exam, conferences, the start of school, maybe a wedding.  We agreed on dates for beach weeks in both Manzanita, Oregon and Rehoboth, Delaware for 2013, and for Rehoboth in 2014.  It was efficient and much more fun than trying to come to consensus by e-mail.

Don's four will graduate

     After they left I got to thinking about the next generation.    What fine people they are, and what good matches they are making.

Laura and Zack

Bianca leading dancing

Lemonade stand

       Judy will tell you how daunting it is for a quiet person to  jump into the Sullivan/Armstrong beach life.  Bridget, Jacob's wife, tells about the first time she went to dinner with all of us at the Big Fish Grill.  She gamely picked a crab for the first time, aware that we were all watching her.  Cliff, Abby's boyfriend, tells about joining  the card game Diablo.   He was so excited by one move that when he sat down, the chair broke underneath him.

Second cousins

Happy with Paul

Josh following Ernie's golf instructions

     The suitors and newlyweds pitch right in with activities for the children.   Stephen, Julia's husband, spent hours with Jack in the water. Bianca led  the dancing. Cliff played with Sammy on the beach.  Luke showed the boys photos of his trip to Tanzania.    Everyone patronized  Jack and Charlie's  lemonade stand.
They can all   look to the example of  my fine brothers-in-law: John, who  leads the newspaper delivery, and Saint Ernie, who organized a miniature golfing expedition for all of the kids.

Abby with Lucy