Hanging On To Summer

Picture Perfect

D was lucky enough to spend much of the last week with his grandparents. His arrival coincided with the very brief dark plum season, so – with Nana providing support and Grandpa providing guidance – he jumped right into the work at hand, helping to make a Pflaumen Torte from his great-grandmother Oma's recipe. D eventually tried some, and although he wasn't an instant convert, he did learn that a big boy can have a favorite recipe. He also learned got another little taste of the ways in which our live's cycles can be tied to that of the Earth's.

My parents' only grandson had Grandpa's hot cereal with syrup monster faces every morning, and declared Nana's tilapia to be "the best fish I've ever had," while neatly tucking away an adult-sized portion. D and Grandpa gleefully deconstructed a circular saw and did a ton of work on the trails and garden. When they got tired of working, Grandpa regaled D with true life stories about the Grandbanana's adventures in the British Virgin Isles:

Nana coaxed D into accepting a free cookie at the grocery store, and the trio found so many golf balls for Tama that the washing up operation became a mission unto itself, complete with a borrowed painting shirt from Grandpa:

D spent plenty of time watching the birds and enjoying the garden, and all in all, the trip will go down as a big success. (We can conveniently "forget" a failed rocket launch as well as a few tantrums and choice epithets – all D's – right?)

Thank you, Grandpa and Nana!