Rock Eddy, Memorial Day 2009

We've been going to Rock Eddy Bluff since October 2000. That summer, I'd just miscarried and needed a distraction of some kind. I was online (duh) and started looking for cabins. I was thinking Mike and I could just get away and try to regain some focus. Instead, we went with 3 other friends, my parents, and sisters. And it was wonderful. I remember the last day, tentatively bringing up the idea of coming again sometime, and Mary gave me the "you are too dumb to live" look that lots of people seem to give me, actually. Of course we were coming back.

We went back that next February, and then the next May. I was large and pregnant with Sophia by then, and that was the year we canoed in the flooded Gasconade and almost didn't make it back where we belonged. I swore I'd never canoe again (until I did, for the last time, at least for now...). We were back in October 2001, or maybe November. And then fell into a rhythm of Memorial Day weekends and trying to make it out there at least one other time. 2006 was the first year we went only once--the trip to California served as the other family vacation, I guess. We've made it a couple of Novembers since then, or March, but Memorial Day is our standard.

Each year, each visit, it's a little different and a little better but over all, it's the same. This year I didn't try to impress my kids as much as I have in the past. They'd either get it or they wouldn't. They got it. We spent Saturday and Sunday at the creek soaking up nature with nobody else around. Nobody. Saturday night, Maloki made fondue and Sunday night he made a braised beef with noodles. It was so wonderful to have someone else cook the big meals. The rest of the day, I can handle lunchmeat sandwiches and biscuits for breakfast, but after a day hiking and hanging outside, I just don't want to cook. And so I didn't this year (most years we split up meals more equitably, but this year he volunteered).

Saw a northern water snake. The same three butterflies again and again. Eastern Kingbird for the first time--I was happy to add him to the list. From the family of "tyrant flycatchers," whatever that implies. Taught Sophia some tree identification skills from the Stikky Tree book I have--wonderful for utter beginners. Maeve and Sophia got to walk down to the Coreys on their own for the first time this year--it's a jaunt across their land, on a gravel driveway. But they are out of sight...

No horseshoes this year, and only one campfire for some reason. I was really tired, and slept when I might usually have sat out by the fire. I gotta get this thyroid fixed. But anyway, Leo did well even though he was in disposables and I forgot the diaper ointment--one day home back in cloth and he wasn't fire engine red anymore. We have great stuff (Dr. Smith's). He put on quite a show for his public Friday night when we visited our hosts and talked about breastfeeding and blogs and weaving and heroin (seriously).

It's always too short in the end, and the drive home this year was excruciating--lots of traffic on I-44 for reasons we couldn't determine (the slow downs, I mean--lots of traffic is obvious on a holiday weekend). We've reserved the cabin for next year, and I was thinking about it...

Leo will be walking. Sophia will be 8 and Maeve will be finished with preschool forever. I don't know who will go with us--I assume Mary and Maloki always will, but perhaps Mary's roommate Heidi will come back, or Rob and Janet have expressed mild interest (the house has three bedrooms, and when it gets to be more than that, we spill over into a 5th wheel trailer down the way). My sisters, maybe. Or Mike's brothers. I don't know. Will Dara make it to another trip (she's 12 now...)? What will I be doing with my time? Most importantly, will I dare to get into a canoe?

I'm looking forward to it.