A Run, Some Sand and Friends

Because Ryan worked on Saturday, he took today off, which meant today was day #2 off together. Hurray! We managed to pack a whole lot into the day today too. I went out for a run around 7:30, and ran the Homeplace loop. The humid air smelled sweet, the powerlines lined with honeysuckle and other flowering shrubs. The pink swamp laurel has begun to bloom, and there are berries on the blueberry plants (still pretty green, though!). I was happy to see numerous elegant, purple iris in the swampy areas. My friends the towhees were out singing, as were the goldfinch and a few catbirds.

After I got home and took a quick shower, Ryan went over to meet Cordelia and pick up a new-to-us turtle sandbox for Sam, which has been sitting, unused, at Keith's parent's house. With the grandkids grown, no one has been using it, and we were more than happy to take it off their hands. The second we placed it in the backyard, Sam jumped right in, immediately getting sand everywhere :-) She was in seventh heaven!

We had to practically drag her away so that we could go meet up with two of my good college friends, Jess and Andy, and the kids, for an early lunch and playtime. With five kids running around Jess's house, it was a bit chaotic, but it was fun to catch up, and Sam had fun wandering around the yard, and playing with the other kids. Always good to see old friends, and see the kids get along and having fun :-)