Returned

A wise friend once called travelling with small children "more work, different place."

That wasn't really the case for this long weekend getaway just ended. Sure, I had to pack a lot of stuff for the Monkey. (I arranged my list of his stuff in the following categories: eating, sleeping, pooping, playing, going out.) And the dog added a wrinkle or two as I loaded up the station wagon. But it was worth all the preparation to pick up the Monkey Mama at work and to leave straight from there.

The payoff was that we got to wake up out there in rural Virginia, with views overlooking a broad river. The sun was bright on the rippled surface, and I started each day by holding the Monkey by the sliding glass doors and showing him the water. The weather stayed sunny, but it was a bit cool and blustery on our walks.

We explored the area a little more than we usually do, mostly because we stayed more or less sober the whole time and were thus in a condition to drive. (Not that we didn't finish the odd bottle of champagne with dinner.) It was generally relaxing, and the Monkey Mama got a chance to catch up on sleep a little.