Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

After all the hustle and bustle of the previous two days, it was good to have a chance to sleep in and spend some time with my family in a more leisurely way.

My brother, his wife and my nephew were staying for the day to spend more time with everyone. That night, they were going to drive back to my dad's place to stay one more night before returning to Vermont.

The plan had been for everybody to go to a local state park to get some swimming in and for my nephew to have his first experience swimming. They'd bought him some swim diapers so that he could do this.

Before we could head out, we had to wait for my sister and her husband arrive, to help them mark down their wedding gifts as they opened them. We also needed to get instructions for how to leave the house while they were away. They were having several different people coming by to watch their cats for the week. Since the cats don't get along, there was a certain way they wanted things left so that the cats could get away from each other while still having all their needs met.

The Gryphon and I needed, as well, to give them directions to our place from the airport, because they'd be coming back through Philadelphia after their honeymoon in the Dominican Republic and picking up their dog, Emma, whom we were pet sitting for the week.

Now, I had been looking forward to the trip to the state park and anxious to try out my new bathing suit. So as the morning drifted by, I grew more and more anxious. But I didn't mind doing my maid of honor duties and keeping the list for them.

When we finished with the presents, the instructions and directions, my sister and her husband busied themselves packing for their honeymoon. They could have packed earlier, but their priority then had been on the wedding preparation. Their plane wasn't leaving until Monday, so they only had to get to Philadelphia and check into their hotel, to be close for the next morning.

We gave them hugs and told them to have a nice trip, promising to take care of everything on their list. And then the rest of the family headed for Whipple Dam State Park. My brother and his wife used to go there all the time, when they lived in the State College/Altoona area. They showed us on the map, but Mom was more hesitant about finding it on their own, and she started saying she might not go. The Gryphon and I stayed with her to lead her to the park. It's a good thing we did, too, because the turns were trickier than they looked on the map.

Eventually, we wound our way to the park. We had just put on our bathing suits and were applying suntan lotion when we heard a clap of thunder. The lifeguards blew their whistles and made everybody get out. Fortunately, there were no more, so after 15 minutes we were allowed back in. This was actually good, because it gave the lotion time to soak in.

In the meantime, I took some pictures of my nephew on his quilt. He was wearing his swim diaper and ready to go into the water. He's naturally photogenic, in part because he smiles so much (see picture at the top of the page).

While we were waiting, I also had The Gryphon get a pic of me in my new suit.

My brother and his wife took my nephew into the shallow water and let him splash around. He really seemed to enjoy himself. I got a few pictures of my nephew and my brother and then of all three of them before splashing kids around me threatened to endanger my camera and I put it safely away.

Although the weather was nice and warm, I think the air temperature was a little cooler than would have been ideal for swimming. Either that or I simply wasn't moving around enough, because I got chilled and had to get out.

The Gryphon and I decided to rent a paddle boat, and everyone promised to stick around at least until we got back. The paddle boat was fun. We definitely got a lower body workout, and we got to explore the lake a little bit. We saw some geese, who were hanging out in some duckweed, no gooseweed being available, I presume.

Around the lake, we saw some wooden platforms with signs on them. Curious, we got close enough to read one. It warned that this was a manmade fish habitat and people should stay away. In that case, I recommend making the print larger so it's legible from a greater distance.

We waved at some fellow paddle boaters on our way back in, and one of them warned us about a shallow area filled with submerged logs.

Soon after we got back, Mom left on her journey back home, giving us some hugs and thanking The Gryphon for helping her ice the cupcakes for the wedding the day before.

My brother's wife asked if we'd like to join them and Dad for dinner in the State College area. She knew that we'd planned to eat at a German tavern called Schnitzel's in Bellefonte that my sister had told us about. "I don't want to interrupt any romantic plans," she said. But I told her we'd love to spend more time with them.

So after everybody had gotten their share of swimming and sunbathing, we headed out to State College. The restaurant we suggested was a little brewpub that's been built since my brother and his wife left State College. While I didn't remember the name, since I'd only eaten there once, I did remember where it was. I told my brother where to find it, and we described what it looked like, just in case we got separated. Then The Gryphon and I led the way.

Good thing I hadn't attempted the name, because I would have been nowhere close. I thought it had the word "Moon" in it, but it was simply "Otto's." Everybody enjoyed the tasty food, so it seemed a good choice. We got a nice large table in the back and we didn't have to wait to be seated.

But then it was time to go our separate ways. We hugged all around and promised to keep in touch. The Gryphon and I promised we'd be up to Vermont for visit sometime before the snow comes.

Then The Gryphon and I drove back to Bellefonte to my sister and her husband's place, where we took the dogs for a short walk and then went down to Schnitzel's for dessert and some beer. You get to sit outside next to a canal and watch the traffic go across the bridge. It was a relaxing way to end the evening, even after The Gryphon pointed out all the spiders that had made their homes in the plants on the railing. They didn't bother me, really. After all, they seemed to be doing a good job of keeping the bugs in check.

Back at my sister and her husband's place, we tended to all the animals and then got some rest.

More from the wedding weekend:

June 28, 2005 - Finishing Touches

June 29, 2005 - Show Time

June 30, 2005 - The Story of Love

July 1, 2005 - More Wedding Pics

July 6, 2005 - Browsing Bellefonte

Copyright 2005 by Alyce Wilson

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