four once more

Water droplets, because they are incompressible, may as well be bullets when they impact the tips of our wood propeller which travel at nearly the speed of sound. Having repaired our rain-pocked prop several times over the past two years, I heeded Sandi’s suggestion and headed north from Baltimore, away from home and away from the rain. Thankfully my sister Ginni, not yet fully coherent after her cross-country flight and transition to Eastern Daylight Time over one short night, agreed to the adventure.

Cruising low over the rolling New Jersey farmland, I commented that Solberg Airport was eight miles in front of us. “Two hours of paddling,” said Ginni the kayak guide. “Or three minutes of flying,” I smiled back. But before landing at the airport, we scribed a half a circle in the sky over Grandma’s farm, looking down on the fields full of childhood memories.

Today, however, we skipped stones across the stream as we reminisced about leaping over horse jumps on foot and trotting around the riding ring on stick horses (broomsticks with cloth horse heads) before enjoying lunch with Grandma, Aunt Dorothy and Dad. It was truly a blessing to share an unhurried moment with family members we so rarely see.

Dinner provided a second special moment despite the absence of my best friend and husband: for the first time in many years, Mom, Dad, Ginni and I were a family of four around the table. The impending arrival of our baby girl continually reminded me that this would very likely be the last time we’d visit together as a family of four, comfortable in our unspoken signals and familiarity: we know without discussion who sits where, we’ll hold hands as Dad says grace and we’ll all put mayonnaise on our broccoli. These are life’s little treasures, these well-worn trails of tradition shared by a family.

As Sandi and I look forward to the expansion of our family and to establishing our own traditions, I thank God for those moments to reminisce, and thank Ginni for her willingness to jet (or at least prop) all over the eastern seaboard before returning to the middle for the Mid-Atlantic Kayak Festival.

Happy early Memorial Day!

Donna (& Sandi/Slick)

PS: we’re due 11 Sep & still working on names… J If you’re interested in pictures, they’re available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnadouglass/sets/72157618448066622/show/