a last summer vacation

Though it was but a few days, the time my sisters and I spent at my Grandparents is what I'll remember as our last summer vacation before school starts up again. 

It's rare that we get to spend a few days (just my sister's and I) at my Grandparents...so we were excited, and had such a lovely time. Between laughing at Grandpa's jokes and experimenting in the kitchen with Grandma, we spent our days talking, laughing, watching the BBC film "Little Dorrit", cooking, eating, napping (what else are we supposed to do when we stay up past one o'clock in the morning playing dominos), and sharing riddles. It was a wonderfully relaxing mini vacation.

One afternoon was spent walking in the downtown area of my Grandparents city that is by the water. I've always loved going there ever since I was little. It's so beautiful and quaint. We met my auntie and cousins for lunch at a little park by the boat docks, and I ran with my little cousins and stopped to point out the ducks that swam in the water below us.

left to right: my cousin Irie, Lainie, and my cousin Juniper

Standing on a bridge that overlooks the rippling waves, 

my sister's, Grandma, and I caught sight of a few seals bobbing up out of the water 

as the wind tossed our hair about, 

and made my Grandma's hat be carried away by the wind. 

Thankfully, we were able to catch it before it could fly into the water. 

One first day, we tried a new recipe for butternut squash fries. And managed to cook them all before the oven stopped working. But it was ok because we were able to improvise in the kitchen during the rest of the time we spent there. And it was fun.

It was a comical morning when my Grandma attempted to make eggs in the crockpot and it ended up taking about thirty minutes! We decided to make eggs in the microwave from then on. :)

On the last evening, we grilled homemade hamburger patties around eight o'clock at night for dinner. We enjoyed eating our food outside while the smoke of the grill wafted through the air and smelled of a campfire. 

left to right: Lainie, Me, my cousin Sage, my Grandma, and Emma

All-in-all it was a wonderful mini vacation, spent with people I love dearly. I look forward to the next time we can spend a few days with our Grandparents again.

School starts in a little over a week for me. I must say, something inside of me is looking forward to getting back into a routine-lifestyle and break from the lazy summer days. I'm also looking forward to autumn and the crispness it brings to the weather. I'm looking forward to the streets decorated in the warm colors of fall leaves, sweaters, and mugs of spicy apple cider.

Autumn is my favorite season!

Much love, friends!

~Madi