Too Long

It's been a long time since this clan has made a trek down to visit Grandma and Bumpa.  Because John was going to be away teaching the field practical part of his "Wilderness Education and Leadership" course for a weekend and the grandparents had recently gotten back from a big trip to Russia, we decided to pay them a visit.

The kids love going down to visit their grandparents.  There is the trampoline, but also the abundance of different toys and books, a mellow old dog, and visits to new and exciting places like the Maritime Center:

checking out a horseshoe crab

more touch tank fun

meeting Captain America

meeting some sort version of Aquaman

But what they love most, is getting to spend some quality time with their grandparents.  

Grandma's are much better readers than Mom or Dad

Hazen checking out Bumpa's latest model

We got to go on dog walks, were spoiled by home cooked meals, and appreciated a gorgeous weekend.  Cally and Bumpa walked over to the high school to see a football game together, Hazen took a great nap, I got to catch up with a few old friends, and we even survived going out to a nice dinner with the kids!

On Sunday, we visited the Stamford Nature Center where the kids saw pigs, exotic sheep, goats, chickens, oxen, gekkos, snakes, tortoises, and more.

But the real reason we went, was to see the Otters.  The Nature Center has a wonderful facility for two adorable river otters.  23 year ago, Bumpa donated his two pet otters to this facility.  When I was 18 years old, Bumpa arrived home from one of his many business trips to Texas with a small cat carrying case.  He had taken a layover in Louisiana to pick up these critters that had fascinated him since reading "Ring of Bright Water" 30 years earlier.  He had secretly done research, gotten a license to have them, and found a place to procure them.

Some men have mid-life crisis that involve buying a fast car or a big boat...... but Bumpa got baby river otters!  He hadn't necessarily thought through everything that would be involved with owning river otters, but this impulse buy was one that opened my heart to one of the most amazing organisms on the planet.  There is no other animal that has such an innate need/drive to play.  Whether sliding down carpeted staircases on their belly or strewing toilet paper around the bathroom as if taking part in Mischief Night, they were both always having fun.  We taught them how to swim and fish and walked them on leashes.

Because our home in suburban Connecticut wasn't all that well equipped for long term Otter fostering, Bumpa donated Charlie and Tess to the Nature Center.  For years, when I would come back into town during vacations from college, we would go and visit them and they always recognized us.  Sadly, Tess succumbed to a illness (likely to have been introduced by a wild otter that got into the facility during a big snow storm).  A new lady otter named Rosie was brought in to be Charlie's mate, but she was never as friendly.  Charlie, too, died before every siring any offspring.

Bumpa taught me that it's good to dream big and make it happen-- even if people think you are slightly wacky.

We had a great visit to Connecticut.  There is nothing relaxing about hanging out with Hazen and Cally right now,  They have a lot of energy and volume and conversation.  But Grandma and Bumpa really rallied to show us all a fun time. I'm so glad we got to spend a great weekend with the grandparents.