Home Again and Last Good Summer Getaway

Wow, how the summer flies by! That probably has something to do with the fact that I spend most of it doing field work! We're back from our Yellowstone adventure, all in one piece and I even managed to get some great samples! Riley and Daddy hung out together for four days in and around the park while I worked. Quality bonding time, I think. They went for a lot of short hikes, and visited all of the gift shops. They even encountered a bear in the wild [YIKES!!!!]. Then, we were lucky enough to have Grammie and Bumpa and Aunt Cailin join us. Riley got to hang out with them all day while Andrew and I did field work. It worked out great for us, but I think he gave his grandparents a run for their money! When we would unite at the end of the day, he would be full of excitement chattering up a storm, so he clearly had a great time.

We've been back for just over a week, although it feels like ages ago. We've been pretty busy already, trying to get things done before the semester begins. We also recently "discovered" that we haven't taken our bikes off the rack in 5+ years, save to move them from St. Louis, to Maryland, to Chicago. That's ludicrous. So we had them fixed up, and bought Riley a little kangaroo seat so he can join in the fun too. Needless to say, he thinks it rocks!

This past weekend, we took one last stab at a little family vacation before we're enslaved by the education system for the next 9 months. We took a long weekend and drove up to the Grand Haven area in MI with some friends, rented a house, and did some serious playing! We went to the beach and the Grand Rapids Zoo, picked blueberries, and in general did nothing but relax. To be honest, that felt a little weird, but we got used to it quickly!

School starts Monday. Woe is we.
Now some pix:

Now doesn't that look like fun?

Riley and Abi playing chase at the rental house. They were thick as theives the whole time.

Riley dipping his toes in Lake MI...his first beach experience! He thought the giant sandbox was fabulous, and liked to kick at the waves.

The aforementioned Giant Sandbox

Blueberries!