More thoughts on Maine

OK! Just got back from more than 600 miles of minivan driving with my entire family. “My entire family” includes a very antsy and very active 5-year-old son James, who made the trip “entertaining” to say the least.

Please note well: Our van is NOT equipped with a DVD player. Several attempts were made to borrow one from other families. All unsuccessful. This made for a very interesting and noisy trip.

Some highlights:

--Are we there yet?
--I gotta go to the bathroom!
--Are we there yet?
--Can I listen to the iPod?
--Are we there yet?
--Can I have the Nintendo DS?
--Are we there yet?
--I miss the bunnies! (we have pet rabbits …)
--Are we there yet?
--Why do we have to go to the wedding?
--Are we there yet?

So, if you think my nerves are a little jangled from such a trip … well, you would be accurate in that assessment.

Having said that … it was a wonderful trip to a beautiful and memorable wedding in Kennebunkport.

We stayed in Kittery, which is just over the border from Portsmouth, NH. We had a great time in York Beach, which has a fantastic zoo and a quaint New England-y village. We are not “beach people” (rather, we are “lake people”) but we made the most and the best of this mini-vacation.

It was great to see all the alums at this wedding. James made a new best friend in Hopkins, who gave James the full “Conor/Vess treatment” – that is, roughhousing, punching, flipping him upside-down, etc., on the dance floor. James reciprocated by inadvertently (we think?) punching Hopkins in the jaw.

Speaking of Hopkins and punching … our guy finally came through with his marathon bet “payment” with Camp at the wedding. I was there to witness it. Nicely done.

From what I heard about the proceedings, there were many other highlights among the alumni men -- most of which are not entirely appropriate for the family blog. Editor’s note: Schab was there. Nuff said.

Again, all joking aside: I was (and am) so proud to see my boys, now men making a difference in the world, having grown up. They can still be boys when they are together, thank goodness. It was a weekend we won’t soon forget ...