Rambling purposefully toward home

On the way home, we take a detour and stop to hike at Watkins Glen. The two-mile chasm is located in the center of the Finger Lakes of upstate New York. It feels good to get out and stretch our legs.

This visit is a first for Jamie, Katie, and Meg. I enjoy introducing them to a beautiful spot that my extended family has always enjoyed. They kid me mercilessly about speaking in my tour guide voice.

We climb a lot of stone stairs and will later descend them. Somehow they didn't seem so steep when I was a kid.

After a spirited hike, we explore the touristy village of Watkins Glen and have dinner in an interesting pub. Two blocks away, Jamie spots a yarn shop, and returns to announce, "It's very good." Thanks to my wonderful Aunt Peg, we also plundered a great shop in Erie. Jamie points out that's twice as many yarn shops as we found in all of Scotland.

It takes a while to get home, but we're in no hurry. We discover that A.C. Moore is having a sale on frames, so we stop to pick up enough to frame our favorite pictures from the summer.

We're planning a celebration dinner at a nearby restaurant for the whole household. As my sabbatical ends, everybody is moving on to other things. Josh returns to Marywood University and Lauren begins her college career. Katie heads off to the Panama rain forest and Meg will visit a cousin in Syracuse. And Jamie will enjoy a week of peace and quiet with me out of the house!