July 2, 2010. Artemas, Pa. Visiting Relatives.

Gary and Diana, at their country place, are entertaining relatives from Texas, three generations of relatives. Gary's cousin and her husband, one son and daughter-in-law and three grandchildren, all staying in their house so Gary and Diana and Jeff and Tim are staying in our old farm house to sleep, similar to our routine in Nova Scotia when our homes overflow with guests. Fortunately for us, we were invited for dinner last evening at their home. It was a lovely evening.

Three generations of one family is always interesting especially when the weather is wonderful and the wine is flowing. In addition the food was delicious, smoked salmon with the trimmings for an appetizer and barbecued brisket, potatoes and squash for dinner. But the best part was the people. The parents live in Denton, Texas and are very familiar with the Hill Country. He is retired and they love to travel, along with their three dogs, especially in the US, so we swapped many stories. Their son and his family live in New Jersey with their children and dog. Together we had eight adults, five children and five dogs. Everyone behaved themselves very well, except for the adults, but it was an interesting and lively bunch. When the children went to bed we eight adults dined on the deck, watching the sunset and eating and drinking and talking. We took to discussing how we met and finally connected, beginning with the two families, then each of the two couples. The Denton folks camped on their honeymoon for one month, where the wife had never camped before. She wrote thank-you notes in the tent by the light of the lantern. It was great fun.

One aspect of a successful party is the inclusion of new people, especially when the new people are lively and interested in life. Last evening we had it in spades. I am so pleased to have met this family and soon I bet they come to Nova Scotia.