Summer is half over!

I wish I had pictures to post with this, but words will have to do, until I can find my camera.  Vacation/Convention was great, again!  I think we took advantage of nearly every minute of available time off. Here's the chronicle:
Day 1:  We were packing and doing our best to start our vacation by last Saturday afternoon.  In the morning, the whole family got involved in the yardwork so we wouldn't return to a jungle.  We also tried to do some repairs on the camper, so we could have stored or running water (we didn't get all the leaks, so we had to live with filling and refilling gallon jugs for basic sanitation).  Everything we needed and lots more was packed, and we shoved off at 4:30 p.m.  A pitstop in Lincoln was a delightful experience ... a quaint, rustic, indoor shopping spot and some rather good southern barbecue at the Pig's Ear.  We had pulled pork sandwiches on garlic-buttered texas toast, fresh-cut fries, baked beans and coleslaw, bottomless glasses of lemonade and sweet tea, a roll of paper towels and a bottle of BBQ sauce (very good!) on the table.  There was enough variety on the menu to make us want to visit again.  Looking forward to that!  Once on the road, again, we didn't stop until we reached our destination.  Parked by the restrooms, we decided to just stabilize the camper and climb into bed.  Busy days ahead ... no need to waste good sleeping time!
Day 2:  A special day with a lovely meeting in the morning, a picnic lunch with friends, a quick grocery run so we could have something to share at the supper potluck, then a slideshow of an Ireland/South Africa vacation while thunder, lightening and rain stole the scenic view (and sometimes our attention) from the top of the hill, followed by food with friends, again!  The last to leave, we returned to our camper and proceeded to relocate it to our usual spot.  Ahhh.
Days 3-5:  Prep days kept us busy and tired us out so we slept like babies every night, to the sound of the running stream and the woodland noises.
Days 6-9:  Convention.  Can't blog that ... too impossible to put into words.  You'd have to be there.  Sure glad we were.  When the last meeting was over, we reluctantly proceeded to pack to leave.  Ashley stayed, so we separated her things from ours and she moved into the barn dorm for the night.  Hugs and goodbyes, and then some sorrow and tears on the road, and we were on our way home.  The year will go by faster than we realize ... again!

Today:  The alarm clock was not all that welcome a sound, but up we rose to get back to the regular days of living.  It seems to have rained every day, while we were gone, so the garden is just spilling over with zukes and cukes.  Todd says there are green beans ready, too.  Hannah picked all the cukes and zukes that she could.  She said she sees a good head of broccoli and some nice green tomatoes and even a few peppers, but didn't pick any.  Hope they can wait until tomorrow.  I haven't even seen it, as I was busy with restocking the empty cupboards, after a grocery excursion.  Now, I must get back to that pile of green veggies to make some sense of the collection.  I hoped for an early night, but these things never work out.