On the Road Again After a Week at Home

Pleased to have hassle-free, on-time flights carrying us back home from Ecuador our family enjoyed connecting with hometown friends right away. Knowing we'd only have about one week in Peterborough before leaving again, we decided to stay with friends in neighboring Greenfield instead of moving back in to our packed-up home.  We were warmly welcomed by the Hannings family.

We enjoyed the social aspect of frequently eating dinners together. Baths were a treat--especially bubble baths in the jacuzzi tub!

Stacy completed the spa treatment by painting the boys' nails in glow-in-the-dark colors.

While we were in Latin America, we relied on Valli to process our mail and check on our house. Rob helped take care of some electrical work I'd left unfinished in our basement. Their helpfulness didn't stop when we arrived. They loaned us vehicles, cleared a bedroom in their house for us, and made us feel Valli's welcome words were genuine: "Mi casa es tu casa."

We packed a lot into the week. We took care of things like lawn mowing and annual planting at our house. The boys kept a busy schedule of play dates catching up with friends. Shelly and I both enjoyed connecting with local friends whether for a lunch, a bike ride, or a low-key home visit. 

The one Saturday we were in the area happened to be Peterborough's annual Children and the Arts Festival--a favorite of our family. We connected with many friends while roaming the streets that were closed to cars. Of course we caught the parade.

Faces painted and ready for the parade to come by.

This year's theme was dragons.

The boys played impromptu tag with various friends.

And we enjoyed the free programs the festival offers, including face painting, clay modeling, and an amazing marionette show. What fun!

Also important to accomplish during this week was preparation for the second chapter of our sabbatical adventure in which we will drive cross country with a heavy emphasis on camping in our national parks. We had to collect our gear from its various storage locations and purchase a vehicle worthy of carrying it all plus towing a camper that we plan to pick up half way across the country.

We've managed to fill it up and hang four bikes off the back.

It's Memorial Day and our road trip has started in Maine. Our first month should carry us through 17 states visiting friends and family. After that, it'll be time to camp our way around the western states. We'll post the good, bad, and ugly as our road trip unfolds.