Mike and Margo and Bob and Ann

Hard to believe that it's been over a week since Mike and Margo left.  They came last week just for a (too short) 2-day visit.  Margo's son Rich lives in Atlanta; they had flown there for Mother's Day and drove down to visit Bob and myself and Dad.

Mike *finally* took me up on my dare to take him on the Tree to Tree adventure. As his little sister, I was going to drag him on the entire two-part course and whop his backside.  But I am also a good hostess--the weather had turned hot (in the 90s) and he was going to have to drive (or at least) ride back to Atlanta--and I made the command decision that we were going to do the lower course only.  He thought I was wimping out at first--until he finished it and decided that it really was enough.

It's not the obstacles that get to you, and definitely  not the zip lines.  It's the fact that you have to keep ducking under the shoulder-high safety lines--so the lower course alone makes you do 30-something deep-knee bends.  After awhile, your knees and thighs are not your friends.

For some reason, Bob and Margo elected to stay on the ground.

Here's Mike on his first set of steps.

 

 

 

And the two of us gazing down at the groundlings below

 

Mikey showing off

 

Mikey on the surfboard

 

Mikey wondering why the surfboard left him behind

 

 

Ann in an Art Shot

 

 

The next day we opted for something a bit less physical and went to a shop I had been curious about--The Smashing Olive--an olive oil and vinegar tasting store.  I wasn't really certain about what to expect--but it was this.

 

 

 

(There's a couple of other sets of urns that you can't see in this shop).  About 20 or so different olive oils, and another 20+ of balsamic vinegars.  The proprietor was great--neither pushy nor impatient, she explained about the differences, gave some advice, pointed out the bread should we want it, and left us to our tasting.  Later she gave us small cups of ice cream--a syrupy aged balsamic on ice cream is surprisingly good.   Of course, having been given our heads, we walked out with an armload of various bottles.

 

 

Here I think Mike is expounding on the virtues of the oils, while Margo is showing that patient look that people get so often around my brother  :-)

 

Margo had her own agenda on this trip--to get a major cat-fix.  I am proud to report that the cats did their best to enable her, with Apache greeting her the moment she got out of the car.  She took something like 64 pictures of cats--with these being the pick of the bunch.  I've posted about various cats from time to time, but never all seven at once.  My gracious--but that's a lot of cats.

 

Apache, who is rough on our egos because he tries to get adopted by anyone who comes by

 

Poohka, who always looks sad and is convinced that all the other cats get more attention that she does (the truth is the opposite--she gets the most because she's so needy)

 

Nazgul, the former (and now failed) feral, who has decided that having servants is better than the wild life

 

RiverSong, the impudent

 

Noko Marie, the eternally surprised

 

Wilhelm, the smartest (and therefore the biggest pain in the backside) cat we have ever known

 

And even the elusive Fiona.  Fi does not like people other than Bob and I to see her. We've had friends who have house sat for us and lived here without seeing her.  But the collection wouldn't have been complete without the Queen of the household

 

 

Alas--Mike and Margo had to get back to their own lives.  Two days is too short--much good talk, much laughter, much fun, and we all got a bit too tired.  That's what a vacation is about, right?