Ar'Ya Relaxed?

 Clever name for a getaway retreat, don't you think?

And, believe me, we intend to make the most of that suggestion this weekend.

We are at Deep Creek Lake, with adult children and grandchildren, enjoying the delightful surroundings. 

 

Ar'Ya Relaxed is perched on a wooded hill, with the lake at the bottom, although it's really only visible through the trees. 

If you walk down a bit, you can get a wee better view.

The woods are filled with birds and chipmunks and squirrels, each willing to entertain the interested viewer.  And there are plenty of spots on the grounds of this house to do just that. 

We all arrived last evening and enjoyed a lovely dinner together.  

This morning, Gramma G wasted no time getting the crew into helping make the requested Cheese Danish.

Even the youngest was having some fun!

Everyone got busy forming the danish

Then, a glaze was brushed on

Cheese filling was added, and after they were baked, Maddie put on the finishing touches.

She's got some real talent, don't you think?

Then, the crew had to patiently wait to enjoy their handiwork for breakfast.

The end result was delectable, and certainly enjoyed by all. Yum!

After a hearty breakfast, we headed to the "beach" area for some exploring while PapPap G ventured out, alone, on his kayak for some fishing.

The view was pretty spectacular with some of the trees just beginning to turn in the distance.

                                         

The kids climbed out onto the rocks for a super cute photo.

And Iris had some fun attempting to take some photos with Maddie's Polaroid Camera.

They even got a selfie!

Nearby there was a great kids' playground where Parker had a blast climbing and going down the slides.

While we were sitting at the playground, the rest of the crew had headed down to the beach and rock area in the distance.

They had had a grand time playing on the rocks, and, eventually, even ended up in the lake, from what I hear.  Amy and I had decided to take a little hike on one of the local trails, through the woods.

As you can see, a LOT of leaves had already fallen from the trees, but there were still many who were just beginning to turn, and the vibrance stood out against the green foliage making for some beautiful vistas.

We returned to the house mid-afternoon, and the rest of the day was spent in sheer entertainment.   

This little one, modeling her new swimsuit.  Isn't she a cutie?

Jim had some fun with photography

Marty and Amy ventured down for some kayaking.

And this little guy is always up for some fun, that's for sure!

But please don't let me forget PapPap and his early morning fishing.  While we were making the Danish, Pap Pap was down at the dock, practicing his skills.

Looks like all of his practicing as of late paid off!

I'd say that we had quite a full day of fun!  The weather forecast is calling for 90% rain tomorrow.  Not sure how that works for the fisherman, but we've certainly got a pretty big house full of fun here to enjoy, no matter what the day brings!

I'll keep you posted!

Cousin Time....Lots of It!

 As I have recently mentioned in a previous blog, activity has been fairly constant here, as we keep Joshua busy with lots of cousin fun.   Or....should I say.....cousin fun keeps Gramma G pretty busy?  Well, at least on her toes, that's for sure.

In the last couple of weeks, we've had plenty of cousin time.  First, with twins and baby brother in house, where we enjoyed some swimming (thanks to the generosity of my neighbor letting us use her pool)

and home made Peanut Butter Ice Cream

A big hit....obviously

Joshua taught his cousins how to use "Dawn of the Dead" to kill garden bugs

Parker helped to pick some produce

Aunt Becky directed some home made pizza baking

which was certainly appreciated by this crew

And there was some cousin story reading.

The morning was met with pancakes enjoyed out on the deck.

and, as you can see, the plates were wiped clean!

After Marty and I dropped off the three youngest, we stopped at the Shoe House for an ice cream treat.

I don't have a picture of the ice cream, but you can take my word for it when I tell you that it was delicious!

The very next morning, we were back on the road, meeting up at Stacey's place for a mini family reunion. But first, we needed to stop to bring the donuts!

Jim, Finn, Marty and Joshua headed out to do some fishing.

and when they returned, it was time for partying at Aunt Stacey's house!

Sliding

Water Guns

and water balloon launches

I brought the cake...(there was marshmallow in a hole in the middle......yummy!)

And, for the first time....ever....we were able to get a photograph of Marty and me with all of our grandchildren in one place!  (It's just too bad that I didn't look so tired.)

And then, we enjoyed some cake!

We hadn't had all of our children in one place for several years.  It certainly meant a lot to me that Stacey would host the event, and that Jim and Amy would drive out for the weekend so that we could all be together.  The weather was perfect, and the place was a buzz of activity with cousins enjoying themselves to no end.  Really....it was the perfect day.

A week later, and we had the youngest three back here in our house for a few days.

Joshua had a great time entertaining the girls with Humpty Dumpty.

He showed him his technique for removing bricks while keeping Humpty Dumpty from tumbling.

We made a quick trip to Red Caboose Park

which has multiple slides to enjoy....and they were sure to try all of them.

Back at home, Joshua helped the girls perform surgery on Mr. Potato Head....I hear he survived the experience.

And evenings were spent watching the Olympics while rooting on Team USA!

Honestly.....I'm not sure that you can come up with much more fun than that in 10 days time.  

Well, at least not without collapsing when it was over!  Which, I have not.....yet. 

I'll keep you posted.