Reunion

We just got back from vacation -- the first week was at Snow Mountain Ranch, and the second was at a gigantic house in Breckenridge, with my Peace Corps cohort.

In Breckenridge, we hiked, explored, ate well, had a dance party, tested Fireball whiskey, played Celebrity, listened to Nolan playing the guitar, read, and talked. The kids played together, checked out the hot tub, played air hockey in the basement, and explored the grounds. Throughout the weekend, I felt so lucky to have these people in my life -- people who knew me in a faraway place, so long ago, during some of the most transformational times of my life.

We went on our best hike yet with the kids at Hoosier (!) Pass, on the Continental Divide. Most of the crew went, so this is my closest approximation to a group shot of everyone, before the hike.

We bushwhacked a bit and made it above treeline, which made for great views on a perfect day. I loved walking and talking, and both Sam and Sylvie seemed to enjoy the outing.

Me, Lynne, Alison, and Shennan. 

The next day, we went on a lower-key hike along Sawmill Creek in Breckenridge. Sylvie walked almost the entire way, and we threw a lot of rocks and sticks into the creek.


We ended at a reservoir. We have found ourselves missing water features in CO, so even though this one was human-made, it was a nice spot for lunch.


It turned out that Sam's inability to sleep through the night on vacation was at least partially due to a new tooth! His top right tooth popped through while we were in Breckenridge. Also, though he's not yet crawling, he's pulling himself up to his knees and falling on his face quite a bit. Good times.


Meals were a big production, and the kitchen was huge, so teams of people could cook while others milled about.

Eric, Lia and Co. made maafe tiga, or peanut sauce, which was a staple in La Guinee. They updated the recipe with spinach and probably reduced the oil content. It was delicious.

Nolan, Herb and Co. made a gigantic paella, which was also delish.

We took an identical dinner photo at our first reunion, five years ago, at the Outer Banks. I love these people.

Casey modeled an old Lansana Conte campaign t-shirt, pagne, and bucket on her head, a la Guinee.

It's probably for the best that there wasn't any photo documentation of the dance party or whiskey tasting. Mostly it was great fun to see old friends and marvel at how lucky we are.