Let's build a fort!
So, Friday night's cooking class with Marcus Samuelsson was great, but what a pace! Even with a few strategic interruptions & questions, I'd never have gotten food on the table without Kate's help! She shopped and prepped -- everything mis en place -- and mixed drinks... I'd never have kept up myself! The food was delicious... a collards & radicchio salad with vinaigrette, and tamarind-glazed halibut served over Carolina Gold grits. Mmm.
Saturday was low-key. It was a lovely day for a walk... and also for a nap. Feeling like I deserved the nap that I couldn't take on Thursday, I didn't set a timer like I usually do, and slept for a little over two hours.
Early Sunday afternoon, we had a scheduled disruption with our Airbnb guests -- long-term guests that have been here since just after Christmas (originally for not so long, but they've extended a couple of times). I'd ordered a new couch & scheduled delivery before I knew they were extending their stay, and Kate also needed to get some things from storage up there prior to & readying for her UK move. It didn't take long, and I sent them a couple of gift certificates for the trouble.
Just as we were finishing upstairs, Ali & the kids came over. I'd made cupcakes in the morning & we had a few presents for a low-key birthday celebration for Malina -- she'll be THREE on Thursday!
It was another nice day, even if not as sunny, and Rusty took the three big kids for a hike down along the creek (Ginny got wet).
When they returned, Junah wanted to go into "the woods" (our ravine).
Pretty soon, everyone was down there, and Kate & Ali were helping the kids make a fort, gathering & using downed trees & limbs (of which there are plenty).
I watched from the windows, at first, because this guy was napping. When he woke up, I bundled him up (it was breezy) and we watched from a comfy seat in the back yard. (He's working on Tooth #2!)
Soon enough, I was down the ravine myself, and ushered inside the fort by the general contractor (instigator) himself to share a (log) seat!
This was the view from inside (a little panorama).
I'll see their fort everyday when I open the bedroom blinds or look out back from the Garden Room!
Meanwhile, evenings have been spent crocheting and watching TV. We've recently discovered BILLIONS (fabulous cast!), and we're loving it.
I've made enough progress that my blanket can actually serve... to a degree, anyway (coverage is not complete). Haha.
I hope you had a great weekend!
I love that fort and I want to come hang out there with you and the kids! Those cooking classes are great but I agree that the fast pace is a little stressful.
Posted by: Carole | 22 March 2021 at 01:15 PM
Interesting to hear about your class. I'm going to say that I suspect the chefs think they've slowed things down for the class. I worked in a kitchen or two in my younger days and it is crazy how well timed and orchestrated everything is in a well run kitchen. Glad the food was so good.
I bet that fort gets a good amount of visiting. How fun you can look out and see it from the house. I had a playhouse my dad made out of limbs structured so my mom could look in on us from the kitchen window. Great memories.
Posted by: Robby H. | 22 March 2021 at 01:31 PM
You have such a good time with your grandkids! My parents had a wooded lot and those woods were magical. I can see your grandchildren feel the same way.
Posted by: Caffeine Girl | 22 March 2021 at 03:33 PM
I loved seeing the fort on Instagram and whoa, it's even better with more photos! and that little Davey is just too cute for words (Malina is THREE?! I hope we get birthday photos!).
Posted by: Mary | 22 March 2021 at 04:22 PM
Your fort in the woods looks just great, and the general contractor and workers did a great job! My sister and I used to build forts in the woods, and my kids loved building dams in a nearby creek. I miss those days! (And how did Malina get to be three already?!)
Posted by: Bonny | 22 March 2021 at 04:52 PM
Echoing others...how can Malina be THREE??? Already!!! And Davy - still the spitting image of Jun. I love all your posts Vicki, but especially ones with your grandkids. They are great and I love that everyone has so much fun together! The fort is super. You might need to plan to have some treats down there the next time they are over!
Posted by: Vera | 23 March 2021 at 06:52 AM
The cooking class sounds like fun but also way too fast for me -- I'd likely have just watched and cooked later! It's a good thing you had a sous chef with you to help you out (as all great chefs do).
The kids' fort is amazing. It reminds me a lot of a space where my best friend and I used to hang out when we were little. There were some sort of bushes or shrubs in her backyard and there were little hollows naturally forming in the middle of the branches, so we made it our clubhouse.
Posted by: Sarah | 23 March 2021 at 06:55 AM
I love seeing the fort!!! When my kids were little, my parents had a backyard with a "woods" down a ravine. Erin and Brian loved to go down into the "woods" and build forts. It was such fun -- and seeing your grandkiddos doing same just brought back all sorts of wonderful memories. XO
And . . . how can Malina be THREE already? And Davy has teeth already???? Wasn't he just born yesterday????? XOXOXO
Posted by: Kym | 23 March 2021 at 08:09 AM
That fort! I have such fond memories of making a fort in a sassafras grove. It was the best place!
Posted by: Kat | 23 March 2021 at 05:43 PM
What fun to build your own fort! That is the kind of thing that makes childhood!
Posted by: Helen Mathey-Horn | 23 March 2021 at 10:28 PM
Love the fort! Right in Rusty's wheelhouse. Malina can't be THREE yet- I must have slept thru the last year. Poor Davy teething is a real pain. My girls always got diaper rash when they were teething so we used a lot of Balmex.
I hope Kate has a safe trip. I'm sure you will all miss her.
Jun looks just like you.
Posted by: Robin | 24 March 2021 at 02:28 PM