Uncle Blaine still has a lot of reading to do before he gets started on the work; but the news of the day is that we have our architect for the lab and medical center projects. I missed out on the conversation that Mom, Dad, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne had with him about the job offer, but I’m sure they all had a lot of fun with it.
They were able to have that little chat this morning when we were all mostly inside while a little rain swept through town; but it wasn’t long before the sun was out again, and we could get on with our outdoor fun plans. We only had our guests for lunch, and then most of us went over to Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam’s house; where everyone who was going out to the Ridge River Ranch was gathering before heading out there. Mom and Dad skipped the trail ride so they could stay with Ethan and Ehlana; and work on their part of the all-families barbeque that we were hosting.
Dawn, Rowen, and I had a blast on the trail ride, and got to spend most of that time with Violet while our younger cousins were doing another corral adventure with one-to-one adult support. We had ice cream snacks waiting for us when we got home, and then Dawn, Rowen, Violet, and I went for a canoe ride with Jaimie and Kaitlyn while most of the grown-ups were either helping to get ready for dinner, or taking care of the younger kids.
The whole day has mostly been fun and games for all of the kids, though Dawn and I were recruited for the after-dinner cleanup crew along with all of the teens. Chris, Martin, and Jonathan weren’t thrilled about that, but it really didn’t take long, and then we were free to go play again until dusk; when we gathered in the back yard again for the campfire. I love campfire music and scary stories, but the best part of the night was getting to listen to Uncle Adam and Uncle Blaine talk about the lab and med center. Uncle Blaine didn’t know that they were doing that specifically so Dillon and Violet could hear them talk about it, but I did; and Dillon was definitely paying very close attention to what they were saying. That was just a first little step toward his part in our future plans, and I’m sure that he liked what he heard as much as we’d hoped that he would.
With that out of the way, let’s discuss the weirdness of the night – Rebecca and Jenny hanging around with Chris, Martin, Jonathan, and a few of their friends. I may have come to grips with the fact that two of my best friends have crossed over, and are lost to me for a while, but having them look at my cousins the way they were tonight is scarier than any story Grandpa or Uncle Duncan told us. Chris isn’t as interested in them as he was last summer – probably because he’s got nearly a year of high school behind him since then – but Martin and Jonathan were both very happy with the attention.
By eleven o’clock, there were quite a few cuddling couples around the fire, and while I wasn’t really all that tired yet, the twins, Jayden, Jaimie, and Kaitlyn were all sleeping. Dawn looked ready to drop too, so we decided to help get our younger cousins off to sleep, and then came up to my room to get ready for bed too. I’ve been sitting in the alcove since Dawn and Mandy fell asleep; watching the campfire and working on my computer. I had a few notes to make in our Magi project journal that was mostly about things that I picked up around town from weekend visitors. Rebecca and Jenny had re-ignited my interest in archive records that might help Rowen and I avoid their fate, but unfortunately, I haven’t found anything so far that would help. I’m not sure if that’s because so many of the archives are written by guys, or whether there just isn’t a way to either be immunized or cured.
As I’m writing this, the campfire is starting to break up; though it looks like some of the teens are going to stay up a bit longer. With the usual holiday weekend Sunday morning rush only about five hours away from starting, though, it’s time for me to wrap this up; so...
...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!