Three days on an island

I have to backup a little...almost an entire year.  When Andrew's brother passed away, only one of the northeast cousins was able to come down for the funeral.  He is the youngest of Andrew's four cousins, and therefore the one closest in age to Andrew.  I've only seen him three times in the last 15 years, including almost exactly 15 years to the day when Andrew and I visited them in Boston with their then four-month-old twins.  They visited my in-laws over ten years ago and we made the trip over, but the twins didn't come along.  So their kids had never met our kids.  However, when we saw Tom at the funeral, there was much discussion and we learned how much Ryan and Thomas had in common, and they are only six weeks apart.  They began to communicate over text, then eventually conversations, and we knew we had to get them together.  Tom and his wife Stephanie invited us to their family's island in the middle of Lake Champlain.  The other twin is a girl and much in common with Catherine, and we decided we needed to make it happen!

We arrived Sunday afternoon and were picked up by boat (the only way to access the island).  It was only a ten minute boat ride, and then as soon as we stepped onto the island, the stress of everything began to just lift away.  It was amazing how the kids interacted as though they had known each other forever.  Tom and his wife could not have been more gracious hosts.  They took care of all the food for the days, and honestly, most of the time we just sat and enjoyed the gorgeous view.  The kids did some reading, played some volleyball, worked on some projects, helped out some neighbors, went kayaking, had a boat ride, sat around the campfire, helped get the boat up and down on the lift...it just goes on and on.  The shelter we were in was very tiny.  It had a functioning kitchen and room for all of us to sleep.  It has a bathroom and shower, but they don't really use it.  Their septic system is fragile and they prefer the outhouse.  I have to say, it was pretty impressive in terms of design, functionality, and not too icky!  The weather while we were there was beyond ideal.  In fact, it was chilly enough that pants and even sweatshirts were necessary.  They owned a half acre on this island, and we could all spread out while relaxing outside.  There were times I would just sit there and take in the view.  One time I was so relaxed I actually fell asleep.  Andrew and I loved the fact that there were games to play and books to read, and just visiting with each other.

Three days was exactly the right amount of time.  We were ready to move on when it was time to leave, but we loved our time there.  Andrew and I admitted to each other that we were both hesitant and apprehensive about certain aspects of this trip...not the least of which was the isolated time spent with family we didn't really know very well, with no TV or internet.  It really was awesome though.  I don't know how we will ever be able to repay their generosity!