This was a week full of family and friends. Everyone converged on Glenny and Kyle’s house on Saturday as Margeaux and Nestor and Freya flew in to Sacramento. Next day we had a get together and meal including Dacia and Miller and Makai. Makai got to met Freya, and we had delicious food: amazingly tender brisket by Kyle, delicious broccoli salad and macaroni salad by Glenny, crunchy dill tomato and cucumber salad by Dacia, and homemade baked beans by Miller. We had a great time and ate ourselves into oblivion.

We arrived back in Tahoe on Monday. Unfortunately, Kyle had to stay in Folsom to work, but planned to meet us in Tahoe on Wednesday. When we arrived here, there was a hint of haze from the Oak Fire at Yosemite, but no smoke smell, and the mountains were still quite visible. Over the week the haze has become negligible as the fire became increasingly contained, 52% as of this writing. We cooked out Glennis’ delicious, marinated chicken thighs. Glennis and Kyle have been incredible about bringing and preparing food and snacks. They also have brought lots of gear to make cabin living more fun and comfortable, such as deck chairs, coolers, games, and two hammocks! Tommy and I feel very grateful, pampered and spoiled.

Tuesday we all hiked a section of the Tahoe Rim trail to Castle Rock, Freya included. She is quite the traveling baby, having been to France, to Harker’s Island, Charlottesville, and now California! The views were beautiful and we enjoyed taking photos, looking at the plant life, and chatting.

We had an early dinner of baked salmon and roasted vegetables as Margeaux and Nestor and Freya had a photography session booked on a nearby beach. They looked gorgeous in their nice clothes. We will have to wait several weeks to see the proofs.

Wednesday, Margeaux and Nestor had a “date” morning kayaking and visiting a local eatery, “Sprouts”, and a coffee shop after. Glennis worked remotely, and also assisted Tommy and I babysitting Freya. She is a joy. Very good-humored and hot to explore her environment via her hands and her little cute scooting maneuver. We went to dinner as a family at the Riva grill. We had a great table outside on the deck, and the food and service was wonderful.

Thursday, the whole group, (including Kyle who arrived mid-day Wednesday) went out on a pontoon  boat for the afternoon. The weather was great and the water was clear and cold. We had lunchmeat wraps and fruit to eat and plenty of drinks. Once again, Freya was a real trooper, although she was not best pleased with the bulky and somewhat restrictive Coast Guard approved safety vest. They really take child water safety seriously here (as they should!). If the water police see an infant or child not wearing a life vest, it is a $1600 fine to the driver of the boat! Dinner was another incredible grill preparation by Kyle of beef tri-tip. It smelled and tasted heavenly.

Friday the four adult kids went parasailing while Tommy and I enjoyed the morning with Freya. The kids enjoyed the adventure and then visited a local brewery.

We had a late lunch of Glenny’s Thai marinated chicken wings, smoked and grilled by Kyle. Then there was a flurry of packing as Margeaux, Nestor, Freya, Glenny and Kyle got ready to drive to Sacramento. They stayed overnight with Glenny and Kyle and headed out to the airport on Saturday morning. The cabin seems very quiet when we are inside. We miss our much loved guests but are grateful we had so much quality time with family.