Memorial Day

Spent last weekend in Columbus visiting kin. In the intervening time all of the details have been forgotten, so here are pictures with captions!

First, Sam in a new house handed down from cousin Emily. In this photo it's set up on M&D's porch, with sheets draped from it to the nearby furniture to make tunnels.

Had some fun on that porch. Monday morning a thunderstorm rolled through. Sam and I sat on the porch reading a comic-book version of Treasure Island while the lightning cracked and rumbled overhead.

Second photo: Mom's pond and garden are in full bloom, and she had Sam's assistance feeding the hungry fish.

On Memorial Day, the Westerville Collinses had the family over for a kosher-hot-dog feast. Here you see Uncle Stu and Cousin Em on Sue's new swinging bench.

The one person who doesn't show up in the group photo is Amy's friend and colleague Johnsi, who is from India and visiting Columbus' Chase branch for six months.

Johnsi's interesting in part because she's Roman Catholic as well as Indian. She reported that the Catholics aren't an embattled minority, at least not where she's from on the west coast. Though there are clear dividing lines between the RC's and the Protestants, who won't intermarry. As she put it, "We worship Jesus and Mary and pray to the saints; they only worship Jesus."

She was very pleasant, and we are hoping it was a relief to her to get out of her hotel room.

We made the rounds at the local playgrounds. You see here Stu and Em on an interesting teeter-totter.

One thing which was noteworthy about this trip: For the first time, with Sam, we made it in 6.5 hrs. He's old enough now that we didn't need to stop for a meal. So nice!