This past Saturday we took Ava along to an annual neighborhood pig roast we get invited to. It’s a good time. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate, and a squall blew in and soaked everything just as the pig was coming out of the pit. It rained pretty hard for a bit, and then everyone came back outside and continued to eat, drink, and be merry.
There were a number of other kids there, and at one point Ava took part in a dance party with five or six other little girls. It was a riot. She had a great time.We brought along our friend and neighbor C.J., whose partner Jae Jae is off in London for two months doing research. We explained to C.J. in no uncertain terms that this was a pig roast, and that a strict vegetarian like himself may want to watch where he sticks his fork, but he was typically unfazed and quite gracious about the whole thing. He wasn’t the only vegetarian in the crowd by a long shot, and there was a lot of outstanding food to eat that didn’t have a hint of meat in it. The mojitos and sangria were meat-free, too. Still, it’s a slightly uncomfortable feeling to stand next to a vegetarian and watch an entire roasted pig come off the fire. It probably bothered me more than it did him.
On Sunday morning we packed up the car and drove down to Burlington, IA for a picnic lunch overlooking the Mississippi River with my mom — who had just returned from a weeklong bike ride across WI with her friend Roma — and my brother. We dined at our friends Bob and Judy’s place, which sits high atop a bluff with a gorgeous view off into IL (no, really, it’s a lot prettier than it sounds). The weather was fantastic, and we all had a nice time sitting around in the yard while the speedboats and barges skimmed across the water far below.
Ava did a fairly good job dealing with an interrupted schedule, which is good, because we’ve been invited to another shindig this coming weekend that I’m eager to take her to. She’ll also have to get used to napping on the fly when we travel up to N. MN in August. There’ll be lots to do on our annual family vacation in Grand Marais, and Ava’s old enough this year that she’ll have a great time exploring the lake and hiking with Grandma Georgie.