Virginia

This afternoon we drove to Topsham to visit Richard's brother, Gregg, who is visiting from Virginia. R's mom fixed dinner (fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, peas, tomatoes) and dessert (apple pie & ice cream)... delicious! We'd planned to help celebrate their dad's birthday, but 'Pop' is off fishing, and the birthday wishes were shared via telephone call.
It's fun for me to spend time with Richard's family, because it helps me to know him better. The relational distance gives me a different perspective than when R and I interact directly. Not only does it give me better insight for R, it also helps me get to know the family better too, by listening and watching them talk with one another! The stories are great, their memories of events years ago are always interesting and varied :), and I find it fascinating to see similar facial expressions and gestures evident in each one of them.
Gregg will be back this summer with his wife and two boys for a week long vacation, and I'm really looking forward to that. The concept of family is very important to them, as it is to us. My own sisters are my best friends in the world, and it's so nice to know that my husband holds those same values with his brother. And I think the best thing to appreciate is my mom & dad, and Richard's mom and dad for the family values they've demonstrated over the years.
Virginia can be found in The Fiddler's Throne.