We had a marvelous afternoon and evening at Jamie and Amy's house on Thursday. We stayed with Noah and Ava while Jamie and Amy were gone, and such a great time we had! To be honest, I spent most of my time happily observing Cia and the kids interacting in totally charming ways. She is a natural teacher of children, with her contagious enthusiasm, loving sincerity, and endless fountain of ideas. Most special for me was watching them play "hide and go seek". Cia hid and searched with her usual fervor, finally deciding to hide under the clothes piled by the washer. She asked me to cover her with the clothes, and I hesitated, thinking this was the craziest idea I had ever heard -- but I did it, and it ended up being the best memory of the day for all of us. 

Cia and her buddies

It was a great day for us in another way. In the morning, we took our first canoe trip of the summer, a 90 minute invigorating paddle on the Mystic River. It was a warm morning, and I could have used a little less sunshine and a cooler breeze, but it was a special time for us, nonetheless -- the first of many river and lake excursions this summer.