Dear Brian, Margaret, Mom and Dad, Tyler, Eileen, Meghan, Cormac and Liam, Colleen, Fiona, Piper, Roger, Cliff and Michael, Leah and Katie,

I miss you all already, so here are some last thoughts now that I am back home.

Dad, call Tyler and he will walk you through the Apple TV Pandora link. He thinks it might be all set and he has the best knowledge in the tech area. Sorry you and I didn’t get to it with the Tour keeping the TV occupied.

I missed starting the day with you today drinking coffee and reading the papers.

Mom, you’re awesome. I'm impressed how well you're recovering; enjoy the rest of summer lakeside.

Sentry is going to miss you now that you don’t need groceries every half-day. By the way I know you think you have a lot of bugs, but I had lots of ants and spiders move in while I was gone.

Brian, it was fun seeing you sitting on something other than a bike. Imagine that’s the first horse ride at the farm a ¼ mile down the road in all the years mom and dad have been there. Nice work Katie.

Margaret, per our conversation about fridge management- it might be a male thing. Ron left all this stuff in the fridge to rot and it took me 30 minutes to sort it out when we came home yesterday.

Thanks again for being the daughter on the scene for mom and dad. The rest of us appreciate that a lot. Hope your van gets a break now!

Cormac and Liam, I trust today’s bike race goes as well as Friday’s. You’re both really dedicated riders, thus the hammock got a lot of use on off days. It was fun hanging with you, though I didn’t get to ask you about how your school year went, and what you’re reading. Imagine that!

Colleen, Fiona and Piper, how are your gardens and Chance? I bet you’re picking like crazy.  Much of our dinner last night was from the garden- peas, broccoli, and spinach. My gardens look great but need more harvesting. Any volunteers? Was Chance glad to have you back home? Izzy did well at the kennel and was nice and clean when I picked her up, but now she’s under the deck lying in the dirt, so back to normal for her.

Eileen, Leah, Tyler and Meghan, 

I kept thinking of you 20-something flyers as we were traveling back east. If you’re flying and the flight starts getting delayed – know your rights and be suspicious. Is the aircraft there, why no seat #s, don’t rely only on the terminal monitors. Our flights back to Portland were eventually cancelled (as on our way to Milwaukee). Using the customer service reps we had backup seat the next AM reserved before our flight was cancelled because of the continual delays. Plus as you know, if it’s their fault, hotel and food vouchers are your due.

The Intercontinental Hotel in Chicago was as sleek and contemporary as the last time we were all stranded there. Not really such a treat under the circumstances though. Ron and I are done using United – way too common to have issues with them.

Roger and Cliff, there are no gentlemen with such manners as both of you have here in Maine (sorry Ron).

Michael, there are no such sleepy faced 12 year olds coming down to breakfast here and looking for peanut butter and toast either.

Don’t worry everyone, I’ll stay away from bike races for awhile. It’s bad for my nerves and affects my coffee intake.

I’ll miss swimming with you all in the lake and planning, preparing, eating and cleaning up those yummy meals for 19!

Ron and I will try to be as good of hosts as mom and dad when we see you all in NH in August. We know the company will be good, but don’t expect the digs to be as nice as Chez Dunns, Lake Nagawicka.

Love,
Katie