Reunion with Dear Friends, Part II

We had the pleasure of spending a relaxing day with our friends Jay and Erin and their kids, Hannah and Gabriel. They all got their hairs shorn in the morning, and then for dinner at noon we took them to Sanford's Grub & Pub, a relatively recent addition to the Dickinson food scene but a well established chain with stores in WY and SD. Then we got all the kids' swimming suits and brought the group to the West River Community Center for an afternoon of fun in the water. (We recently paid for a family membership, so I also took the opportunity today to get my membership card photo taken and get a tour of the very impressive facility.) The kids frolicked in the water park, and the adults visited poolside.

Afterwards Jay joined me and the kids in the Moberg van, and Susan joined Erin in their van, and we drove around town to give them a tour of the highlights. We ended up at Patterson Lake and stopped by Susan's aunt and uncle Kathy and Pat's home (they weren't home, but we thank them for letting us trespass!) for access to a closeup view of the water. It was a hot afternoon, but the breeze coming off the water was refreshing, and it was relaxing to sit on the cool grass, faces to the wind, enjoying the sight of the lake.

After we ate supper (pizzas made [burnt] on the grill), our neighbors Chuck and Reba and their kids, Madeline and Jack, came over to meet Jay and Erin and their kids. Reba knows Erin's sister (who is coming here tomorrow with her family, remember?), coincidentally! Everyone hit it off famously. The similarities between Jay and Erin's family and Chuck and Reba's family are surprising: occupations, number and sex and age-order of children, penchant for planning parties, etc. We were happy they had the chance to meet one another. It was another pleasant and late night of beverages on the veranda!

Although it looks like Gabriel is copping a feel (his dad says, "Atta boy!"), he's merely as amused as Hillary is at the way her oversized swimming suit fills up with air when she submerges herself, making her look "busty."

The gang enjoying the lakeside setting in Kathy and Pat's backyard: Susan, Abigail, Gabriel, Erin, Hillary, Jay, Hannah, and Suzanna

Cute, huh?! Gabriel, Abigail, Suzanna, Hannah, and Hillary