Friday the 13th in Dunlow, West Virginia

Isabelle and me.

The curtain is pulled aside and the scene unfolds:

     The day is Friday, September 13th, 2013. The location is the Cabwaylingo State Forest. A family unpacks their things in a rustic cabin by the creek late at night. Six children, all cousins, skip merrily out of the house and down the lane, lanterns bobbing in their hands. Oh, yeah, and there's a wildcat with them, too. They're off to their grandparents' cabin, a mile down the stretch of one-lane road. They are singing and laughing, innocent as to what is lurking behind a monstrous oak just ahead. A man waits with a chainsaw, his teeth bared in an evil smile. He revs up the chainsaw and jumps out from his hiding place. The children scream, standing there alone and unprotected--
     Not really!

Looking out over the creek.

     But that was true up until the chainsaw part. Rebecca's mom's family had a reunion, and we stayed in cabins in the State Forest.
     The first thing I heard the next morning was pounding and screaming. I jumped up and fell out of bed.
     "Ruffians!" I cried. But no, it was Rebecca's cousins telling her and Isabelle that it was time for breakfast in the other cabin.
     "It's alright, Tsarmina," yawned Rebecca. They got up and the cousins dragged us the practically the whole way down the long road, which seemed much longer in the daylight.
     During the excruciating wait for more relatives to arrive, the cousins and I walked back and forth between the cabins. Good exercise. And then we had to wait even more for the food to cook. And then Rebecca was told to run back to the first cabin and fetch the forgotten pasta salad, so she waited even longer. But I told her not to worry. I guarded her plate. And then a cousin had to take it away and guard it from me. Hmph.
I also guarded the lemon cake:

There is NOT icing on my face! No, there's not!

The vegetables, however, sat cold and alone.

The adults sat and talked (boring!) We target shot toy arrows and BB guns-- although it was a little difficult for me to load the gun (not having fingers, and all). So Elijah did it for me.

Scary, right? I think I'd feel safer with the chainsaw murderer!

At some point, some of us got bored with playing militia and climbed on top of the wood shed.
These are some rare one-of-a-kind scenes that you will only see if you are a member of Rebecca's family, or a reader of this blog:

Grandmothers playing football

Girls who prefer to enjoy their s'mores reduced to ashes.

Children playing with fire-- just kidding! They were supervised.

Breadmaking in August -- Rio Rancho, NM

 

Seriah loves to be artistic. . . even when baking bread!

(She braided it and brushed it with egg-whites before baking it)

 

 

I don't remember the exact day this was...August was super busy.

 

August 24th 2013 -- Bible Bee!!! Rio Rancho, NM

Ah! Today was Seriah's very first Bible Bee. It's a good thing I was there for emotional support, she was so nervous! There were some girls from church competing too, and that helped as well. Seriah didn't place, but she still got a medal for participation:

A (relieved) proud Seriah in the car after the Bee. She did better than she hoped,
even though she didn't study as much as she should have!

August 16th 2013 -- In The Air!!!

Here is a picture of Seriah and I in the plane. (I think this is before lift off, but I'm not sure.)

While in flight, Seriah and Grant switched, so that I could see out the window. But whilst Seriah's elbow was resting innocently on the armrest, she felt a small poke! on the back of her arm. One minute later, poke! This time Seriah was ready: she reached around and poked the attacker on the nose; a little girl, probably around four years old. Well, then Seriah told the girl that I was her pet cougar!!! As if! I am NOT a pet. More like a traveling companion...

 

Here is a photo of me and Grant. Grant got to sit next to the window for the first 2 hours and Seriah the next two.

August 14th -- *In The Evening*

Well, Seriah and I were sad to leave Rebecca, especially after the fun afternoon we had, but we knew it couldn't last forever. It's a good thing that we got to go to the Lakeside Creamery so that Seriah had something to distract her. Above, Seriah and I pose in the boat in front of the Creamery docks.

Here we are eating lemon ice-cream (in a waffle cone) and being silly in front of a map of Deep Creek Lake.

 

That's a long way down!

August 14th, 2013-- WV

 Seriah Visits MD

     Seriah flew in from New Mexico last week, and she and Rebecca met up today for the first time in a year and 3 months! We had lunch at Dottie's Café inside Englanders'. Well, Rebecca and Seriah had lunch. I had to stay hidden, because apparently the other customers aren't used to seeing a mountain lion in a restaurant!

Rebecca, Seriah and I outside the bookstore in Oakland. It took all my willpower to drag them out of the store. Bookworms!

 

In The Transportation Museum: 

 

 Seriah signed a guestbook at the front desk, writing that she was from NM, and the gentleman there couldn't figure out why Rebecca was wearing a Preston High T-shirt if she lived in New Mexico.  So I had to explain to him that Seriah was from New Mexico and Rebecca was from West Virginia. And that Seriah was visiting. He had never seen a talking mountain lion before.

 

 

Here is Seriah, posing next to an old-fashioned saddle (which I had fun sitting on-- for once I was taller than Rebecca!)

 

We walked around some more, and I made the acquaintance  of a very odd bear riding a rusty bike..... I think his name was Corduroy or something.....he was trying to hide from the security guard......

 

 

There was a sign on the elevator that said "No children under the age of 12 allowed on elevator without adult supervision." Well, Rebecca and Seriah are over 12, but we took the stairs anyway. Upstairs, there was a snowmobile:

 

 

There was also a giant yacht, but we didn't get a picture of that.

 

Garret County History Museum

 

 This is how you would have to make yarn to knit with if you lived in 19th century, Seriah!

 

At the museum, Seriah's favorite room was the log cabin, and Rebecca's was the Victorian room.

 

Mirror, mirror, in the Victorian hall, who's the fairest of them all?

 

 

This is what Rebecca would have to wear in the marching band if this was 1933!

 

 

 But only tragedy would await me in the dreaded train room:

The things I do for this blog!

Seriah thought it would be a good photo opportunity. So they tied me up with embroidery thread and thrust me onto the tracks-- right in the path of a speeding train!!!! (just kidding, it was not running)

 

In the Library:

 

We waited in the library for Rebecca's Grandma to pick us up and take us to Rebecca's house. We found this magazine in the adult section:



Can't you see the family resemblance?



 

At the Church:

Bye! Seriah and I are headed back for NM on Friday.

 

August 10th, 2013-- WV

     Rebecca and I spent the night at her friend Sidney's house. There were so many other cats! There were eleven the first day (seven big ones, four kittens), and then this morning we went outside to get in the truck, and the cats were screaming! There was a new sound, though.
     "Mew," it shrieked. "Reeeeeeeekkkkkkkkk!" After careful search, we found a new kitten behind some boxes.

Sidney held it for a minute. A grey cat with a crescent shape on its chest watched warily. It was her baby. She let us play with it for a minute...

 

Then picked it up...

 

Carried it off...

 

And hid behind a tank in the garage.

 

 

Judging by the speed with which she ran, I don't think she approves of our friendship with her baby. 

     So, anyway, now Sidney's garage has twelve cats.

     We decorated aprons together (since Rebecca and Sidney are forever making messes in each others' kitchens), looked at old pictures, jumped on the trampoline, and then talked all night.

     We also climbed out the window, just for the fun of it!