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Johanna and Dan

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Well, to be more precise, we’ve got Family in Pennsylvania. And we went to visit them last weekend.

The ocassion? Cousin Johanna’s Wedding. (Congratulations Johanna and Dan!)

It was Catherine’s first long road trip and she did very well in the car. We didn’t have to stop any more times than usual; we just timed our stops according to her schedule. The drive did take a little longer than normal because our stops were longer than we’re used to. As always, Peter and I loved the drive, and the ‘us’ time that it allows us.

Before the wedding we had the opportunity to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa Wood and Aunt Kirsten and Uncle Mark. We even took a nice swim in the hotel pool! The warmer water and more quiet atmosphere made the experience much better for Baby Catherine. She really enjoyed being in the water, and Mom and Dad had fun with her there, too!

Johanna and Dan had a lovely wedding. The torrential rain was nice enough to taper off by noon leaving a bright, sunny day! By a stroke of amazing luck everyone from Peter’s side of the family was in attendance. Grandparents, aunts and uncles, grandkids and great grandkids! (See Catherine with her [great](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/events/2006/johannas_wedding/before_the_wedding/P1100648.JPG.html) [grandparents](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/events/2006/johannas_wedding/before_the_wedding/P1100649.JPG.html)!) The wedding photographer got a large group photo. What an opportunity!

To everyone in PA (see all pics from the weekend here) it was great to see you (or to meet you in Catherine’s case). We hope to see you again soon!

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*Waved the Dads off on the “Daddy Boat”

*Bought some zucchini with Mom and some limeade with Peter at the West Tisbury Farmer’s Market

*Belted out some songs at the Community Sing with Mom and H

*Watched glass bowls being made at Martha’s Vineyard Glass Works.

*Ate her fair share of an “Oink” with some family members

*Attended her first parade: the annual Festival of the Holy Ghost parade

*And she took a dip in the Ocean.

*She was so lucky to get to spend time with a ton of people! Grammy, the Delisles, H and E, Allison, Cindy, Auntie Marcia, Uncle Kevin, Matt and Christine, the Homoleskis, Uncle Corey, Beth, Auntie Susie, Nancy and Casey, Grandpa, John and Roberta, Craig and Edie, many, many others, and, of course, Mom, and Dad!

A multitude of photos from the week can be found here.

This weekend, Becky and I went down to [Martha’s Vineyard](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha’s_Vineyard) for the first time this summer. It was definitely a lot later than we usually head down – normally we’re down by Memorial Day weekend… but we were just a tad [busy](http://prwdot.org/2006/05/27/a-dramatic-arrival/) then, and have been in the weeks since.

For the benefit of those who have just recently started following our blog, let me give you a little background on Martha’s Vineyard. Becky’s parents own a cottage in the [MVCMA](http://www.mvcma.org/) campground in [Oak Bluffs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Bluffs%2C_Massachusetts), a town in the northeast corner of the island of Martha’s Vineyard. It has been her family’s tradition for over 20 years to come to “The Island” during summer vacation to rest, relax, and play. Up until the summer Becky and I got married, Becky would go down to the island every summer for the whole summer, along with her brother and mom. Her dad would come down on weekends on the “daddy boat”. After we got married, Becky and I would regrettably go down only on the weekends.

It’s hard to explain the Lowe Martha’s Vineyard experience. It’s not the typical tourist experience, which involves coming down for a weekend to see the sights, eat at restaurants, party at night, and stay at the inns. The Lowe experience involves relaxing afternoons sitting on the swing in front of the cottage… walking down to the beach for a swim… having a home cooked meal on the picnic table in the yard… taking the kayak out into the pond. I didn’t get it when I first came to the island – I was looking for the typical tourist experience, and that just wasn’t what the Lowes were about. Eventually I grew to love it for what it was… a retreat from the bustle of the real world.

You can see [photos from this past weekend](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/travels/2006/vineyard_july_7-9/) on the island. Becky and Catherine are staying down there all this week, and I’ll be joining them once again, on the “daddy boat”, this coming weekend.