A Fun Fourth ...

John arrived on the Fourth of July; it was good to see him after almost a year. The kids especially love having him around because he's just a big kid himself. Friends of Kurt & Tina's had offered their pool for the afternoon. So off we went, down the street on a hot day to a pristine pool. The friend's dog, cutie Max was at home guarding the premises. Kelsey was in charge of taking him for a walk.

Let's get Uncle John.	Tina shows Joe the proper dive position
Walking Max.

Rhode Island Delights ...

On a beautiful summer evening we went to our favorite southern state, Rhode Island. First, dinner on Federal Hill, the Italian section of Providence. John, Peter & I walked down Atwells Avenue to the outdoor plaza for a pizza dinner. On the way we stopped at Roma's for bread and a look around at all the tempting treats from meats to cannolis.

Meats at Roma's	Outdoor dining on Federal Hill.
DePasquale plaza.	Along Atwell's Avenue.

On to Pawtucket ...

It was getting near game time so we left Federal Hill for the short drive to Pawtucket. We had tickets to a PawSox game ... last year we'd seen the Portland Seadogs, the Red Sox Double A affiliate. The PawSox are one rung up at Triple A. We'd never been to McCoy Stadium before — about time, I'd say .. it's only a half hour from our house.

Our first impression was very good — free parking! The stadium looked just right from the outside, the inside was a little different with the seats raised up from the field more than usual.

Sultry evening in Pawtucket.
John picked seats along the right field line.	Ground level view.

There's something about minor league baseball ... it's the real thing, Americana embodied. People actually come to see the game — not to be seen, or because it's the in thing to do. They bring the whole family (without going into debt), know the players and are loyal to the team. Pretty sweet. And, you gotta love the minor league logos — fun, animated, just right.

John's Sendoff ...

Unfortunately the rest of John's week in Massachusetts was unusually cool and rainy. And, darn, our golf tournament had to be cancelled. But the weather turned the corner on Saturday, so we had a farewell cookout on John's last day.

Watching Kelsey & Joe.	Peter doing what he does best.
Kelsey and Erin reflect on Uncle John.

The usual routine: good grilling by Peter, fishing, kayaking, catch and hanging out. See you next summer, John ... if not sooner.

	Erin and I took a kayak trip around the lake.

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