Memorial Day Weekend Highlights

Even though I'm antsy to get out on the river as early as possible every spring, Memorial Day weekend always signals the official beginning of summer and "boating" season.  The weather cooperated this year and the hot temps definitely made it feel like summer!  I had a great long weekend in Williamsburg with family and friends...celebrating multiple birthdays, grilling out, cooling off and hanging with neighbors in the river, early morning waterskiing trips, and just enjoying a chance to relax.  It was the longest (and much needed) break that I have had from work in quite awhile.

 Celebrating Mom's birthday at Plaza Azteca

(our favorite mexican food spot)

 Can't go to Plaza without getting their guacamole dip!

 Gluten free coconut cake and homemade ice cream. 

This was my first experiment with baking a gluten free cake...it turned out pretty well, I think.  After my fill from the weekend, I'm no longer feeling cake deprived. :)

Mom's new wine glass.  It's not exactly her style but I told her that having a lid solves the problem of gnats getting into her red wine while enjoying outside! 

Dad's latest nickname is "Old MacDonald" due to all the animals/wildlife all over my parent's yard and his care for the baby ducks.  We discovered this tiny baby bunny in our back walkway over the weekend.  So cute. 

It was a very exciting (at least from the Newtons' perspective) weekend for our ducks.  My Dad's intention was to keep the ducklings protected in our yard for a few more weeks until they were mostly grown.  Unfortunately, the ducks had other plans!  Our neighbors called us late Sunday evening to let us know the ducklings had escaped and were running free in our yard.  We ran out just in time to see the last one jumping off of the dock into the canal.  We couldn't believe it!  Dad just stood there in shock...maybe experiencing some sort of empty nest syndrome. Other neighbors were just as interested in the big event and gathered in their backyard to watch the first swim for the 4 ducklings.  We were all hesitant to leave them out there for the night but knew that it was time to let them go. 

Mom was outside before 7am the next morning looking for them to make sure that they had made it through the night.  They were perched on some rocks by the water in our next door neighbors yard.  Of course, we were concerned about them not being able to get back into our yard.  We went out skiing on Monday morning and came home to find this...

The ducks were back in our yard!  We were all relieved that the babies figured out how to get up the rocks and back onto land.  Obviously, they had a wild night out swimming all evening so they slept for a good part of the day. 

Home, sweet, home.  We later found the ducks hanging out (and sleeping more) right outside the pen that they had been living in for weeks.  I suppose this means that they liked it after all. 

I feel a little silly writing so much about our ducks, but I guess you could say that we've all grown attached to them and have adopted them as our "pets".

And, of course, some fun on the river...

 What a great Memorial Day weekend!