Abby and I have the pleasure of entertaining guests this weekend, centered around Abby’s daughter Chele, husband Tom and their son, our grandson, Paul, flying in from Baltimore for a long weekend yesterday. Today we were joined by Chele’s grandmother, our defacto mother-in-law and next door neighbor Dorothy, her son Tim and his wife Loyce, Dorothy’s son Ralph and his girlfriend Darla, and one of Chele’s best friends Carlan and her husband Pete, with their kids Avery and Aiden.

Abby made three huge roasts, one vegetarian for me, and four fruit pies, and others brought side dishes, and we all had a big feast this afternoon to celebrate Paul the grandson’s first visit to Oklahoma.

Avery, who is 11, and I bonded immediately, particularly since she kept picking up every camera in sight and shooting with it. I eventually handed her a big DSLR and before the day was out, she’d made more than 500 images with it.

At early evening, Tom, Pete and I went down to the pond where we shot some of our firearms, and despite oppressive heat and the pond being completely dry, we all had a terrific time.

Abby and I are exhausted, but happy with the way the weekend is going.