The Pack for Saranac

I'm taking a caffeine break (5:30 p.m. mass tonight!) as we get ready to leave early in the morning for the trek to Saranac Lake in upstate NY. I'm officially past the cheerful, relaxed not-ready stage (NRS) and into the anxious, getting cranky NRS.

Deep breath. Okay.

Here's what we're gearing up for: my parents, all my siblings, and all the grandchildren (plus a few more folks) in one sprawling house (12 bedrooms!). We'll be 33 in all! This is our third year, and for the first time my brother from California is coming with his wife.

My children (and me, too, of course) look forward to Saranac all year. Mostly it's about the cousins, but the place is amazing, too. Here are pictures from our past visits.

(Note: I'm missing some good shots because I don't want to post recognizable photos of other peoples' children until I get permission.)

The view from the house. The lake and two docks are maybe 10 feet from the deck.

My brother-in-law brings his sailboat.Boats of all sorts abound. (Not shown: Len's kayak)There's always an expedition (or two or three...) to Tommy's Rock.The view from Tommy's Rock. Note my brother-in-law's sailboat and my sister's windboard, with our house on the right.The anchored raft.A trip to Donnelly's is required. Just one flavor per day meant some (ahem) negotiating last year. This is Becca in 2007. It got even messier, believe me--hey, she was 2!

Well, back to work now. We'll be gone a full week, and it's unlikely I'll be posting anything new while we're away. I hope your week is as fun (and noisy and cool and conversational and connected) as ours. God bless you!