Dinner and a Movie

The good news is that the rain didn't kill our fire, and once it stopped, we added dry wood and got it roaring.

I wrapped the garlic bread in numerous layers of aluminum foil and laid it on a piece of wood that was surrounded by fire. It didn't come out perfectly baked, but it was good enough.

The spaghetti and meatballs made for a good dinner. I packed a bag of frozen Ikea meatballs in the freezer, and I have to say, they're pretty easy to work with - either doing the Swedish version or in spaghetti sauce. I'll definitely be packing those again.

We introduced the kids to the tv show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" with Drew Carey and other comics and they loved it. They didn't understand all of it (and neither Jeff nor I were ready to volunteer explaining what "porn" was) but they liked the adlibbing and nuttiness of it. The kids didn't ask any questions, unlike earlier in the trip when, while watching golf on ESPN, Henry asked why you should have your heart checked before having sex. (And fortunately for me, didn't ask what sex was.) I was cooking and shrugged it off - and Jeff owes me for not saying: "go ask your father." Thank you ESPN and Viagra commercials.

I brought two books along for the trip, a bargain book I picked up at Barnes and Noble and "My Life in Paris" by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme. I liked the Child book, and it made me want to pick up one of her cookbooks and learn how to make a proper French omelet and roast chicken. As for the aspic, terrines and certain fish dishes, I think I'll pass.

After the kids and Jeff fell asleep, I put the "Julia and Julie" DVD in the tv and watched a movie in bed. The movie is partly based on the book, so I thought it might be fun to watch. I liked the movie and thought Meryl Streep did a great job playing Julia Child.

We agreed before going to bed that we would hit the road at 8:00 a.m., and we held pretty close to that. Jeff was up first and packed up everything on the outside and disconnected the water, electric and sewer hoses. So as not to mess up the kitchen, we picked up pancakes at the campground cafe. KOA campgrounds often have very good pancake breakfasts and the kids like to take advantage of them whenever they can.

It was an uneventful drive home. Since we were on Route 287 near my parents' house, we dropped in for a quick visit. By 10:30 a.m., we were back on the road and were home by 3:30 p.m. after hitting a little traffic the closer we got to home.

It was a nice vacation. As always, we wish we had more time, but there's always the opportunity for another trip.