Last Sunday, we went to Ed & Lynne’s “Parkton Cup” Croquet party. All the usual people were there, including surprise visitors all the way from Texas, Rick and Suzy.

— Croquet Finals

After the eating and after the croquet, we took Mira home for a one day / two night visit at our house. This was the first time Mira was separated from her parents. Here’s Mark and Jiajia pretending to relax as we take away their oldest child.

— Mark and Jiajia. What could go wrong?

Danita did the most to entertain Mira because I drove Dani, Gayle, and Mom to Kohl’s because Mom needed some clothes. The trip was wildly successful. So was the après shopping lunch.

— Après shopping lunch

— Fun and games with Grandma. Trust me, baking a red, white, and blue cake is much more fun than magnetic darts.

After that, Dani and Gayle flew home. We took Mira back to her parents. It was a lot for one week. We may never top it. But we got this week off to a decent start. We went mini-golfing. This is a particularly interesting course, with good use of the hills, imaginative hazards, and the world’s longest mini golf hill — a long downhill with banked turns. We haven’t been to this course in many years. It’s still a lot of fun, but it desperately needs maintenance.

I hope this finds everybody doing well.