Labor Day in CT

We had quite the Labor Day adventure this year... we arrived in CT just days after the entire Northeast was devastated by Hurricane Irene.  The power was still out in half of the state and as luck would have it, 1918 was still in the dark.  But we were determined to have a great time and to enjoy our visit with all of the Mack family!  We luckily had the good fortune to have a free night at a Marriott hotel, and we booked a room down the road at the local Residence Inn for the first night.

The following day, we imposed upon the generous hospitality of Uncle Peter and Aunt Nancy (and Cousin Sarah!) and moved down to Southport for two nights.  Aunt Nancy was smart enough to have saved all of her little girl toys in the attic, and Virginia put all of them to use: baby carriages, play kitchens, tea sets, and more!  It was a little girl's dream come true.  When the power finally was restored to 1918 and it was time to move on, we had a hard time getting Virginia to agree to move out.

It was nice to have a few nights in 1918 as well (for the uninitiated reader, 1918 is Thomas's grandmother's house, and it is about to become the home of Thomas's Uncle John and Aunt Joyce).  Virginia spent plenty of time splashing in the pool and remarking about the fallen trees that the hurricane left behind.  Thomas and I spent lots of time going through old photos and boxes in an effort both to help John and Joyce clean out decades of Mack family junk and also to find information for our ongoing genealogy efforts.

The weekend was filled with lots of Mack socializing... a trip up to Yale for a Thai Taste lunch, dinner at the von Eulers' home, a visit to Rawley's (of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives fame) for milkshakes, and a cookout at the Steven Macks.  Virginia loved seeing all her cousins and we were amazed at how quickly she learned everyone's names.