Spring Break Chapter 3- the rest of the trip

We moved into the rectory on Sunday morning and headed to church. Uncle Dickie celebrated his last mass at St. James that morning and a party followed to reflect on his career. Party photos:


Robert jams on the organ during the party- look out Chenaults!


After such a huge and draining day, Patty and Dickie extended an invitation for us to join them for dinner, on Sunday and Monday- yahoo!
Chillin' at the Downings

We had the chance to spend one-on-one time with both of them, such a treat. The kids had Noggin, we had champagne. :) The evening took an exciting turn when Robert yelled from upstairs, "Esther has so much lotion on her body that she is leaving tracks!!%^*&%^&$*^$" My precocious little Bean had managed to smear Burt's Bees Farmer's Hand Salve in thick globs all over her face, tummy, arms, legs and FEET. Indeed, her feet were slick with it and she was leaving tracks of lavender-scented beeswax all over the hardwood floor. I could hardly walk on the floor where she had been. Patty and Dickie just laughed.

On Monday morning Robert awoke in his dad's bed because his own bed "was going up and down" in the wee hours of the night. Kinda strange considering that his bed "was going up and down" during naptime the day before. Uncle Dickie explained that a ghost has been seen in the room where the kids stayed. The rectory is a mysterious and magnificent building. Complete with grand staircase, servant stairs, servant quarters and the creepiest cellar ever, the Burlington kids (Steph, JP, Jen and Rob) grew up staying there with their godfather. The walls are embedded with memories.

We stepped out as tourists on Monday morning. It was fun to bop through the Air and Space museum and the Native American museum and see what interested the kids there. I spotted some beautiful cherry blossoms. Robert took a lot of photos of his own: