We’re having a very family weekend this first weekend in October.  My aunt in Ithaca is celebrating her 60th birthday and my uncle is throwing a big party for her tomorrow.  We left the house this morning and made it to the Finger Lake region in record time, but it was an extremely disappointing drive.

Not because of the girls, mind you, although they were definitely sick of the trip after a couple of hours and they didn’t hesitate to share their misery with us.  The trip was disappointing because there is no fall foliage to speak of – and yet the leaves should have been vibrant at this time of year.  The region’s endured so much rain over the last couple of months that there’s just one color:  brown.  Brown everywhere.  The falling rain didn’t add much to the scenery, either.

In any case, the lack of color is neither here nor there.  We spent the remainder of the day with my aunt and uncle, our cousins, my cousin’s boyfriend (who’s really a part of the family now) and my mom.  We went to a huge used book sale.   Thousands of books.  Despite the overwhelming choice, Chloe immediately decided that there was nothing worthwhile to buy.  She methodically set aside any book written prior to 2000, until I convinced her to ignore the copyright line and choose based on the book’s description.  Soon enough, she filled her bag.  One of which was “Blubber” by Judy Blume.  She’s already finished it.  So much for the pre-2000 rule.

We enjoyed a nice dinner at a local restaurant where Sophie celebrated her birthday (again!) with a surprise birthday cake that brought a huge smile to her face.  The girls are having a sleepover at my aunt’s (Sophie’s reuniting with her favorite dog), while my husband and I enjoy peace and quiet at a local hotel.  Sweet.