OUR SUMMER Vacation this year took us all the way across Pennsylvania and into West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, New York, and Ontario, Canada. It started with the annual big  Father's Day Cookout at Pop-Pop and Nana's on Saturday, June 17th. People come from all over; some are kids  we see all the time and others we only get to see at the cookout. Grandpa and Aunt Linda drive all the way from Cincinnati. This year Great-Grandma (Grandpa's mom) was at the cookout. So were Justin and Shawn Kurnik, Jake and Lindsay Detwiler, and Karl and Taylor Walters, along with their brand new baby sister, Gabrielle. Taylor thinks Rachael is the most wonderful girl she's ever seen and she wants to be just like her. She followed Rachael everywhere all day. Of course, our cousins Steven, Adam, and Megan were there, too, along with Megan's friend Shannon and Adam's friend Matt. Our other cousins, Heather and Brandon, were at camp, so we missed seeing them, but Grandpa and Aunt Linda got to see them when they got back on Sunday.

Besides being the day of the Father's Day cookout, it was also Mom's birthday. She won't say which one (and neither will Grandpa). I don't know why; Ryan is eleven and Rachael is ten, and both of us are proud of how old we are. Oh well, grownups... what're ya gonna do with 'em? Anyway, there were two birthday cakes for Mom at the picnic. And they were big. There was more cake than everyone could eat, even.

We played badminton and watched the grownups play horseshoes, and of course there were the swings. Lot's of kids and grownups, too, went fishing in the lakes. And Ryan caught a gi-hugh-ic monster bullfrog. He was bright green and yellow and Ryan named him Billy-Joe-Bob. Of course, later on he took him back to the stream and turned him loose.

On Sunday, we all drove to Great-Grandma's new apartment in Willow Grove, and from there we all went to Chi-Chi's for dinner. It was supposed to be a Father's Day dinner for Grandpa ('cause he's Mom's father, you know) and a birthday dinner for Mom, but she made us promise not to tell anyone because she gets so embarassed when the waiters all stand around clapping and singing. So after we left the restaurant, we all clapped and sang at her in front of the door.

Grandpa and Aunt Linda stayed at our house Sunday night, so we could get an early start in the morning.

All text and photos ©2000 by John Lipman, Marnie Teterus, and Tom Teterus, except as noted. All rights reserved.