Surfing in Vermont

So we went to my cousin's house in Vermont. It looks like this: 

And we stayed in her barn, which looks like this:

We slept on the second floor, which we accessed by a ladder. No one broke an arm or fell down at night. There was a stream to find snakes and water striders in:

And there was a pond in which to go...

SURFING!

Without any forward momentum from waves, Little Guy (58 pounds) was the only one the board could support easily. But the others wanted to do it, anyway. Eldest put her determination to work, and after a few days finally stood up...

(I still don't believe this is actually possible)

While the other girls had their turn, a good amount of baby-salamander and frog catching took place.

There were several evenings of hanging out at the campfire with second cousins...

And a lot of outrageously good food, and cousinly companionship, which I apparently am too inept to transfer picture of from Flickr. But here are some of the adults, thanks to my cousin Allegra's photo-sharing:

The three men seated are my dad and his brothers

And the last time in the pond, Snuggler succeeded in surfing! I have no doubt that by the time Dancer returns on Thursday she, too will have joined the safari. She's a determined kind of girl. It runs in the family.