A Family Reunion

After spending the past six months in Moscow, Idaho, studying dietary science and nutrition, our son Ian decided to take a brief vacation and fly back east for a few weeks.

Since returning home last Thursday, Ian’s whirlwind trip has included visits with high school classmates, online gaming friends, former co-workers, and grandparents in Wallkill and Philadelphia. Last night we met my mother and step-father at The Fat Lady Café in Kauneonga Lake, New York. Years ago, when Brian and I were looking for a weekend retreat in the Catskills, a realtor took us to see several houses around the lake. Back then, the area was, to put it bluntly, a dump. (Hence, we chose a place a few more miles up the road, in Narrowsburg.) Fast forward 25 years, and Kauneonga Lake has become a go-to destination, with chic restaurants and million-dollar lake-front homes.

As the five of us dined on mussels and grilled shrimp on the restaurant deck overlooking Kauneonga Lake, while watching the speed boats skim past in the distance, I felt how lucky I was to be in such a beautiful place.