Friday, July 10: Last Day in NH

Last day in NH. Greta spent part of the morning taking a geometry test. Andrew and Lucia did some practice driving, and I worked. Once we were all at a stopping point, we took a final trip to Books-A-Million and TJ Maxx, and then had a very eclectic lunch of foods we're trying to finish up.

It was a beautiful day, and after lunch the girls spent a long time playing in the pond one last time, screaming and jumping off the floating dock again and again. I sat pondside, reading, taking in the freedom of it. Sadly, they eventually pulled all the floats out of the pond. Greta and I got into one of the boats so she could give me a tour of the pond, steering us around with one oar and narrating what we were seeing; and then that float, too, left the water.

The girls and Andrew went for a run, and then we continued our leaving preparations. Andrew took down the pond rope; we deflated everything; we took down the swing and hammocks and put all the lawn furniture in the barn; we did laundry; we packed. Dinner was another random assortment of leftovers and odds and ends.

We paused our preparations to play a round of Rummikub and gin, and then we put the games and cards away. We thought we heard some coyotes--last night, we heard them howling and screaming in the woods--but couldn't be sure.

We're all packed up now, ready to load the car early tomorrow morning and start the long drive home. I do not want to leave. But leave we must.