We have returned.

There hasn't been a blog in several weeks.  I hope you are still out there checking back to see if there's a new one.

We had an absolutely wonderful time in Maryland with our kids Lowell and Emily, with my sister Cindy, and our friends.  There was perfect weather the entire time, too.

Mark really enjoyed the up-all-night Shavuot study session at Mishkan Torah Saturday night after we got up there.  The long drive Friday due to D.C. rush hour traffic wasn't much fun, but we rested all day Saturday in preparation for staying up.  15 people made it until the early dawn service, which I think might have been a record.

I played Mahj Thursday afternoon with my girlfriends and broke my long losing streak by winning the first game I played.  That was my only win, but it felt good!  Today  I will be playing at 9:30 this morning with my group here, now dubbed the Merry Mah Jongg Makers.  I hope I get at least one win again.  We also had dinner out with Rudy, his daughter Jen and her husband Casey and their two children.  After dinner, we went to Jen's house, which we had not seen before.  They have a very big beautiful home.

Lowell and Emily joined us at Cindy's house for dinner Tuesday night.  Then we spent all day Saturday with them, playing with their dogs, attending the Linganore Winery festival, and having dinner at a beautiful Indian restaurant called Royal Taj.  Sunday we had brunch in Baltimore with the kids and Emily's dad Phil followed by a wonderful win by the Orioles over the Blue Jays at Camden Yards.  That was pretty much the perfect Father's Day.  After the game, Mark made a wonderful dinner at home with Cindy and Ken.

Our train trip home was quite the snafu on Monday.  It started with low tire pressure in one tire, a faulty air machine that let air out instead of putting it in, a nail in the tire, a quick plug to let us get to the train on time, only to learn it was hours late.  The northbound train had hit a log in GA, damaging the fuel line.  It waited 10 hours for a new engine.  Instead of leaving VA at 4 p.m. on Monday, we left at 2 a.m. Tuesday, arriving in FL at 9 p.m. instead of 9 a.m.  Crazy.  Still, the train itself is always pleasant, and we slept soundly in the coach seats and enjoyed reading and watching a movie on Mark's iPad.

Yesterday Mark got a new tire and had his teeth cleaned.  I got The Works at the salon: color, highlights, trim, gel manicure, pedicure, and facial waxing.  4 1/2 hours of fun for me!

 Last night we had planned on leaving shortly after 6 for the synagogue and JCC's joint community vigil in memoriam for the Orlando shooting victims.  I even cancelled the choir rehearsal so everyone could go.  Mark's dentist appointment ended up being nearly two hours late, so he didn't get home until 5.  He was tired and so was I.  We just couldn't bring ourselves to rush dinner and get out the door by 6:15.  Instead we just relaxed and watched TV and listened to another hour of our Michener book, Texas.  Since we are touring Texas for almost three weeks this summer, this book is especially interesting to us.

I gained about 4.5 pounds in Maryland.  I admit I ate anything I wanted.  Yesterday, I behaved perfectly and was rewarded with almost 2 pounds gone already.  I will be eating all of my meals at home today, Friday, and Saturday.  Sunday will have lunch and dinner out, but I'll report my weight on Monday.  I'm hoping that the vacation weight is gone by then.

I only took pictures in Maryland on the Saturday and Sunday with Lowell and Emily.  Here are a few.

Everyone got an actual glass, not plastic, to taste the wines.

Thank you to Lowell and Emily for giving us this day as my Mother's Day present!

Lunch from the food vendors.

I tasted all the sweet wines and picked Mountain Berry as my favorite.  Lowell and Emily bought me a bottle.

Listening to the owner of Linganore Winery on the tour.

Back at their house playing with the pups.  Lowell with his adorable Ozma...

and Emily with her Trillian.

Sunday for Father's Day brunch at the Diamond Tavern, right across the street from the stadium.  Unfortunately, Emily's mother Pat was having too much back and hip pain to join us.

Heading in to the stadium and wearing our really cute Micky Orioles shirts that L and E got us for Hanukkah.

Father and son at a ball game.  That's a perfect Father's Day event.  The weather was great.  Our seats were in the shade.  The Os won!  Mark is wearing the painter's hat that was the give-away for today.  It was a wonderful day!