Travel Tales: Part 3 - Water babies and Fried Fish

One of the best parts about going home to visit my parents during the summertime is hanging out in/around their pool. They have a great house with a beautiful pool which backs up to a golf course. So, peeping golfers aside, it's pretty idyllic. ( Did I use that word in yesterday's post, too?) And bonus, the pool has a diving board so we get to have flip contests. This picture is as close to seeing me in a swimsuit as we're going to get. And yes, I was wearing one of those skirt suits. Since we started swim classes when she was about four months old, Sophie is pretty comfortable in the water. She doesn't actually swim, but at least she doesn't freak out. This floaty makes life a lot easier for everyone and she seems to enjoy it. I wish they made one grown-up sized. I also wish I had someone to push me around in it.

Since so much of our trip was spent driving all over the state of Kansas, we only actually had one day of just lounging around the pool, although I snuck in swims other days, too. To make the day really special, we had Long John Silvers for lunch. I love LJS. LOVE IT. There aren't any in my neck of the woods, probably because Maryland is thick with REAL seafood places, so the only time I get my fix is when I visit Kansas. I always get the two piece fish and more and totally douse it with malt vinegar. I love the little crispies that fall off the fish. (Hint: If you ask, they'll give you extra crispies. Wee!) And the hushpuppies. Oh. My. Garsh. I'm surprised I didn't have someone take a picture of me as I rapturously shoved bite after bite down my gullet.

We finished it off with my mom's homemade ice cream. Another one of my favorite things in the world. Probably because it is about a thousand calories per bite. When I take a bite of homemade ice cream, I am flooded with memories of summer days from my childhood: laying in lawn chairs trying to find satellites among the stars; chasing down fireflies with my sister; watching fourth of July fireworks at my grandparents' lakehouse; skiing at Lake Kahola and not wanting to fall down because the water was so cold; going to the community pool and jumping off the high dive; and so many more.

Much like LJS, it is probably good that these are once a year treats, because my scale already groans when I step on it. It is certain, though, that their rarity makes them that much more special to me.