Pittsford Regatta.

My parents had flown all of us sisters out to New York using their frequent flyer miles (thanks momma and daddy), and had scheduled the trip way back in January or February.  They were making a move from a larger home they owned on about 8 acres to a smaller home just two doors down.

With four of us going, and with each of us having a minimum of five children, conflicts with the timing of that trip arose and so we postponed it until the end of May.  In the meantime, my parents went ahead and moved. BUT.  Since it was a significant downsizing for them, my mom still planned on all of us girls spending lots of time sorting and going through totes and boxes out in their (bull) barn, behind their house, where all of the excess items were being stored.

We were kind of excited about that because we all love most of our mom and dad's items and we thought (finally) we get to pick and choose the things that we might have wanted for years and years and years.  (Although we also pretty much anticipated there being some tension since we would undoubtedly want much of the same stuff.  My parents are fair to all of us children, almost to a fault - no offense mom, that is a good thing.  So her idea, theory, plan, whatever you want to call it, is this:  Leslie, the oldest, gets to choose what she would want first.  Then I, the second born, would choose next and so on.  BUT. Because she is fair, and it isn't Courtney's fault that she was the last one born, on the second go round Courtney gets to have the first pick and then we go in reverse order from there.)

Sidenote: My mom and dad have several antique pine pieces that they have had through all of our growing up years and all of us would take any one of them.  My mom called me several months ago and said, "You know Polly, where will you even put this big pine corner cupboard when we get it out to you?"  And I thought, SWEET!  I get the corner cupboard!  I have always wanted that corner cupboard for as long as I could remember.  But when we got out to the bull barn and there it was, in all it's glory, Leslie mentioned how much she loved it and my mom let her know that it was already sort of promised to me.  (Picture Leslie wide eyed, surprised, and a little annoyed.)

My mom said, "Leslie, Polly has always wanted that corner cupboard and I have told her for years that she could have it when we couldn't use it anymore."  It is sort of a done deal ... it isn't going to be part of the selection.  I get to have it.  (happy, happy, happy!)

(Here is a little tip for those of you who might have favorite things at your parents house that you are hoping to have one day - put your name on it asap.)

So there we were. Pulling into mom and dad's driveway off Mitchell Rd, so excited to see how they had restored what used to be an old farm grainery.  My sisters headed into the house first but I heard shouts coming from the canal (the grainery is right along the Erie Canal).  I asked my dad what it was and he told me they had been having boat races all weekend.  It was the annual Pittsford Regatta.  There were rowing races for men and women, boys and girls, high school and varsity teams and Masters as well.  The shouts were from the crew member at the top of the boat , literally yelling ... one, two, three, row (or whatever he was shouting) ...  I loved it.

I grabbed the camera from the back of the van and headed down the little embankment to get a closer view.

Seriously?

How cool was this?

I literally stood there with the biggest smile on my face, shaking my head and thought,  It is gonna be a good week.  This is awesome.