Presenting: Squirl !!

I am the luckiest blogger on the planet. I've been fortunate in the two years I've been blogging to meet a fair number of others, and so far, I'm batting 1000.

This past Monday, Squirl and "Ichabod" made stopping in my little town a priority on their cross-country trek to Alaska. See, to get to where I live, you have to really want to get there because it's not conveniently located at all. The nearest interstate access is 40 miles away. We met for lunch, and they kindly agreed to pose for this photo outside the restaurant:





Then, Ichabod took one of Squirl and me:




That afternoon, they took my family on an outing to Ohme Gardens. What? You mean you really thought Squirl could be here, and there wouldn't be photos of flowers?





Or children?





Here's a shot of Ichabod surveying the valley from a vantage point at the gardens:




Later, they joined us for dinner at a local Italian restaurant and we stuffed ourselves silly. Good conversation and lots of laughs, as you'd expect. We parted for the night, but met up again the next morning for coffee before they headed North. I miss them already.

Thanks, Squirly and Ich, for carving out time for me. You being here was a gift I will treasure always.