So I spent much of last week visiting grandparents and my aunt and uncle downstate. Was a trifle odd, actually, as we haven't lived *anywhere* near family for more than sixteen years. To suddenly have all these people on hand with legitimate rights to break in on our lives? Bizarre. Especially as I don't know this side of the family very well. Nor do I have much in common with them.

There were highlights to the visit, though. Firstly, I got to go to the dentist. No, I am *not* a masochist, but I am prone to tooth issues, and it'd been eighteen months since my last check-up. Was very, very, very relieved to find myself cavity-free. Plus, I got a lovely new toothbrush!

Secondly, I got to go out on a nearby lake in my uncle's motorboat. We went swimming in this quiet little inlet, music murmuring from the boat, 100-degree sun beating down on our heads. And when I tired of swimming, I sunned myself in the bow and watched a couple turtles laze about in the water.

They were so beautiful, graceful and swift, their necks and feet striated with a yellow that nearly glowed under the water. Red-eared turtles, I believe, although these would've been female, older males, or simply lacking the characteristic red marking.

Eventually we did swan about on the lake, which was glorious. Slightly terrifying when Elessar and Hermione were driving, but glorious all the same. More and more I realize how very much I love being outdoors. There's just something about the sun and the wind and the wildlife that livens me up.

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