i am allergic to massachusetts

And so is Garrett. Well, I suppose I shouldn't generalize too much. So let me rephrase: We are allergic to Massachusetts in June. All that green. All those blossoms. Though they're a seriously miserable problem for everyone else in my family, I seem to have gotten away with only the traveling variety of hay fever: I'm fine when I'm home, wherever I may be presently calling home, but the minute I hit the road for some fabulous summer weekend destination, I come down with a horrible case of the sniffles. Like the time, two years ago, when we inadvertently planned a trip to Mascoutah, Illinois, during what turned out to be a weekend of high spring pollen counts. I never thought I'd be so grateful to know that allergies run rampant in my extended family as well, but, see, my uncle had a stash of Claritin he was willing to share with me.

Anyhow, all sniffles and wads of Kleenex aside, we got home last night from a weekend trip to the Berkshires. The reason for the getaway was a party, held at the Darger family's barn just outside Pittsfield, hosted by my aunt and uncle to celebrate the recent marriages of two of my cousins. I love the city, but love getting away sometimes, too. It was nice to be able to relax, and even nicer to get to visit with so much family. The barn party was a blast, full of delicious food, which was grilled to perfection by Blake, and baked, sliced, and arranged by everyone else. Even though every ounce of in-between time was spent blowing my own nose or wiping snot from Garrett's, we had a wonderful time.

This is the barn. Isn't it fabulous? Inscribed inside above one of the doors is the line, "It was the kind of barn children liked to play in," from Charlotte's Web, which I thought to be most fitting.

And here we are, taking a break from the constant nose-wiping and sneezing.

There's no doubt that trees grow in Brooklyn, but I do sure love the fact that, now that I'm back in my cement-surrounded home, my head is less congested and I don't have to blow my nose as often.


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While we were gone, my computer-savvy brother created a fabulous new header for my blog. Isn't it awesome? Thanks so much, Tyler!