Driving into the Ashburn home, the first thing we noticed was that the place seems quieter than usual. Something was missing -- a dog's joyful barks and sprint across the lawn. Sophie is now sleeping under the grass by the driveway. Did she hear us come?
Other than the absence of Sophie, the Ashburn home had changed little. In the fields behind the house oats were planted instead of corn. The newly harvested fields were golden with hay. Hay stacks were fun to be jumped on, and they make comfy seats, too. Outside of the home, the hamlet and surrounding towns are changing rapidly though. A walmart openned nearby. We toured around some newly built monster homes, right in Ashburn!
Xiaorong and company visited and had a garden tour. I skipped it because this had been a very mosquito-y summer, and even people not normally paranoid like me are taking precautions. But I did venture into the garden another day to pick some Gladiolus. After getting fully armoured with a body net, hat and socks, I was able to make a quick dash there. In the shed we admired Matthew's little handprints in the cement, made when he was four. Gladiolous was blooming sunsets in the garden.
As usual with Ashburn, we had feast upon feast. These were perfec relaxing days: lazing around the house, eating lots, watching the Olympics and going for a walk or two.