Have fun we did!

I brought my moose earrings along this weekend to Claytor Lake State Park. My daughter Käthe chose them for me in Wyoming where she spent a summer at the Teton Science School leading groups as they explored the unique ecosystems of the Grand Tetons. Among the many highlights of her summer were moose sightings. This weekend we are together, Käthe and her husband Jim, my husband John and I, enjoying some time away from home.

This morning we hiked through the woods, a chilly walk under skies threatening to unleash some cold rain. We returned to the cabin just as freezing drizzle began to fall. Undaunted, John grilled our steaks outside, over charcoal, listening to news of Libya on his XM radio headset.

Last year, at another state park cabin, my daughter Phoebe regaled us with readings from the cabin journal. Our favorite was a meandering, unpunctuated account of glorious summer adventures, ending with the phrase, “Have fun we did.” Only after many readings did it occur to us that the writer had meant to say, “Have fun! We did!”

But thus, through lack of an endmark, one of our favorite family expressions was born. And it’s true of this weekend: Have fun we did!