The Welty family: Summer finally arrived in McCarthy and along with the warmer temperatures came Lynn’s folks, John and Nancy Burtch of Xenia, Ohio. Nancy says they usually prefer the fall season. I think that’s because the mosquitoes are gone, but she and John weren’t about to stay home while granddaughter René celebrated her high school graduation. They arrived just in the nick of time on June 9th.
Lynn and Nancy invited me down for tea this afternoon, complete with a fancy tea pot full of a hot spiced tea, matching cups and saucers and a delicious piece of Nancy’s homemade rhubarb pie. What a nice change of pace for me. We McCarthy ladies can always use a good touch of “culture” every now and then!
Don was working his summer job as pilot with Wrangell Mountain Air and Lynn’s dad, John, was busy in the Welty garden, pruning the seed pods off Lynn’s huge rhubarb plants. So, that left us three ladies to ourselves —and to a fine tea party.
While Lynn was away at work during the daytime, John labored in her garden, creating quite a show piece. Lynn said her garden has never looked that trim and neat. That gave her more time to spend with her folks over their favorite card game or lingering over an afternoon tea break in her new screened gazebo tent (a most welcome birthday present from her folks this year). It is providing the Welty family a haven from the pesky mosquitos that have turned out in full force this summer.
Nancy decided she wasn’t about to let all that wonderful rhubarb go to waste. Ten rhubarb pies later, she says Don is still not tired of doing his share in sampling each one.
Don is making sure the Burtches aren’t experiencing all work and no play. He flew them to Ptarmigan Lake where they successfully fished for lake trout and grayling. Another outing took them over to Tea Bay Lake where their catch was rainbow trout. I guess Don didn’t think his inlaws were getting enough excitement so he flew them and Lynn to Chimney Mountain where they came close to spending the night in a snowstorm. Thankfully, they all made it out in time.
