La Famiglia Dito

I think it's been a few weeks since my last post!  Life has been busy and full of fun.

When my youngest brother was little he seemed to want nothing more than to be out of the house and on his own in this big wide world.  Now he has been out of the house for some time and he's grown sentimental in his old age (25yrs).  He planned the first Dito family trip to Lake Tahoe in...gosh, maybe since sometime when I was in college.  Growing up we went to Tahoe for two weeks every summer and usually one week in the winter.  A few years back my parents decided, now that they don't have to pay for college, they can finally get a cabin in Tahoe where they can enjoy their newly found free time post-retirement.  Little brother decided it was about time we all get together.  So in we little birds flocked.  Vince and his fiance from SoCal, Austin and I from the farm, and Brian and his new special lady from D.C.  August in Tahoe is prime time.  The air is hot, the sand is hot, and the water is cool and blue.  We had ambitious plans to do things like a ropes course and raft down the river, rent a boat, etc.  We ended up doing almost none of those things.  Mostly floated on the lake, drank beers on the beach, swam, napped, snacked, read books, enjoyed each others company.  Oh yeah, we did rent a boat.  The boys got pulled above (and below) the water on wake boards and skis.  I am too old for those shennanigans and preferred being dragged on a tube.  What weird things we do for entertainment.

It is amazing to observe this family of mine.  We are all so different and yet all came from the same two loving parents.  When you look closely you can see that we each seem to reflect different characteristics of the parents.  Vince is practical and has a mind for building things.  Brian has a love of traveling and language.  I am an appreciater of the arts, an avid reader and a fiery feminista.  And each of us kids has a very well-matched partner.  Underneath all these difference there is a deep love that I appreciate every day.  Family is the greatest place to practice unconditional love.  You love these people without any regard for whether you agree with them and you have no desire to change them, just hug them and laugh.

Oh yes and coffee and pastries every morning at our very favorite place in Tahoma, "Where We Met."  Amazingly sweet little spot.  Local fave.  A dog named Polpetta and a sweet barista, the owner, Liz.