uncle riley

I'm sure I've mentioned before that it's always a party when my brother Riley is around, and this weekend was no exception.

On Saturday we trekked around the city: a street market in Chelsea, a ride on the Staten Island Ferry to get a view of Lady Liberty, and a walk up Wall Street. We even got to watch a homeless guy relieve himself in the corner of our subway car, an experience we all wished we weren't privy to.

We made an attempt on Sunday evening to watch the Macy's fireworks from Sunset Park, but because the show was happening on the Hudson River again this year, our view was thwarted by that darn Manhattan skyline. (Garrett got a real thrill out of the little we were able to see, though. "Oh, red! Oh, o-ween! Oh, green! Oh, wow! It's coming!" he'd shout as he pointed and jumped up and down. His excitement, and the fun company we had sitting with us on the hill made up for our otherwise disappointing view.)

Monday morning, before Riley had to head back to Cleveland, we walked down to Mike's Donuts, reputedly the best in the neighborhood, for breakfast because there's something about donuts and Independence Day that go together so well for me.

The best part of the weekend, though, was watching Garrett bond with his Uncle Riley. They have an awful lot in common, those two, so the attachment wasn't too surprising. Garrett has the very same twinkle in his eye that Riley gets when he's about to cause trouble, and at heart, Riley is still a bit of a three-year-old himself. Garrett decided instantly that he loved Riley -- he has become one of the few extended relatives who gets hugs and kisses no questions asked. Garrett wanted his uncle by his side to play at all times, and Riley was a sport to put up with his demands to get down on the floor and play cars with him right now.

True to form, Riley gave an occasional show of feigned annoyance at Garrett's unwavering devotion, but deep down I'm pretty sure he was lapping up the attention just as fast as he was doling it out. We'll definitely have to get these two together more often.