Since we’ll be moving across the country in about a week, we’re currently working our way down a list of things we want to do one last time before we leave. One of the list items was to visit Annmarie Garden, a local sculpture park where we’ve often gone with friends.

We met my friend Bekah and her two younger kids Christa and Jack there. It had rained heavily the night before, but that morning it was sunny and hot with only a few puddles remaining on the paved pathway. We set off down the trail, the girls racing ahead of us looking for paintings on the trees. Each time one of them spotted one of the tiny colorful patches they’d shout excitedly to each other before running ahead to look for the next one.

We made our usual stops. First, the Council Ring which is supposed to be, according to the signs, “a place of quiet refuge and reflection.” Usually for us it’s more, “a place for the kids to run and screech and jump from rock to rock and maybe play a little hide-and-seek.” And sometimes we eat a picnic lunch there.

Next we stopped at the bridge, which is sort of a multi-level walkway up into the trees. Annalie and Christa were halfway to the top before we even got to the first bend. We had to beg them to stop so we could take a photo. They were very cooperative for thirty or so seconds.

We went back to the path and walked the rest of the trail, spotting art in the trees as we went. We stopped at the table set up outside the new arts building and painted some sticks for this summer’s public art project. For last summer’s project we drew on painted recycled bottles, and Annalie loved going to look for her bottle in the pillars. She was a little disappointed to learn that we probably won’t get to look for her stick, but she consoled herself by musing aloud that maybe one of her friends will find it and take a picture for her.

Heading back to the parking lot, we agreed to meet at a local Mexican place for lunch. Christa rode with us in our minivan, and she and Annalie told jokes back and forth, most of them involving something crossing a road and poop. Then Christa, who has an older sister, copied everything Annalie said for a while. That ended when a slightly annoyed Annalie told Christa not to be a copycat, and Christa responded with, “Don’t be a copyDOG!” which cracked them both right up.

When they calmed down Annalie dramatically announced, “Christa, this is the last time I’ll get to go to Annmarie Garden with you!”

“It is?” Christa asked. “Why?”

“Because we’re moving pretty soon to California.”

Christa was silent a moment, then said with a touch of surprise,”Won’t you miss me?”

“I will!” Annalie unhesitatingly replied.