Hospitality is an ancient art -- making a place for the guest, giving them food and cool water.  It is good to receive.  And Monica and I have received more than our share from Uzbekistan to Ireland to Costa Rica.  

But it's even better to give it back.  To seat your guest in the shade of your tree and pluck the best sun-warmed berries for them.  Especially when they've traveled from afar.

On Saturday Marysia and Ian came on the ferry across from Long Island for a visit with two Polish friends, Krystina and her niece Ewelina.  So we played hosts and settled everyone in the shade of the climbing tree and had an elaborate lunch spread out upon the table.  

And we took them into the woods where there were more berries -- blueberries, huckleberries, and dewberries just purpling.  And, since they were Poles, we showed off the wild mushrooms even though we don't know which ones are tasty and which ones are poisonous.