Crusty Bread

 I recently finished the book, Sandwich, by Catherine Newman.  It was mostly enjoyable and while I can definitely relate to some of it, I did not relate to all of it.  One of my daughters mentioned it and I asked her if it was about Sandwich the place or Sandwich the generation. She replied, "both".  Ok...so I listened to it while I walked this month.  It was coincidental that we visited Cape Cod the first week in December and it happens to be the setting of the book. The book made me think of all kinds of things I would rather push under a rug and forget about!  It also opened my eyes to a few more things that I have considered over the past year.

On Cape Cod...not Sandwich, but close enough.

Being of a "certain age", I find myself no longer in the middle of the sandwich of life.  I really liked being the inside of the sandwich.  The part that gives the sandwich its unique flavor.  The part that defines the sandwich.  The part that sticks the two outside layers together.  It has been a long time since I was that fresh bread layer of the outside of the sandwich.  That layer that is tender and delicate.  The one that bruises or crushes at the lightest touch.  Nope...I have graduated to the bread at the back of the loaf that has been out for a while.  That slice that is a bit stale and dry.  Not quite the end of the bread loaf but one of the slices toward the end.  Not quite crusty or moldy, but these are debatable on any given day.  

There is something about losing both of your parents and many members of their generation.  Suddenly, but more likely gradually, you look in the mirror and realize you are them.  You are the ones on the outside of the sandwich.  We used to be the ones setting the trends, then we were the ones keeping up with the trends and now we really don't give a crap about the trends (most of the time).  What even are the trends?!  There is something liberating about this place.  I find myself saying things, out loud, that I never would have let out of my head before.  My filter is loosening up.  I have more confidence to just say what I mean, until one of my kids calls me out and I think to myself...damn, I am not the person they look up to or listen to anymore.  I am becoming the person they hear and sometimes shake their heads at as if to say, "Mom!" and discount my words which leaves me feeling irrelevant.  I am, one day, going to be the person who has to listen to them.  Crap!  Of course, I may be like my parents and just choose not to listen.  We have all vowed to listen when they say things like "you can't drive anymore", "you need to move out of the house" and so on.  I am not near that stage yet...but when you are the crusty outside layer of the sandwich...it is a place you can see off in the distance.  I, for one, am still not quite embracing being the elder at the family gatherings.   

Bring on Christmas with the kids and grandkids!  I will be the one trying not to act my age!

I still can't decide if I liked the book or not.  It brought me to some dark places, but it made me laugh and it made me think.  Even if I didn't like all the thoughts.  Maybe in the end, that is what makes a good book.

Argentina, The Final Chapter

I have milked this topic for long enough, time to finish.

Our final destination was Patagonia.  One more Aerolineas flight, well two, from Mendoza to El Calafate.  I had so many mixed emotions about going to Patagonia.  I was very excited but I also had some doubts or questions.  This entire trip was full of exploring new territory and in my mind I expected El Calafate and El Chalten to be something like Alaska, remote, a bit backward, uncommercial and rugged.   I questioned whether our accommodations would be dated and simple or "as depicted on the photos".  Maybe my mid-trip anxiety was raring its ugly head, that and the scary review I read about one of our accommodations that had my head spinning.  

If the drive from the airport was an indicator of
how things were going to be, we were in luck!

I was very surprised!  El Calafate reminded me of so many ski towns out west that we have visited!  Shops with hiking, camping and ski outfitters, souvenir shops and restaurants.  The streets were full of tourists!  This had not been our experience up to this point.  Sure, there were tourists, but not streets full of them/us.  I guess when you are the only town within 100 km of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, you get a lot of tourists.  Bus loads as a matter of fact.  We enjoyed our accommodations in both stops, they were very small and personal.  I especially loved the breakfast with the ever present absolutely delicious fruit cup and the medialuna pastries.  I justified my pastry habit by hiking during the day and walking around town in the evenings.  

Flaky pastry with a glazed top...yum!

I don't know why this is so delicious, when
it looks so simple...but it is!

The glacier was huge, amazing, and beautiful.  We managed to see it twice because the first day we went the weather was lousy!  Rain and very chilly!  We did not do all the trails and only saw about half of what was available.  The park was surprisingly crowded that day though.  I guess if you are on a tour and that is the day to see the glacier, then that is the day you get.  Luckily, we had another day to go back.  A day that was clear and beautiful!  We rode all the rides that day.  Walked all the trails and did a boat tour.  Gorgeous!!!

Rain

And shine!

 

Glacier Perito Merino
One of the few in the world that is still growing.
I loved the "whale" iceberg in the lower right corner!

From El Calafate and the glacier, we drove to El Chalten, about 210 km northwest.  The drive was gorgeous!!!  There is only one small settlement between the two towns.  I equated the drive to the one heading to Great Basin National Park along Rt. 50 in Utah, only prettier.  I was awed by the color of the glacial lake we traveled along, only nature could make something that beautiful.  As we got closer and closer to the park entry and El Chalten, the mountains in the distance got bigger and bigger!  We would stop for photos only to find an even better view a few miles up the road, only to find another even better view the closer we got and on and on.  I was definitely charmed by the snowcapped Andes.  The town has and estimated permanent population around 1200 people.  Some businesses close down in the off season and those people leave the town, which I can't blame them!  I found it to be a charming place.  Rustic and yet very civilized.  Everyone was kind and accommodating.  It has been named the trekking capitol of Argentina.  Being a trekking town, it was also an early town.  Early, as in breakfast was early so you could get a jump on the trekking and dinner was early, by Argentinean standards, because everyone was tired from hiking up and down a mountain all day!  We embraced the early!  

The road between El Calafate and El Chalten!

Mt. Fitz Roy in the distance.
One of the best drives ever!

We hiked, we got lucky on day one to clearly see Fitz Roy, which was stuck in a cloud for the rest of our visit.  Glad we jumped out of the car and onto the trail on our first day.  We hiked up to see condors one day.  On our last day we hiked up to see yet another scenic mountain face.  We could have stayed another day, especially if the weather had been like day one...but alas, the fickle mountain weather turned cloudy and wet.  It was time to head back to the big city.  We really did enjoy our time in Patagonia and in nature much more than our time in the big city.  

Our last two days were spent in Buenos Aires.  By this time, we were both running out of gas.  After breathing the fresh mountain air and feeling safer than we had felt anywhere else on the trip, going back to busy Buenos Aires was an unwelcome mood change.  We did get to see a real live "football" game.  I kept waiting for Roy Kent or Jamie Tart to run onto the field.  I must say I loved the almost constant singing and chanting by the fans.  What a great atmosphere, I hear we should be glad the game did not get as rowdy as many do.  I thought to myself, "I have gone to many LSU football games, how much rowdier can it get?!".  Glad we did not have to find out.

By the time we left, we were ready.  We had such a great time, but it was time to go home.  It was the adventure we both hoped it would be, and we count ourselves very lucky.  And yes, the water in the toilet goes down the opposite direction.

Argentinian Adventures Part 2, Water and Wine

 We're back and it took a surprisingly long time, almost a week, to get over the effects of the two-hour time difference plus the additional hour of the clocks falling back.  Argentina does not observe daylight savings time, so it was a two-hour difference when we arrived there and a three-hour difference when we got home.  Not to mention the abrupt change going from the long spring days in Patagonia to the short dark days of autumn in standard time!  We found ourselves nodding off at 8 p.m. for a few days but couldn't sleep past 6 a.m. (and for me, you know that is something!).  I am certain I have caught up on my sleep, I am not certain I have caught up on my life yet though.  All good and the trip was absolutely worth it!  

We spent 3 nights in Buenos Aires and 
headed north to Iguazu Falls.

Learning to navigate Argentinian airports and Aerolineas protocol was a process.  Areolineas served us well throughout the country.  We took 6 in-country flights over the course of 3 weeks and all flights were on time, within 30 minutes, and all luggage arrived safe and sound at its destination.  Figuring out our last-minute gate assignments, boarding process (herd style) and baggage weight limits presented us with a new way to think.  "This is not United Premiere!"  By the time we flew from El Calafate to Buenos Aires at the end of our trip, we felt like Aerolineas frequent fliers.  Thank you for providing us with a quick and easy way to see your country!

Iguazu Falls did not disappoint.  We had heard how spectacular it was from others.  We hired a guide to show us both the Argentinian and Brazilian sides in one day.  Worth it!  The day was surprisingly hot and humid...and we are from Texas.  I believe the high was 95F/35C degrees with 70-80% humidity.  We consumed so much water!  Our guide sought the shade whenever he could, he's seen all this before.  The town of Iguazu was nice enough, small and very manageable with some good restaurants.  Our hotel had a great pool area, I imagine this place is crazy busy in the summer! We oohed and aahhhed at the falls and I said, "Wow!" a lot!  The power of all that water is mesmerizing!

Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls
Devil's Throat

Beautiful bird!

These coati were all around!  One got on our shuttle train,
one of us freaked out....wasn't me.

From a distance

And from Brazil!

Towards the end of our visit to the falls, 
this is all I could think of!  A cold beer and a dip in this pool!!!
Bathing suit earned its spot in the luggage when we got back to the hotel!

We spent two nights in Iguazu and headed back to our friends at Aerolineas and on to Mendoza.  Mendoza has been a place TJ wanted to visit ever since he had his first taste of Argentinian red wine!  That was many moons ago!  It was one of several reasons we decided to make this country our first South American destination.  

Mendoza is BEAUTIFUL!!!!  Planning a trip like ours, having never visited the country, you just research...a lot (my favorite part), decide where to go and what to do and try your best to give each place enough time but not too much.  It is a leap of faith.  If I did it again, I would spend even more time in Mendoza.  As they say, "hindsight is 20/20" and looking back at my photos and remembering what we saw and what we did, there was so much more to see and do!  Even if it only involved looking out over grapevines at the Andes.  

Maybe just sit on a patio here and look out in awe.

The city of Mendoza is way larger than I expected!  I thought it was going to be like Napa or Sonoma, a small town surrounded by vineyards.  It is a large city of 2 million people!  We really enjoyed learning the history of the city and its many settlers.  My favorite part was learning about the plazas that represented different groups who settled the area.  There was the Italian Plaza, the Chilean Plaza, The Plaza San Martin ( and fyi, Jose de San Martin is a rock star in Argentina!  Every city or town has a San Martin Ave and/or plaza!)and the Spanish Plaza.  These four plazas surrounded the Plaza Independencia.  They celebrated their history in each plaza.  Plus, they were beautiful gathering spaces.  

We passed through the Plaza Independencia at night
and it was full of families and all of the fountains were dancing to music! 
I called it Bellagio Mendoza
 Plus, these two, with the ever present "football", who were happy to smile for the photo.

We took a bike tour through the wine country and that is the way to go!  We just followed our guide.  He was great!  He totally reminded me of a younger Anthony Bourdain, which made me like him even more.  We visited three wineries on the bike tour, Nieto Senetiner, a high-end winery, Kaiken, a mass production winery and Viamonte, a smaller boutique winery.  They were all lovely in their own ways. Riding a bike through small towns, looking at the Andes qualifies as a "pinch me" moment in my life.  It wasn't about the wine for me... it was all about those mountains!  We were so lucky to be there in the Spring when the mountains were still covered in snow, but the vineyards and the trees were bright green.  

Artsy photo of the day!

Our guide, "Anthony Bourdain".

By the end of our time in Mendoza I am pretty sure I had consumed more red wine than I have consumed cumulatively in my life!  I told TJ at one point during our trip, "I have had enough red wine and beef to last me the rest of my life".  Argentina is VERY red wine focused... the whites are very nice, but not nearly as popular.  

We treated ourselves to one indulgent night at The Vines.  A beautiful resort/vineyard/spa/restaurant in the Uco Valley, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by vines. It was lovely and definitely the best accommodations of our entire trip (possibly our entire life).  We also experienced the Siete Fuegos (seven fires) dinner.  All of the food was cooked over one of the seven types of fire.  It is Francis Mallman's restaurant.  We rode all the rides!  

Our villa at The Vines...too bad we couldn't stay longer!

Dinner, cooking on one of the seven fires.
This same sight can be seen all over Argentina.
Without the amazing view though.

The view!!!

The gym!
No exercise was done here, unless gazing out with your
mouth open in awe is exercise!

We did ride bikes around the expansive property. 

The rest of our time in Mendoza was spent driving from the Uco Valley back to Mendoza city.  Admiring the view at every curve in the road.  Stopped for lunch at one place but they were fully booked, instead they gave us a free glass of wine.  Found another lunch place, with an outdoor table for a leisurely lunch.  Sunday is the day for long, multi course lunches apparently!  Families together, young and old.  It was just so nice to witness.  We also got to witness the resident dog herding the geese back into the water if they got too close to the edge and tried to come bother the patrons.  

Just doing his job!

On our last night in Mendoza we did something we have never done before.  We had spent the day driving, tasting wine, eating a big lunch plus all the snacks they serve at the wine tastings, drove some more and checked into our hotel around 7 p.m..  We never left the room once we checked in!  We were full and tired and just needed a rest! The next morning w flew to El Calafate in Patagonia.  The farthest south either of us has ever traveled!  And that is material for yet another post, lest you, dear reader, are tiring of reading about what we did in Argentina.  I guess if you have made it this far, you aren't too tired yet.

We were both thrilled with the trip so far and looking forward to our time in Patagonia.  Still, at this point I was growing a bit tired of all the thinking in a different language.  Not that I can think in Spanish, but constantly translating and trying our best to communicate was wearing me out.  Not to mention always being surrounded by people speaking in a different language. ( It really limits the eavesdropping!)  There were not that many English speaking tourists where we went.  We were very grateful for our English speaking guides.  Believe me, I did try my best, which isn't great, to speak Spanish...but  Si, gracias, esta muy bueno and chow (strong Italian influence in Argentina!) were my "go to" phrases.  Google translate was much more effective at communicating!  Every night I would study my Spanish and arm myself with words and phrases I thought I needed to know.  

See you in Patagonia!

Argentinian Adventures Part 1

 An observation on the eve of our departure for our next adventure.  This is the last night for 3 weeks that I will eat in my kitchen, sit on my sofa and watch tv, shower in my own bathroom, drive my car and just live my life as I know it.  Tomorrow it all changes.  Beginning tomorrow, for 3 weeks, my mind will be expanding, my experience bank will grow, I will be communicating in a new language, eating and drinking new things, I will go places I have never been before, see things I have only seen in movies, books and videos, and visit a new continent.  I sit here excited, anxious, optimistic, almost completely packed and as prepared as I get for a trip.  We planned the whole thing ourselves; we don't usually do group tours or cruises....yet.  That day will come. 

One of the best parts of any trip is the anticipation and all of the expectations. 

The above was written more than a week ago with the best intentions of actually...finally...publishing a post! I realized, relaxing here at siesta time, October is almost over! So you will get my best effort from my phone. If you are reading this, you probably follow me on other socials and have seen the photos. Good thing, because I am not able to attach any to the blog on my phone! 

Early observations from our trip to Argentinian so far. 

Buenos Aires is big! Not what I would call walkable except for small areas at a time. We put in many miles! Stayed at what might be the best hotel of the trip as far as amenities but not a location ideal for us. We plan to stay in a different area when we return for 2 days at the end of our trip. 

We did have a few memorable experiences.  Not all good.

We took a couple of tours. One of the Recoleta Cemetery which was good and the cemetery is unique and historic. Yes, we saw Evita's mosaleum. We took a bike tour of the south part of town. An area we thought we might not otherwise have visited but the older and more historic area. Glad we did! Great tour! 4 hours with a very good guide and only one other person. Just when we were feeling good about the city after we had lunch on our way back to our hotel we were sprayed with some icky stuff from behind. An attempt to distract us and pick our pocket. We were not pick pocketed, we had a very good idea who had done it and our belongings were secure. I also had my "spidey sense" on alert on that street. Sadly, my faith in people was shaken.  I swore not to walk that street again.

The splatter...icky! 
It did wash out...whew!

The next morning was Sunday and the closest beautiful basilica was on that street. Turned out it was Argentinian Mother's day. The service was beautiful, the music amazing and at the end we were treated to a beautiful violin solo that brought me to tears.  My faith in people was coming back. 

That night we went to a Tango show and dinner and it was great! The tango is such a beautiful dance!  

I would say Buenos Aires both lived up to my expectations and disappointed me in a few ways. 

I think after a few days in the city dealing with a different language(my limited Spanish is getting a workout!), different currency that we never seem to have enough of because who uses cash any more, and navigating such a large and varied city, we are ready for some smaller places.

That is about all my fingers can manage for now.  Thanks for checking in! Sorry the crickets have been managing the blog for the last couple of months, I will try to update sooner rather than later!

Basilica del Santisimo Sacramento

El Ateno Grand Splendid bookstore

The Obilesc 

Figured out how to do pictures! Learn something new every day!

High Tide, Summer 2024 Part 2

 Today is a sad day for me.  August 31st feels like a turning point in shore life.  My sister, Lee Ann, left this morning and she is just one of the seemingly constant flow of people leaving over the last several weeks and into this weekend.  The population here mimics the ebb and flow of the tides we witness every day.  In July the population rises until we reach maximum capacity during the Games weekend at the beginning of August.  And just like that, people start leaving until the end of the month.  There are a few late summer arrivals, but summer definitely has a rise, a crescendo and a decline.  Cycles.  Everything follows a pattern.  The summer days get longer and longer and suddenly they get shorter and shorter.  The summer weather gets warmer and warmer, until it turns and now the air has a bit of a nip in it.  We have a daily reminder of the cycle of this place when we look out at the water.  

It is either coming in... or going out!

I already shared what the rising of the tide/population feels like.  High tide or maximum population is what we like to refer to as the Vortex.  The Vortex is when your immediate family arrives, and you have multiple generations in your immediate family.  It is when the empty nest fills to capacity with your kids and their kids.  This is what we look forward to all year.  It is also when some of us old birds have to adjust to our lifestyle.  Likely, everyone in the Vortex adjusts their lifestyle to a certain extent.  Meals are served at a whole new level.  First, there are a lot more people to feed, secondly, there are all of those "must have" meals.  The "must haves" include lobster dinner, lamb, grilled meat-fest, pancake breakfasts, and cooking every bit of produce we can harvest out of the garden just to name a few.  Everyone arrives with their own set of expectations.  We all have our "issues" that we deal with whether it be with space, meals, privacy, habits, likes, dislikes, expectations vs. reality, or just adjusting to communal life. Somehow it all seems to work.  

My Vortex! 
Table for 14...my seat is next to the cutie in front!

Some of us who spend most of the summer here joke together as the Games near and our families begin to arrive that we will see them when we exit our Vortex.  There are only so many hours in a day and spending time with family is priority when they are here which many times excludes socializing with the rest of the population.  Social interactions are intentional and less lingering than in the low season.  All things in their time.  

Not coincidentally, the Games coincide with the Vortex.  As if there weren't enough to fill our days and nights, let's add 11 competitive events plus one rip roaring barn party to a 3-day weekend!  If I've said it once, I've said it maybe 30 times...life goes on hold during the games!  Who has time?  This year was the 50th anniversary of the Games!  50 summers of various games being played, one extended family against another extended family, and I use the term "extended family" loosely, because this weekend includes many others!  On our side, the Browns, I can count 4 generations who have participated in the Games.  Impressive!  What a tradition!  I was a teenager when the first Games were played.  Now I am a grandparent and while I participated this year, I also got to see my grandchildren participate.  I never would have believed this day would happen back in 1974!  It was probably the farthest thing from my mind at the time!  The cute guy playing softball was probably more in my thoughts at the time.  

Siblings!  
We were here for the first Games and here we all are again!

The Games were epic!  Just imagine surviving this schedule!  Friday morning 8 a.m. 72 people played golf in a shotgun start at the local golf course.  Later that day there were the card and board games: bridge, cribbage, hearts and Trivial Pursuit x 3.  Saturday began with a Junior softball game, regular softball game, Frisbee Golf, Three-Legged race, Ultimate Frisbee and Volleyball on the beach.  Sunday began with a water relay (Canoeing (x2), Kayak push (x2), swimming x2, SUP x 2, Bocce Ball for 13 teams and finally the 50th Anniversary Rely with consisted of a mix of old throwback games and one new twist.  The relay began with horseshoes x 2, darts x 2, and Ice Cream run (eat an ice cream, run a course and tag the next runner who does the same), Skeet-ish shooting (shoot a flying frisbee with a water hose) and finally a historic puzzle where you had to place the activity in the decade it happened in the history of the Games.  That evening we drag our tired and hungry bodies to the grand finale.  This year there was a 50th anniversary trivia game that was hilarious and memorable!  Then...we DANCE!  This year the band Big Fish played for hours and we danced the night away!  Always one of the best nights of my year!  I love to dance, and I love these people and this place.

The softball participants

Going over Ultimate rules and spectators

Going over the Water Rely rules

The concentration was intense!

The Victory was sweet!
For a moment!

The Games ended dramatically.  It was decided that the results of the Bocce game would not be shared because if the Christies won, then it would all be over...but if the Browns won the Games would be tied and the final event would be the deciding event.  The Browns won the final event, the 50th Anniversary Relay and so the photo depicts that sweet moment when everything was possible.  Then we found out the Christies had won the Bocce game and won the Games 6-5.  We were so close...and yet so far away.

A good time was had by all!

And then we danced!
All of us from young to old and all ages in between!

The tide was turning but there were still a lot of activities after the games!  There was the Mini Olympics, the Sandcastle Contest, the Walk-a-thon and the Super Mini Olympics.  Not to mention a margarita party, our annual cousin party and one very emotional and beautiful event that requires its own post.  As I write this down and look back at my pictures, no wonder the time flew so fast!  We really were busy.  To quote Spirit of the West, "I need home for a rest!".  But not just yet!

I share this for your enjoyment, and for my memories. Every year is much the same and still subtly unique.  So many memories are made here and sometimes they all blend together.  It is nice to have the defining moments documented.   

 

Summer at Warp Speed

This summer is flying by at warp speed.  Aside from the usual "enjoy everything you love about this place before you have to leave" internal conversation, the external signs of summer flying by are becoming more and more obvious.  I look around the yard and notice things are growing a lot faster than they used to grow.  This also implies that I have time to sit around and observe how things are growing!  Is it July or is it August?  Is it just a warm summer or...is the climate really changing?  Am I getting older and experiencing the feeling of time going by faster and faster?  Yes.  

That yellow flower in the back is my harbinger of the warm summer days!

The boxes in late June getting ready to burst!

The flowers are certainly growing fast!

One signal that things are changing was the recent hurricane in Houston.  Hurricane Beryl is the earliest hurricane Houston has ever experienced.  Hurricane season is usually in August and September.  This is not good!  I am pretty sure the Gulf of Mexico is not going to cool down by August or September enough to make hurricane season disappear.  But lest this post become a rant on climate change let me move on...to more signs the summer is moving at warp speed.

The garden.  Usually, the garden looks like this at this time of year.  Neatly defined rows with the promise of peas, beans, tomatoes, spinach and many salads.

July 2016

July 2024 
Aside from the carrots that just didn't get going and had to be replanted twice...
much of the garden is almost overgrown and navigating between the rows is near impossible!

The differences are subtle, but we have never eaten beets out of the garden or potatoes this early in the summer.  Not complaining really, the earlier we get to begin harvesting, the longer we have to actually eat the massive amounts of produce TJ grows every year!  Even if I eat salad for lunch and dinner every day, we will never consume all of this lettuce before it goes to seed!  Lettuce anyone?

Another sign of summer whizzing by is that tonight marks our second book club meeting of the season.  We are already 2 or more books into our shore time.  Even I am 3 books in, and I am a very slow reader!  Our first book, Tom Lake, got mostly good reviews with a couple of mixed reviews.  The book did make for a good club discussion.  Mothers and daughters are always good fodder for discussion.  July's book was The Berry Pickers.  We usually read a Canadian authored book during the summer and this one was written by a Nova Scotian.  It was generally enjoyed, and we had a good discussion.  I also finished Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.  She is such a gifted writer, in my opinion.  This book was tough!  The writing is brilliant, the subject matter, drug addiction...particularly opioids, is hard to read about and heartbreaking.  I had to take breaks from the book just to let some of it go.  Not your light summer read!  Next up The Women, which I already read and highly recommend!

This summer has been warm.  Some would say hot.  I would say very warm and very humid.  Great if you are a plant...not so good if you want to play air-conditioned golf.  The golf has been anything but cool.  I have been "swimming" ...well, I got wet, earlier in the season than usual just to cool off.  All those cute outfits I packed have remained in the closet in lieu of exercise shorts and dry-fit tops.  We have run our air-conditioner considerably more than in previous year.  Mostly just to suck out the humidity.  So spoiled!

It may be warm but really, what do I have to complain about?!

The first month to 5 or 6 weeks has been like those times in the past.  Those easy days of just enough people to keep life interesting but not so many that it is hard to decide who to see and when to see them.  Not to mention the constant state of FOMO I find myself experiencing when the shore is at its busiest.  These days have been just right and a great way to slip into shore life.  I also noticed the fact that this is the first time in many years I am not worried about my parents whether they were here or at home.  Their last few years at the shore we had trips to the hospital, constant concerns about their health or how they were managing cottage life.  If they were home, I worried about them and about the siblings who were back there caring for them.  While I will always miss them, I don't miss worrying about them.  They are here with me in the best possible way, in many fleeting moments that sneak up on me when I least expect them.  

The tide is going to turn for a while.  The population is growing daily as people start showing up for their vacations.  This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Christie Brown Games... now the Amherst Shore Games.  There will be more people than have been here since well before the pandemic!  I will be longing for just one of these early summer days in a couple of weeks!  I will also totally enjoy seeing so many relatives and friends I haven't seen for years.  This will be a special time indeed!  I just hope I can channel the energy I had 50...or even 25 years ago!  

Beware if you are coming to visit...

There is a hole in the road!
Sadly...zero work has begun to repair this either....ugh!

P.S.  This post was written in mid July!  The swell has happened and sitting at the computer writing time has been at a premium!  Stay tuned for the Vortex chapter of the summer!  Looking forward to it!

One Week

Some weeks creep by and feel like they will never end.  Some weeks fly by, and we wonder how it all happened so fast.  The rest of the weeks just feel like another week in life.  There are weeks I would like to live over, again and again and pay attention to every single detail.  Others I am glad they are behind me.  I guess this is what life is all about, but do we ever stop and think about it?  This week seemed long, but it also flew by!  How can that be?

In one week, these went from this...

to this!

I arrived at the shore in the wee hours of the morning a week ago, today.  I was a bit weary last Sunday, after too little sleep and traveling for over 12 hours.  I was a very happy camper though, because the sun was shining, and it was not 90 degrees with 80% humidity like it was back home.  After an epic night of sleep on Monday, I felt human again!  My nesting instinct was in full gear as I unpacked, and reclaimed my house after TJ lived the bachelor life in it for over a month.  Mind you, it was clean enough, but "things" were not where they were "supposed" to be, aka where I want them.  I had fun settling into my summer life.  These feelings are completely opposite the ones I will have in September when I have to tuck frantically pack everything away for the long winter.  These are feelings of hope, excitement, anticipation and overwhelming peace.  I know we will be able to enjoy all of the food, the outdoor furniture, the flowers, the new beach chairs, the bbq grill and the garden for months before we have to shut it all down for another winter. There are none of these feelings in September!  

The bright green and yellows of early summer!

This part of summer reminds me of the weeks I spent up here with the kids in early July.  We referred to these few weeks as the "women and children" weeks.  Many of us had young families then and there was no "work from home" option, so we would come up with the kids and the dads would go back home and work and come back for vacation in a few weeks.  It was a quiet, communal time when lunch happened wherever the kids just happened to be playing and dinners were very casual and easy usually consisting of something that comes in a blue and orange box made by Kraft.  Now our kids have their own kids, and while some have the luxury of spending many weeks up here with more flexible work options available...many don't.  Our early summer dinners this week were again communal but now the menu has evolved to a much more sophisticated palate.  We all enjoy these slow, easy days when we can rotate the cooking and cleaning responsibilities and have good conversations without the multitude of happenings of the busy season and the fear of missing out on something fun somewhere else.

It feels like we have had at least two seasons this week as well!  The first two days were amazing, beautiful, perfect!  The middle of the week was similar to summer in Houston...very hot, even by this southern girl's standards, and humid...but still sunny and lovely.  By the end of the week things moderated a bit and we had Canadian summer instead of Houston summer.  Today it is cool and rainy...so spring?  All good, we need the rain!  Which brings me to golf.

I played golf 3!!!, times this week.  The course is in fantastic shape and the luscious weather made the rounds very enjoyable...even if I did blow a few holes.  I do not ever remember the course being in this condition this early in the summer.  The ground that is usually still a bit mushy or soft is very hard and dry, which plays into my game well.  I need all the roll I can get!

A few other early summer observations.  This is the week we move a lot of heavy things.  Just ask my back.  Things like bbq grills, canoes, large bags of potting soil, picnic tables, planters, outdoor furniture.  They can stay where we put them for a while now!

Summer solstice 2024 sunset 9:26 p.m.

Finally, this is my favorite week for a reason other than it is my first week at the farmhouse and the shore.  It is the week of the summer solstice which means it is the week with the longest days of sunlight in the year.  This year those days were full of bright, beautiful sunshine and that is not the case every year.  I soaked it all in, just as I am pretty sure our garden and all of our flowers did.  I also hosted what is becoming a summer tradition, my annual summer solstice party.  A little get-together to toast the summer and maybe, if the clouds part at the right time, watch the latest sunset of the year.  If this summer is as good as the sunset that started it, we are in for a great one!  Cheers to summer 2024!