It occurred to me tonight as we were on a shuttle from Main Street in Park City to our hotel, that I do have to thank the pandemic for one thing. Because, really, what is a pandemic if nothing good can come of it? We are here on at least our 20th ski trip to the area, yes, we are thankful! We have been coming here since either 1996 or 97, in ski season. Until the year 2020, I only knew this place as a ski destination. A place covered in snow with trees all lit up with white lights at night and people bundled up, full of life, after a day of fresh air on the ski slopes. I had friends who spent their summers here and raved about what a great place it was in the summer and told us we should visit sometime in the summer... but we spend our summers in Nova Scotia. That is...until 2020.
The Park City I knew and loved!
In the year 2020, we were unable to go to Nova Scotia for the summer and we came here instead. We did the same thing in 2021, until we could finally get into Canada. They were all correct! This is a great place to be in the summer. Being able to experience both summer and winter in Park City has been a real treat. Tonight, we were remembering riding our bikes to town for a 4th of July parade. We ate dinner very close to where we parked our bikes, it brought back fond memories. I like the fact that I now know what those golf courses look like when they are green...and white! I like that I know what the ski slopes look like in the off season.
The view from my bike last summer. I'll be skiing those mountains this week!
Having come here for several weeks, two summers in a row, I feel differently towards Park City. She has so many different dimensions now. I know what the views out of the church windows look like in two seasons. Believe me, those windows are inspirational in either season! I know the buzz in town at night after a great day on the ski slopes in addition to the buzz on the streets in the summer on the weekend during Park Silly Market. I have now played golf on those courses that I look down on from the ski slopes. I rode my bike on those now icy, snowy streets last summer and ate meals at the same places under fans and now heat lamps.
I know this may not be news to some of you who live in places with distinctly different seasons, but for this Texas girl, it is a big deal. Tonight, I was very happy to feel a kinship with my 2nd or 3rd "home"...at least for the last 2 years. Thank you, pandemic.
Welcome 2022...if you are nice to us, you can become our favorite year of the '20's so far! Competition is not that tough though. I have heard so many people say that 2021 was a bad year for them and they are looking forward to 2022 being a lot better. I sure hope they all get their wish! January is when many of us review the past year and consider what we hope the new year will bring. To me, last year flew by on first reflection, but upon closer examination, it was a long year! Think of where we started, where we have been and where we finally ended up. Last year began with the death of my father and the birth of a grandson. I am pretty sure those two events set the stage for what would be a year not unlike the old catch phrase from the Wide World of Sports opening. "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" only in reverse.
Last year it seemed every dark moment was followed by a moment of hope and optimism which in turn was followed by darkness and the cycle repeated itself over and over. I find myself not even knowing how to feel sometimes. Consider last January. Aside from the personal emotional rollercoaster of that month, the world was reeling from a spike in Covid cases, thanks to the holidays. And who can blame us? After almost a year of "flattening the curve" people just needed to be with their families. Anyhow...January was when the first doses of the vaccine were being distributed and with them came some hope. The next few months were spent trying to get as many of us vaccinated with the hope of making Covid go away. Hope. Those dark days of January were followed by the spring, and we all were feeling "protected" and finally comfortable to go out to dinner, get together with friends, shop, maybe even travel. By May we were practically giddy. And by June our new friend Delta entered the picture. You see where I am going with this as far as Covid is concerned. Every time we felt like we had this thing under control, felt free to live our lives and did, something changed, and we ended up at what keeps feeling like Groundhog Day. The thrill of victory followed by the agony of defeat.
2021 seemed like a pretty good year to me, all things considered. After spending so much time alone together in 2020, we enjoyed the relative freedom of being with friends and family in 2021. In 2021 we traveled around the states again but this year, we felt so much safer...until we didn't. In 2021 we began the summer still wondering if and when we would be able to visit Nova Scotia, a bit defeating. Then we found out we could visit in August, thrill of victory!
There was that family vacation we planned in Park City at the beginning of August that completely fell apart due to Covid complications. Thrill of victory followed by agony of defeat, followed by me unexpectedly able to fly to San Francisco to help my daughter and her family move into their new home. Our year was spent making plans, adjusting our plans, cancelling our plans and making new plans. Through it all, we did try our best to make the most of our days.
We finally made it to Nova Scotia again in 2021 and any year we make it to the shore is a good year. Thrill of victory. We also had to jump through a few hoops to get there and back but they were worth it.
After a Thanksgiving for 2 in 2020, we celebrated with 7 other people in 2021. It was luxurious! We were definitely thankful for the blessing of being together and being healthy. Christmas 2021 was full of family...thrill of victory, but not unaffected by Covid cancellations...agony of defeat. While we certainly missed the ones who could not travel, we were thankful for the ones who could. I still find myself wondering what we are supposed to all learn and take away from the last 2 years. Count the blessings in front of us? Be flexible? Don't worry or celebrate too much because it is all going to change soon?
I am not sure how this year is going to stack up. One thing for sure, it will be a year like no other for us. Today marks the last day of work for TJ. After a career covering 44 years, 5 relocations, 15 different bosses, 6 different companies, thousands of miles flown and driven, hundreds of sales calls made as well as conferences attended and a few "side deals", he is retiring. This uncharted territory has us feeling both excited and terrified. I am sure that TJ being TJ, will figure out a way to fill his days over capacity with many legitimate and/or outlandish activities. A few years ago, BC (before Covid), we looked forward to TJ's retirement and had big plans to travel around the world, or at least part of it, for an extended time. We saved for this. We dreamed about it. It was a giant carrot dangling in front of us at the end of his career. Those plans were put on the back burner sometime in 2020 just waiting for a bright green light to motivate us to start planning again. My hope is that we are able to finally take this trip before we are too old and decrepit. A friend shared a funny thought in her Christmas letter this year. She said we are in the Go-Go years which will be followed by the Go-Slow years and end with our No-Go years. We just want to Go while we still have it!
I for one, am hoping 2022 is less of a roller coaster and more of a monorail ride. High in the air, moving forward at a steady pace. Cheers to 2022! May you be the year we all want and need!
Greetings! This will likely be my last post for 2021. There is so much to say and so little time or energy to say it these days. Three years now and we are yet to have what feels like a "traditional" Christmas. I feel like gone are the days of piling wrapped gifts under the tree with the collection growing larger every day in anticipation of the intended recipients. Gone are the days of baking for days before Christmas in anticipation of a full house. As much as I love all those baked goods, I am pretty sure after my physical in a week my doctor will once again scold me for rising blood sugar and extra weight, so the yummy Christmas treats will look more like vegetables than buttery delicious cookies. But then again, maybe not! Willpower is not my strong suit!
We are in the final week before Christmas. We have two of our grandchildren staying with us this week while their parents move everything into their new home in Boston. Nothing makes you feel your age like trying to care for a 6-year-old and 3-year-old when you are "of a certain age". I am so glad I had my kids when I was young! No wonder I didn't drink back then...who had the time or the energy? Probably lucky for them too. Also, no wonder I was so much thinner when I was young, in addition to the no drinking, there was no sitting on the couch either. Parenting young children is not for wimps. It does have its rewards though! Today we reaped some of those rewards. We took the kids to Mass this morning. I have been to church with many young children and usually found myself questioning why we were expected to have those children and bring them to church when there was no way I was going to be able to pay attention to anything read or spoken during that Mass because I was constantly corralling the children. Today, the children were perfectly, well...almost, behaved and I even heard what was read, spoken and sung during church. So much so that one song brought tears to my eyes. Breath of Heaven is worth a listen to get you in the spirit. It was a Christmas miracle!
After a dreary, rainy day yesterday, today was chilly and sunny and everyone was happy to be outdoors. I thought it would be fun to bring the kids to town center and see the giant Christmas tree. Little did I know that there was an outdoor market set up today around the town square. Bonus! The kids were enchanted with the tree, and I sprung for a couple of pre-Christmas treats for them. It is starting to feel a bit like Christmas. The rest of the day was spent playing at the playground, helping Grampy build my Christmas gift in the garage, building our new Lego, reading lots of books, walking around the neighborhood and eating all of the fruit in the house. We ended the day watching a couple of cute kiddie Christmas Disney+ shows. I am a sucker for a cute Disney show. I think they are as tired as we are at the end of the day because we don't hear a peep out of them when they go to bed. All is good...so far. We are only at the end of day 2 though.
Sugar Land, Texas
Because who doesn't love a giant Christmas tree and a lizard hand puppet?
This year, our focus is definitely not on the material things. Christmas gifts are an afterthought. In the front of our minds are these two kids, who we will miss so much when they move north and the rest of our family. Many of us will be together for the first time in a very long time. That is, if all goes to plan and these days, nothing goes according to plan. Living a life where making plans comes with a caveat that those plans may well be cancelled depending on the current situation is mentally and emotionally challenging. I like to go "all in" when I make a plan, so knowing in the back of my mind that any number of circumstances could change those plans makes it all feel so halfway. My heart can't commit, and if your heart can't commit, why bother? I find myself committing and just setting myself up for disappointment. It happens. A by-product of the last almost 2 years. I don't' like it, just in case anyone wants to know.
So, while our house will be fuller than in the previous 2 Christmas', we are guarded in knowing that in a moment, it could all change. So...no baking just yet. I just can't look at hopeful cookies before I know I have help to eat them. It's weird...right? In the meantime, we have two very sweet and excited children to bring to the forefront the true joy of Christmas, and for that we are very thankful! Merry Christmas everyone! May the joy of Christmas through a child's eyes be yours!
A little God wink today for all the control freaks out there. Maybe it is something we all need to be reminded of. Maybe it is my gift to you today and maybe it is just something to give you a bit of a giggle.
I was out running some Christmas errands today. Far be it from me to do anything well ahead of time when I can wait until the last minute. I was picking up a gift for a gift exchange, getting the ingredients I needed to make the appetizer I am bringing to the gift exchange party and throwing in some random gift shopping for the family. I was not necessarily rushed, and it was not an altogether unpleasant experience unless you factor in the fact that it is still 80 degrees, and I wore as mask for all of these errands...bah humbug. I almost felt productive.
I was on my way home and noticed how poorly I had timed my return. It was now "school zone" time and in the one-giant-school-zone I pass through to get home there are 4 schools that let out at varying times. Traffic is a nightmare from 2:35-4. As I approached one particularly backed up light and looked ahead at a solid line of cars on the other side of the light going nowhere, I decided to be clever and scoot into the right lane and turn onto the cross street and go home the back way. I figured it would be forever before I made it through the light and then through the next light before I got to my turn. It was smooth sailing until I reached the front of the high school and the traffic guard held up his hand for me to stop. I sat there as 25-30 school buses proceeded to pull out in front of me...one after another, they just kept on coming out of the school!
As I sat there, waiting for an eternity watching the yellow line in front of me get longer and longer, the song on the radio came into my consciousness and I listened to the lyrics. The name of the song was Control by For King and Country and listening to the lyrics I just had to laugh at myself for trying to be so clever and take control of my situation. I must have needed to slow down, sit for a few minutes and listen. Even if it was just traffic...I was reminded that at the end of the day, I am not in control of it all and I just have to trust there is a higher power at work in my life.
I give up control, Body, mind, and soul, Can't do this on my own, alone, no I give up control
I started this post weeks ago...in September. Rather than deleting it, I decided it was still relevant and figure I can just add to it. Hard to believe we have been "home" for 5 weeks already. Real life has filled our days so much that finishing a blog post always seems to draw the short straw. Enjoy the fall reflection here and yes, I am still wearing my tired summer clothes and running the AC all day. Where do you live and is fall in your neighborhood? May I come visit?
September is a month of transitions, regardless of your stage in life. It is the month school traditionally began until they moved it into August...sigh. It is the month we say goodbye to the freedom of summer. September is the month life returns to a more focused and structured pattern. The days begin to get shorter and in many places...the weather changes. Not sure what that all about, but I hear it happens. Your wardrobe changes. After months of flip flops, shorts, bathing suits and lightweight clothing, the weather, or life, dictates a wardrobe change in September. Unless you live down south where the only thing that dictates a wardrobe change in September is wishful thinking. I have always "theoretically" liked September.
Visions of fall colors dancing in my head.
Living in the south, September inevitably disappoints me. For most of my life, we spent much of August in Canada and August was the month things like school supplies, and more importantly, fall clothing, appeared in the stores. I always idealized that distinct change of season...and wardrobe. I had high hopes of going home and being able to wear pants and shirts with sleeves and maybe a sweater...but instead, when we arrived home, the weather dictated my very tired summer clothes stay in the daily rotation. Things are no different even returning as late as mid September...so much for that ideal fall season down south.
The pace of life changes in September, even if our wardrobe doesn't. School zones are back in effect and the ebb and flow of life follows more structure. I kind of like structure. I can remember the bumpy entry into the fall schedule with the kids every year because we chose to return from Nova Scotia at the very last minute possible. After a summer of relative freedom and unstructured days we suddenly had to be places at specific times, wearing certain clothes and do it all indoors! The drastic change never came without some rebellion...from both the kids and the adults. Every year, within a couple of weeks, we had bumped our way into our new rhythm of life. Transition complete...bring on the football games!
This year was no different. After a summer on the road, we spent the first few weeks re-engaging...and perspiring. TJ was back to a regular work schedule that after 18 months involved a couple of business trips. Can I say it was both strange and enjoyable to be home..in my own house...alone... for the first time in a very long time? The luxury of having full access to the remote control cannot be underestimated. Especially when you have not watched TV in 3 months. I had a lot of catching up to do. Life almost seemed normal after a couple weeks.
A few things that have made life feel closer to pre-pandemic times involve weddings. So many couples ended up postponing or cancelling their weddings in the pandemic. Now it seems there is a huge rush to the altar. Go for it! We have attended a bridal shower and an engagement party over the past 5 weeks. These gatherings are so overdue! Everyone is thrilled for these young people and to be able to gather once again and celebrate with them feels wonderful. Happy times together have been on hold and are even sweeter now. This only confirms in my mind how essential togetherness is in our existence.
Speaking of wardrobe changes...has anyone braved shopping lately? I was humbled and perplexed a couple of weeks ago when I was forced to go out there. First off...maybe I am not exactly in the same shape I was pre-pandemic. Secondly, what the H-E- double hockey sticks??! Who decided that we needed to look like we came out of the pandemic and entered The Little House on the Prairie? After a couple of humiliating and frustrating efforts to find appropriate clothing for a social gathering I have come to the conclusion that designers are just trying to get back at us for not buying anything for over a year. Ugh! Maybe they added giant puffy sleeves to detract from the waistlines that expanded during our extended homestays. I found myself lost. Where did I shop before? Why are all of these clothes so ugly? What brands used to fit me? Where do I buy pants to fit me? And, seriously...high waisted bell-bottoms? Been there, done that. The downside of rejoining society and going "out" again is remembering how to dress for public again. I am pretty sure yoga pants, running shorts, hiking clothes or golf clothes are not what people wear to parties. My closet is full of things that look tired and neglected. I have been forced to dust off my dormant sense of style and reinvent my wardrobe. I will not be wearing anything that resembles Laura Ingles Wilder.
There you have it. Re-entering life at home and slowly entering post pandemic life or just living more fully in a pandemic. Still wishing for more fall-like weather and searching for clothes to wear in real life. I hope you are enjoying pumpkin season in a cozy sweater where you live!
And just like that, it is the dreaded last week day. The week full of mixed emotions. It was a very short summer considering it began on August 15th! Try fitting in all of the visiting, the sitting on the beach and soaking up some sun while attempting to read a book, the rounds of golf, the lobster suppers, the cousin time, the many walks on the sandbars, the marveling at sunsets, a few scenic drives, and spending as much time as possible enjoying the peace this place brings into a mere 5 weeks! It has been hard work, but we were up for it. We knew we would make it here once the border opened and we were overjoyed when it did. Hopefully, next year will be a bit more "normal" and our regular summer pattern will resume. Of course, none of us are banking on that because if we have learned anything over the last 2 years we learned life is unpredictable. Still, it has been a true blessing to spend some very quality time up here in Nova Scotia.
That "coming home from the beach" hour. I love the shadows!
One notable occurrence this year happened on August 28. As you probably all know, my Dad passed away on New Year's Eve 2020 and his funeral was in January 2021. I was unable to make the funeral. His wish was that his ashes be spread in the Northumberland Straight, which is the body of water our little piece of heaven is located. I am pretty sure he is not the only one to have that wish, there have been several to go there before him and there will be more to follow him. I am sure they are all enjoying that eternal shore summer together now. My Mom was very focused on making this happen this summer. She was lucky enough to make the trip up here once the border opened and I think her main purpose was to honor Dad's wish. As my siblings handled the funeral and all the arrangements in Baton Rouge in January, I was put in charge of the Nova Scotia part. Fair enough. But planning something when you don't really know if you or any of your family will even be able to cross the border presented a bit of a challenge. Once we knew we were able to come up, we made sure the ashes were sent up here too. Mail and delivery these days is unpredictable at best. No plans could be made until "Dad" was here.
Dad's ashes arrived and the planning began. With 3/5 of the kids here and Mom here and so many of Dad's cousins and friends it was the perfect setting we never saw coming. The day ended up being the most beautiful day ever! Mom was a bit emotional, as should be expected. I think we were all a bit emotional and unsure. Having never distributed ashes, I wondered the best way to do it. As it turned out, the wind was very high that day and using a boat was not possible. We decided the best plan would be to wade out into the water and distribute the ashes sometime near high tide. Dad was a veteran and a proud American. One of his grandsons carried an American flag, attached to one of his walking sticks into the water making sure to keep it dry the entire time. The wind kept it blowing for all to see perfectly! One of my sisters distributed the ashes while another tossed flowers along with the ashes to float along with him. I sat on the bank with Mom and watched. It was one of the most beautiful ceremonies I have ever seen. The weather was perfect and he would have loved it! The flag was prominent and it was all very respectful. There were many people gathered on the bank watching and each was touched in their own way.
Driving Mom down to watch the ash distribution. Dad would have approved of the golf cart transportation!
I was worried that this day would be too much for Mom. She will tell you that she was worried she might just pass out, but something very different happened. She felt peace. She said she knew that Dad wanted to be here and that he would not rest until he was here and consequently, she would not rest either until he was here. The spirit was among us and he is finally at peace, and even more, Mom is at peace. She knew what he wanted and would not rest until it happened. It was so special.
This is the YouTube video I took of the ashes being distributed, if you care to watch. It is 5 minutes long and the wind is blowing...thus the noise.
We held a reception, outside, and invited friends and relatives. They all came and celebrated Dad's life. Not everyone could be here, but the ones who were made us smile. We served some of Dad's favorite foods and drinks. His signature cocktail was a huge hit! Vodka, cranberry and Fresca! Dad, again, would have loved it! So...on a perfect day, in the perfect place, Dad got his final wish and Mom seems to have found peace. The rest of us had some great food and enjoyed a good cocktail...thanks Dad! It was the perfect send-off.
The heavens...or Dad... even gifted us with a lovely sunset that night!
Once we celebrated Dad's life the summer seemed to fly by. There was that one rainy, icky week but then there is always one icky, rainy week. How would we ever read a book or get anything done if there weren't?!
The last two weeks have been special. Normally, there are not many cousins here after the 3rd week of August. But...this year September was awesome! We had a continuous cast of cousins here! TJ and I loved the company. We all enjoyed the less frenzied time together by hosting dinners and playing games every night. Mom got to participate in many of these nights and I think she liked it. Especially when she was kicking our butts in Uno....or OneO as she called it. Spending quality time with your first cousins, who you spent many a summer with as a child, is special. Turns out, we really do like each other as much as we like this place.
1st Cousins rock! Can't wait to be all together next summer!
After 2 years we will close the door on the farmhouse again with hopes of returning next May. I have realized there is no guarantee and so I have cleaned to the best of my ability and put everything away as if I may not return in 9 months. That really stinks...doesn't it? Today, TJ, Mom and I spent 3 hours of our last day driving to Moncton to get our pre-flight Covid tests. We have 3 negative tests results "to go". Yes, the world has changed. But, if taking a Covid test and "wasting" 3 hours of my last day here is what we have to do....I guess that is what we will do. I could have been dumping unused condiments into the green bin instead.
Once again, I have stayed up much too late on my last night, trying to postpone the inevitable. If I don't go to sleep, maybe I won't ever have to leave. It was a good summer. A short summer but appreciated so much more... "because". We, and that means more than just TJ and myself...it extends far and wide, love this place. We are so happy when we first arrive, we revel in the day to day luxury of routines that we love and we dread that last day that arrives much sooner than we are ever ready to accept. There has been life breathed into my soul just being here. I can't wait until next year and I hope next year is just an ordinary year...because we truly love those ordinary years here.
A few photos to show you why....
3 out of 5 of us and Mom at the reception for Dad.
These shirts were Dad's favorite "hot summer day" wear.
I needed a stiff drink at the end of the day... signature cocktail to the rescue!
Took Mom on a Saturday drive...we were rewarded!
Nice round of golf with the guys!
We managed to stay long enough for raspberry season!!!
My last walk on the sandbars...
Waking up to this view makes it hard to leave... goodbye until we meet again.
Four short weeks ago we made it to the farmhouse in Nova Scotia. After spending 2 summers on the road trying to avoid the heat and humidity in Houston and one hell of a pandemic, we were able to cross the Canadian border and return to our home away from home. The second summer is almost over but the pandemic seems to live on...ugh! After a long and slightly stressful day of travel we landed in Halifax and I could have kissed the ground. How is it possible that after being away for 2 years, everything feels...ohhh...so familiar?! It was like a part of me had been missing for 2 years and I am finally whole again. This has always been my happy, peaceful, "put things in perspective for the year" place and I really need to put things in perspective.
We were home for one week between Park City and our great Alaskan adventure before we flew to Nova Scotia. We unpacked, did the laundry, repacked and caught up with our family at home. We had to take our Covid test within 72 hours of our departure to Canada. Negative results in hand, we boarded the plane for Toronto. I told myself that I would not get excited until I was through customs and on a plane to Halifax. We had dotted all of our i's and crossed all of our t's and made it through with the proper documentation! Once we landed in Halifax and stepped outside I smelled the air and knew it had all been worth it! It was a long day and it was late when we arrived at the farmhouse, but I could have stayed up all night. We opened the door and it still smelled like the farmhouse! Everything was exactly as I left it 2 years ago! It felt like the earth was back on its axis. All was right with the world. Unbelievable!
It was not lit up the night we arrived but it looked just as good to us!
The familiar smells, the angle of the sunlight, the colors that are so brilliant, the stars in the night sky, the sand on the beach, the smiling faces, the food, and the history all came together to form a perfect "welcome back" within days of our arrival! I find it very interesting that after only a few days it felt just like any other summer with a slightly later start. Life up here is so easy to slip into, even after being away for 2 years. The routines come naturally. I know this place like I know myself. This year the only things missing were the garden, a few family members and maybe June and July. We were able to reconnect with so many people we missed over the last 2 years. It probably comes as no surprise that none of us skipped a beat. We all have our own personal "Covid life" stories and our own experiences to share but we also have our shared love of this place and are each genuinely happy to finally be in this place together. It really helps that the Americans who traveled here are all fully vaccinated and all tested negative before arrival and most Canadians here are also fully vaccinated. We are living in a unique bubble and it feels so nice. We are all counting our blessings and none of us are looking forward to returning to the real world.
Beach bbq...a new tradition?! It was the perfect opportunity to reconnect with friends and family.
Last night I had one of "those" moments. There are things we do here that we never do at home...in addition to walking on the beach, swimming and eating lobster. It was after dinner, around 8 or so, and we got in the car and drove to a friend's house to visit...spontaneously and unannounced. We were met with a welcome and had a lovely evening. At home, I would never just drop in on a friend after 8 p.m. unannounced. Let's just add Covid life to that equation and it makes that event even more meaningful. We were together with friends, in their house, with other friends...spontaneously. We had not done such a thing for way too long and it felt so normal. The world was back on its axis.
Before getting here, I wondered how we would be received. The U.S. is not faring too well with virus and Canada is extremely conservative in their approach, would we be welcomed? My concerns were quickly put to rest. We felt very welcomed and comfortable. Whew! It would have been very awkward to dial back my need for socializing!
We were blessed, early on, with some classic perfect shore weather. The days were warm...even hot (totally surprising) and sunny and we followed our usual daily flow of morning exercise, take care of any chores, have lunch and make our way down to the beach until time to head home for dinner. After dinner, enjoy sunset and visit friends and family until you can't keep your eyes open any longer, sleep and repeat. It is a great way to spend a day week...or two! I remember the first rainy day came after about 10 days and it was a blessing. Today, the fifth icky day in a row, I am much less enamored of the rain.
At least even the icky days have some bright spots.
I really missed the sky up here. I could fill several photo albums with the pictures of the sky I have taken. As I sit here in my sunroom, I notice I have about a 140 degree view of the sky, no wonder it is my favorite room! It occurs to me that our 2 summers of roaming the USA consisted of a lot of sky time, and that was just fine with me! At home we do not see the horizon very often and I really like seeing the horizon. Maybe I should file that information away for our "retirement" location! Always looking for suggestions on that front!
Love this even on a rainy day.
Turns out when you arrive late you stay late. I am not sure we have ever had more Americans on the beach in September than Canadians. Usually I am hunting for someone to chat with by this time of the summer but thankfully many of my cousins are staying into mid September. With the border only opening on August 9 many of us are taking advantage of late summer here. We are all enjoying the more intimate visits and time spent together. I, for one, am looking at this as a preview of years to come when many of them retire and have more free time to spend here. We all love the busy times in July and August with siblings, kids, grandkids and cousins... but as expected, those times often feel frenzied. It has been a real treat to spend quality time together with a smaller group. Don't get me wrong, next year I will be very ready for any and all visitors throughout several months up here! I better be careful what I wish for!
Oddly, I expected to be inspired to write once we were here. Usually this place inspires me and brings out some of my best stuff. I have found myself struggling with just what to write since I arrived. Either I have not been listening or I have been too busy soaking up my 5 weeks of fresh air, sea breezes, sandy toes, delicious local food, easy conversations, colorful sunsets, familiar relationships and peace enough to last me until we return next year. This place has served as my giant RESET button for most of my life. If ever there was a need to reset, it was the past 2 years. Maybe this is an escape but maybe it is a return to a more simple life where the biggest problem is wondering how long the rain will last or how you repair old screens or what bin does aluminum foil go in...trash or recycling, and what time is low tide today? So, instead of writing I have been doing...and enjoying every minute. Even more thankful for this place this year than many other years. Taking nothing for granted!
I waited 2 years for this glass of wine!
And for this sunset!
Garden renovation...getting ready for a banner year in 2022!
Fall colors in the roadside ditches...
Turtle head!
The simple pleasure of an afternoon spent power washing.
No words can express how thankful we are to be here!
