Summer Vacation Time...

Everyone needs a break once in a while...

There's just too much going on in my real life to keep up with my online life at the moment, so I'm taking a break and will get back to reviewing and blogging in September.

In the meantime, remember to get outside and enjoy a few sunsets...

Two Days Left of Summer

My kids have two days left of their summer vacation.

Two more days to sleep late. Two more days to go barefoot. Two more days to wear pajamas until noon, or play XBOX with the neighbors, or jump in the swimming pool at lunchtime, or sleep over at a friend's house on a Sunday night.

Do you remember the last few days before going back to school? The anticipation of seeing the friends whom you haven't kept up with over the summer? The excitement at running into that "crush" you've been thinking about since June? Wondering who'll look the same and who'll look totally different? Worrying about navigating through a new middle school building, after so many years in the same school? When your parents decide it's time to start getting ready for bed early again, but your body and mind are still on their summer schedule and sleep seems impossible...

When kids are little, they live in the moment. Everything is immediate. A crisis may be intense, but it usually ends at bedtime, and the new day dawns with fresh possibilities and a new outlook. My daughter just turned nine. She can tell me at dinner that I'm ruining her life, and the next morning be all smiles, argument (thankfully) forgotten.

As children grow older, they expand their thoughts, anticipations, and worries to include the near future. My soon-to-be eighth grader is thinking ahead to his whole school year, up to and including the class trip at the end. But he's not yet thinking beyond to high school or college. My soon-to-be sixth grader is just hoping he finds his classrooms on the first day without looking foolish. I love this age - where they can plan and anticipate, but not worry too far into the future. No grey hair in middle school. It's a perfect age to write for, because while the problems are still immediate and need to be on an individual level, they can have an arc that's longer than a day.

When you get to high school as a freshman, you start to think ahead to the whole four years, but it really isn't until after the start of junior year that you start worrying about what's next. And college age students vary widely, depending on their personalities. When I was in college, my goal was to spend my junior year in England. I worked very hard to get the grades to go on the program, but found when I returned to the US, I had no future plan. (I scrambled to come up with one. I still feel like I'm working on it.)

As an adult, I can worry about stuff that won't happen for years. My daughter going on dates. Kids' college payments. Whether I can make a career of writing. Whether we'll ever afford Retirement.

I found my very first grey hair last week.

I cut it out with nail scissors.

Carpe Diem. At least for two more days of summer.

The Official End of Summer

It's the start of Labor Day weekend. The official "end" of summertime.

Many of the summer people have already left Cape Cod. The roads are already more quiet, the temperatures already dipping into the 50s and 60s at night. Even though the leaves aren't yet turning, it's time to start thinking ahead to fall.

My kids don't go back to school until next Wednesday, so I still have a few more days to get their school supplies organized and create my master to-do list for fall. I guess my writing should go to the top of the list since it's practically fallen right off there during July and August.

This summer, I've read a lot of blog posts about procrastination and writer's block. It seems I'm no where near alone in this boat. It's a cruise line full of frustrated writers. And yet there is no one right answer to solve the problem.

I just dug out my copy of Anne Lamott's wonderful bird by bird to see if I can work through my issues once school starts. I'm luckier than some in that I have my first book coming out next month so I KNOW I can do it.

I just need to sit down and get to work.

Mission: Vermont Vacation... draws to a close

Vacation is drawing to a close.

Going through the checklist in my head of all the things we wanted to do on this vacation in the mountains, I feel satisfied that the kids and I accomplished all our goals.

Hike a mountain? check. Work on the farm? check. Go horseback riding? check. Blueberry picking? check. Going to Swimming Holes? check. Boating? check, check. Relax? hmmm.....

I guess I forgot something after all.

Do you ever head home from "vacation" more tired than when you started the week? Or is that just me? Perhaps I forgot to add that "relaxation" thing to the master list at the beginning. We've been busy driving around from one fun thing to another (almost 300 miles of driving Since Arriving...) At least the kids have been sleeping late in the mornings, and falling into bed at night. And I did get that break from routine I'd been craving earlier in the month.

So it's all good. Perhaps sometimes that's the point of vacation more than the relaxation. It's the break from the everyday. Giving us something new and different to do, see, and experience. A chance to do new things together, as a family, where the teenagers don't automatically strike a bored pose and give you that 13-year-old "been there, done that" attitude. I mean, he got in there and enjoyed picking blueberries more than the little one did, something that wouldn't happen at home where his friends might see him. Real smiles are a great thing to see.

Mission: Vacation was successful after all. Now back to reality.

Down on the Farm

Cape Cod Weather Today: I don't know. We're in Vermont this week. The weather here, however, is rainy today with scattered thunderstorms.

This picture is from a few summers ago, when the kids and I came up to work on my sister's farm. (Since I forgot to bring the cord to download the photos from my camera, there won't be any new pictures to share until I get back to the Cape.)

In addition to hanging out and picking beans in the field, we took the kids horseback riding this summer. They all loved it, and are talking about wanting to take lessons when we get home. We'll see. I'm not sure I can fit many more lessons into the taxi schedule...

This summer, we're here with my parents, my Aunt Kate from Virginia, and my other sister as well. My parents rented a big house where we're all staying. My oldest is psyched because the kids' room is downstairs, next to the game room with a big pool table. My daughter is in heaven because she gets to sleep in the top bunk.

Simple pleasures of vacation.

Camp Memories

Cape Cod Weather today: Sticky, hot and humid, chance of a thunderstorm later today. Can you say "dog days of summer" ? They're here!

I'm spending a lot of time wondering what my daughter is doing at summer camp. Hoping she's having fun and making friends.

I'm also spending a lot of time reminiscing in my own head about my days at Girl Scout camp, way back when. I grew up in Northern New Jersey, and our council's camps were across the border in rural New York State. Camp Golden Knot was were I went as a Brownie, and Camp Glen Spey was were I went when I was a little older.

My sister and I always went to camp in August, since our family spent July down the shore in Normandy Beach, on Barnagate Bay. The Jersey Shore is a fabulous place to spend summers, almost as nice as Cape Cod (LOL). Sandy beaches, early morning sailing lessons, day camp on the bayside, water skiing behind dad's boat, visits to the boardwalks in Point Pleasant and Seaside Heights on weekends. Stock car races in Wall once a summer.

After a month at the shore, camp always seemed extra-green, the tall trees perpetually casting shade and shadows. The lake was so different from the Atlantic, in so many ways. The all-girl atmosphere, hiking, crafting, swimming, row boating, and the daily challenges the counselors would throw at us made Girl Scout camp one of the highlights of my summer and my year, every year. I met a great group of girls from all over New Jersey, and we'd plan to sign up for the same session each year, the only two weeks most of us would see each other since we went to different schools.

On my last summer camping at Glen Spey, my now teen-aged camp friends and I decided to sign up for the Primitive Camping experience, not really knowing what we were signing up for, just that it would be more challenging than previous summers. We wanted something special for what we agreed would be our last summer as Girl Scouts together.

On arrival day, we Primitive Unit campers followed our counselors on a long hike, carrying all our gear, at least a mile "out" of camp. It must have still been part of Glen Spey, but we'd never been to this neck of the woods. They led us to an empty clearing.

"This is your campsite," they told us. We looked around. Nothing. No tents, no fire pit...no latrine. "Your sleeping units were delivered, so we won't have to carry them the whole way from camp." We followed the counselors up another path through the woods, that spilled onto a dirt camp road. On the side of the road were long, heavy boxes with pictures of tepees on the sides.

We read the instructions, and built tepees. They were large enough to sleep 4 or 5 girls, but we were a little cramped inside the space. We were told that was okay, because we were going to be too busy to spend much time inside except to sleep. The counselors were right.

We gathered large stones and built a fire pit. We dug a pit and lashed saplings between trees to build a latrine. We found a spot next to a rocky outcropping where we could rig up a bucket high enough to build a shower (which we didn't get fully functional until almost the last day.) We rigged our food on pulleys in the trees to keep the critters out. We put on war paint and raided other campsites (only counselor tents) for extra food and treats (looking back, I think that might have been prearranged between the counselors.) We hiked back into the main camp and swam in the lake a lot, but our primitive unit was still nicknamed PU, because, yes, we all smelled pretty bad after a week in the woods.

For two weeks, we kept building and improving until our campsite was just as fully functional as any of the "regular" campsites at Glen Spey. And then we had to take it all down at the end, to Leave No Trace. It was the best two weeks at camp I ever had.

My daughter is eight. She is not primitive camping this summer, but someday, maybe, she'll want to do something similar. One of the camp choices she looked at for this year was "Camp Survivor," based on the popular t.v. reality show. She decided she wasn't ready for that quite yet. "Maybe next year," she said.

I hope she's having fun.

August on Cape Cod

Cape Cod Weather Today: Overcast and extremely humid. The clouds might just be fog, but the humidity must be around 80%. The thermometer says it's 73 degrees out there at 7 a.m...

August on Cape Cod.

If you're here, you've probably already had your fill of lobster for the summer. And ice cream. And mini golf. And sand in your bathing suit.

Sailing lessons are getting old. Bicycling is boring by now. Fishing from shore is impossible at this time of year, until the fish swing through again in the fall.

So what's left to do? Well...

You can visit the guy in the picture above. He's 160 years old and lives in the tank at George's Fish Market on Route 28 in Harwich. He's not for sale. They're holding a contest to name him, collecting money for cancer research. The winner will get to go out on the boat with the fishermen to throw the old coot back into the ocean (you also win a clambake for your friends and family.)

You can check out the race car track, also on Route 28 in Harwich...
It's one of those horribly touristy places that always has a long line when it's cloudy. But it's not too expensive, and it's fun.

You can also get yourself ready for the annual Provincetown Carnival Week, this year from Augut 16-23. The theme this year is the Summer of Love: Peace, Love & Go Go Boots." My friend Charlie, who is one of the owners at Ptown Pedicab, is already working on turning the pedicabs into floats... can't give away his ideas, though.... The parade is Thursday. We took the kids a few years ago when the theme was Heroes and Villians...lots of questions to answer when you go to a gay parade...

If you live on the Cape, August is usually the month to "Get out of Dodge." Most people we know take a week and go somewhere ELSE where they can be the tourists for a change. Often somewhere green and mountainous, but sometimes it's as simple as goingto a different stretch of the Atlantic shoreline (say, NH or NJ. Not usually CT as it seems too similar) Why take a beach vacation when you LIVE at the shore? 'Cuz it's just not the same to walk down the street to the beach as it is to be on VACATION.

Whatever you decide to do with your August, I'm going to try to find a "vacation frame of mind" to enjoy some of my month. Because soon enough it'll be September and the school year frenzy will start all over again. In the meantime, let's dig out the sun lotion and those beach books and relax by the pool. It's August. Enjoy it.

Summer warms up

Cape Cod Weather Today: Sunny with blue skies! It's only 53 degrees out at the moment, but it's supposed to warm into the 70s today. It never got out of the 60s yesterday, and I never got out of my sweater...and Wednesday I had on a fleece blanket at the beach in the greyness while my children had swimming lessons...but that is all behind us now! Sun and Warmth predicted for the next two days in a row! I'll take it!!!

The pool switches on automatically in the morning, and I just realized that's the sound that wakes the dogs up. They want to come check who's outside, because the bubbling of the jets sounds like it could be a swimmer.

I need to readjust the timer.

I've barely thought about the pool this summer - I try to remember to put in the chlorine each Monday, but it's been so cold and rainy, I haven't had to check water levels or test the water or anything, because we just aren't using it. The kids jump in and out again within ten minutes. On Sunday, they spent more time in there with their cousins, but all their lips were blue at the end.
The new pool toy in the photo has barely seen any use. Hasn't been a single fight over it yet, and it's a cool toy.

I haven't been in the water yet; it needs to be a lot warmer to justify my swimsuit coming out of the mothballs...like, hot. Steamy. Sweaty weather, not sweater weather.

Another mom at the swimming lesson lake yesterday apologized as she shimmied out of her sweatpants to reveal a Speedo suit and blindingly ultra-white thighs. "I just want to get a little color on them," she explained, as I pulled my sweater down over my own pale knees to try to stay warm. She was much braver than I, but maybe she has pneumonia today. Who knows?

My oldest had a beach party to attend last night; the junior yacht club kids went out to Marconi Beach to have a bonfire and cookout. He wanted to go in shorts and tee. I made him wear jeans and bring a thick sweatshirt ("oh, mo-o-o-o-m," he protested). He was glad when the sun went down. As I sat in the parking lot at 10:45 pm waiting for the chaperones to return with the kids, the thermometer in the car dipped well below 50 degrees. This is July?

Maybe July will start today. Summer Sun and Warm Breezes! And stick around for a while. But in the meantime, I'd better call my parents and remind them to bring lots of warm clothing when they visit next week. More than one sweatshirt. Maybe a fleece jacket. Gloves? Hat?

Just in case.

Ghosts of Summer Vacations Past

Cape Cod Weather Today: Rain. Again. Don't want to talk about it.

Remember being a kid, and finally being old enough to still be on the beach at sunset? Finishing up a clambake party, or going for a walk after dinner, or waiting for the fireworks to start?

Lots of memories turn golden with age. The further back they are, the warmer and fuzzier they are in our minds.

Sunsets on the beach are one of those things that feel special while they are happening - like the sun is melting into a whole ocean of liquid gold.

It's one of my favorite things about summer. Looking forward to lots of sunsets this year.
What are you looking forward to?

Dashing into June

Cape Cod Weather Today: Sunny. Blue Skies. Beautiful. Only 53 degrees but getting warmer.

Actual conversation at 6:53 a.m. this morning:

"Only 14 and a half days left of school," says Mom, pulling covers off son.

"We still have three weeks left?" whines boy, falling dramatically back onto his bed.

"You have three field trips, a field day, and step-up day at the middle school," Mom reminds him. "And your sister has three field trips and a field day and your brother has a field trip and field day.There's not a lot of 'school' left in the school year. Just a lot of trips and fun stuff."

"But we still have to get up and go," whines boy, covering head with pillow.

"Yes. Yes, you do." Mom smiles. "So let's go."

Did everyone have a similar scene this morning? Only three weeks left and not over soon enough? Ah, June. Not quite the lazy days of summer, but certainly the crazy days. Field trips, field days, bring a bag lunch, eat a special lunch, having a ceremony at Brownies, having a special trip after school, finding appropriate teacher gifts, having a spring concert, hosting a pool party, neighborhood board meetings, signing up for camp, getting the boat ready for sailing lessons...

It'll all be over soon. Enjoy the craziness while it lasts.

Summertime is Almost Here

Cape Cod Weather Today: Gorgeous. Simply wonderful. Sunny, already 61 degrees and going up into the 70s later. There's a slight breeze and blue skies. Just what you picture when you think Cape Cod for Memorial Day Weekend.

It's almost summer. I've been posting fun summery pictures on my other blogspot for my neighborhood association... teasing those off-Cape residents with gorgeous shots of blooming flowers and green trees... and beaches. We've got beaches. Sand, shells, and clear blue water.

I've also got fresh pine mulch to finish spreading, and weeds to be whacking, and tomato plants that need watering. So if I want to go for a walk this morning and see that beautiful beach in this beautiful sunshine, perhaps I need to get out of my writer's chair and Get Going.

Hope you are sharing some of this gorgeous weather and beautiful sunshine!