Summer in New England

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Oh, New England in the summer can be so deceptively livable! The hot days, warm nights, beautiful lush landscape, together with some very swimmable lakes and ponds, bounty from the land (farm fresh produce!) and the sea (live Maine lobsters!)... But then, add the mosquitoes, biting flies, no-se-em bugs, and the humidity too dense to breath. Fortunately, we got to experience all of them, in the three states of New England we visited during our two-week stay. Above all the pleasantries, seeing many old friends topped the list, by far.

The kids remembered their year of living there. Stories would flow from their young and photographic minds about things they did 'back then'. We also gained some new memories on this trip that will be cherished for many years to come.

For now, we are back home, in the sunshine state, where school life has begun again!

Going East

After sleeping on the plane tomorrow night, we will be transported back to our old home turf!  

We look forward to swimming in Walden Pond, going to the farms, climbing our favorite trees, and playing with old friends!  

We shall see how much the children will remember their New England life.  And we will all get to see how much they have grown!

Birthday

Vacation just got a little fancier today with a birthday celebration for Jim. The kids and I decorated the 'dining' area this morning, as bacon and grits were cooking on the stove. Must have been a special morning, indeed.

There was a handmade birthday banner, flowers from the garden, a homemade card, a homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie, a hike in the woods with a son, a new pair of bike shorts and a jar of Marmite. There were also many kisses from the little ones. To end the day, we celebrated around a camp-fire with songs and stories, along with many other people at Santa Cruz mission State Park. It was a glorious summery Santa Cruz evening.

I think all in all, the birthday boy had a good day!

Look who is sewing!

These kids have been watching me sew this and that for months... and now, I feel comfortable enough to teach them how it is done! Granted it will take a while for them to actually make something on their own..., but children learn fast!

I still remember when I was a little girl, about the same age as these guys, playing under my grandmother's old-fashioned sewing machine. Hers was not an electric one, but one that had a manual pedal on the bottom. I still remember the calming rhythm of her moving the pedal as she sewed clothes in the afternoons. I would be sitting near by, playing with left over fabric pieces, pretending to be making clothes for my stuff animals. Those are good childhood memories...