It has been ten full weeks of summer, seventy days, with twelve more days remaining. Eighty-two days of summer vacation are a bit short of the ’…hundred and four days of summer vacation…’ promised in the song that inspired this blog:
There’s a hundred and four days of summer vacation,
‘Til school comes along just to end it,
So the annual problem for our generation,
Is finding a good way to spend it
Like maybe…
From “Today is Gonna be a Great Day” by Bowling for Soup (click to play) 104_days_clip
I am beginning to feel that school does come along just to end it. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to getting back in the groove and having a regular schedule. Continue reading Day 70: Friday at home→
Today was the day – Olivia was supposed to get her stitches out. From that perspective, it could have been a disappointing day but as it turned out it was possibly the best day ever.
It all started Thursday, when I arrived at the beach with Ely boat. Beth and Anna were talking about the guard camp and I remembered reading in the Crawford County Avalanche that Friday was the annual Michigan National Guard Review at Camp Grayling and the public was invited. I mentioned this because Anna’s boys, Nick and Kris, love to play army with William and Olivia. In fact, this is what they were doing when Olivia injured herself last week. Continue reading Day 63: The sign said “Cook out – 6:30”→
Wednesday and Thursday went incredibly quickly, but I suppose that happens when you are driving on the interstate and trying to keep up with traffic. I have to reflect on the contrast of returning from Normal Wednesday and driving to the cottage on Thursday.
The SLA wrapped up with sessions Wednesday morning and early afternoon. I decided to skip the last session because I did not think it would help me in my role as the Communications Liaison and I wanted to get home. It was hot, humid, and still. The kind of weather that makes me recall my time growing up in Houston. I have grown accustomed to the Midwestern summers with cool mornings and warm afternoons – especially at the cottage. I do not do well when it is hot enough to melt crayons. Continue reading Days 61 and 62: from Normal to the Cottage…→
The moon rises out of the forest in the east as I drive south on US 131 towards Grand Rapids
I woke early Sunday morning, it was dark out, and Ivy barked. Not the bark I had learned that meant she needed to go, but a different bark. I opened the door and there was Beth coming in from the race – it was 4:36 AM and she and William had just gotten home from following the race. Continue reading Day 58: The Finish Line→
It is early Thursday morning and still on the lake and in the house. I am in the front room, Ivy is curled up on her cushion, and everyone else is still asleep. Last night was a beautiful sunset and moonset on the lake. I tried to capture both with the camera. Another beautiful day at the lake, Ivy and I enjoyed a long walk toward M72 along Danish Landing. There was a good breeze coming off the lake and it cooled the shore. The sun was bright high in the sky and walking along the road with the wind blowing through the trees was peaceful.
Today marks four weeks until I go back to school. It has been over seven weeks since school let loose and I began writing Making the Days Count. It has been quite a journey and I have written more than I imagined and about more than I realized I could. I was looking back at my writing from my trip to Paris in June. My stepmother does not have access to the internet and I am not sure she is there, too many things for her to worry about, and I was printing the pages I wrote to send to her. I realized that I make mistakes, not large ones, but small typos that I read recklessly over and miss before I post to the blog. Nonetheless, I reflected on what I have learned about writing and the writing process. Continue reading Day 54: Perspectives….→
Monday and Tuesday were a blur. Wednesday morning began with a light fog clouding the lake, the dog sleeping, the kids and Beth still asleep, and all quiet at the cottage. The lazy days of summer are upon me. It is the time of summer when I fight inertia, a struggle with time. The week welcomes the town’s river festival week, ending the with the Ausable River Canoe Marathon start on Saturday night. According to the weather forecast, Monday was expected to be the best day of the week, it turned out Tuesday was pretty good, too. Continue reading Days 52 and 53: Lazy days of summer…→
The three anglers work the lake Saturday morning near Big Bear Point
It is Sunday morning at the cottage and the past two days have gone quickly. It is overcast and rain is in the forecast. The past two days have been warm, sunny, and breezy. Today the lake is calm almost lake glass with gentle ripples. Our guests departed this morning and everyone except for Olivia woke to wave goodbye. Sunday is the laziest day of the week and everyone, including Ivy, is taking their time getting around. The television is on and I am watching CBS Sunday Morning, then the Tour de France. One of the best parts of the month of July is each year I get a bicycle tour of France courtesy of the race.
With our guests here, we have been busy with boating, fishing, swimming, and enjoying the cottage. It has been a great time well spent: certainly, the days have counted. However, I have fallen behind on writing and other chores. Sunday will be a catch up day with all sorts of tasks and looking ahead to the coming next two weeks. Continue reading Day 49 and 50: Two days on the lake→
The moon and the sun set on another wonderful day at the cottage.
Thursday began with overcast and light rain. It remained that way until midday. However, we found a way to have a great day, anyway. Sometimes your weather is internal.
Mark’s family, mom, dad, and older sister, had arrived the day before and had played on the water yesterday evening and everyone slept late, including me. We woke hoping to get out on the water in the morning, but we had to wait. It would rain, then, stop. After breakfast, mark’s dad suggested we visit the Michigan CCC museum in Roscommon. The CCC is the Civilian Conservation Corps and was in operation during the Great Depression from 1933-1942. The museum told the story of the CCC in Michigan. The corps’ responsibilities were to reforest Michigan and fight forest fires, which plagued the regions vast forests. The CCC was a program initiated by FDR to combat the rampant unemployment of the Great Depression. The museum buildings were restored from CCC camps in Michigan and had detailed explanations of the jobs performed in the buildings and explained the overall purpose of the CCC. The museum was well done and I walked away with an understanding of the period. It must have been bleak. I wish I could spend more time walking and reading, but it is difficult with children who want to be out on the lake. William, Olivia, and the rest of us returned to the cottage for lunch. Continue reading Day 48: Rain, rain, go away…→
Tuesday night and Wednesday morning blended in to one, and I did not get much sleep. I woke and slowly started moving, made coffee, and woke William. We loaded the car and checked our list, twice. What we did not check was whether we had everything we needed. We turned around twice to get Beth’s clothes and letters, which needed mailing. Fortunately, it only delayed us twenty, or so, minutes.
Six hours is a long time and it gives me plenty of time to think, listen, and talk with William. For William it was time to watch a DVD, sleep, or talk to me. Yet, this time he was reading. I had purchased Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka and he cannot put it down. It is all exciting to see. I just hope I can find another book that has the same appeal and same reaction – he reads! I recommend it! Continue reading Day 47: On the Road, again.→
Tuesday morning I was at home waking up in my own bed and making coffee in my kitchen – for the first time in two weeks. It felt awkward because Ivy was not with me, but it was early, still, and quiet. After we unloaded the car Monday night, I told William to sleep until he woke up and he came downstairs at eight complaining he was tired. I told him to go back to bed, so he did. He was up within the hour working on his chores – cleaning the tent and putting away our camping gear.
We came home for one day and two nights for one reason or rather two meetings. I had a meeting with the grade level language arts teachers at my school and William had a scout meeting to attend. My meeting was important because I am new to teaching a full load of language arts and William’s was important because there are only a few meetings each summer and he is working on developing his leadership skills. It looked to be a busy day with meetings, errands, and hopefully, a chiropractor visit. Continue reading Day 46: Meetings→
