Ahhh... Summer.

I must say I've been enjoying our summer weather this year. It has been really great... I'm almost afraid to write that for fear of upsetting the cosmic balance (like when Andrew remarks how well traffic is moving on 880 and suddenly it seizes up completely), but it has to be acknowledged. Almost every day has been sunny and warm, but not too hot. I've actually been cool enough some days to wear long sleeves mid-day! There was a pretty good heat wave in the end of June, which we managed to enjoy because we were in Bodega Bay: while it was 90-plus around the Bay it was more like 75 on the Sonoma coast. We also had a few sprinkles of rain earlier this month (unheard of in July in our area), and we had a few hot days the week Lydia was in Girl Scout camp. But overall it really has been wonderful, particularly when compared with the weather I experienced in July last year, when the kids and I were travelling throughout MA, CT, NY and NH. Humidity. Rain. Thunderstorms. Oppressive heat. Anyone who has spent more than three days in the northeast in July will know what I mean, because while there certainly can be beautiful summer weather there, it rarely lasts more than a day or two before the humidity rolls in again. Seventeen years in the northern CA climate have spoiled me.

But I'd brave that weather again if I could, because it was such a special trip. We went so many places and managed to arrange a remarkable number of visits and reunions with so many people... I find myself missing all that a year later. The way my memory modifies events is funny: we walked miles through sunny, muggy Boston and I remember the kids' hot red cheeks and tired faces, and I know they complained about walking so far, but when I look back I am more likely to recall how much they loved the gelato we got in the North End and ate soooo sloooowly as we walked across the Charlestown Bridge on our way to see the USS Constitution. I remember returning to our hotel all sweaty and jet-lagged, and feeling surprisingly revived to see my friend Paul had beaten us there and was ready to join us for dinner. We ate mediocre Mexican food (again, CA has spoiled me) but the company and conversation more than made up for any culinary shortcomings.

After Boston we headed down to CT, where we stayed with my uncle John in his beautiful house in Short Beach (outside New Haven). It was muggy there too, but that is not what comes to mind when I look back: I remember how much we love the little playground down the street from the house, and the day we spent exploring Mystic Seaport, and walking to "Uncle John's beaches" every day. Evan used his Spiderman umbrella for the first time there, and we ate every meal on John's perfect front porch.
We then spent two days on Long Island, reconnecting with my college friend Sheila and her family. I had the best night's sleep of the entire trip in her home, and Lydia and Evan were in heaven playing with Olivia and Harrison (Sheila's children). The hours flew by in their gorgeous back yard (one word: trampoline), and even Evan had fun poking though the shops in Northport. We enjoyed the loooong train trip to upstate NY, where we were collected by Evan's dear friend Patrick (and his mother, my dear friend Kate). Patrick's family left Fremont in 2006 and shortly thereafter doubled in size when his two brothers and sister were born in April, 2007. This was our first meeting with the triplets and it was a boisterous visit, yet in many ways it seemed as though we'd hardly been apart. It was indeed a reunion, but it felt completely seamless to merge our families again. This was the point at which Andrew's absence was especially hard. We were more than halfway through our trip, and we missed him a lot.

From New York we headed to New Hampshire for a full week with Gigi! Lydia attended an art camp and Evan accompanied Gigi to her fitness classes. I should have done more of that, but I took advantage of my first opportunities to be alone! I also got to visit a bit with my brother, who was giving New England one more try. As I've noted in other posts, he has since confirmed that his true home will always be where the mountains are much bigger. While in NH we wound our way to Cornish, to see another high school friend. Chet Newbold and his wife and sons were great company, and an afternoon in Chet's parents' pool was delightful. As we were preparing to leave Evan discovered the tiny toads that live under their porch, and it took some major persuasion to get him home that night!

All too soon we were down to our last few days, which we'd decided to spend in Gloucester, MA. We got there just in time to have lunch at the Bass Rocks Beach Club, courtesy of another high school friend. Larry Oaks introduced me to Good Harbor Beach back in 1987, and so it made perfect sense to meet up with him and his wife and sons there ~ another highlight. The kids played on the beach and then in the pool while the adults chatted and laughed (and ate!), and when my two finally crawled into their beds at the Good Harbor Beach Inn they slept like logs. The weather turned absolutely gorgeous and we had a picture-postcard north shore beach weekend, a story-book end to our time on the east coast.

We flew home on July 31, one year ago today. It is hard to believe a full year has passed, and I would so love to see all those friends again! At the same time so much has happened and the kids have grown so much. I'll have to be more conscientious about posting, since there always seems to be so much to share...

Happy summer wishes to all! I hope to enjoy these last few weeks before school starts up again...