Castles in the sand

Once upon a time …. we went to the beach in Delaware.  The end.

That's how my stories to grandchildren all start out. They are not impressed.  Not sure why.

Anyway, we spent the last week at a beach house in South Bethany, Delaware. The "we" is Joe's family, Margaret's family and Annie, as well as Mary and me. Impressions? Fun, first of all. The house was great, and would have been greater if there had been an outdoor place to play. It was a block away from the beach, which we ventured towards every day, sometime around 9 am. The weather cooperated, and despite calls for rain several days, we managed to avoid the worst of the deluges. That allowed us, mostly little boys, to play in the sand, build castles, dig, jump off the erosion "mountain", and with the help of a parent or grandparent withstand the crashing waves. And they did crash. Pretty rough at times. But, we did give it our best. Margaret and Annie were supposed to go surfing, but called it off due to the weather and the consequent rough waves.  Mary and I also managed a beach walk each day, using Pop's tried and true method of walking into the wind first, and returning with the wind at your back.

The town and its boardwalk provided other entertainment, with shops and ice cream and French fries and racing and shouting. Leonor and Andrew took three rambunctious boys to "Funland," and Margaret took a couple of the same set to a water park to blow off steam.

And, we celebrated Annie's birthday, a thirty-something affair. Margaret made her an Oreo ice cream cake, vegan and everything. Unfortunately, I didn't hear the dictum about not eating the Oreos, so I had to go out and find more for her to complete her masterpiece. The photo included here shows Luisa ready to pounce on anyone who comes between her and that piece of cake.  Annie is still eating it, back here. That's right, we packed up Saturday and Annie came back to Pittsfield with us, after spending her first week or so in DC, alternating between Joe and Margaret's houses. Now if we could just get the sand out of our hair, our car, our clothing, our shoes. When will someone invent a beach without sand?

We weren't the only ones to travel. Trying to piece together clues (and photos) from Tinybeans, it looks like Sean and Kiernan joined Erin for her annual medical conference, somewhere that you had to take a plane to, and somewhere near a beach. It was Kiernan's first plane ride, but he might have liked the trains between the terminals the best. Sticking with the NJ clan, we saw that Peter, Janet and Johanna went to a US Women's Soccer game.

Claire is also traveling and will stop in Dundee and deposit her kitty for a few days. Andrew and Lur report that they won a couple of awards from their community garden, including a ten-year award. They have their first tomatoes. Lucky! And both Claire and Daniel were there for Andrew's birthday.  Happy day!  Before Andrew and Lur leave for the Poconos, they will have a farewell dinner with Bill and Jen who fold up their tents a couple of days after the Poconos.

How was your 4^th? Hot? Yes.  But fun, too, I bet.  Jeffrey and Melodie caught a Nationals baseball game. Fireworks impressed the children at Joe's house, but over at Margaret's not so much. Simon had noise-cancelling earphones because there were a lot of booms right on their street. We went to the parade in Pittsfield, that featured a youth marching band all the way from Ireland. We withstood the heat to go to friends' barbecue, but I went home early for my ritual 4^th of July nap!  Once a year.  Maybe.

We also saw Tina and at least Donald headed to Niagara for a French and Indian war reenactment, which looked very realistic!  Last of the Mohicans. Who by the way re from the Berkshires.

Our next letter will include a recap of all things Poconos. The excitement is building.

With that, we'll sign off with wishes and kisses. Love from up here.

 

   

 

   

Happy 4th!

July?  Slow down, summer. But, speed up tomatoes and cucumbers. I guess I can't have everything.  We're actually having our best crop of raspberries and cherries, although those are sour, not sweet. And the lettuce is doing spectacularly, which is why I want the tomatoes and cucumbers to catch up.

Our zoo of deer, groundhogs, rabbits and some other large critter (giant scat in the lawn) outside the garden has so far not discovered the good food inside. Can't say the same for the folks out in Illinois, who are resigned to the fact that the deer have to eat as well. Andrew and Lur this past week were up at Green Lake for their annual getaway. Their stay coincided with Ripon reunions, Andrew's 45^th.  They also spent a day with Claire who came over for the annual pontoon boat ride. She is moving to a new house in Sheboygan, closer to a lake.

Other big news of the week is Annie's home!  At least on this side of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. She arrived a week ago and went straight to DC.  She's been hanging out with the folks down there as well as her friends. We will get to see her this coming weekend when we all descend on a beachhouse in Bethany, Delaware for a week. A little pre-Poconos get-together, advance planning. Annie's planning on staying here through August. Yeah!

Speaking of the Poconos, we heard from Sooz that her mother (Janie) had a bad fall and has three fractures in her spine. Janie was in the hospital for quite a while and has now been transferred to a rehab facility where she will stay for about a month. They will not be able to join us in PA. I'll be sending out cabin assignments shortly. Hold your breaths!

Yesterday was Leonor's birthday, and she celebrated with a girls' night out on birthday eve, and then a pool party and cake with Andrew and Margaret and Simon, and I believe Jeff and Melodie were there as well. Too much fun. Thomas, John and Simon have been going to day camps, and coming home exhausted and rather dirty, we hear. That's a good sign. Luisa is continuing her day care, and unfortunately, John had another bout with strep.

Another birthday celebration, this time Marilyn's.  She and John came up to New England for a little over a week, and we went down to Colleen and Laura's house in Hartford for her party. They have a houseful of dogs including three new puppies, all well behaved. The next day, they came up to Pittsfield for a memorial service for a cousin, Connell Boyle.  Both events mean a lot of food, good food, and it's hard to control myself facing buffet lines. Connell was a vet so he had full military honors, along with a surprise gun salute.

We talked to David a few times. He had seen the new Shaker stamps, but didn't know that they were released right here in Pittsfield!  We're famous. I went to Shaker Village for the unveiling of the stamp designs, and picked up some first day covers to add to my collection.

On the cultural calendar, we started our Tanglewood summer, with a concert by Jon Baptiste. I have to admit to low expectations since I had only heard snippets from his time on the Colbert Show. But he was an incredible musician, and put on a great show. I've been taking a drawing class, although I don't see a lot of progress. And, Mary finished her birding classes, and we are back to French conversation group at Edith Wharton's home. C'est bon et on s'amuse.

I got through a letter without talking about the heat, or the cold, or the house next door, or a certain debate.

So, better wrap it up before heading off on a rant.

Love from up here.