After my final week of teaching, my family headed out of town for a good old-fashioned summer road trip. Connor had two lacrosse tournaments in Pennsylvania, first in Swathmore and then in Gettysburg, so we decided to take the time off to embrace our inner tourists. We went to Philly and did the double-decker bus thing. Swathmore is a pretty college town and we spent an evening in Media, another cute, college town. We loved Peddler's Village in Bucks County where we ran into Connor's 8th grade math teacher while we were at dinner. Small world.
We were supposed to spend at least 3 days in Gettysburg at another lacrosse tournament, but our team had to pull out due to the lack of commitment of the other players. (Don't get me started on this!) We decided to cut our losses and head home early to spend the remaining vacation days poolside.
No sooner had I unpacked and caught up on the laundry from our trip, the Fourth of July was here. I found this great little American flag at Michaels the day before the holiday. We bought fireworks in Connecticut on our way home and that night, we had our own little fireworks show in the front yard. I made the most awesome Blue Velvet Cake from a cake box recipe my neighbor hipped me to. It was delish! Our friend Andy came and we flipped back and forth between the Pops and DC concerts. And of course I had to rock my Old Navy flag t-shirt. It's such a bargain.
I went to Narragansett Beach for the first time this summer and Town Beach is officially my favorite beach. The water was so warm, the waves were fantastic, the beach is super clean and there's a great snack bar and bathroom facilities. I Heart Town Beach.
Connor took Driver's Ed at the end of the summer, so this was my last summer of driving my kid. I had the secret pleasure of driving him and his friends to the beach a lot this season and I loved every minute of it. Of course, once we got to the beach, they set up on their own, but occasionally they stop by my blanket to visit. Those beach days are some of my favorite summer memories.
Three years ago, one of my best friends from high school started the tradition of getting together for dinner when she comes to visit her family in New Hampshire. This year, we met on a beautiful night in Portsmouth, NH. Our friend Susan didn't make it this year and she was missed. I'm already looking forward to next year.
Summer wouldn't be complete with family visiting. My brother and his family stopped in Labor Day weekend on there way back home to NYC. It was a great way to celebrate the official end of summer.
I'd have to say, Summer 2011 was one of the best summers I'd had in a while. I felt like we really embraced the season and made the most of it. Maybe the brutal winter made me feel like I needed to dive into the gift of the warm weather. Hurricane Irene was a good reminder to make the most of nice weather when it's around.
Summer was great, but I'm ready to return to some of the routine that the school year brings. (Plus, my food bill will shrink significantly now that the boy is out of my house for most of the day.) There is something to be said for seasons. They do provide the opportunity to hit the reset button on some things, which is a nice option to have, I think. So...Welcome, Fall.
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| Thankfully, he still lets me take a "First Day of School" pic! :) |
PS: And it won't be 58 more days before we meet again.
