Night Swim

Growing up in Maryland in the 60's was unremarkable. Our family had just the right amount of money....I didn't have everything and I didn't know what anything cost. We lived in a neighborhood of new split-level homes with 3 different models to choose from - the only nod to random was the color of the shutters and whether the house faced left or right.
Summers in the Maryland suburbs were hot and sticky. There was no central air conditioners and only a few houses had window units, but we did have an above ground pool in the backyard with a little deck running around it. And on hot nights, my Mom would use that pool and make it into a magic night.
We would come home late from church (we went twice on Sunday and Wednesday evening) and my Dad would go off to bed. My two sisters and I and my mom would slip off our dresses and slide quietly into the pool in our bra and underwear. The water was never crisper or cooler and the only lights were the stars and moon. We swam and floated and whispered to each other. I was a mermaid those nights.
When the last of the hot day was gone from our bodies, we climbed out and into our pajamas. My Mom would set up four cots on our screened back porch and we would drift to sleep - cool and tired.
We have a pool in our backyard now and the kids still love "a night swim." Everybody has to wear their bathing suit and the house is air conditioned (you actually freeze to death when you go in after a night swim) and we don't have a screened porch, but it's still their favorite thing. The kids should be in bed earlier and they have terrible pool hair in the morning but who can resist the magic of a night swim?

Beach Souvenier

One of my favorite things I brought back from our beach vacation is my granddaughter Taylor. She lives in Florida and we don't get to see her nearly enough. Her parents have kindly lent her to us for a few weeks, as she is old enough to be away from them now. She has two sets of grandparents and aunts and uncles in town and there has been no end to the fun. Taylor is sweet and made to spoil.
Every time I hear her call, "Grandma Kate", I feel like the luckiest person on earth.

It's a Dog eat Dog World

Witt our puppy is settling in from his week at the kennel. I would have taken him to the beach with us but he hasn't completely mastered the art of only peeing outside. He always acts surprised when I catch him, like "oh whoops, I thought this was the yard."

I don't know if I liked his whole kennel experience. Witt hasn't been around many other dogs in his short 5 month life. He's always been here, protected and loved and taught how to act. He was kind of homeschooled you might say. Then, he gets to the kennel and he's hanging out with a black lab, a German shepherd and even a guy poodle. And let me tell you, these dogs had been around. They had different values than we do. They saw someone they didn't know and just like that they were barking and saying crude things. Scary things even, like..."I'm gonna jump on you and hurt you." Witt had never heard violent and ugly things like that. He had been kind of innocent, but they taught him to lift his leg when peeing and paw at the ground like he's some tough guy. One of the dogs passed him their chew toy and Witt was afraid to say no to it. I mean come on...he's a min-pin and an eighth their size. Talk about peer pressure.

He was happy to see us when we came to pick him up. He jumped in my arms and in his excitement cut my face. He pretended the cut was from one of his claws, but I'm pretty sure he was still carrying a shank and dropped it quickly.

He's back to normal now, hopefully no worse from the exposure there. Next year, he'll be at the beach with us....

You Aint so Sweet

We arrived home from the beach Saturday evening to be greeted with a thunderstorm. We had barely unpacked the car when the electricity went out. A few hours of staring at each other (which wouldn't have been so bad if we hadn't just spent the last 10 hours in the car together) and we all went to bed.
It was hot upstairs and we opened all the windows to catch any breeze that might have existed. I normally turn the air conditioner on the first warm day in Spring and turn it off the first cool September night - so this open window thing was weird. I may live in the country but I like to be homogenily sealed in my house breathing fake air.
At 5 something the next morning I woke with a start to the sound of a bird shrieking to the sun rise. My first thought was..."get me a gun so I can blast it in it's stupid beak". I knew that wasn't kind. Then all the birds and animals started up. Sounded like I was in the freaking Amazon Jungle. And James was laying next to me sound asleep calling back to them with his snores.
I got out of bed and went into the kitchen and stood staring at the coffee pot. Still no electricity...no coffee...I'm gonna die.
When James got up he tried to engage me in pleasant conversation and soon left for 7/11. He came back with 2 slightly warm cups of coffee. One for him and one for me. As I gulped it down I was thinking, "Buddy, I sure hope you have one of their stolen coffee pots hidden somewhere." He didn't.
The electricity came on around 11 and I got busy washing the beach out of everything.
It was good to be home.
My dog was happy to be home from the kennel - but that's another not so pretty story.

Sibling Revelry

Each day at the beach has been perfect. Warm days, warm ocean, waves not too rough and no jelly fish. All that has been great for most of us, but not for Grace. This is her second year at the beach that she can't get in the water because of her cathater for dialysis. And Grace really really loves to swim. She's had a great attitude (we only found her sitting and crying once) and there's lots of people to distract her, but it's been hard.
Two days ago her very nice brother asked her to go night fishing on the pier with my son in law and grandson. Girls never get to do this. (Actually, none of us want to)
Grace was thrilled!! They didn't catch a single thing but that wasn't what made it an awesome night for Grace.
Thanks David. I won't tell anyone that you did a nice thing...I promise.

Better Than Tupperware

Last night the gang climbed the giant sand dune at Jockey's Ridge. (Know for the place where the Wright Brothers test flew their airplanes.) We carried the babies and helped haul up the pregnant women and made it to the top.
As I look at the picture of everyone together I am grateful to my parents who shared the love of God with me. And I see how that love is flowing out to the next and next generation.
God has a rock'n pyramid scheme!
(Can you find my next 2 grandkids in the picture?)

Time Out for Fun

This is our annual week at the beach. Years ago when we first came down, our family fit into a small cottage. Now we rent more than one house as the kids are having kids and everyone comes with us. Our oldest grandchild is 15 and our youngest grandkids are due in July and November. It may be sunny or rainy and the water could be perfect or full of jelly fish. It doesn't matter when we have our week together. I haven't had many pleasures better than watching this family that God put together, playing and loving each other.

This is Layla who decided she LOVES the ocean this year.