Summer may not officially end until mid-September but for me, Labor Day has always felt like the end of the season. Like so many, I used to judge time on when school started or classes began at the university, along with the cooler nights and shorter days. Those school days are long past -- the cooler nights and shorter days are still here (and getting cooler and shorter!) You can tell when out walking too -- the goldenrod is now out in glorious abundance!
I've been writing Postcards from the Lake for a number of years, but long before I started, others were writing postcards, too.
I've been collecting postcards of the area around our cottage for years. While many of the spots wouldn't be recognizable now, some are very close! It's fun to try to figure out whose cottage was which!
We had a wonderful time during our trip to Minneapolis, but someone was missing from our family gathering. Rick's aunt Beth, the woman we were going to honor and remember, died earlier this summer. It was our time to remember her, to celebrate the joys of being with family and to cherish every moment spent together. Beth would have loved it.
We left the lake knowing we had a quick, two-day turnaround at home before leaving for a memorial celebration of life in Minneapolis. Rick was playing guitar for a garden club luncheon and I had another set of birthday plans. My Cork Popper friend Barb invited friend Kate and me to lunch at her home. Barb is probably one of the best cooks I know, if not THE best. And she always does things so beautifully. It was no exception this day when she met us with a lovely wine served, as she said, in "Nick and Nora" glasses. (You probably recognize those names from "The Thin Man" movies.
Before we took a lake break and after the kids left, we still had time for some fun at the lake. C'mon in!
The day the kids left, we rapidly picked up the house and that evening welcomed friends Dick and Judy Winter for dinner as they journeyed home from a getaway.
So, what do you plan when a six and a seven-year-old (along with their beautiful mom) descend on you? Well, when you're at the lake, there are no shortage of options! And no double-trouble!
Molly brought the boys up for a couple of days and fortunately, the sun was shining and the weather was warm! On the first afternoon, Rick took each of them out in the kayaks. It was their second time and the journeys weren't far!
I returned from art camp, excited to see Rick and hear how is bike hike went. (It was good!) Finally we would be able to celebrate his belated birthday! (Thanks to those who wished me one -- it's actually in mid-August but Kate and I celebrated early!)
July's book reading was pretty much non-existent but those I read were diverse and for the most part, worth the time.
Our two-person art camp wrapped up on a lovely day -- the kind that makes it hard to leave the lake. It was a productive thirteen days -- and a fun one!
We had our first no-art day (or at least, as I write this, the one day when neither of us did art). But there was a good reason. Absolutely grim porch weather (and that's where we work) kept us inside. That's changing as our temps return to normal and the rain and gloom is a thing of the past.
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That doesn't mean we haven't been productive or having fun at our two-person art camp! The past few days have been very productive -- and also fun!
My friend Kate and I began our annual "art camp" holiday at the lake this week. For those who aren't familiar, there is no scheduled program. It's just the two of us, creating our own art, sometimes sharing a technique or video, and spending the rest of the time walking, reading, watching a video, maybe (if the weather is right) swimming.
We kicked it off by getting some provisions at the farmer's market -- cherries, peaches and blueberries are hitting their stride and fabulous!
Join me on a little walk around the cottage! It's a mix of things in the wild and those carefully cultivated by happy cottage owners.
One of the first things I see when I leave the house is a patch of tiger lilies in the woods. I don't know if anyone planted them there long ago or if they somehow migrated from someone's lawn. But they are lovely.
So, what is life like at the lake in the summer? In a word, wonderful.
There are too many adjectives from which to choose -- fun, relaxing, delicious, joyful, mesmerizing, calming. Life at the lake comes with its own soundtrack, one that combines the sound of waves on the water or wind through the pines, with the mellow sounds of classical guitar and the sounds of birds, both in the water and in the trees. There is definitely an abundance of critters.
Our recent Saturday began with Rick's bike ride. He's having a lot of problems with his bike and waiting for a new part to arrive. That means rides are shorter and closer to home. (We still don't know about his upcoming Canadian trip yet.)
But he took off in good form, happy to be in motion!
June 29 was a cold, wet, rainy summer day. As soon as I was up and dressed, I fed Lizzie, picked her up from her bowl and tossed her into the cat cage for the ride north. She wasn't amused but it was a good grab and we were on our way. Several hours later we arrived -- still cold, west and drizzly but at our destination!
Lake life started on a cooler note, though due to pick up in the week to follow. Meanwhile it is good to get the car unpacked and settle in. The first thing I noticed when I drove in was the the fellow doing the yard had actually done it! Hooray!
June wasn't the banner reading month I'd hoped but I was pretty satisfied with those I read. The list includes two memoirs, three good mysteries and one I wish had been better than it was.
Well, I'd been living in the "heat dome" (along with many of you) for over a week and finally had a window to get to the cottage to bring up a load of stuff for the summer. I eagerly awaited the cooler temperatures, the nearness of the water, just getting back north and living in that sublime state called "Lake Time."
And then it started to rain up there. Day after day of raindrops (often at high percentages) decorated the weather pages and so I postponed my five day weekend to a four day, then to a three day. I can't say that the arrival was dry, but it wasn't pouring and I decided to take that as a win.
My aunt Iris and her husband moved more times that I can remember and it seemed like every time they packed and moved, fewer things went along to the next place. Yes, they might be replaced -- or maybe not. I was thinking about Iris as I put my basement back together after the mold removal. I was an only child raised with parents who "collected," and I think doing so must be in my gene pool.
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| With my aunt Iris, several years before she died. |
As I was putting things back together, I began to wonder if that was a good gene to have!
Last post I mentioned that we were kid sitting with our two favorite small people, while their parents celebrated their tenth anniversary. (One is seven, the other almost six.) There wasn't a lot of sitting!
It has been a full, fun couple of weeks, by and large. We are on the threshold of summer (although our weather is so erratic it is sometimes hard to tell!). But that hasn't stopped some walks, theatre, basement work, painting and more.
As you might guess by now (if you've not followed us forever), our Corkies are just real-life people who like wine. Some know a little more than others technically but the main thing is we enjoy trying new things and more or less getting away from the shelf at the grocery store and most of the "name brand" wines and seeing what an array of wines are available at different price points. (And yes, we also have enjoyed wines you get at the grocery store that are available pretty much anywhere.) We don't take ourselves too seriously but we always depart having had a lot of fun and usually adding another potential wine or two to our personal favorites list.
After spending years working on my family history and pulling together a rather hefty book on the subject (it weighs in at two pounds and 309 pages!), I thought I'd share a few things I discovered along the way that, should you decide to engage in such a project, might make your journey a little easier.
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| An inch thick, two pounds, many years of research and 309 pages! |
Early summer. You can't beat it -- temps are warming but not hot, sometimes with a breeze. Here in Michigan where we often have cloudy days, the sky has been blue and the days bright. (OK, a little rain, but that's good for the yard!)
I've been doing a little painting, a little reading, a little walking. Cataract surgery kept me from lifting or bending for a week so I'm looking forward to actually bending over and deadheading my geraniums!
I'd hoped to get in another book this month but I'll happily settle for six diverse ones. On the list, a best selling book looking back at the history of '60s presidents Kennedy and Johnson, a Hallmark-ish type of novel, a White House mystery written by a president's son, a thriller, a fascinating behind-the-scenes diary of the designer of the musical "My Fair Lady," and a funny little cat book. Definitely diverse!
Just a quick one today. We had a lovely Memorial Day weekend. On Friday, it was the first eat-outside-day of the season.
Rick fired up the grill with a pork tenderloin. It was perfect!
We have a busy few weeks coming up -- it's Memorial weekend and my friend Suzanne is coming by; an upcoming Cork Poppers in another week or two and kid-sitting for a few days in mid-June. This will be a pretty laid-back weekend, planting flowers at the cemetery, picking up the house for company and just hanging out. So I'm grabbing all the peace and beauty I can get these days!
Rick got back from the lake this week and I have to say it was good to see him! We made progress planning our England trip and just catching up. He says all is well at the cottage and I'm looking forward to getting to the lake next month.
I'll start with a pretty photo! One of my favorite blooms, the allium is short lived but so fabulous while it lasts!
Rick and I joined the many others in the world trying to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights last week. I had visions of taking marvelously splashy photos of pinks, purples and greens in the dark night sky. I would do watercolors of them all. Ah, the stuff dreams are made of.
And guess what! There aren't four babies. And, as some of you thought, there aren't five.
Every time I visit the Ditch, the trees are greener and more filled out and there are more lily pads on the water. A few of the flowering trees remain, but not, I think, much longer.
Mother Goose is still sitting and still being carefully guarded.
