Summertime, redux

 We've been having a second summer of sorts around here.

Beaches and festivals and, I kid you not, 90 degree temperatures.

(A few memories of Chalk festival, because Nat takes neat pictures.)

Our fantastic weekend started on a Wednesday night.  No ballet for Ivy so we went to "Think and Drink with the Extinct" at the History museum, because that's how we roll on a weeknight.  Us and the hipsters!  I kid--- we didn't even know about the event til we got there.  Not kidding about the hipsters, though.  They were out in force, and it turns out they love crafting.

 As do our kids.  They also love walking around with (nonalcoholic) drinks.  They dig a party.

Thursday-- a summery fall equinox and a day off, all rolled into one. The kids and I were off for Rosh Hashana, and enjoyed a relaxing and productive morning before we headed to the farm.

This baby cow just stood there, peeing, for a good two minutes.  Seriously.

 It was a hot day for the farm but we enjoyed a little walk around.  Noted that the corn maze was open, but opted not to go through.  Blazing sun will do that for you.

Instead we headed to the beach.

Sometimes I am pretty sure we have a teenager in the house already.

 We met Nat after his classes out at Mentor Headlands and thoroughly enjoyed a few hours of peace, sand, and water...

 Can't beat a beach view like this.  Little dots of umbrellas against the blue-on-blue, andd nary a crowd in sight.

 Life is always better at the beach.

Saturday:  All the sports.  My little swimmers, 2 weeks in, are already showing improvement.  And Jack played his heart out at soccer, showing teamwork and resilience in the 80 degree heat.

They had such a busy, full day that we thought it would be a great idea to take them to Ingenuity Fest by night.

And you know what?  It was. 

 Ingenuity was in a new location this year, inside a compound of warehouses literally down the street from us.  Oppressive heat aside, it was truly fabulous.

 We likened the whole experience to "Cloud Cuckoo Land" from the Lego movie (because, yes, we are parents!)-- everyone just doing whatever crazy idea pops into their head.

 Giant underwater plants, hanging gardens, balloon-rooms, strange art, a maker's market and ongoing shows of random music and cabaret acts.  Not to mention swings from the ceiling and trapeze artists and a woman swallowing flames.

Not that I got to see much of it, because my girl found a craft and we spent a good deal of time making a small fur-monster with this very nice artist.

 But what I did see?  Magic.

 We just loved this big metal thing-- you put on these headphones connected to it, and had a friend bang on it, and you were transported to this otherworldly realm of resonance...

Sunday:  Time to do all the things again!  I've been getting back to singing at Disciples church-- a pleasant way to spend a morning, but one that really does take up the morning.

Luckily I've got a great husband who holds together the house while I gallivant around... to church and then to the Heights Home Tour with my mom.

 We had just a terrific time wandering through a very eclectic mix of houses- from the memorable house that had every flat surface covered with framed art, to a surprisingly modern cape in the Forest hills neighborhood, that my mom was surprisingly fond of.  We had so much fun, in fact, that I was late for my next engagement: a crazy, poorly planned and utterly delightful trip to the beach.

 We somehow managed to convince a whole passel of families to trek to Edgewater and meetup for one last blast of summer -- on September 24th, in the 85 degree sunshine. (Silver linings: the climate change edition...)

Everyone in the entire metropolitan area apparently had the same idea.  It was mobbed and due to our loosey-goosey planning we had a dickens of a time finding each other.  But we did!   Managed a delightful dip in the warm shallows off the beach, shepherding 7 little ones as they splashed and played in the sparkling water.

Then we adjourned to base camp where we threw chips at our hungry children until the food-gathering party returned from the forever-line at concessions...

 "Ground food," anyone?  Crazy-crowded beach picnics don't allow much room for formality...

 But they make for great photos! And moments to connect with friends-- old and new-- that we just love so much...

And lots of "lacrosse" in the slanting shadows of a fall evening...

 And Ultimate Frisbee and chocolate chip cookies and so many little swimsuit-clad friends, together, against the backdrop of a lake sunset...

What's a little insanity among friends? And this view-- worth the price of admission.

In other news, I got a new car this week.  Leasing an Accord Hybrid for a three years.  Paying a bit more than I planned for this upgrade... but I am not complaining about the luxury, or the mileage. Still getting used to the white sedan-ness of this, though...

Also, I start my radiation treatments on October 4th.  Went in for my simulation a few days ago and I am currently decorated with lots of green marker lines and 5 tiny tattoos.  I did think maybe I'd get a tattoo to celebrate 40, but this wasn't really what I had in mind...  Perhaps when this is all over I'll get someone to connect the dots and turn me into an interesting piece of abstract art.  I'm so exhausted from the combination of work and all this pesky weekend fun, that I'm a little concerned about the side effect of fatigue.  But-- that's why god made coffee, right?  Not planning on letting these next 4 weeks of treatment slow me down!  Fall is just getting started, after all.  We've finished with the beach-- now on to Apple Day and harvest festivals!  Onward.