Cool, cloudy and rainy... with splashes of brilliance. That's been our weather for summer break thus far. Thanks to all the rain, the ground is sodden but the world is green green green. And when the sun comes out, it's with a pure blue sky and 70 degree temperatures and its perfect. So perfect that I become nearly immobilized by the pressure of coming up with an equally perfect way to spend the brief hours of sunshine. Cleveland doesn't help matters with the wealth of events to choose from every weekend...
We are so blessed to live in this wonderful, vibrant city of ours.
Especially when the sun comes out for Parade the Circle.
The annual celebration of creativity and art did not disappoint, though our little crew was hot an tired before the end of the VERY long parade.
But there were crafts! And a beer garden! And our wonderful friends! So a wonderful day...
Then, down to the business of summer. Which means, pool time.
Swim team practice in the morning...
...and then back to the pool for more in the afternoon.
Now that Nat and I can runoff and leave the kiddos home, we get little midday dates for ice cream and wandering sunshiney cities...
And concerts on rainy nights, too!
(Lucy Wainwright Roche and Ani DiFranco at Cain park. Pavilion seats meant me didn't get caught in the rain until the walk home. Through rivers of rainwater on the sidewalks... "I am walking, out in the rain, and I am listening to the low moan of the dial tone again.... and I am getting, nowhere with you and I can't break free and I can't, get, through...."
Jack spent the week of July 10-14 at Reaching Height Music Camp which means he's largely absent from our adventuring pictures from that week.
So, we took along an extra kiddo for a trip to Stan Hywet on a sunny Friday. Ivy and Auri had fun together from the car ride down and every minute of the stay. I love watching my girl with her friends. She has this little giggle that she puts on just for them, a giggle that says "Oh I just LOVE everything about you and what you just said!". She's totally in the age of "BFF's" and has at least 6 of them right now. :)
The manor house offered a scavenger hunt activity this year and it was SUCH a great way to keep the kiddos engaged.
We had fun noticing tiny details we'd never seen, too!
A picture perfect day in a picture perfect place.
And then I went out with my mama friends in the picture perfect evening. Life is just so good sometimes.
Saturday the 15th was the Reaching Heights concert. The kids did such a great job with some challenging pieces, including Bohemian Rhapsody. A resounding standing ovation at the end. Despite his day one summation of the camp ("It was not good, in pretty much every way") by day 4 he said he might do it again next year. I am so proud of him for persevering and doing a hard thing with really a pretty great attitude the whole time.
After the concert we flew down to Hiram for a quick stop at Alumni weekend. A drizzly day and very few of our classmates and friends in attendance means not many pictures... But I did have a lovely time singing with Damaris in the Alumni choir, and wandering campus with my honey.
After the banquet we got up to no good by poking around in the field house and finding our way out onto the roof two different times. That's really what Alumni Weekend is about.
Next up in the weekend of all the things, Father's Day!
We cooked a decadent brunch and spoiled Nat with gifts, and then proceeded to drive each other crazy, all cooped up on a grey day.
So for the evening we gave Nat what all parents REALLY want on their special days.... some time away from the kids! Nat and I ran off to Whiskey Island, hoping for a touch of sun to break through the clouds for sunset.
There's the touch, see it?
While we didn't get a sunset we did see the incredibly high water (almost up over the walkway to the Coast Guard Station!) and the world's best ducklings. A still photo does not do them justice because they were just the zippiest things. I loved them very much.
Our not-really-a-sunset trip kind of sums of June so far. Not quite what you're expecting but with plenty of moments of joy to be found. Joy, and tiny ducklings.
