Mommy's Blog: Day 78: Summer is here!

Since we've talked last...
*School has ended for the year, for the kids (May 29) and me (June 5)
*We have been to Farley's and back!
*We've had record-breaking heat
*Pool or no pool, festivals or no festivals-- summer has definitely arrived!

Official "last day" head shots. No pictures hugging teachers outside of Boulevard this year. *sob*

A weekend at home...
Fort building in Cumberland Park...

Dinner date with a friend (Ivy planned the menu and made the burgers!)

Dogs at parks!

Ridiculously nice weather. Late May is my favorite.

Kitties!!

In the midst of the idyllic weather and vacation-feel of our days this past week, we also had the added fun of race riots! Protests began in Miineapolis over George Floyd's murder by a white cop, and by Friday the city was (literally) on fire. A protest in Cleveland on Saturday was peaceful for 4 hours then suddenly shifted, with a small number of (mostly white) people vandalizing the Justice Center, smashing windows, and setting cop cars on fire, ending with police tear-gassing crowds of protesters. By early the next week the same thing happened in DC, with protesters being gassed and forcibly removed from in front of a church at the President's request so he could have a photo op. holding a Bible upside down. Truly the very worse person we could ever have as a leader during any of this. I am no longer surprised at all by the depths he can sink to. Just appalled.

Who would've thought this year could get worse? ?

What do you do when the world is on fire? Support black-owned businesses, donate to the Black Health Coalition, spread awareness...

... and run away to the lake.

I did feel a little guitly as we took full advantage of our privelege and ignored all the problems in our worl for 4 heavenly, easy-peasy, gorgeous days in our favorite place.

Randy spent the early spring restoring the "Tin Can" which was a favorite runabout during his and Nat's childhood but has spent recent years as a bit of a lawn decoration out behind the brown barn. It was a treat to have a little boat to zip around in, conveniently located in the tiny hoist right behind our tiny cottage.

The cottage was working it's magic on our little crew after only a few hours. As the years go by we get better at "sinking in" to vacation life at the lake.

We've got at least 4 eagles this year in Eagle Cove! They put on a show for us both times we paddled over.

Nat got 2 loungers and one inflatable llama last year on clearance and they've earned their keep already.

Jack is taller than his Lulu!

Great Gully is pretty. Nat went every evening after sunset and we are glad he did because of magical photos like this...

Socially distanced, grilled feast with the family on Friday night...

Instead of our usual hike up to the falls at Great Gully (packed with people every day!) we kept our distance by exploring the other way, going under the road and clambering in the stream looking for geodes.

Saturday was Dock Day! The whole crew came out to put the docks in at the big cottage and Barb's cottage, and then we all sat in the shade in a large, distanced circle drinking beer and chatting for hours while Ivy and Izzy played and Jack and Alex gamed and everything felt pretty much just right.

Ivy is in love with paddle boarding! Grateful to Barb for the loan.

This little dog though. She is obsessed with tennis balls and literally cannot rest when one is in sight. She MUST be fetching it!! She will go all day!

And-- she's developed a taste for rolling in dead things. She discovered something terrifically stinky on our first night, and managed to roll in it not one, not two but three times during our 4 days there. She's an excellent "Point Dog" and beloved by all and we'd love to let her roam... but three Peroxide/baking soda baths in three days meant little girl spent a lot of time leashed up...

We took full advantage of our final morning, with an 8 mile run for me, a walk at Long Point, Zoom church by the water in a cool lake breeze (Roger's last service! So sad.), and a paddle to Eagle Cove.

Going to miss this guy so much. Even on a computer screen his gentle smile puts my soul at ease. He has given me space theologically to find a church home and express my faith/social justice/radical love in a way that works for my heart, and he has made our whole family feel so welcome and loved. Our new pastor has big shoes to fill! Luckily he is a Hiram grad so he will be fine! :)

And now we are home and settled back in and working on projects (currently: painting Ivy's new room) and battling 90 degree temperatures and rather wishing we were back at the lake...

We've consoled ourselves with our own Great Lake.

Sunset at Euclid Beach.