As I write to you tonight we've been home from Farley's for 4 days... and we head back tomorrow! We left our little girl at the Point with her Lulu because we saw no reason to pull her away from her personal paradise. The rest of us had committments, and video games, to get home to and so we tore ourselves away. But our hearts have been at the Lake all week and we are happy for the excuse to drive 5 1/2 hours tomorrow to get back for a few more days...
Our last weekend was the stuff summer vacation is made from. So much boating! So much sun! So much time with friends! And so much accomplishment!
Drawing class, take 2. We worked on one-point perspective and drawing houses.
A trip to Pete's Treats! Not quite the same as the old days, when one family would drive by and pile in all the kids in one car and spirit them away... but since we all drove our own crew-- that meant we all got ice cream!
Sunsets were spectacular all weekend.
Dog is tired.
A flat, calm lake on Friday called out for some waterskiing.
Jack and Nat both got up-- Nat on try one and Jack on try four-- and Ivy gamely tried three times without being discouraged and I was so proud to watch my lovely family persevering and trying a new, hard thing. Waterskiing is not for me (I prefer my water under control, thankyouverymuch) but I will never turn down a boat ride and I make a great spotter.
Sunset boat rides in the tin can involve fishing. Well, kind of. One or two casts anyways.
The girls are planting Locust Tree seeds and giving them names. Can I tell you how much I love these kids?
Apparently that evening they also hatched a plan to swim across the lake, as they informed us before bed. So, when Saturday dawned sunny and the lake was calm, across the lake we went with a boatload of extremely wound-up children.
(this is where the perseverence comes in...)
To have your lake swim "count" around here, you've got to go dock to dock without touching bottom or touching a boat, no lifejacket. Our crew got a head start as they went off the back of Barb's boat but we are counting it because she was touching the dock (of a very nice gentleman across the lake who said we could moor there for a moment).
And they were off! So much excitement and laughter and circling about at the start (though we kept cautioning them, "less talking more swimming!")
Ivy decided she needed a sip of "clean water" (from a water bottle held off the side of the boat) after about 30 yards and managed to get herself well behind Jack and Reese, so we were glad we had two boats out to supervise our split group of kids. Drew managed about 1/4 of the way and then rode in the boat...
But our other three made it all the way across! Jack and Reese made it look easy, swimming the mile and a half in about an hour and 45 minutes. Ivy persevered through loneliness and hunger (she had some bites of granola bar over the edge of the boat) and made it in just about 2 hours.
After a few hours of eating and resting-- they were back out on the water for waterskiing.
Jack got up and had a good long ski, and Ivy persevered and tried hard for her three times. Getting closer and closer to success.... and handling failure with resilience... who knew waterskiing was the way to build character?
We had some tired kids on our hands by evening.
Sunset boat ride to celebrate the day. Here's a hokey "wedding rings on our tan hands with the Morehouse boat" picture.
And a boat dog.
Last sunset of vacation.
Winter and Rae. These two dogs love each other.
Perfection. That's my boy out there paddleboarding.
One last campfire with Sarah and Joe. We burnt a box full of tiny wood blocks and had WAY too much fun watching it light up. The comet is barely visable now, but the stars and the moon were amazing.
Sunday morning.
One last boat ride before we go!
With some more skiing... In classic Jack fashion, our boy decided to engage and fully participate in lake activities just days before the end of the trip. Turns out, he really loves waterskiing.
And is pretty good at it for a beginner.
Annual lion chair photo. Somehow our "super long" time at the lake went remarkably fast.
And then, like that- back home. Thankful that we have another lake close at hand. Went for a nice walk and a patio lunch at The Wine Bar with my mom. Great to see her after nearly a month away.
Tuesday's activity: A walk (and a swim for Jack) at Euclid Creek. Just add water and that boy is happy.
We are blessed to have so many beautiful treasures so close to home.
Jack in this swimming hole...he spent a good 20 minutes swimming around and chasing bubbly foam that floated near the falls-- then standing up and releasing it by throwing it into the air, or blowing on it, or clapping his hands together.
Sometimes he is too adorable to handle.
On our 4 days back in Cleveland I tried to find ways to channel some lake life. Coffee and a book on the porch came close (with the notable absence of a lake just beyond the porch rail.
I also had the opportunity for a few "dry runs" of actually working, which I hear is something I'll need to do again someday. Worked on the timing of my morning routine by getting out for a run, having a shower and breakfast, and getting to Solon by 8:45 for my 9:00 tutoring session. It went fairly well which is a boost of confidence except for the fact that I'll need to push that timeline earlier by about 2 hours. Oof.
In between tutoring sessions I worked on packing my room at SMS for my move to Lewis Elementary. Because what could be a better idea in the midst of a pandemic than taking a brand new job?? I am excited about the change, in the abstract. I will miss my coworkers and my wonderful administrators at the Middle School, that is for sure. But I've had frustrations for years now with the ever increasing demands of my position there, and I think I just might need a break from 8th graders (especially while I have one at home). So I will trade my old, well-known challenges for a set of all new ones (albeit in smaller packages!). And a pandemic year is as a good as any, really, for a new start-- my old job, that I knew so well, wouldn't be the same anways.
It was an emotional morning when I closed up my room for the last time, though. I will miss my big windows and all my own space, as I am moving to a shared classroom. It was also a lot of WORK to get that big old room packed up, even with an attempt to leave behind as much as possible. And it was a lot of work to unpack and sort through all of the material left behind in my new room by the outgoing teacher (who I am sure thought she was doing the new interventionist a favor). I am, it turns out, not used to really working any more. I am exhausted. And the mental gymnastics of sorting through how this year will start-- the looming threat of teaching in person under both a mask and the specter of a disease -- hasn't helped to energize me. I am trying to focus on the positives of change, and persevere through the work I CAN do. I CAN move boxes and sort files and make floor plans, even if I can't control much else that is happening around me. I can have a great attitude and a willingness to jump in and try new things in the midst of chaos. I can hold on to memories of these past nine years and at the same time be ready for something new.
A sunset beach walk-turned-storm to close up our quick time at home....
And now-- packing to get back to the Point! That's something else we CAN do right now.
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