“The best way to keep children at home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant, and let the air out of the tires.”
Dorothy Parker
“Mom, can we borrow something from your closet?”
“That was fun. Hey you guys, what do you want to do next?”
“I’m bored, can we go to the park?”
“Higher!”
We’ve had so many guests in recent weeks that it feels empty at the lake when they leave.
But when I think about why we left the city for the summer, it’s for these moments. The quiet moments. The days that actually let you unwind.
The days when you get to explore new places…
…stroll with the dog…
And watch the sunset from a new vantage point…
I love the solitude that comes with these quiet moments. Life becomes less frenzied, giving us time to pause and appreciate the little things; puddles…
…a dog under the covers…
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Our first week at the lake has come and gone, but it was an event-filled week with our good friends visiting from San Francisco for the 4th.
I’ll keep the talking to a minimum this week because there are lots of pictures to share.
Starting with our last day in New York…Fearing a summer without museums, we spent our last day at The Met followed by a walk through Central Park….
The next morning, we packed our bags, and set off on our 2-month journey…
It’s good to be here. No unpacking, no rush. Just time to settle into a summer full of lawn sprinklers and impromptu dances…
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At the risk of sounding like a one-trick pony, we had another fun weekend up at the lake this weekend.
In what’s supposed to be an annual event, but doesn’t always happen, our lake plays host to the New Jersey power boat races, which draws racers from all over North America.
Since we’re heading into our fourth summer up there, and have missed this weekend on occasion, it was our first time seeing the event live. And it’s a pretty amazing event, lasting two days. The boats are built like race cars with carbon fiber restraints that keep the drivers safe in case of a crash. As you can imagine, having 2-5 boats on the water at a time makes a ton of noise.
But it’s pretty fun to kick back with a beer or two and watch the event. Since the races were happening right in front of our house, we got to view them from every vantage point, including up on the porch…
…and down on the dock.
I mixed up a batch of Micheladas, my first time giving the recipe a try, and although it wasn’t Rodney’s favorite cocktail, I’m totally hooked. Definitely my new summer drink.
Although the girls lost interest in the boat races pretty early, I had two other viewing companions…
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We were out for dinner a few weeks ago and the topic of the lake came up, and “yes, the boat is in the water, and oh, the kids will love it, we MADE AN HERB GARDEN!” and suddenly we had 15 people planning to descend on our little home.
Which always makes me happy and gives us an excuse to use our 10+ beds (two rooms have bunks and trundles, please erase any mental pictures of a castle on a hill).
But the best part about hosting for a weekend is that I have every excuse needed to spend 2 days in the kitchen preparing food.
And of course, hunting and gathering at the Union Square Farmer’s market for some treats beforehand.
When we got up to the lake on Friday evening, the kids were eager to check out the herb garden, which despite my black thumb, has grown more lush by the minute.
I realized quickly that animal-shaped watering cans are the key to child labor, and put them to work doing all of the weeding and watering while I oversaw the process with a glass of white in my hand.
We’d just finished watering the herbs when storm clouds gathered above and drenched us with rain while the sun continued to set over the Appalachian trail. It was our first sun shower together, such a beautiful moment.
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