Memorial Day: Outside in the Sun

Memorial Day was sunny and hot.  Even though I avoid sunny and hot, it was a good day.  The morning started out with pancakes.  A neighbor half way down the street came to spend the morning while her dad took her little sister out for a special birthday breakfast.  Mr. TOF and I were off to meet special friends at the park.   I chatted with my friend at a picnic table in the shade while Mr. TOF and her daughter zoomed around the playground, and the conversation was sweet and good, something to be treasured.

At high noon we came back for a siesta, and then around three o’clock we loaded everyone up along with some simple picnic supplies, to meet our up the hill and half way down the street at the rocky beach.  It was steaming hot on top of the hill, and still very warm even at the beach.  I baked on a rock while the kids zipped in and out of the very cold water.  There was no ice at the rocky beach, even though there was plenty at the sandy beach.  Still, you know that water capable of floating ice burgs is terribly cold even if there aren’t any ice chunks in your field of visibility.  It was so hot, though, that the kids were dipping themselves in the water.  They didn’t stay in long after each dip.  It was a classic summer afternoon:  kids jumping off rocks, throwing sticks and stones in the water, and climbing all over the place.  My friend made homemade ice cream in an antique metal ice cream maker dipped into the cold water.  The beach was crowded, but the dads managed to find a grill and cook up some meat, which everyone quickly devoured.  We munched and crunched on fruit and carrots.  The kids played more, and eventually the sky clouded over.  Just as we were getting ready to leave, the wind switched directions, just a gentle breeze, but within 15 minutes the air temperature dropped forty degrees.  Truly.  We got in our warm cars and headed back up the hill where it was still balmy and settled in for the evening:  finishing up chores, practicing instruments and getting ready for the next school day.

Our long weekend was a welcome respite, and I ended it with a very messy house (it’s unbelievable what four kids can strew about  in short order around here), but refreshed and ready to tackle these last few weeks of our school schedule, packed with lessons, practicing, homework supervision and the like, not to mention very early starts to each day.