Retrospective (7/4/2016)
Patch #174 Beach towel 2
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Wine ...
Love, Laughter ...
Cookie dough ...
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
- Food is love
Retrospective (7/4/2016)
Patch #173 Beach towel 1
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Making cookie dough (because really, why go to all the trouble of actually baking cookies?), usually involves one-on-one lovin' complete with "now add the sugar" and "now let's taste to make sure it's okay."
Today, we had a crowd, so stadium seating and a challenge: "whoever is quietest gets the first taste" ...
Logan (far left) and her friend Peyton were great assistants (twelve is a great age). They determined the winner of tasting round one was ...
Griffin!
Of course in the end, everyone won a round. Then they shared with the moms and dads ...
And believe it or not, the grown ups shared back ...
Monday, June 20, 2016
- Strawberry moon
Retrospective (7/4/2016)
Patch #172 Strawberry Moonrise
Tonight was our third annual vacation concert with the Wilders, so I hung the Remember 2016 cloth on the mantel to soak up the music ...
Incredibly good food was prepared by folks from San Francisco to Chesapeake and, as with most pot luck dinners, everything worked out beautifully. There were crab cakes, seared tuna, steamed shrimp and ham biscuits ... green salad, pasta salad and broccoli salad ... fresh creamed corn, chorizo and goat cheese stuffed peppers, and smoked Gouda grits ... fruit salsa with cinnamon pita chips and blueberry cake. Not to mention free-flowing adult libations and homemade juice pops for the kiddos ...
specially designed with a straw in the side of the base to enable sipping rather than dripping, in theory anyway ...
The icing on the cake was the strawberry moon ... the first full moon on the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere since 1967. Not surprisingly, my phone camera couldn't capture it, so you'll have to take my word for it that the moon lived up to its name, rising over the Atlantic with a color that recalled Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill wine ... which, I hasten to add, I only ever drank once, but memorably.
Sunday, June 19, 2016
- A day at the beach
Patch #171 Father's Day
To middle ...
to end (note: high tide makes for an interesting photo shoot) ...
With thanks to our kids for hiring a pro to take family pictures ... I'm sure you'll see a couple or three posted here when we get them next month.
Saturday, June 18, 2016
- A new chapter
Retrospective (7/3/2016)
Patch #170 Line 'em up
As we drove into Avon, the James Taylor mix CD began playing Line 'em up, so I snapped a picture of the power poles marching by...
I could perhaps be forgiven for changing the lyrics to "light 'em up" in anticipation of 60 candles, but my family was kind, lighting but one candle per decade.
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Dinner on the Outer Banks with all our kids and grandkids ...
followed by a "This is Your Life" slide show ...
put together by my fellow Gemini (whose birthday was yesterday) ...
After which everyone got commemorative t-shirts ...
to be worn at the end of tomorrow's sunset photo shoot. Accordingly, M and M made sure I'd be appropriately attired ...
And as the moon rose over a restless sea ...
candles were kindled ...
Fortunately, I had lots of help blowing them all out ...
And now the house is finally quiet enough to hear the surf outside, while the moon presides over the end of a perfect day ...
Yep, I think I like 60 just fine!
Friday, June 17, 2016
- Shark attack
Retrospective (7/3/2016)
Patch #169 (cue theme from Jaws)
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AKA lemonade and grenadine. A classic Outer Banks kid pleaser ...
Beach Week is now officially launched!
Thursday, June 16, 2016
- Urbanna Gothic
Retrospective (7/2/2016)
Patch #168 Urbanna Creek
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you just have to imagine the pitchfork.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
- A grand adventure
Retrospective (7/1/2016)
Patch #167 Fly me
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With a great end to the flight ...
Just one of many reasons why I love Southwest Airlines ...
The only way to fly!
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
- The less said the better
Retrospective (6/30/2016)
Patch #166 Texas state flag
It was flag day, but the only flag I was waving at the time was a white one. Hindsight being what it is, I now wonder if I was done in by raw cookie dough.
Original Post
Monday, June 13, 2016
- Small blessings
Retrospective (6/30/2016)
Patch #165 Library
Long ago and far away I was a high school librarian (among other things). I started work at J--- High School in August 1999, four months after Columbine.
The library was located at the top of the stairs on the second floor, directly above the cafeteria. Students didn't use it much as the previous librarian was apparently less than warm and fuzzy.
The first thing I did was buy two rubber door stops to hold the doors open. Then I went to every single first block class during the first week of school to welcome students and teachers. I told them I wouldn't require passes during lunchtime, but that I would ask each student to sign in. Because Columbine. They understood.
Then I moved out of my office and sat at the computer at the front desk, so I could greet each person who came through the door. I learned their names, helped them find things, and didn't give them a hard time. Usage doubled, then doubled again.
And throughout it all, I felt like I had a target painted on my chest. Because Columbine. But it was worth it.
So when I read the words of the undocumented Texas valedictorian who said her school library made a difference, my throat tightened and tears pricked at my eyes. It made me proud of my profession.
One last thing ... years after I left the high school I ran into a former student when I was going through the grocery store checkout. I didn't recognize her, but she said "Do you remember me? I used to come to the library every day at lunch." Like so many of the students who came through my door, she felt welcome and if that's all I ever accomplished, then I count my time there a success.
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This is a screen shot of one of two Texas valedictorians who revealed their undocumented status at graduation. But the part that made my heart a little lighter was her recognition of the role the school library played in her success. It made me proud of my one-time profession.
And this is a screen shot of something my daughter wrote last night in response to a friend who was hurt by social media insanity following the Orlando shooting ...
This too makes me proud ... and I dare to be hopeful.
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