Father's Day

School is over. Chapter is closed. Summer is on in earnest. We've had a string of hot, sunny days.Yesterday Jasper looked up at the sky and remarked, "The sky is so...BLUE. It's really beautiful." Those kind of days. So while we know we have to put our nose to the grind stone and stuff all of our stuff in to that 8 X 8 X 18 foot pod that has been plopped in our driveway, what we really want to do is play.

This weekend was really our last one in New Hampshire. The next time we will be in town will be moving day. But in stead of packing boxes and sorting through the attic, we spent two hours at the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. Then we packed our camping gear and loaded the canoe and headed west to Charlestown to meet up with friends. The Hipples and Tim and Joanie were out at SCA and invited us to stay over at a friend's house in Chester, VT. We threaded down beautiful country roads through a stunning June evening to arrive amidst a large and growing group of great people. Eric came down from Burlington. Doug and Rebecca, Beach Week friends, were hosting. The kids played on the trampoline until 10 pm, the adults drank and sang by the fire until 2. These are the times we will be missing.

The next morning we slowly loaded up all the vehicles and coolers and kids and caravaned to a local swimming hole. We sat beneath a bridge with our toes in the stream while the kids fished and threw rocks. Every once in a while a tractor would cruise over the bridge. Ethan practiced his accordion. For several hours we just did hung out, no agenda. It was glorious.



When a passing shower chased us off the water, we said our goodbyes and headed east, hoping to let the kids nap in the car. While they slept we made our way to Grafton Pond, one of Peter's favorite spots in New Hampshire, a Forest Society property that he had designated an eco reserve. We put the canoe in at 4:30, just as most people were coming off of the water. As we pushed off, Jasper said, "Oh yeah, I can handle this. This is gorgeous!" And it was. The wind was up, so the bugs left us alone. The small islands scattered throughout the lake were glowing with evening light. The smell of lake water was intoxicating. We were practically alone. I had done nothing to prepare for father's day, but I could not imagine a more perfect place to celebrate with Peter. He was in heaven.

Despite the fact that it was dinner time and we had no snacks, we stopped on an island to build gnome homes and swim. Despite the fact that they were hungry and sleep deprived, the kids were happy. In their element. I realized that even if we never move back to New Hampshire, or even New England, our children will always be from here. It is a part of their soul. When they return they will be coming home. And that is worth a lot.

Now where are those boxes?