Goodbye Summer--- Hello Fall!

I have been so in denial about summer’s ending that I have mostly refused to check my email this weekend—not wanting to acknowledge that classes, and the whole semester, begin this week! It seems that I have been more reluctant than ever to let summer end—it began so beautifully with an emergency management conference in Emmitsburg  (always lovely to see old colleagues and meet new ones),

Elizabeth’s visit, which included beach trips to Cape May,

Rehoboth
and running up to New York City to meet Sophia’s young man, Tait,

and an Amish buggy ride through Lancaster County.
Next came some shopping, and a few college tours for Elizabeth.
In July, Ed and Fawn and I enjoyed a day exploring Herring Point

and having lunch in Lewes. That’s also where I took some great shots with my new Sony camera.

Finally, August brought a trip to SanFrancisco ...

...to attend the ASA annual meeting, which included being picked up at the airport by my son, Michael, and meeting his lovely Annie.

This was the cherry on top of an already lovely summer! ASA also included a pre-conference tour of sustainable wine growing in Sonoma...

...which also included wine tastings... (yes, note the plural!)...

And I also took a combined day trip to Angel Island (exploring the history of Pacific immigration) and to

Alcatraz (to explore the history of this island as a notorious prison from which everyone wanted to escape but very few actually did!).

In between, I finished Chapter 4 of my dissertation and have been working on purging papers stored in the garage. This weekend I’ve purged and cleaned my office, rearranged the furniture and now I am soooo looking forward to writing there in the coming months!

Yes, summer is over… sigh…The Old Farmer’s Almanac  

forecasts a terrible winter much like the brutal one we had last year. I’ve decided to treat myself to some great new boots (already ordered) and a great cashmere sweater to make it all bearable. Haven’t found the sweater yet, but this will give me something to do and look forward to. I’m also mentally preparing for revising Chapter 4 and drafting Chapter 5. It will be great to be done! It’s been a long time coming.

In between I will also be developing several new programs at work, as well as Chairing the Curriculum Committee. It’s also time to put the plans together for a family beach vacation at a pet friendly place for next June. In my spare time (haha!) I will continue to purge—and that feels oh so good!

Hello Fall! I might as well get used to you being here J.

Quiet Mornings After A Storm

Enjoying my morning coffee outside... It's a cool, quiet morning after a summer thunderstorm last night. It must have rained for quite a while because everything is still wet. Cloudy skies and greyness are welcome after a few days of sultry heat and thick air. Not complaining though, after this past grueling winter anything summer is welcome!

Love how this sunflower, though imperfect, faces the day!

After Dinner Coffee-- and Mosquitos :(

We have just a little while after we have dinner to enjoy sitting in the backyard to drink our coffee before the mosquitos move in... after a few very hot and humid days, these backyard moments are precious...

Hot, Hot, HOT- Summer in Delaware

The temp has cooled a bit-- down to 89 today but the humidity is high. I love summer, but the temps and humidity can get uncomfortably hot. We went from having a long, cold winter, to no spring, and now a hot summer. Last week we enjoyed a few wonderful evenings of drinking our evening coffee in the yard, but now it's back to living in an air conditio

ned environment.

Gentle Summer Days

Gentle Summer Days-- The temperatures hovered near 100 degrees last week, but this week we've had the most perfect week of gentle, cool summer evenings that we all long for in the depth of winter. Phillip has been working in the yard-- trimming trees, tending to his vegetable gardens, and cleaning up the front yard flower beds. The yard has never looked so good! Fawn has benefited by spending more time outside than she ever has :).

How nice to be able to enjoy summer naps in fresh grass! The life of a dog... the life of perfect summer days... we have so few of them as it's usually too hot, too humid, or there are too many mosquitos-- we'll enjoy this while we can!

Memorial Day Holiday

Today it is Memorial Day in the US. It's a day when the country remembers and pays homage to those soldiers who have fought in various wars, and remembers the fallen. It is also a day that culturally, marks the beginning of summer, and so everyone plans to go to the beach for this wonderful 3 day weekend (remember that in the US we don't have so many holidays)! For quite a few years everyone was so focused on going to the beach and enjoying this beginning of summer that the reason for the holiday was almost forgotten. However, in recent years there has been a greater emphasis on remembering our soldiers and the sacrifices they've made. For us, it's been a nice weekend to stay at home and relax.