FINAL STRETCH

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And just like that, it’s the middle of August.
After the last post, I finally started to really decompress and feel like it was okay to relax. I don’t go through life feeling intense anxiety or stress… but, I must hold the products of all my endeavours somewhere on a cellular level. My body is always waiting to DO something or go out and interact with people. It’s good practice to try and stay put! Although all that is soon coming to an end.
At least I have lots of memories of sailing time to tuck away! We’ll be going out during the fall too, though I doubt it will still be shorts and swimsuit weather.
In and around lake time, I hurry back into the city for the odd work thing. This one time, Amor and I were shooting a photo and doing an interview for EEDC’s new magazine. They were featuring a coveted Edmonton item, and chose my HUNT AMOR sunnies chain. So we drank punch at Three Boars and talked about Edmonton; creating stuff; and our friendship, with the editor.

Other meetings included Apricity regrouping to come up with a plan for this 2015-16 year. Board meetings are better avec moules frites par Café Bicyclette.

Don has had a bit of time off for summer vacation, and we’ve been hanging out nonstop with the kids. Most of it has been at the lake, but I was happy to capture the boys at Iconoclast in late July.

We took my little sister and the kids to KDays! Shelby convinced me to go on the Fireball, which was super fun at the time, and later left me with a splitting old-lady headache.

Then, we took our trailer out on the road.

We went south.

Ended up in gorgeous Drumheller! I had been once when I was 11 years old (choir tour), and remember almost nothing about it. Returning with kids aged 36, 6, and 3 – It was splendid fun!

We obviously climbed some hoodoos (Alice is fearless), and set up a great double camp with our trailer in combination with our friends’ vintage Sprite. My friend Leisha is the queen of camp. Her little trailer was like Mary Poppins’ carpet bag. More and more amazing treasures kept emerging from inside and the kids were in heaven.

Want to wash some dinosaurs? No fear, auntie Leisha will produce a whole washing station complete with child-sized apron.

Want to play store? Auntie Leisha has a cash register inside, and is ready to help you merchandise all the camp items on a picnic table.

Puppet show? Got it.

Excavation tools for finding fossils? DONE.

Having wonderful and amazing friends means I had a lot of time to do this.

We did take several joyous walks.

Including this one climb up from a suspension bridge, around sunset. It was completely glorious.

Back at home, my friends organized and threw me a 90s Hip Hop birthday party at The Common, complete with ridiculous outfits (hello spandex, shoulder pads, and adidas) AND Moonshine Doughnuts!

Back at the lake, Alice tried out her new swimsuit.

On one particularly adventurous day, we did a big sail down to the completely opposite end of the lake in order to have some fun times with family friends.

Turns out my student was also hosting a bunch of her soccer friends, so Dexter obviously felt as though he was quite at home with the ladies.

Alice is riding her bike.

And I got to meet Taylor Swift – Totally unplanned and last minute.

She is very warm and gracious, with lots of energy and enthusiasm for her fans!

I um… sort of had a really good time at that concert.

Admittedly, I was somewhat over the moon when she told a mini story to the next night’s crowd. My friend with very fast reflexes caught it. Apparently Don and I were nice to meet too (phew)!
There has also been Folk Fest; lots of reconnecting for the fall (United Way youth initiative); catching up with some friends and (gulp); training for the try-a-tri for when the International Triathlon Union is here at the end of the month. I got roped into doing it quite by accident, and now I feel too ashamed to drop out.
Who knew that front crawl was so hard? Oh, I did. That’s why I never do front crawl and rarely swim (I’m great at splashing around and floating).
Now, I’m in trouble.
But, I’m going to practice a bit and see what happens.
Pray for me.
And hold onto every wonderful day of summer we have left!