"Second Half"

The official second half of summer begins today when the girls return from their four week stint in overnight camp. Feeding three little kids a steady (unhealthy) diet of ice cream, "Tradition" (ramen noodle)soups, hot dogs and scrambled eggs will come to a close. It's back to proper suppers for a crowd, breakfast for a clan, and lunch for the two who'll be hanging with me.

The kayaking will be easier with babysitters back in the house, and I may even try for twice a week. Last week my kayaking partner had to cancel, but I went myself. I missed her, but the solitude was great, and the level of the workout was better, as I did less floating for shmoozing purposes, and more actual paddling.

Yesterday we took the little kids to Easton, PA to the Crayola Factory. We hadn't been there in ten years, and having only the younger set with us it was the perfect outing for the perfect ages, and they had a fantastic time. Sunday in the summer at the tail end of a heat wave is not necessarily the best time to go to a kid friendly INDOOR activity from a crowd perspective, but it really didn't feel crowded and there were lots of projects available. I thought we'd stay for two hours, (based on what the website said), but between Crayola and the canal museum (connected, read: one price for both), we left after four hours. I'd love to say the trip home was uneventful, but someone (me) changed the baby a little too quickly when we were leaving, and he had a very messy "accident" on the way home. That meant a shoulder stop to clean everything up, and a garbage stop. Of course there were no rest stops, so it meant getting off the exit and driving about five miles in until we could find a trash receptacle. Seriously, it was all residential and we could not find a garbage can. Richard III came to mind.

There's a lot more summer left, we hope to use it well.