Souvenirs

Sometimes it's not enough for me to simply walk through a beautiful place. On beaches I search for shells, shark teeth, and sea glass. On hikes in Maine, it's a hunt for blueberries or the smoothest rock. In corn mazes I have been known to gather husks and fashion dolls as I navigate my way through.


And today it was wildflowers. There were so many different blooms and blossoms in the fields and meadows on the farm where we took Lucy to run and swim, that I picked a sweet little bouquet as we walked in the sunshine serenaded by larks and red wing blackbirds.

International Sensation

On our visit to the falls last Christmas, we spotted a small sign that we had never noticed before. Pedestrian Walkway to Canada, it read, and the die was cast. Heidi's brother Mark and I agreed to bring our passports this summer so that we could WALK! to Canada.

"Can Lucy come?" was Heidi's only question, and a quick internet search revealed that yes, indeed, dogs can walk to enter Canada along with their human travelers.

Today, our plan became reality. Under perfect, 80 degree blue skies, the four of us trotted gleefully across the Rainbow Bridge, passed the international border marker halfway,  and breezed through immigration to Canada. There we strolled through well-manicured parks and along stone walls lining the river gorge up to Horseshoe Falls where the wind blowing from the US sprayed us with a steady mist.

Along the way, fellow tourists speaking Cantonese, French, Italian, Spanish, and English asked if they could pet Lucy, who was smiling and prancing her way through her first International visit. Two hours later we returned to our native land, a little tired, a little sun burnt, but joyful, too.

Sunday Drive

We wanted to spend some time outside with the dog, so I Googled a few hikes and found one that seemed promising about 20 minuted from Heidi's folks. The way was fair-- along country roads with open fields, farms, woods, and water. The weather was perfect, too, low 70s and all sunshine and blue skies, so we rolled the windows down and blasted the radio.

The park was an abandoned farm with wooded trails, a rushing creek, and a waterfall, and we followed winding paths up and down little hills, past old stone walls and granite ledges. Back at the car, I checked the map to see exactly where we were, and it turned out to be just 8 miles from Lake Ontario.

Well, a great lake waits for no one, and so we turned our car north toward Olcott Beach, a postcard perfect town with a lakefront park, a jazz band playing in the bandstand, and a tiny amusement park crowned with a vintage carousel. Another lovely hour later, we turned toward home, just as happy as we could be.

Beating the Heat

It took 394 miles north and two carwash-worthy rain storms for the temperature to drop from 93 to 77. Here in Buffalo, it's still pretty muggy, and as we walked the dog through the 9 PM twilight of Heidi's childhood neighborhood for her last outing of the evening, I couldn't help but notice all the wide-open windows.

The houses here were built back in the 1960s when air conditioning was a luxury not many of the working families here needed. That's still pretty much the case, despite climate change. For the few hot days and nights, people here resort to window units that are hauled out in June and put away in September, some propped up by homemade braces made of 2 x 4s, or good old-fashioned box fans leaning against the screens and turned all the way up to number three.

A quick dip in the above-ground pool in the back yard right and an orange popsicle before bedtime might help you sleep, too.

Bonanza!

We were buying a new car, so I reviewed our insurance.

Josh is moving to California tomorrow (!), so I removed him from the policy.

We traded the 18 year old Jeep (awww....) for a brand new Honda HR-V (yay!), so I made that change.

I noticed that Heidi was listed as "friend" (throwback to when Virginia didn't recognize same sex marriage, and so we weren't married), so I sent an email (on principle, since now we are married) to have that corrected.

The insurance company replied with a heartfelt Congratulations! and a request that I update Heidi's education and employment info.

Bottom line?

Our insurance went DOWN more than $800 a year!

The End of an Era

"I'm not ready," Josh told us at his farewell dinner last night. He wasn't talking about his move to California on Saturday, though, he was reacting to the news that after 15 years we were going to trade the Jeep Wrangler in for something newer and more reliable.

As over the Jeep as I am, I knew what he meant. I could still picture the 9 year-old him sound asleep in the backseat even though the top was down, swaying against the seat belt, head bouncing with the bumps in the road, and the wind whipping his fine curls into a tempest. I could still hear the radio blaring as Heidi banged out of our complex on her way to swimming lessons and lifeguarding. And in another blink, there was Annabelle and Heidi repainting the faded magnetic flowers with nail polish.

At the dealership today we were a little nervous presenting it for its trade-in. "We sure have loved it!" Heidi told the salesman.

"I'll get our trade finance guy to take a look at it," he shrugged. "I think he drives a Jeep."

And when the guy came in to talk numbers he had a big smile on his face."I want that Jeep!" he said. "I still have my '98 TJ," he continued, "and my 2011 and my 2016. Let me see what I can put together for you."

In the end? They offered us a fair deal, and we drove off the lot with a shiny new Honda HR-V, but it was definitely bittersweet.

Swimmin' in the Rain

When the overcast skies opened to deliver an afternoon downpour, we were in the pool. Once we took our stuff to cover, we jumped back in, because there was no thunder or lightning, and wet is wet.
How magical it was to be surrounded by tiny plops and drops, expanding into colliding concentric circles all around me! And the rain water was so much cooler than the pool water and the humid air around us that the sensation of all three at once was textural and refreshing. We swam and paddled and trod until storm clouds subsided to blue skies and sunshine.

I hope it rains again tomorrow!