Paddlin'

To beat the heat this afternoon, we decided to try out those stand-up paddle boards that came with our vacation rental. They were pulled up into the woods above the little sandy beach about a quarter mile from the house, so we hiked over there, launched them, and sit-paddled around the point to our calm little cove where we could perfect our stand-up technique. 

The dogs were, of course, thrilled, especially Rosie, who never left the water once the SUPs arrived. Lucy must have remembered her brief kayaking excursions on Lake Champlain three summers ago because she waded into the water and stepped aboard as soon as I drew near enough. For the most part, she was a good passenger, sitting tall and still and leaning on my legs when I stood. We did have a few capsizes, but they were mainly because the other dogs distracted one or the other of us. 

We were able to paddle over to get a close look at a heron and a rail as they waded on the shore, and Lucy appreciated that, especially when the heron squawked raucously and flew away. After a couple of hours, we paddled back around to the beach, with Lucy as a lookout the whole way. "We like your dog!" shouted the kids on the dock across the cove as we paddled by.

"Thanks!" I shouted back. "I like her, too!"

Swimmin'

Lucy took off barking after something on the creek as we sat on the shady back patio this morning. Closer examination revealed a blue heron wading about 20 feet away, utterly unthreatened by the three dogs paddling its way. Once they got closer, the prehistoric bird spread its wings once, and the dogs did a U-turn, returning to us.

Despite predictions otherwise, the weather has stayed cool, breezy, and fair for July in this part of the world, and that encounter was enough to convince me to put on my suit and jump off the end of the dock. Lucy was at first very perturbed, whining her away around the perimeter of the deck. Once Bill jumped in, too, she could no longer stay up there, and she flung herself into the creek and swam around, making sure we weren't drowning, before she returned to the shore.

Soon, Heidi and Emily were in the water, too, and at one point, all seven of us were splashing and floating in the salty water. A couple of herons swooped by every now and then, maybe annoyed that we were disturbing their fishing or maybe congratulating us for such a good idea.

Crabbin'

"Look! There's a little crab!" Emily pointed as we explored the dock of our vacation rental yesterday. We are in Kilmarnock, on the Northern Neck of Virginia, staying at the "beach house" on the property of a cidery. 

Everything has conspired so far to make this a nearly perfect vacation. The dogs can run free without fear of cars, and the house is newly renovated with a fabulous view. The weather has been uncharacteristically gorgeous for July in Virginia. We have SUPs and kayaks we can use to explore Dividing Creek, the Rappahannock River, and the Chesapeake Bay beyond. And then? There are those crabs.

When we were in our late teens and early twenties, my brother, sister, and I lived in Virginia Beach. Gary, an old friend of the family who lived there, too, taught us how to crab with a string, a sinker, a chicken neck, and a net. We spent many afternoons up to our waists in the back bay by the boat launch at Seashore State Park, tossing out chicken necks, waiting for a little tug on the line, gently pulling it in, and then scooping the crabs up with a net.

Today, after exploring the town, we bought ourselves some crab lines, chicken legs, and a net before heading back to the house. "Make sure you have a jar of peanut butter," laughed the property owner, "if you expect to feed yourselves on the crabs down there!"

But almost immediately after dropping the first baited line from the dock, I pulled up a little Sally, but she was way below the 5-inch limit. As we crabbed, the dogs were mesmerized: watching us tossing chicken into the water and retrieving these scuttling, prehistoric creatures with snapping claws seemed almost more than they could fathom. 

In the end? We caught three unfortunate six-inch jimmies, which I steamed with our shrimp dinner. It was a small catch, but we have more chicken legs and there's always tomorrow.

Slow Down

I didn't realize how much I had been dreading this day. 

The arrival of July 1, 2024, means I am officially retired from Arlington Public Schools. Colleagues who have retired before me warned that I would lose access to everything in my school drives and email, essentially my life's work, and I have taken time to copy and download anything I could. 

Still, when I got up this morning, I wondered what it would be like to try to log in and be rejected and excluded from an organization I had been part of for half my life. Even more than that, losing those documents, files, and correspondence seemed like an intellectual property issue, and I was considering approaching the union about it.

But it didn't happen! For now, I can still access my school email, my old Canvas courses, my Google Drive, and my PD portal. I have been removed from some functions and groups, so those privileges don't seem accidental. 

Everything about retirement so far has seemed like letting go of things, and as anxious as I am to start moving toward something new, it's really hard to give up so much so fast. Luckily? Fortune has pumped the brakes a little today.

LXII

This year, since the day falls between two summer trips, one to Buffalo and the next to Kilmarnock, VA, I'm spending a quiet birthday at home. Oh, I woke up to a shower of gifts from Heidi, each more thoughtful than the last, and I got that bread baked, too. Despite the oppressive heat, we made a trip to the farmers market for some peaches, blackberries, and humanely raised chicken for supper, and Treat and Nadika will be here to celebrate in just a little while. I also got a chance to catch up with my sister, and we're meeting my brother down on the Northern Neck tomorrow.

As I write, I've got my eye on the weather, hoping for a nice, big thunderstorm to break the drought and drench the garden. I think we're going to get it, too. One more gift on an already wonderful day.

Good Plan

"Do you have any plans for your birthday tomorrow?" asked a neighbor this morning.

"Not really," I shrugged. "I'm definitely going to bake off the bread I made today."

"Will that bring you joy?" she replied.

"Yep!" I answered without hesitation.

"There you go, then," she said.

It Fills Me Days, Luv

There was a short time back in the early 90s when I was between cooking jobs. Then, my days consisted of housekeeping, cooking, an occasional free-lance catering job, and reading British murder mystery novels while drinking tea. 

And would you suppose are the first two audiobooks we have cued up since my retirement? Well, a couple of clever, contemporary British murder mysteries: The Alperton Angels and How to Solve Your Own Murder.

Just lovely!