Summer Passing By

 I really hesitate to mention it, but here we are, ready to head into August, kids are thinking about going back to school, parents are thinking about having to pack up and leave Joe's Pond and get back to more rigid schedules after a summer of relaxed fun. Not always welcome thoughts, but it's a cycle that's inevitable with the change of seasons.

I spent some time with granddaughter, Tangeni and her friend, Gabbie this morning. I asked about school beginning soon and both girls groaned. That surprised me. Tangeni has always looked forward to going back to school - something that was difficult for me to understand. I don't recall ever looking forward to the summer ending! I recall my kids being near tears when it was time to leave Joe's Pond after spending the summer here at camp, and I knew exactly how they felt. I would have chosen sun-drenched fields, pitching hay or chasing Holsteins through swamps and skin-ripping underbrush any day in place of sitting for hours in a classroom. Once back in school, it didn't seem quite so bad, but it was always hard to make that transition. Today I felt just a twinge of that old feeling of dread, this time on Tangeni's behalf. I suspect she likes school a lot more than I ever did, and I know she is a better student. Time passes so quickly, sometimes I can barely keep up.

Back in the present - last night's Pork Dinner at the JPA pavilion was very nice. The weather had turned on us a bit, but it was neither too cold or too hot, there just was no sun and a bit of a cooler than expected breeze. It kept things fresh! As usual, it was a very congenial group and it is really nice to see younger people stepping up to take over some of the chores our older members have done for so long. There is a definite transition going on as the generations change. It's very gradual, and it makes perfect sense. As we get older, we don't have the same energy as years ago, and it's always good to have younger people willing to help out and keep things moving with the times. Thanks to some of those younger folks over the years, we are no longer gathered in an open field, sitting at wooden picnic tables on benches that would inject sizeable slivers in certain parts of our anatomy if not approached with extreme caution. 

Take care, travel safely and enjoy the rest of summer - short as it is!