the lowdown

 Lewis and my nephew, Parker, went to great lengths to make the mac daddy of all water balloons. It was so big that they had to carry it in a bowl..through the house, of course. They decided that it was destined for Matt and my brother, Ben. Matt is ready. Ben is sort of ready.

 I wish you could see the balloon, but these expressions paint the picture.

 What you can't see in this picture is that the balloon bounced off their shoulders and they were mostly spared.

She is coming for me and the camera!

 This was not a water balloon 'fight', mind you. It was water balloon fun. Oh my. And the grown-ups were the most amusing targets!

The balloons went fast and then we just threw water.

There are times when I am grasping at straws and feel that I have nothing to share and then there are the times when I have so much to share that I hardly know where to begin, so I don't. That's me, right now. So hang on. I think that I'll just lump it all into one huge mega post.

We have been busy. In a very good way. Camp has been so full and so dang fun for me. It is very different having children on your own terms, rather than in a school setting or a teaching environment. We have steered clear of the illusion of teaching and focused on fun. There are, of course, many teachable moments, (I can't stand that phrase, it's such a post modern 'duh' that is a true buzz kill...not unlike someone saying that they are 'homeschooling' their three year old) Geez Louise. I digress. Let's start again. Kids are so awesome when you take the time to meet their little personalities and know them, not as children to be taught or managed, but as people. They are so solid and real, amusing and quirky. I really do make an effort to treat them as friends, not as kids who need looking after for a few days during the summer. It's a balancing act for sure...maintaining a bit of order and being open to come what may. It has been so fun working with Matt, too. How many jobs are there where you can go barefoot all day, make art, cook, frolic in mountain streams and hang out with ebullient little people. They are creative and full of ideas and inspiration. It's good, I tell you.

The Wandering Dinner was a blast. SO. MUCH. FUN. We met lots of neighbors, shared food and drinks, sang and danced, and partied harder than I have since birthing babies...so about 13 years. I guess I was due for a hangover.

Here's a little free advice. Do not mix beer, wine...red and white, Campari, gin, champagne, Tom Collins', Sambuca and decide to take up cigarettes all in one night. Don't do it. Actually, it was lots of fun in the moment. Lots of fun. So maybe you should do it. I won't judge!

I was told that the pasta was yummy. I did not eat a bite of it. Do you do that? I lose interest in food during the preparation. I made a mint pesto out almonds, mint, garlic and olive oil. We tossed together ten pounds of pasta with six pounds of blanched peas with  three pounds of pesto and then coated the whole shebang with a white wine, butter and shallot sauce. We had more than enough and the whole thing cost only about fifty dollars. My friend Jill made some lovely unami bread and that was that. The beauty of a traveling dinner is that you don't feel too stressed to perform on the food front, as four other hostesses 'have your back'. 

 That's my next door neighbor, Kristin, dishing it out. This was a team effort.

 I love the pile of bikes in the background. Most everyone rode and it was such a delight to be zinging through the valley as a group!

 Young and old mingled and created.

 The fellow in the white shirt came inside to ask me if I might have a song book. Why, yes I do,  the best one ever written, actually. I handed him my copy of Rise up Singing and he said, 'yes, that's what I was hoping for' and out of the ether, a band formed.

 I wish I had photos from the other houses along the way. Well, maybe not the last one. You would have seen a small group of us in the pitch black of night, hunched over with laughter with a bottle of Sambuca and fresh peaches. I hate Sambuca.We were less than a mile from home, but for some reason we had a hard time finding our way back. Our kids were already safe in bed...don't worry.

Each and every day we make our way to the river. My kids are nearly feral, at this point. They slither in and out of lakes and streams as easily as a water snake. Lewis can catch fish in his fists and flings himself off of cliff walls into the deep blue green of the upper Animus. See video.

The water is cold. The jump is the easy part, believe it.

We love Junction Creek, too. The kids catch fish, contribute to the damns, and built this awesome see saw. It's drying up fast...get there asap!

Gnome homes have been on the docket and I'm super cool and also have gnomes. Shut up, I do.
Are you catching on yet? I'm sort of like a big kid. Lucky me.

I also have the Gnome book from the early eighties with all the pictures of the nude gnomes.

I mentioned that my brother has been here with his darling son. They were passing through on the way to Wyoming and dove right into the program. I'm not sure that Parker 'got' that we have a kids camp happening...he just thinks we're crazy. Why did you drop a raw egg on Uncle Matt's head? Who are all these kids? It was so awesome to have them and viva la redheads!

 

And it has been the week of the freaky ass bug. Pictures don't capture it, really. The eyeball on the head of the ENORMOUS dragonfly and then this beetle, which was bigger than any bug I've ever seen. Wow!

I'll leave with you with this. Have a stupendous fourth!