*Another Summer Is Over

Another summer come and gone and I wasn't done with it yet!

It was the best summer I've had in many years though. It started with a trip to Washington to visit Ron, Tia and the boys. I worked summer school in my district with some of the same kids I work with during the regular school year and got to know some other kids that I will probably never see again....sometimes thats good and sometimes not. During the week long break we had in July I went hiking/camping with Ed. We had a great time....we even revisited a few places that we always went to when we were still together. Several weeks after that trip, Jodi and I went on another.....we had a blast!! We covered a lot more ground on that trip...holy moly rocky, we were beat but it felt good to be that kind of tired. We had my tent that served as our home for 4 days. We survived on hotdogs, sausage & eggs, munchies and other camping staples. We hiked at Tettagouche, walked around Two Harbors and went out to the end of the breakwater there too. We camped at Finland State Forest Campground right on the Baptism River. We wandered the whole campground to scavenge firewood that had been left behind by other campers. Once we left that area we camped at Knife River (formerly known as Helen's and then The Depot) We played on the beach at Knife River skipping rocks and collecting driftwood for our fire and big rocks for my garden. I've taken up a new "hobby"~rock stacking~. Its sort of a Zen thing. She thought I was nuts and she may not be far off on that....lol I know that she will bring back some big rocks the next time we go and then she can be classified as a nut too. We laughed so much during that trip that it took several days for my ribs to stop being sore. It was just what the doctor ordered for me...fun and laughter! We took goofy pictures of each other that I still laugh at when I look at them. I put 600 miles on my car during that trip. Several weeks after that I headed up to Detroit Lakes for Wefest. Brandi and I worked again this year. It was our 4th year of working there and my 5th year of being there. The weather was not as good as years past though...we had some rainy evenings during a few concerts. I think my Wefest days are done for now. I want to go to Moon Dance Jam up in Walker MN. Its classic rock and there are some great bands from my younger days.

After all the trips were done I started working at All Saints...packing Fr George's belongings as he has retired and moved out of the rectory. I did a lot of cleaning also...what a job that was!!

By the time all of this was over I had 1 week left of summer vacation to spend at home catching up on things that needed my attention. I am hoping to make a Fall Color run up to the North Shore. I love fall the most...nothing else can match the smell of fall, not to mention the colors and sounds when you're in the woods. Its the perfect time of year for campfires and star-gazing! I have often wondered why people have bonfires on nights that are 80 degrees.

I am NOT looking forward to winter in any way.

Also during this summer we have gained some new family members...Katie's new baby Gabriel and my new daughter-in-law; Danielle.

The wedding was beautiful!! I experienced a feeling that I can't quite explain...maybe it was pride & happiness mixed in with some bitter-sweet memories. Whatever it was, it caused a lump in my throat that hurt. The best thing about this summer....

EVERYONE in my little branch of the family tree is smiling!!

Deb