Balloons!

There is nothing quite so neat, so special, so completely cool, as watching a hot air balloon go from fabric on the ground to a fully inflated, fire breathing bauble in the sky. 
One of our favorite parts of living here is being so close the Adirondack Balloon Festival’s annual kick-off event.  Just a quick walk through our neighborhood and we’re in the park, so close to the inflating balloons that we can touch them.  The crowd parts as the inflating balloons begin to eat up the grassy real estate, and suddenly the lawn is empty again as the balloon goes upright.  Children squeal in delight as the sun lights up the fabric, and the oldest in the crowd are young again as they wave to the passengers tucked carefully into each balloon basket for lift-off.  Up, up, and away!  They rise quickly, becoming mere specs in the sunset in a few moments time.  I don’t care what physics are involved, that moment is pure magic!
We had a blast at last night’s event, especially with the addition of the Tubby Tubes slide…for free! 

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For the Love of John Deere

When you take my kids to the fair you can spend a few minutes looking at animals.  They will tolerate, for a short time, cute little bunnies and adorable, soft baby goats.  They will even ooh and ahh over brand-new ducklings.  But you will not be allowed to dawdle because my kids have an agenda.  They MUST get to the tractors. 

In the World According to Harry and Emma, the section on county fairs is devoted entirely to tractor infatuation.  We must Climb them!   We must watch them line up for an hour for the tractor pull!    We must try out the different colors!

We must have our pictures taken with them!
 
We must visit the old ones and the new ones and everything in between!
  
We must buy new toy tractors and introduce them to all of the full scale tractors at the fair!

We must measure their wheels!
And finally, if we’re going to spend that much time around tractors, we’re going to have to be patient with Mom while she takes pictures of  the neat gears and springy parts.
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And maybe even a bunny or two!

Just Right

We’ve got a new place to add to our list of favorites, a new place to go and hide away from the world for just a little while.  It is wonderful, so very quiet and still, with birds and butterflies and chipmunks and turtles, too. 
I love it. 
It isn’t so far that we can’t sneak away for the afternoon and be back before dinner, but it’s far enough that it feels like another world entirely.  There are nice neighbors who drop off the best chocolate milk ever, and the water is cool and glassy, perfect for cutting into with a sharp dive. 
Almost as soon as we arrive the kinks work themselves out of my shoulders and I forget for a little while that my kids are forging ahead into their school lives next week and that my life is going to be, suddenly, much more empty.  I forget the dishes, the laundry, and the floors that need cleaning.  I forget that I am 33 with a family and dogs and a house. 
At camp, for a little while, I just am. 
I am the kid that sneaks down the dock for just one more swim before we leave.  I am the mom in the moment, watching her babies show off their latest swimming accomplishments.  I am the daughter having a beer with her mom at 3 in the afternoon.  I am the big-kid having a raft race with my son, and trying hard to win because he’s fast.  I sing the whole ride there and the entire way home.  I laugh, with my mouth and my eyes. 
Mom, you never have to buy me another present, ever, as long as you keep the camp.  Thank you!!!!!!