Summer Highlights.

It has been two months since my last blog post. That seems to be the way of summer. It just gets away from you. Dusty was home with me this year. He did the occasional week long camp and swim lessons, but I just couldn’t bring myself to structure his days. He’s eight now and so much better at entertaining himself, but as you can see in this photo, the dog had to pay the price. A knight and his vampire puppy.

Other than torturing the dog and occasionally his mother, Dusty spent most of the summer reading Calving and Hobbes over and over and over. I gave him my camera to play with and the card was filled with hundreds of photos taken from his Calvin and Hobbes books. I decided not to question the logic behind this. Any moment’s peace is appreciated.

We took one trip to visit family in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Tony was born in Lynn, MA. The first house he lived in was right on this beach. He has memories of walking up this storm drain, standing, looking for leprechauns. Of course my first thought was where was his mother, but this would have been 1957. Think Madmen. Sort of refreshing, in a way. Makes me want to throw away the bike helmets.

Another one of Tony’s old Lynn stomping grounds, The Capitol diner. If you need a good dose of heavy Bawston accent and take no prisoners opinions, then make sure to stop in. It was really fun. They all remembered Tony and although Dusty grumbled the whole way there, he enjoyed himself.

Lynn was a factory town. Hat factory. This neon sign in this abandoned building says it all. I would kill for that sign. At one time Lynn was a major center with a vaudeville theatre, beautiful stores and the most breath taking architecture. It, unfortunately, became a very depressed town taken over by poverty and violence, but so much of the original beauty is still there. Small portions of the town have had a rejuvenation, but if luck would swing the other way for Lynn it could be one of the nicest cities anywhere.

Lastly, we had a couple of wonderful days visiting friends and family. Our friend Davis is a wood worker and quite the artist. He renovated this industrial building in Marblehead. His very civilized living space is separated from his workshop by french doors and a couple of stairs. It really should be in a magazine. And now, I am thinking of school supplies and trying to get my winter hat samples completed. We have had a wonderful, warm summer filled with lots of swimming, beach days and biking. Not too shabby.