Today is August 4th, which is unbelievable to me.   Due partly to the fact that our summer has been less summery than usual, even for Seattle.  We’ve had one heat wave, and have been wearing sweaters the rest of the time.  Every summer starts out with grand plans of fun things to do and eat and make.  The lists don’t seem especially large or unreasonable, yet I feel like time is quickly running out.  It doesn’t help that this month is full of long-anticipated trips, which suck up time to get to the things on the to-do summer list.

The Girl Child and the Jawa – Ft. Flagler

After two years in the making, we will FINALLY be traveling to San Francisco for  the Jawa’s Bar Mitzvah.  Also under the “unbelievable” category is the fact that he is 13.  If he is 13, that means I am 13 years older than when he was born, which seems both like yesterday and a million years ago.  We are looking forward to a jam-packed weekend of celebration.

Shark Reef – Lopez Island

Then the weekend after, it’s off to Lopez Island for our 4th annual Spencer Spit camping trip.  From the minute we get in the ferry line at Anacortes, and the cocktail fixings come out, it’s a good time. Time is marked on Lopez by whether it’s time for a cocktail or a meal.  Good friends in a spectacular setting – it’s the best way to end the summer.

But what about the things still undone?  The cabinets are not painted, the backyard looks like the Oklahoma dust bowl, and the garage – well, it doesn’t bear talking about. No doubt we will be wholly unready for school to start.  We didn’t make it to the Sculpture Park or take light rail to the airport.  The kids spent WAY too much time watching Lost and playing video games, despite my attempts at math worksheets and reading.

It hasn’t been a complete waste.  There’s been camping at Steamboat Rock and Ft. Flagler.  Peach pie made.  Veggies planted.  Jam canned. Purses sewn.  A quick trip to SF for fashion consulting.  Friends fed.   A bar lease in the making.  And there’s still a weekend or two left for painting those damn cabinets.  I can’t talk about the garage though.