Happy Birthday to Me

For the first time in my life, I threw myself a birthday party.

I baked cakes, ordered cakes, and then invited my favorite people to come eat cake with me.  It was so much fun to say the least.  I loved using all of my cake platters and decorating the cakes and preparing the party.  
It was right up my entertaining alley!  

 

Under the Rainbow

 

The Summer of No Sky

The summer of no sky.

This phrase keeps running through my mind.  

The skies have been either filled with smoke or clouds.  

We've had so much rain that the state is flooding everywhere.

Luckily, we are not affected by the flooding at our home, but nearby, 

where I walk the dog, the farms are completely underwater. The crops are ruined. It feels endless because just as the water recedes, rain starts all over again and just as the Canadian smoke recedes, lighting sparks more fires and the smoke returns. The horizon has been filled with a solid sheet of white or gray or an eerie yellow. Where is the blue? Where are the white fluffy clouds? 

Where is the hot summer sun? 

The above four photos were taken from the sailboat last night.

As you can see the setting sun completely disappeared. 

One tiny red ball, gone.  Obliterated by haze and smoke.  

Thankfully, the sky remains beautiful in an unearthly sort of way.

We've got some July left and all of August.  Let's hope the blue-sky returns.

 

Jasper

 "Do you want to be best friends?  

a box for yes, a box for no."

There's nothing like a best friend and I would be remiss if I passed up on the opportunity to write about Kuba's very best friend, Jasper. Because....well, Jasper moved this week! He moved all the way across the country to Idaho.  And that's far.

As you can see from the map, Idaho is indeed far, far away.  

This is a big change and a significant moment marked in time.  

We are happy for Jasper and his family, but honestly, 

(and a little (lot?) selfishly) we are so very sad for us.  

Jasper and Kuba have known each other since babydom, and have been friends ever since.  They've lived around the corner from one another so are also neighborhood buddies. They hang out at each other's houses so much that in fact, Jasper feels like family. They've traveled from pre-school to elementary school, to middle school and finally to high school together.  They've done art camp and drama together, been on the Ultimate frisbee team, as well as about a gazillion other creative and awesome things.  After elementary school their group of friends formed a "Summer club" and did tons and tons of fun stuff each summer as a group. Kuba, Jasper, Sam, Gus, Felix, Kyle, Ella, and Iris were the group.  Magical.  

What I love so much about Jasper is his beautiful face with the most dazzling smile.  He could light up the night sky with that smile!  He's funny, hip, sensitive, and honest. He's savvy and has style. He's smart, talented and mostly just SO MUCH FUN! He has charisma, is generous with his affection, and has been someone I too have adored.  The two of them have been a treasure for me. Listening to them, watching them and seeing them grow up together -with each other as a support- is a dream come true for any parent of young teens. You can imagine the sadness we feel. But how lucky is Kuba to have a friend that makes saying goodbye so hard?  And how lucky am I to have had a young friend that could teach me all the slang a modern teacher should know. 

I will certainly be sending texts to Jasper once the school year gets started and the words my kids use confuse me.  SALTY, WRIZZ, LRIZZ, DRIP, GOAT, LIT, are words I now know thanks to my slang lessons with Jasper! Needless to say, we are all going to miss this freak. And we mean this in the most loving way possible.  I am not quite sure how Kuba will navigate without him.  

Pre School 

Summer Club

First High School Dance

  

Last moment before leaving Vermont. 

(I see a cominuladid expression on Kuba's face!)   

Better Late than Never

Last year we missed strawberry season due to prepping for Sweden. The year before I made horrible strawberry freezer jam so I was really disappointed. This year I was away for most of the picking season, though I was determined not to miss it.  We managed to squeak in one day of picking on the very last day of the season.  We drove up to Fairfax, Vermont to River Berry Farm. It was far north so still had some growing.  It was slim pickings for sure, but we had patience enough to pick enough for some freezer jam.  Mostly, I just love the romance of berry picking. And I love going with the boys and anyone else who wants to pick berries.

It's the 4th! So, Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!

We celebrated the fourth this year with Anna's family.

Bjorn and Jane, Peter, Jen and Kaj, Claes and Vikki, and all of us at the North Beach Campground. We were at the beach for the fireworks, but the sky was already so cloudy and so smoggy that it was not a brilliant firework display this year, though, Claes was able to get a few good photos.  I made a giant red velvet cake with sparkling candles to add to the festivities.  My cool dudes were as usual, cool.

 

Driving West to Buffalo

Sandy and I drove to Buffalo.

We stayed with Paul and visited our other brothers, Mark and Tim.

I think it was the first time I was home in 13 years. 

It was relaxing and healing and a very loving trip.

I have more to write about it, but the three of us, Paul, Sandy and I, 

had an absoltuely remarkable time together.