Low and Slow...

It's my wish as Summer peeks through the door...  

To go low and slow...  

To savor every delicious juicy strawberry, 

home grown green beans
from my mother's Victory Garden...  

I want to sit on the front stoop, 

chilled Pinot G in hand and watch the kids 

chase fireflies or zoom back and forth on scooters 

and bikes with training wheels...  

Summers seemed to last forever as a kid... 

This morning a friend and I talked about 

when Labor Day was on the calendar!  

It can go so fast unless you will the days to slow down...  

For Memorial Day weekend, 

I insisted we treat it like a vacation... 

No household chores, just fun...

The house looks like a family of hyenas were here, 

but it was worth it.  

We barbecued with friends and family, 

saw a movie, splashed around the local pool
with half of Chicago, 

held a lemonade stand 

and participated in Bike the Drive.  

This annual event closes down the famed Lake Shore Drive 

for one Sunday morning in May for folks 

to bike the full fifteen mile length..

It's a mostly flat ride, except for the overpass hills. 

No piece of cake to scale hills

with a 52 pound kid riding in back...  

Thank goodness Kate was willing to help the cause 

and pedal with all her little might...  

I was struck with how quiet the drive became 

minus gas powered vehicles...  

I was awed by the sheer numbers of cyclists 

and the gorgeous view of the lake...  

I was annoyed by the "Lycra Speedsters" 

who mistakenly took the event for the Tour de France 

and who thought us casual riders were a nuisance...

When one fifty something lady huffed 

at my son who was getting to close to her, 

I responded with an audible announcement, 

"IT'S A BIKE RIDE, PEOPLE!!!"   

For Pete's sake....

this is a huge family event...  

If you want to ride ninety miles an hour 

without other people around, 

take the lake path at 2am....  

Sheesh...  

Anyway, despite the grumpy ones, 

it was tons of fun..
. 

Jack must have said ten times 

how much he loved the ride... 

I think his favorite part was scavenging 

all the free stuff at the finish line festival...  

So summer is almost here....

School lets out in a couple of weeks 

and then the camps begin....  

Pottery camp, sailing camp, 

nature camp, gymnastics camp, 

sleepaway camp, Cubs camp....  

I want to be a kid again....

The plan is to enjoy camp, 

then head to the pool the rest of the day 

until they plop into bed, 

near comatose from physical activity...  

That's the plan so far...

I'd like to spice up the camp routine 

with some fun extras that don't cost anything... 

This link has some great summer fun ideas...  

Here are my favorites I might try:

1. Picnic in the park

2. Library trip

3. Factory tour to Eli's Cheesecake Factory and the Jelly Belly Factory

4. Paint watercolors with squirt guns.

5. Tie Dye Shirt project

6. Make wind chimes

7. Make Slime

8. Pajama day (rainy day)

Summer is pawing at the gate, 

but we aren't going to charge toward its finish...  

Heck, we may even go hang out on a farm 

and chew on a tall piece of grass in one hand, 

glass of wine in the other....  

Enjoy your summer!