BLUEBERRY PICKING AT MT. OLYMPUS

Happy Summer ! Here we are officially, and it is glorious.  As usual, we made plans to go strawberry picking with our friends Laura and Robert and all our kids, but when we got to Mt. Olympus Berry Farm, we realized we missed the strawberries. Gargoyle says, "Strawberries all gone!". It was disappointing but we were cheered up by the prospect of blueberry picking instead, and got to work. 

It was a beautiful day and blueberries were plentiful and easy to pick. We lingered over the trees, took our annual photos, and brought the berries home for lunch and blueberry cake.  Summer, we love you.

WHAT I'M READING V. 51

1. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I read this one for book club, and I delighted in the discovery of its pages - the writing and story. I'm halfway through the year, and I've declared it as my favorite fiction read of the year. It encompasses the nuances of being African but not African-American in the U.S., as well as what it is to make a home in a new country while you carry around your home country around in your heart, and then going back after many years. It felt so fresh and relevant, all the while being part of an age-old story of home and identity. 

2. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I loved Americanah so much, that I ran to find another book by Adichie.  This one was the next one available on audiobook, and I gobbled it up.  It took a little bit for me to get immersed into the world of Nigeria during the Civil War in the 1960s and 70s, but once I did, I was so deeply appreciate of the vivid world she revealed to us through these complex characters. Her writing is so immediate and lush throughout this, describing both the country and characters. 

3. Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose by Flannery O'Connor

I was introduced to O'Connor in high school English classes and over the years, each time I encountered one of her stories, I found my appreciation for them growing.  That arc culminated in this collection of essays which I absolutely loved, and floored me for its wit and wisdom about writing. I underline all over this book and it's a one I will revisit. 

4. Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor

I did not realize O'Connor had written novels until I read her collection of essays, and I quickly went to go find one of them. This one was available and similar to her short stories, it was haunting and cinematic. The characters in this book struggle with belief, freedom, isolation and it all hints or hopes at redemption.  Like her short stories, it leaves one with a tangle of knots that you must work out, a kind of mirror into your own soul and moral makeup, as well as the way you regard people in light of your beliefs.

CAMPING AT JAMES RIVER STATE PARK

I absolutely love looking back at these photos from camping a few weeks ago. James River State Park was new to me, recommended by Mignon, and it was magical discovering this place for ourselves. 

By some miracle, we got a bunch of close friends (43 in total, 24 of them kids!) all available to go camping on the same weekend and we were all equally excited about it. Maybe except for the two days leading up to it when I was non-stop packing and the air conditioner had broken in our house and it also happened to be 98 and 99 degrees those two days.  Once I survived that part, everything else was pretty seamless, and I think we all came away restored by being together in the beauty of nature. 

We rented nine camping spots along the James River and one by one, we arrived on Friday afternoon and started setting up camp.



When we got to the park, we stopped by a bathroom near one of the campsites and discovered it was a horse campground! Horse owners could bring their horse to go camping and take their horse on any of the numerous trails they had available.   We met a woman named Amy and her horse, Storm, and both of them were kind enough to let the girls pet Storm and ask Amy a bunch of questions. 





It really was incredible that our campsite was right next to the river. That meant we ate our meals next to it, woke up to it, watched the water change as the sun rose and set, waded in it, played next to it, and drank hot coffee while watching the mist run across the water.



Logan was very helpful setting up our camp, and afterward she said her favorite part was sleeping in her sleeping bag. 



Look at those amazing tree roots!



A few yards away from our campsite was this footbridge that we crossed to get to a canoe/kayak/tube send-off spot. 

The first night there, after it had drizzled a bit, we walked over to that spot when the clouds broke, saw two rainbows and then beheld this incredible sunset.  It was breathtaking, the air felt different, the mist took on a fairy-like prance, and it was as if we had entered another world for those moments.

That evening we had Mignon's delicious hamburgers for dinner, made all the more delicious because of where we were.  After we put the kids to bed, we sat around the campfire, sipping on drinks and catching up over the flickering flames.

The next day after a breakfast of eggs and bacon, along with pickled things and fruit, we had a quick group powow.

Some of the best parts of this weekend were all the in-between moments - when we were setting up camp, slowly waking up, making a meal, getting ready for the next thing, the kids felt free (and we the grownups did too) to roam around, frolic and play, have adventures and explore with each other.  It felt like how things should be.

This girl turned eight over the weekend! and we were all excited about the birthday celebration we would have for her later that evening. 

Fanny packs for the win, especially if they are insulated.  This one has our chicken salad in it that I was bringing for our picnic lunch! 

Half the group (the older kids and most of the adults) rented kayaks, canoes or tubes to float down the river to a beach spot.  The younger kids and the rest of us took a trail that was a little over a mile long along the river to meet them there.  I was also especially proud of Logan who did such a good job on the walk there and back, for a total of almost 3 miles! 

I really loved this trail and walk!  

These are the only photos I have of the river beach but there are more shots in the video here and we had such a good time watching the kids play, eating our lunch, and then jumping off a rock across the way! 

Dinner that night was DELICIOUS. 

Birthday girl Davy got a pinata! which was obviously a huge hit with all the kids. 

The sparklers were astounding to this little girl who had never experienced them before. 

The next morning, hot coffee was in order, as was french toast and bacon.  

The whole gang! (except the two napping babies) 

We will be back James River State Park! 

WHAT I'M READING V. 50

1. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

It has everything I love - food reviews, recipes, stories about food and how to get food, dressing up in disguise, and being a working mom. She writes with humorous clarity, and her stories were a fascinating look into the offices of The New York Times and into the restaurant scene of NYC during that time.  After this one, I quickly put myself on the hold list for her new book, "Save Me the Plums".

2. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas 

I read Thomas' first book: "The Hate U Give" and was very impressed with the her voice and the specificity and nuance of an important story that must be told over and over again, all from the perspective of a teenage girl. It was one of those books that I was thankful existed in literature, and especially more so that it was a YA book that teenagers would readily read. This one was also a very fun and satisfying read, although I didn't like it as much as her first one, I loved how Thomas explored the complexities and difficulties of what it means for a teenage girl - and her multi-faceted identity of race, neighborhood and daughter - to have a voice. 

3. The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose 

I listened to this one on audio via Hoopla - I had never heard of this one before but Hoopla recommend it to me and when I saw that it was based around the Modern Museum of Art ("MOMA"), I was intrigued. It turns out this story is inspired by the performance artist, Marina Abraomvic's performance piece called "The Artist is Present" that occurred at MOMA several years ago.  Something about this felt like the purpose of this book was to give the author a chance to speculate on her curiosity about the artist, which is interesting in of itself, but as a novel, I didn't love this one and wouldn't recommend it unless! you are a fan of Abramovic yourself. There was something very poetic and intimate about this story though that kept me captivated and I don't regret the time I spent with this one at all.

4. The Giant's House by Elizabeth McKracken 

I heard a guest on a "What Should I Read Next" podcast episode recommend this one, saying that Elizabeth McCracken was one of her favorite authors and saying that this was a good book to start with. My interest is always piqued when anyone says so-and-so is their favorite author; it immediately gives the book recommendation a whole lot more credit because I assumed that the person is intimate with the author's body of work and has thought about it a good amount. I have to say, this is another one I wouldn't recommend to just anyone.  The premise is unusual - a librarian living in a small town in the 1950s falls in love with a boy who has giantism - and if you get too fixated on the logistics, you may miss the point altogether.  The loveliness of this book in the way the language brings you into the isolation of the narrator, and her connection to another person. There is a sadness to it that stays with you afterwards, which I attribute to the skill of the author. 

CAMPING TRIP!

We went camping this past weekend with a bunch of friends and families at James River State Park and it was a glorious weekend of being together surrounded by the lush and hum of the forest and river. We spread across nine campsites right next to the James River, cooked and ate our meals over the fire, slept in tents or hammocks, watched kids frolic and play over the fields and in the river, went on a hike, swam and canoed and kayaked on the river, jumped from a rock into the water, celebrated a birthday, and had rambling conversations over a campfire after the kids fell asleep. Sloane and Logan loved camping outdoors and we are so grateful for these people that feel like family.  Here is the video we put together with the clips we took during the weekend (him with the Dragon Touch and me on my iPhone)!