The Summer of '69

Forty years ago today I was 7 years old, living in Key West, Florida. I remember this because it was the day that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. My mom woke me up in the middle of the night so that I could watch it on our newly purchased color TV. The video was in black and white, and it was grainy. I have seen it dozens of times since then, and it's still an amazing sight. Neil Armstrong bouncing down the stairs, taking his "giant leap" for mankind.

I remember a lot about that summer of '69 - the nightly news (with David Brinkley and Walter Cronkite) and the video of Viet Nam. The casualty tolls that would show up on the side of the TV screen showing the terrible cost of the war. The music and mud and nakedness of Woodstock. Our house in Key West, right on the canal, and Uncle Al's boat. My dad's Vespa parked in the carport. The cool tile on the floors in the house, and the muggy nights when it was hard to sleep. The huge lobster feed we had at our house! Uncle Al's red '69 GTO and how it went sooooo fast! The lady who lived across the street who made the most beautiful Barbie clothes, and hundreds of bolts of fabric she had in her garage. (Is this where my fabric envy started?)

We left Key West at the end of summer. The neighbors, all Navy folk like us, threw a big block party with watermelons.

It was the first summer I really remember.

The Best of Summer...

Some of my favorite things about summer...

Nights on the veranda watching the bicycles.
Sending the twins to camp!
Farmer's Markets.
The Sellwood Pool.
Snow Cones at the Sellwood Pool!
Raspberries in the back yard.
Wearing my Keens!
Rainier Cherries!
Starbucks Venti Unsweetened Black Iced Tea.
Mariner's Games.
Sending the twins to camp, again!
Visiting my dad in Idaho - road trip!
Going to the beach.
The air conditioner in my bedroom!
Tim's burgers on the grill yum!
Lime popsicle chunks dipped in tequila/salt!
More time to read...
Flip flop tans & pedicures!

Things I don't like about summer:

The smell of "Keen" feet
Mosquito bites
Weather over 95 degrees
Packing for camp
Unpacking after camp

Hanging Out With The Hogwarts Crowd...

On Tuesday night my good friends and I took our kids to the new Harry Potter movie, 12:01am show. I am a huge fan of the HP series - and am usually the first to declare that an event needs a "costume, prop, or appropriately decorated t-shirt". If you know me, you know that I am all about the dress code! lol WE did not dress up to wait on the concrete for 7 hours, but many other people did. If I guessed, I would say 1/3 of the crowd was dressed as a character from the book...we saw not one, but 2 golden snitches, a couple of death eaters, many Lake Oswego girls dressed in plaid skirts and ties (Hogwarts Preps?), and a couple of Quidditch players. A very colorful way to spend 7 hours.

It got me thinking though...what started this phenom? When I was a kid we never thought of "dressing up" to go to the movies...I saw "Grease" 7 times the summer before my senior year in high school, and never once did I think I should go dressed as Olivia Newton-John! We didn't dress up to see "Star Wars" when it came out...but it's common place now. Oh the things you think about when you are sitting on pavement for long periods of time next to a Slytherin.

The movie did not disappoint. It was an exciting evening, which lasted well into the morning! We got home at 3:30, I went straight to bed and was up at 8 am to go to work...which is why I didn't post this yesterday...naps are good.

The above picture is from the release party for the
7th book in July 2007 - Callie, Carter, Elijah, Rayce, and Danyon were there.

Half a year?

I recently saw Raindog on the streets of the neighborhood and he reminded me that I have not posted on my blog recently...it couldn't have been that long, just a month or two? No, it's been 6 months, half a year, 182 days (give or take). Many things happen as time marches on...some noteworthy, most not.

Here is the skinny on what's going on - I'll try not to be boring!

The dog is in heat. We thought we might want to breed her, but have since reconsidered. We are going to get her fixed, or as Carter prefers to call it "altered, 'cause there's nothing wrong with her" He has a point.

We are cleaning up, packing up, and moving out. Embracing the great re-set, selling the house and going smaller. We have 18 years worth of stuff holding us down, and we're over it! I'll miss the house, we have great memories here. But it NEEDS too much, and we are weary. Garage sale #1 was successful, and Garage sale #2 is coming up soon. We are staying in the neighborhood...how could we not?

The 4th of July is a pain in the ass. Especially when my brother sends down 2 boxes of illegal fireworks and the boy's eyes glaze over with the prospect of blowing stuff up. Fortunately, Seth had a safe place on Sauvie Island to accomplish the explosions...all fingers and toes are intact, and more importantly, all illegal fireworks are gone.

Callie successfully traveled to the East Coast with a friend's family for a whole week - and only called me 20 times! Even when the kids are far, they're never out of reach, except at Camp Namanu...maybe that's why I like that place.

Braces are expensive and colorful. Unfortunately, I can't help the pain of having them tightened or adjusted except to give tylenol/advil. I still get to hear about it thought, over and over and over...times 2!

Some things I love about summer...Frosty Cokes on the veranda...late night walks with Miss Ruby...bread, cheese, and fruit (our favorite hot summer night dinner)... Starbucks unsweetened black iced tea...Keens (I have 4 pair in the washer right now)...Timmy's planter boxes full of flowers...Carter's baseball games.

Excited for the Harry Potter movie. Yes, that makes me a dork, but I don't care.

Gonna go finish my book now...
TT

CallieWallieWoo

Hey Cal, this one's for you...

On Friday night we went to the high school to watch Callie and her dance team from the middle school perform at half time. It's the same high school Parker graduated from, and the twins are very familiar and comfortable there. I've spent many hours on the wooden bleachers in the gym watching everything from basketball & wrestling to school assemblies.

This is Callie's second year on the middle school dance team. She was elected captain as a 7th grader, something that never happens, but we're used to that kind of stuff happening with Callie. Being captain also means you are in the front row, and you'd better know what you're doing and sell it to the crowd. Of course, Callie did not disappoint - she was spot on and nailed the dance.

This is so amazing to me, because Callie was an ultra shy child. She would hide behind me, and was always willing to let Carter take the lead. She would sit back and watch, study, then act. In a lot of ways she is still like that, except with people she knows and trusts. But there was a turning point for Cal when she was 5. We were at one of Parker's football games and Callie was dressed in her "cheerleader" uniform. The high school girls adored her, and got her to come down on the field with them as their mascot. Callie discovered she loved the crowd, loved to cheer, and from then on she was okay in the spotlight. The next year she was a full-fledged member of the high school team, matching uniform and all.

Callie is not a prissy girl. She would probably describe herself as "sporty", and I would agree. She is tenacious, competitive, and can do a better toe-touch than most high schoolers. She is smart, driven, and goal oriented. She is already planning for high school, college and beyond. Her friends come to her for advice and teammates look to her for leadership. Oh yeah, and she gets straight A's, even in advanced math.

In 3 weeks, Callie and her twin brother turn 13. We still have to navigate those rough teenage waters, but I'm pretty sure that they will both be alright. Callie knows we love her and will support her dreams and ambitions any way we can. And we will always be on the bleachers to cheer her on.

With 2 Cats in the Yard...

Last night at dinner (thanks, Capt. Carl and Mama T) we started talking about our house (these are the things middle aged parents talk about when having dinner with friends?), and it shocked me to realize that we had live here 17 years this month. It seems like a long time, but at the risk of sounding cliche, it seems like...yesterday. We bought our house in January 1992. It was a leap of faith - we were not yet married, but we knew we wanted to be together and live in our own place. When we did get married in Sept of that year we had our reception here, at our house. (was that really almost 17 years ago??)

The house, like our lives, has undergone many transformations, but the structure remains the same. Solid, colorful, needing a few updates. We have added appliances, bedrooms, carpet, paint, children, cats, dogs, and shrubbery. We have subtracted a tiki bar, wood paneling, a hot tub, a pond, and shrubbery. We've celebrated numerous birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and graduations here. In a weird way the house is part of our family.

Sometimes when I drive around the neighborhood I find myself wishing I lived in a different house, on a different street. Someday, I know that will happen. But I still get happy when I come up my street and see my house...lights on, Ruby barking in the giant picture window. It's good to be home.