July In The Time Of Heat and IWSG

 

IWSG

I used to love July, the summer, the heat, the freedom. My tolerance for heat has diminished drastically with age. However, this July I'm in heaven. Our grandson's (and their parents of course) are visiting for a whole month! There is so much to do, so much to explore and enjoy with all four of them. Our eldest is 3 and a half, the youngest is six months. So, I get a baby fix while also spoiling our eldest to the core. Grandparent prerogative. 

Which means, since they landed yesterday, I am late posting here. I'm just tickled pink at having them with us for the first time ever. They live in France and we've visited them there, but having them here is checking all the boxes for me. 

I also, just recently had an experience that I'm still processing, and getting ready to, can you believe, write it down. I went to Maine for ten days with a young French woman, Flo, who wanted one last adventure before heading back to France to begin her doctorate. She's been in the states for almost five years, finishing her masters and working. I went because all of her friends (my daughter included) were working and couldn't go with her. She really wanted a partner, so I stepped up.

This is one of those "life moments" when you know you are doing something that you will never forget and that it will impact you beyond the doing of it. I feel blessed to have gone with her and even more blessed that I challenged myself to do things on the trip I thought I was done doing. We camped in a tent six nights out of nine. We hiked up and down mountains. We hiked the AT (Appalachian Trail) in Maine! (I did some of it in my high school years in NC) We had no itinerary, no real plan except to hike in Acadia National Park, and to sea kayak, and we did both, among other adventures. I'm proud to have said yes and gone on one of the best adventures of my life. 

I'll stop for now because I could go on, and I really want to write this trip down, which would take up way too much time here. Perhaps when it's done I'll post it in chapters...?

Happy 4th of July to you all. Hope you enjoyed the day...

Please go and visit the IWSG co-hosts this month and thank them for being there for us all,

PJ Colando, Kim Lajevardi Gwen Gardner Pat Garcia, AND Natalie Aguirre!