Summer is in full swing. Beautiful days at the beach with just enough wind to carry a kite.
A Spongebob kite of course. These are the simple pleasures of childhood. We even got through a whole day without a kite falling into the ocean or getting caught in a tree. Life is good.
The kids really wanted to stop in at Frankenstein's for one of their famous hot dogs. My kids refuse to eat hot dogs all through out the year but if it is thrown on a grill, well that is a different story.
The boys went deep sea fishing. Everything was thrown back because of the strict catch and release program in place to preserve different fish species when their number are low. It is the thrill of the hunt I suppose and despite a little trauma, the boys were told the fish go back to living happy fish lives. Who knows really. The boat ride was really cool as well. No one ended up getting sea sick despite super choppy waves.
In June, we had a celebration for my son who was a high school graduate this year!!! Off to the University in the Fall. Time flies.
We threw a lovely party with awesome dishes and desserts, some mylar balloons and graduation themed decorations. Let us not forget the necessary bubbles with tiny graduation caps on them. Teenage boys love that sort of thing...I think.
I have been doing a little antique and vintage store browsing and shopping. I scored some amazing new shoes....just perfect for summer, or maybe not. Where exactly would I wear these shoes, and with what? How can a lady go wrong with polka dots, leopard print and six inch heels. I had to get them.
Summer is for candy and empty calories. Mike and Ike always have seasonal or retro promotional flavors. I was thrilled to come across cotton candy flavored Mike and Ikes in this adorable pastel, retro box. They were really good.
A little patriotism being shown here.
Classic barbecue, classic, depressing hot dogs, these might even be tofu franks thrown on the grill as an afterthought.
Beautiful smelling beach roses, almost gone for the season but I will harvest the rose hips for tea. I do it every year, they are very high in vitamin C and anti-oxidants. I personally add a lot of sugar or honey to it to really enjoy it possibly destroying any health benefits.
The elusive lady slipper pictured below were found blooming in Plymouth, MA. They used to be illegal to pick but I don't think they are technically endangered anymore. I didn't pick them because I was hoping others would walk by and notice them. They put a smile on my face.
Here are a pair of beautiful swans. Not something you see every day. The strange thing to me is that they were swimming in a salt water bay. I always think or ducks, geese and swans to be fresh water birds, apparently I am wrong. This is not a fluke, swans nest on these shores every year. So beautiful.
Here are a few cars from the annual Dedham Flag Day parade. It is always fun and the candy throwing situation is always pretty amazing. The candy, "Mardi Gras" beads and little patriotic trinkets thrown and handed out at the parade are a big draw for the kids.
Here, is a vintage army jeep. There were some veteran ladies in their classic 1940 style uniforms. They were adorable but they went by too fast for me to get a decent picture. Who doesn't love a parade.
My flowers in the planters look pretty happy. Soon we will be switching over to mums and marigolds...no hurry. The crickets aren't even chirping at night yet. That is always a clear indication that summer is on it's way out. Right now we are concentrating on watching fireflies in the evening and sleeping to the buzzing fan in our bedroom window. We have air conditioning but the fan brings me back to my childhood. So relaxing and you don't usually end up freezing at 3:00 a.m.
There was a little summer storm and these two little cuties insisted on playing in the rain with umbrellas and rain coats. So far, summer has been delightful.
