What to do when you feel Summer slipping away…

It’s almost over, I can feel it. Each day is a little bit shorter, each morning is a little bit cooler, and the sun seems just a little softer, a little more golden. Summer is almost over.

What do you do when you feel it slipping away? Savor it. Every last moment.

So on the first day of September I sent the children scavenging in the yard for deadwood to make a campfire. Yes, there is that much deadwood in our yard! They did a good job. They even found a bit of old Christmas tree back in the bushes, which made for excellent kindling. We packed it up…


Along with two bags of picnic supplies. Nothing special, nothing noteworthy…just some hot dogs, a bag of chips, some baby carrots (my mommy-guilt kicked in…we weren’t pretending this was a healthy dinner, but still!) and a bag of chocolate swirl marshmallows.

We packed our roasting sticks.

And our his-and-hers camp chairs.

Hubby and Middle Child built the fire…

Which blazed warm and cheerful while we explored.

The sisters played by the water

it was good to see this man relax.

And of course there were adventures to be had, cliffs to explore

the girls found Pride Rock (can you here “The Circle of Life” playing in the background?)

and the Boy a throne high above, high enough to make Mom nervous.

Excellent rocks were found.

And then dinner was cooked over the fire…

there is nothing like a smokey hot-dog

to make you smile.

At first I lamented that I don’t own a red-checked table cloth to cover the picnic table.

But the girls reminded me…

we eat at a table every day. Who needs a table when…

you can eat your dinner on a nice, flat rock by the running water…

with this as your view.

After dinner we took a little time to bury feet in the cool sand

and read by the campfire

before we broke out the marshmallows and toasted them.

Nobody minds sticky quiet as much when you’re having a picnic!

And burnt fingers…

…and chipmunk cheeks are all part of the fun, too.

Finally, it’s starting to get chilly and it’s time to go. We put out the fire (just as fun as lighting it!)

And drove down the canyon all lit with gold….

…and back to The City.

We were only gone a little while, but it felt like a vacation! It’s amazing how easy it is to savor time together, when you make a point to do so. Those hours would have passed just the same if we had been sitting at home, but with a little care and planning they turned out to be a sweet Summer memory we’ll enjoy when the snow starts to fly.

4 thoughts on “What to do when you feel Summer slipping away…

  • September 2, 2010 at 11:50 pm
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    intentional fun, i like it

    and we do the same around here, only we just have to walk across the driveway to the creek. but it does take the doing it to make it happen!

    despite being a vegan, i like the smiley hotdog lips photo 😉

    blessings

    Reply
  • September 3, 2010 at 1:38 am
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    I have been spending as much time outdoors as possible (even doing a bit of school out there today) I am hoping that somewhere there is a sun meter that I must fill to the tippy top in the hopes that is staves off the “winter blues” til Spring arrives.
    I love your blogs they give me a look into what you are up to 🙂 – OB

    Reply
  • September 3, 2010 at 2:05 am
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    Beautiful pictures from a beautiful day! Of course, you realize that summer’s end is a great relief to some of us! It can’t end fast enough for me. Then we can get back to those lovely days outdoors.

    Reply
  • September 5, 2010 at 8:56 pm
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    how brilliant.
    we don’t do enough of this now that the kids are older, have jobs et.
    I miss camp fires…

    Reply

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