Summer’s Unofficial End

I’m writing this on the first truly chilly night we’ve had in months, the last night of August, and on what I consider to be the unofficial last night of summer. My day was spent school shopping with Calvin and picking up some supplies for our fall garden. We wrapped up our shopping excursion with a trip to Cracker Barrell to pick up a set of white rocking chairs for our front porch, eat a hot country-style lunch, and play a game of giant checkers on the front “porch” of the restaurant. It was such a great day. We talked about everything from skateboard tricks to Latin American politics in the 1950s. Calvin is a great companion for running errands. He has a lot to say about almost everything. Then, in the evening, Winona and I trekked out to Lower Marter field in Florence for her soccer practice and to be eaten up by hundreds of swarming chiggers… It was the perfect day to lead up to my end-of-summer blog.

I can’t even begin to describe how crazy-busy August was for the kids and us. We started off the month with one of the more unique jobs we’ve ever done, shooting a vintage-inspired children’s swimwear line on the beach in Seaside Heights, NJ. Soon after that we jetted to Cancun, Mexico, with the kids where we had the time of our lives, swimming with dolphins, building sandcastles, and climbing ancient Mayan ruins. Then, less than four days after returning home from Mexico, Justin and I took the boys wilderness camping in Wharton State Forest in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The boys had a blast and we were so glad that their first camping experience was the real deal. We hiked in with our packs, collected our own firewood, and cooked over a real campfire for every meal. Calvin and Justin took a cool morning dip in the stream running next to our camp while Jack played “survivor man” with his pirate dog doll.

Facebook Mexico Album | Facebook Camping Album
Between everything already mentioned, we stayed busy with work, hosted our friends visiting from Australia, saw Justin off on “The Big Surprise Tour”, continued work on our “farm”, hit the gym whenever we could, and prepared for the new school year. SnakeBite {Calvin and Jack’s metal band} even played another show in a park on Staten Island, a benefit for a family friend whose house burnt down. They were, of course, a big hit. Justin and I made buttons from Calvin’s original design, and the boys made sure everyone in attendance pinned one on.

With the arrival of September comes a fall garden, a new school year, and soccer season. Jack and Winona are both playing soccer, and I volunteered as an assistant coach for Winona’s team. Calvin is moving up to the middle school with Winona, and Jack is starting at a brand new charter school where he’ll be wearing a uniform {much to the little fashionista’s dismay}.

There’s a lot of exciting changes happening around here as we move into a new season. Three sets of friends are getting married, Justin’s work will be featured in his first major group exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, and our chickens will start laying their first eggs {yes, this is a pretty monumental event for us at the Borucki Ranch}. I can’t wait to share the news with you as it all happens.

So it’s “goodbye” to the baby pool, the summer squash, and long lazy days with nothing to do but everything we want. It’s time for another season of holidays & homework, raking leaves & wrapping presents, and making plans for the New Year… so exciting!

Winona soaking in the last bit of her summer, courtesy of the Mexican Caribbean
xo
Bekah