1. three boys | 2. dolphin display | 3. pink shandy | 4. my one and only | 5. summer skies and seas | 6. summer fare | 7. (not pictured: pineapple upside down cake) | 8. The Standard Four | 9. Where I live | 10. Sunday breakfast | 11. Play ball | 12… — 1. three boys | 2. dolphin display | 3. pink shandy | 4. my one and only | 5. summer skies and seas | 6. summer fare | 7. (not pictured: pineapple upside down cake) | 8. The Standard Four | 9. Where I live | 10. Sunday breakfast | 11. Play ball | 12. Boy of summer | 13. Bay day | 14. Paddle ball | 15. Summer's End

Isn't it funny that the house in Moonrise Kingdom is called "Summer's End." Farewell summer. We did our best to make every moment count. At times we were really, really successful. At times, well. It's hard to face going back to school. Several years ago when I worked at the school Callum attended, we'd get a letter laying out the schedule for faculty meetings for the week that led up to the start of school. One year I opened up that letter and stood in my dining room and cried (We have determined by now that I'm a weeper, haven't we?).

What I'm trying to say is that transitions are hard on everyone. And saying good-bye to the carefree lazy days of summer is especially hard. Even if you're excited. Even if it's time. Especially if it's time.

Two worlds colliding.

So on Friday we grabbed two of Callum's buds and headed to the beach. It was a gorgeous day. The ocean was lake-like, which meant little boogie boarding, but there was much football throwing and general messing around. We're so lucky where we live to be on the migration route of the Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin and they swim to just about the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay to gestate and have their babies every year. It's rare that we go to the beach and not see some swimming. More often than not we see dozens and they swim quite close to shore. Friday was no exception. I tried again and again to capture them with my camera phone, but no luck. Until the very end of the day when a quite active pod swam not 20 yards from where the boys were swimming. Still not the best shots, but oh! I could watch them forever.

Our movie night was rained out, but that gave Cal more time to hang with his friends. I tried a new drink (#3) and and here's the yucky thing that happened on Saturday. When I went to our car to make a quick grocery store run, I found it unlocked and napkins strewn about the front seat. Suspicious. I had Neel come and look and all our detritus was still intact (including the sand and half a spilled bag of Doritos from yesterday's beach trip). All our parking meter change was missing. Guys, my camera was sitting on the floor of the passenger seat. I'd had a migraine on Friday and was in a bit of a fog when we got home, (plus we'd thought we were going out again) so we think I forgot to lock the car. Neel slept restlessly that night and thought he heard the dogs fussing, and we think they scared whoever it was off. Good doggies.

And still. I feel equal parts sick at what happened and mad at myself. Not a great start to our weekend.

So we went back to the beach. Strong winds coming from the north made for super choppy seas and a strong current. Totally different from our lake-like Friday. I love the many moods the ocean gives us. And the twizzlers? That's a beach bag staple for us from way back. Way, way back. I can't even tell you how long we've been putting a ginormous bag of twizzlers in our bag to take to the beach. Callum and I finished off the bag on Saturday. How fitting is that?

Neel and I snuck out to hear some friends of his who are in a jazz quartet Saturday night, which was lovely. These are the things we should do more of, I think. My kind of music. Music I grew up to.

Sunday was Callum day. Maple bacon waffles. (Hello!) Hitting some balls, and a trip to the bay for some more water time. The beaches at the ocean front were closed because the surf and the currents were even rougher, if you can believe it.

Ever since Christine said she needed to get out a map to see the lay of the land of where we live, I've been meaning to pop one on here so you all could have an idea. If you travel due north from the red pin on that map, you're in the heart of the Chesapeake Bay and due east is the Atlantic. So, as you see, we truly surrounded by water. When we took the ferry last weekend, we crossed the river from north to south, almost exactly at the red pin. (maybe just a bit west). That's part of the Elizabeth River, which travels west and north from the pin toward the Chesapeake. When we go to the oceanfront (which Callum prefers, because: waves) we go slightly north of the "V" in Virginia (the photo cuts off Beach in in the words Virginia Beach), away from the resort area to a quiet residential community. When we go to the Bay (which I like, although I dearly love the Atlantic), we go near to where that blue dot on the map is. Neel prefers neither. Both are equally lovely in their own right, and we're lucky to live near such natural beauty in these great bodies of water coupled with the tidal rivers and marshes.

I try to remind myself of that every day.