Sunrise

This beautiful beginning to a day occurred several weeks ago, at the end of April.

May is my favorite month, and this year I seem to have missed it--all I did was blink and it's practically over.  All I remember is it was hot for a day or so, then it rained for what felt like weeks, then it turned cold, and now it's all but done.

It's astonishing to me that Memorial Day weekend is upon us so soon.

I'll be ushering in the summer with a cookout on Sunday.  Middle Sister will be in the creek on Boyfriend Ronnie's boat.  Baby Sis and Boyfriend Mills will be here from Richmond.  And my blog friends Lauren (from Nashville) and Angie will be in attendance.

It's my favorite weekend of the year.

Speaking of weekends, this one was a pretty busy one here in Mathews.  The bikers who visited for the county's annual Tour de Chesapeake enjoyed breezy but beautiful weather.  The party at Williams Wharf was once again spectacular.   You just can't beat dancing to live music watching the sunset over the East River.

I hope all is well in your world.  Thanks for stopping by for a small glimpse into mine.

Memorial Day Weekend

This was the scene of my Memorial Day celebrations.
The back deck, the back yard and Queens Creek.

Memorial Day weekend was nothing short of fabulous.  Friday night, blog friends Lauren from Nashville and Meg from Maryland arrived to kick things off. By Saturday night, Middle Sister, Baby Sis and blog friend Angie were added to the mix. Sunday I had a cookout, and my local friends showed up with their families for a day of fun, sun, eating, swimming and drinking boat rides.

Meg, in her festive, leopard-print muumuu, enjoys a mimosa Saturday morning.

Angie contemplates another mimosa the meaning of life.

Lauren always livens up any conversation. 

We even accounted for other blog friends who could not join us.  

Me and Lauren

Me and Meg

Me and my mother

Me and Angie
(This might be the most pictures of me in the history of this blog.)

There was kayaking.
Here, Chesapeake Bay Son and his friend Kelly head up the creek--with paddles.

There was grilling.

There was eating.

There was corn hole.

There were Gator rides.

There were boat rides.

In short, it was one of the best weekends I've had in a while. I took a couple of days off of work to make the wonderfulness (it's a word) last even longer. Although all my out of town guests returned to their homes, Middle Sister is here for another week or so to keep me company. Tomorrow I return begrudgingly to work but with fond memories of good times with good people.

Really, really good.

Weekend

My favorite weekend of the year is finally here, and the forecast includes friends, family, food and hopefully lots of sunshine.

By Saturday evening both of my sisters and several blog friends will be here, and on Sunday a few of my friends from high school will come by for a cookout.

Son will be working most of the weekend, Daughter will be basking in the temporary freedom from school, homework and track meets, and I will be making sure everyone is doing what they're supposed to be doing:  laughing, relaxing and enjoying themselves.

Happy Memorial Day.

Aaron's Beach

After spending most of Saturday doing physical labor entailing shovels, rakes, weeds, rose bushes, hedge clippers and mulch spreading, I declared Sunday a Do Nothing Day and spent the afternoon lounging on Aaron's Beach.

Although you can't tell in these pictures, the beach was the most crowded I've seen in a long time.

"Crowded" defined in Mathews terms means more than two other people were on the beach.  Normally I come here and don't see a soul.  And that's just fine by me.

I chose a desolate spot right under those trees off in the distance.

Just one hour of solitude listening to nothing but the water gently lapping the shore was all it took to rejuvenate me.

After my beach therapy, I met Chesapeake Bay Daughter for lunch, returned home for a nap and then awoke to what felt like a gall bladder attack.  Frantically searching the internet for home remedies, I choked down some apple cider vinegar, took a hot bath, and then, just as I'd convinced myself a hospital trip would be imminent, it all went away.   Crisis averted.  Thankfully. But it will be a long time before I eat a hamburger and french fries again, I can tell you that.

Anyway.

Saturday night's gathering at Williams Wharf was the other bright spot in the weekend.  There was music, dancing, wine, good food and good company. A near-perfect evening.

Alas, it's all over now.  Next on the list is to get through another work week and prepare for Memorial Day weekend, when good friends will descend and help me laugh my way through the unofficial start of summer.

I can't wait.

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend is one of my favorites. The end of the brutal school and sports year is just around the corner.  The weather is usually warm.  There's no work on Monday. And summer is just a hop, skip and a jump away.

A few years back when I had a deadline for my book, I took Memorial Day week off to focus on finishing up. Ever since, I've used this week to take a break from work and all the rushing around and to (hopefully) get caught up on housework.  Next week I have to work on Friday but intend to spend the rest of my time sleeping working on the yard and house, which have been sorely neglected for some time now.

When Son and Daughter were younger, we usually spent Memorial Day weekend camping over on the Eastern Shore, from a place that had the most beautiful sunsets.  I loved camping there, even if it was a lot of work.

These pictures, which I've posted before, are from one of those camping trips.

Happy Memorial Day weekend.