1. I think I am thrilled with the wonderful response you gave my mom's story. I know she's overwhelmed by all of your thoughtful comments, as am I. I loved her sunglasses too! My mom has always had great style! I don't know if any of you happened to catch her comment on yesterday's post, but she said that she realized as she was writing everything down and looking at the pictures that she had essentially the same outfit on. Now that's pretty awesome-sauce.

2. I think I spoke too soon when I said that I was scooting through August relatively migraine-free. Three this week. The fact that it's been the hottest, muggiest week of the summer (not to mention our most hectic) is not lost on me. Maybe I am ready for September.

3. I think that we're definitely so-far so-good on school this week. Callum seems really happy. We had an athletics orientation on Wednesday night, and the director of the Middle School talked about the teacher/coach concept that they model at Cal's school. We've heard this spiel before but it never fails to impact me. As the director said, a coach cares about nothing more than making you better at what you do. He also talked about how when coaches coach, part of what they do is to put their hands on kids and physically move them in space. The example he gave was to teach someone new to football the three point stance. You have to guide their bodies. He talked about the Dance Master and how he shifted a girl's foot a fraction and suddenly the lines of her body were stunningly beautiful. There's an intimacy and closeness that develops there that can not be overstated. I know already the difference it's made in my son.

4. I think my mom might have been onto something when she mentioned that my summer funk might be the leadup to a creative breakthrough. I'm hoping so at least. I have some photography projects brewing that I'm looking forward to sharing with you really soon. Next week is out; Cal's birthday is coming up. But soon. Really soon. Bet you can't wait. (wink)

5. I think I have a little more I want to say about the anniversary of the March. Did you happen to hear any of the ceremonies this Wednesday? They were so moving! I was struck by so many little things. MLK's daughter, the one who was 5 months old during that speech, was such an amazing speaker. Bernice King. Let Freedom Ring, she said over and over. Right up to the ringing of that bell from the church in Birmingham. It was a call to action. When you hear the sound of the bell...let freedom ring.

And I have to say, I loved President Obama's emphasis on the marchers, then and now. I mean, of course I did. He was talking about my mom, but he was talking about all of us who try to do even a little more to expand the rights for others. Still, I was most struck by a phrase used by former President Clinton. He said, America is becoming. I love that. Becoming as a verb. I think of all of us, as a nation, with still a long way to go. Becoming. I think of myself, entrenched in a particularly tough patch both in my heart and as a parent. Becoming. Callum is becoming. I'm becoming. We're all becoming.

1. I think I can't thank you enough for all of your kind words and comments on yesterday's post. I have been beat down this summer, no lie. Some of it is situational, and some of it lies within my heart. And these are simply the things we have to work out for ourselves, I suppose. And I did want to clarify that it's not really fall and winter that I dread. I love fall, and I could easily crawl into Erin's Swedish winter. It's not the season change, exactly. It's here, right now, these present weeks with school starting and Callum's birthday looming and Neel's schedule at it's crazy peak. This right now is the time of year that asks the most of me, and I feel like I'm not going into it with my A-Game. And yet I can only go into it with hope that the changing of the seasons will bring me a fresh start and a new perspective.

2. I think Neel and Callum had an absolutely amazing time on their little getaway at the beginning of the week this week. Shot up to Philly for a quick trip to a Phillies game (and Praise Jesus, they won! It was the first time Cal got to see his beloved team win, and one of the game attendants told my guys it was the best game she'd seen all year) and on the way home they took a detour for a four-hour canoe trip down Neel's beloved Brandywine river. Neel's determined to make a master paddler of Callum yet, and Callum seems just as determined to become one. They floated in crystal clear water, saw snowy egrets, herons and even a bald eagle. All that and home before 9PM. Not too shabby.

3. I think this article is one of the most powerful things I've read in awhile. David Roberts, energy and environment writer for grist.org, is taking a year off. From everything. Twitter, email, news, phone, computer. Everything. He's going dark. I'm impressed. Not as much with the type of change he's making, although I could certainly stand to curb my online life, but with the simple fact that he's making sweeping changes at all. If you could make a sweeping big change in your life, what would it be?

4. I think I'm having fun pushing myself photographically this summer. I'm so sorry, Erin, but a post about the Lensbaby is surely in the works! I'm a totally digging that lens. My Thursday Morning Photo Group has been working on a scavenger hunt that has really had me thinking creatively, and that's been both challenging and fun. I wrote a few weeks ago about David DuChemin's Photographically Speaking, and in it he talks about shooting during "the blue hour." This is the time of day between sunset (which is coming earlier and earlier these days) and full darkness. During the Blue Hour long exposures give the sky more color than the naked eye would see. Long exposure, plus motion plus Lensbaby was a tricky combo to play with by our river Wednesday night, but I had fun.

5. I think we'll do our best to make every moment count this weekend. Callum was actually pretty okay about school starting on Monday until we had dinner with friends on Wednesday and that boy was all "boo hoo, school's starting, I hate school." Only then did Cal start the "three and 1/4 days left..." bit. {wink}

We bought all his books (and a $110 calculator, which, so help me God if he loses....), and he found his locker. Good settling in stuff. A Separate Peace. Much Ado About Nothing. The Odyssey. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I always get excited about what they're going to read. But school is not until Monday, and until then, Cal's having a sleepover, and tonight is Movie Night at The Hermitage. We'll try to squeeze the beach in somewhere, and I'm sure there will be lots of lazing about going on. That's what summer is all about, after all.

five things, august 30 edition

five things, august 23 edition