After driving down to the cottage (Holland) we settled into the rhythms of Castle Park. The usual day included sleeping in late, a run or bike after breakfast, some pleasant reading (the paper or a novel);lunch, maybe a nap, then the beach, returning in time to fix a dinner eaten on the porch. The night is often capped with a walk to the "dance dune" to watch the sun set over Lake Michigan. None of this is exotic or adventurous, but it's a relaxing deviation from the normal routine...even if it is a new one. During a couple rainy days I took Patrick and Nathan to movies (Harry Potter; that last one - and Captain America). This year I was also terribly self-indulgent; rarely looking at my e-mail and going through four books (at right) that were nothing more than cotton candy.
During the first few days Jamie and his girlfriend, Mimi, drove out, Martha's sister, Betsy, came up from Chicago, as did her daughters, Allison and Carolyn, for a family luncheon to celebrate a "significant" birthday for their mother; the kids' 'grammy.' The kids were asked to say something special for their grandmother and I was especially proud of Jamie's thoughtful tribute to her.
Usually one of my favorite experiences is to thrash through and body-surf in the Lake Michigan waves with my sons. But with Chris still in Wisconsin, Jamie in and out and a combination of weather and diversions, it didn't happen. Sadly, those events may become rarer in the future.
During the weekend in the middle of our trip, I drove over to Chicago to practice with the "picnic group." I visited with Danny the night before and went over some of the ten tunes I'm playing on, which was enormously helpful. But nothing could prevent the anxiety and jitters of the next day. While I muddled through, my friends were keenly aware of my reluctance and were kindly reassuring. At the end of the day, I'm enormously grateful for their continued patience.
Now it's back to D.C. and the grind, with some big new responsibilities, trials and headaches.....but that's for another blog!
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