Monday in Late August

I just got back a short time ago from an evening walk. It was 80 degrees by late afternoon, so the evening was lovely, warm and calm. The sun sets a lot sooner now, about 7:45, but the twilight still lingers for quite a while. 

We live in such an international neighborhood. This evening a group of Pacific Islanders were meeting and singing in a makeshift chapel in a garage. Then just up the street members of the Ethiopian mosque/community center were arriving for one of their frequent gatherings.

Across the street from the mosque, Sikhs were walking on the track at the elementary school, the ladies dressed in their saris. Closer to home a Latino family was spilling out into their yard, having come together for some occasion. We all nod and greet each other in passing. 

I was walking in the evening because we were busy today. We spent most of the day with the grand kids while Jill was at teacher meetings. Isaac and Irene had just returned Sunday night from a week in South Carolina, visiting their dad and his family. They had a great time, even had the opportunity to help baby loggerhead turtles make it safely to the sea. Now they were happy to be home and were taking it slow. 

We did manage to get them unpacked and the laundry mostly done and put away. Irene painted - she is quite the artist- and Isaac played slug. He was grumpy because the reality of returning to school on Thursday had set in. Irene said she wasn't happy about it either, but was just trying not to think about it. 

After lunch we took the kids to do their shopping for school supplies. Jill had already gone over the lengthy lists and they had collected the stuff they already had on hand and highlighted what we needed to buy. Off we went to Staples to hunt and search and compare prices and collect the items on the list. Some were easy, some not so, like six poly pocket folders, one each of six different colors. We made a rainbow. 

That done, we went to Dairy Queen for ice cream. Isaac's grumpiness was gone. Back at their house, we got all the items sorted and stored in their backpacks, ready for school. Now they can enjoy their last two days of freedom. 

Yes, summer is coming to an end. It has been an easygoing summer for Tom and me, and our summer will continue, as it can for retired folks. For the kids it has been an amazing summer, full of adventure, from Colorado and Wyoming to Whidbey Island to Crater Lake and the California redwoods, to the Oregon coast to South Carolina. Wow!  I wonder if they know how fortunate they are.