Summer vacation is over. School has begun, and the weather has already started its turn towards Fall. We are as busy as bees already, and there's much to come ... the learning curve of third grade, drama club, violin lessons, Girl Scouts and tennis for Runt Funny, and the hospitality committee, book fair, and Homecoming float committee for me. It all sounds a little daunting.
But in some ways, the lazy days of summer are still here. We lounge on the back porch every chance we get, especially weekends. The grass is still green and we're still wearing flip flops and shorts. We're trying to get in as much barbeque and grilling as we can, because barbeque in the winter just isn't the same, is it? Hopefully we'll get in one more fishing trip.
It seems like a hundred years ago that school let out, summer started, and we were off to Vacation Bible School. Hot days at the beach are a distant memory already. Was it only a few weeks ago?
This is what I've found: if I turn off the computer and television and noise, and put off an errand or two, the days stretch out nice and long. It works in summertime, anyway. Maybe it will work in the crisp, quick days of autumn too
This weekend my Mr. B took me to Andalusia for my birthday. It was my birthday request (that, and lunch at Henry's, which I get on my actual birthday on Wednesday.)
Andalusia was the home where Flannery O'Connor lived out the last 13 years of her life. It's in Milledgeville, Georgia, which is about 2 1/2 hours outside of Atlanta. My great-aunt lived in Milledgeville, but I'd never been. I don't suppose there's much reason to go unless you're a Flannery O'Connor fan.
We spent a lot of time in the house (we were the only visitors, except one other couple who only stayed about 15 minutes), sat on the front porch, and walked the grounds for a good long time.
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After closing we stopped for some barbeque in town, then headed home. It was hard to leave. I wanted to stay on the porch and watch the stars come out and listen to the night sounds. I can just imagine how much time Flannery must have spent on that front porch. It was beautiful.
My favorite story of the day was one the curator told when Mr. B asked if many writers visited. He said that Allan Gurganus had come with two women. After they had looked very quietly at the house, one of the women mentioned, without giving his name, that Mr. Gurganus was also a writer. It wasn't until he read the guest book that the curator realized who it was.
It was a nice birthday outing, one I'll remember for a long, long time. I was sad to see it end.
Many more pictures from the day are in this Flickr set.
Do you know what Runt Funny and I did last week?
We went to the beach - just the two of us! We went to Jekyll Island off the Georgia coast, where I used to go every summer as a child. Now I get to take my own child there.
There was much sand castle building for the little one, who is a social butterfly and introduced herself to nearly all the children on the beach, while I sat and read for hours and hours on end. I read all of Eudora Welty's Ponder Heart.
Such a beautiful place.
Happy, happy times. I can't wait until next year.
There are a few more pictures from our trip here.
We have a sick bat in the back yard. He was on the ground this afternoon, then managed to climb a few feet up a tree to rest. Now it's dark, and he's on the ground again. Poor little guy.
Otherwise we're having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. I hope you are too.
