As we officially enter the autumn season I wanted to write a brief summary of my summer. The most remarkable thing about summer this year in California is that it pretty much never happened! We kept waiting for the warm, sunny days that we deem our right, but they never came. Everyday, the radio would come on at 6:00 AM and the weatherman would say the exact same thing: The coast will be socked in with fog and the temperatures will be mild. Unbelievable. We endured grey days with only a few hours of sunshine day after day after day. Let me tell you, it GOT OLD!
Once school started in late August, summer suddenly made an appearance. Not in a passionate, let-me-make-up-for-all-that-fog-way, mind you. But in a pleasant way nevertheless.
What was particularly disappointing about the lack of warm days, was that this year I planted a whole lot of vegetables in our raised beds. We managed to get a really decent lettuce crop, and a fair amount of summer squashes. But the tomatoes and basil were pretty sad. Oh well!
Daryl and I had been so busy during last academic year that we decided to have a low key summer. No traveling - just staying home and getting caught up with projects. Apart from a week in New York and a week in the Sierras, we stayed at home. I really enjoyed having time to do the kinds of things I enjoyed. My typical day started with a swim at my gym. Then at home I worked on a writing project, which is one of my hardest yet. Having the time to concentrate helped with some quality chapters that I felt pleased with. When I'm into my writing I read a huge number of books. That aspect is pretty satisfying too. It really was a shame to stop working on my project right when things were going so well. But, my baby is now viable and in need of some nurturing and feeding!
A trip to the Sierras was a great way to bookend my vacation. The mountains, fresh air, stunning scenery, and some vigorous hikes were quite stimulating.
