Category: Uncategorized

thompson place

we have a break in between guests at thompson place. The last couple that stayed left barely a trace. Wonderful guests. Five stars all the way. Anyway, it’s a lazy Sunday so while Steph is doing the sheets, I’m over here picking up sticks. Replaced a few burned out bulbs from the string lights up on the trees. Rains came and finally cooled things down. I’ve got the whole place to myself. chilling to some smooth jazz by Bill Evans. Whiskey drink set down by my side. reminiscing on how grounded my life is around this little ranch of ours. It’s like my identity and my friends and my children have all branched out from the roots of this here homestead Stephanie brought to the table. From moving in here together to our backyard wedding. From the countless renters and guests we’ve hosted to Julian’s epic grad party! 25 years we’ve owned this place. Longer even for Steph. The wonderful book by Shel Silverstein comes to mind. The Giving Tree. With this home being symbolic of the proverbial tree. And here I am now, getting older, wiser, frailer, just sitting here like a bump on a log.

dog days of summer

it’s been so hot 🥵 I don’t know why they call it the dog days of summer but I do feel sorry for our poor weenies. Chai is getting so old. He occasionally has these little seizures or mini strokes. It passes but I fear he may only have another year or so left. Steph and I took them for a dip in the pool this weekend. truth be told, chai was the much better swimmer. more at ease in the water and made his way to the stairs more effortlessly than Remy. Poor guy doesn’t leave the house much now. Steph and I were saying the other day, he really has been the most chill of all the 3 weenies. Hate to think about it, but I’m getting a bit sentimental that his time will soon come.

coldplayed

meanwhile in other news:

source NPR

The Internet has gone into spasm over the past couple of days over an incident on Wednesday involving a couple caught cuddling on the Jumbotron at a Coldplay concert at Gillette stadium in Foxborough near Boston. Instead of leaning into their embrace when they realized they were on camera, the man and woman abruptly pulled apart. She turned her back on the camera. He ducked. The couple’s embarrassment was compounded by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin’s comment from the stage: “Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy.”

The kiss cam clip went viral on social media, gaining millions of hits on X, TikTok, and Instagram. Sleuths soon identified the couple: He’s Andy Byron, the married CEO of New York-based software development company Astronomer; she’s Kristin Cabot, the company’s head of human resources.

homecoming

Steph gets back from Italy tomorrow. No welcome sign planned this time but I will cut some fresh hydrangeas. It’s been a productive week at home. She’ll be blown away to see the furniture delivery we got. Our bedroom is totally transformed. And the console for the main room turned out amazing. Man was it heavy as shit! The movers were scaring me as they tried to bring it in. But it instantly grounded the space and filled the void. Like our own little temple, or modern day pagoda

Steph and Bethany

I find myself writing and turning to this blog more in these waning summer months. And ironically enough, here I am chilling in Roswell in lieu of Bainbridge Island, while Steph and Bethany are gallivanting off in Italy. Albeit mostly southern France. Crazy, it’s been 9 years since I launched this little pastime. Coincidentally enough, the catalyst of which was to keep up with my Reese’s pieces Italian adventures. Fast forward. This time the moms are sans kids. Here they are taking in the view in Nice.
Love it 🥰

Lex trip

back from college orientation with Jules. It went really well. The 6 hour drive wasn’t too bad. The podcasts I picked with Mark Maron helped. Loved our hotel and will totally stay again. They had loaner bikes and a rooftop bar, which I got a lot of use out of. Anyway, back to Jules. housing has been the biggest stressor. Fingers crossed 🤞🏼the off-campus housing option we like comes thru. He selected his 1st semester courses and I attended some parent oriented breakouts. The student panel on “what you wish your parents would know” was tempered, but still insightful.

Dorm room

Julian just got his dorm assignment. Unfortunately it’s his least favorite scenario. It’s a 3 person suite with one person getting their own room and the two others bunking next door. He’s coming to grips that he just got assigned to share a bed with a perfect stranger from Savannah GA.

It’ll be a long drive up to Lexington in a few days. I’ve downloaded a bunch of podcasts I hope will pass the time. I get it. It’s been so much waiting and now it’s so abrupt. There’s so much anxiety and anticipation, but the end result is all the same. being thrust in with strangers without a semblance of space to yourself is pretty much par for the course. And the dorm is a natural starting point. Whatever you’re feeling, imagine the other guy. He’s sizing you up and his parents are probably telling him the exact same thing we are. My best advice is to pick up the phone. Be the one to bridge the void. See where it goes. Whatever the outcome, your first semester will go so fast your head will spin. And it will inevitably create the next pivot point and a character defining story of your own one day.
UK here we come.