While vacationing, I found an amazing “in” to the book I’ve been thinking about writing. I started fresh today and I am happy. Writing wise – it’s been a while, so I’m thrilled to know the joy of creating returns.

My July was filled with events I needed to be in the moment to experience fully. It left little time to write so this post is a bit of a cheat, but it’s what I have to offer since the thrill of writing blog posts doesn’t seem to be present. Please enjoy these shots from the adventures I’ve been on recently.

Yesterday was Shake on the Lake. They performed As You Like It in the park.

Tuesday, I went to the Cattaraugus County Fair.

Monday, we stopped in the Finger Lakes to see a 6 story tree house.

It was a conservancy and they took care of broken animals including an owl with one eye.

And a fox.

We’d been in Essex and stayed at the schoolhouse.

In Essex there is a wandering Llama. He posed for me.

I tried to do all the things, meaning I swam in Lake Champlain. (I worked damned hard for this picture)

Embroidered, then tore out my imperfect stitches.

I went on the hike and made it to the top.

Went into town for ice cream here.

Sat around a few bonfires. Ate a S’more thanks to Sam.

And played croquet with the best people.

Before we left for Essex, there was flooding in our yard. A bunch of lazy men on a crew and the nattering excuse makers elsewhere decide to create a problem by cleaning the ditches on Sharp Street. It rushes down to the ditch between the street and the creek and never clean that. After much complaining, it’s supposed to get done, but still, they haven’t shown up because they are still whining about how, “It’s not our job. Technically, we shouldn’t have to clean the ditch in your yard out.” Idiots. You create the problem, you fix it, Too bad if it isn’t easy. We don’t deserve this:

Or this:

When we’re trying to do things like grow these

to attract these.

(End of rant about the incompetent, lazy Erie County workers.)

Anyway, the weekend before that was a wedding. And a lot of weird things happened there. Like I danced. There’s no pictures of that as far as I know, but here’s a flower girl. She spun around and danced a lot.

So, as you can see, a lot of life was lived recently. And I’m tired in a good way. Now I’m off to sleep so I can put in more words in the novel tomorrow and the next day and the next until I have a first draft and can start cursing about the revision I know is to come.

Thanks for stopping by for the read!