Momentum

Back late last night (three and a half hours late due to mechanical problems with the plane) from two (mostly) glorious weeks at Lake Geneva, where my father's family has been summering for nearly a century.

I will post my micro diary entries within the next couple of days for anyone who would like to know whether the wind on any given day was good enough for a sail. Yeah, minutae.

But the one thing I want to write about here is hiking on the shore path everyday. While I was growing up, I had no idea how unique it is to have a public shore path around an entire lake, crossing the property of hundreds of private homes, including some owned by exceptionally wealthy people who try as they might can't get the courts to make the right of way go away. It's so satisfyingly egalitarian.

I've only gone completely around the lake (20+ miles) on the path once in my life, but in the past two weeks I figure I hiked about 40 miles on the stretch near our cottage. Usually I was on my own for a two or three-mile round trip, but sometimes I had company. Once I hiked down the shore about three miles and Dad picked me up with the sail boat. Just yesterday morning, my Dad's cousin and I hitched a motorboat ride with her son and he dropped us off three miles down the shore and we hiked back.

This morning we woke up early (7 am! Jack was eager to see his friends again). I decided I wanted to keep up the momentum of my daily hikes at the lake so I headed up to the Hobble Creek Parkway not far from our house, hiked a few miles and got my day off to a great start.

Any Ideas?

I finally hooked up with an acquaintance who manages a furniture store (part of a big chain, which shall remain nameless) to ask about the possibility of partnering to create a furnished reading area in the center of our picture book art exhibit in exchange for nearly four months of publicity. Wow, did he look dejected when he said the powers that be would never go for it. He didn't even want to try. Things are that bad. I think his soul has been sucked by corporate headquarters.

So . . . I've got to come up with a Plan B. I am putting a plea out there to any of you readers who may have contacts or ideas about how to do something really fun for the reading area. I'd so like to do something funky, comfortable and family friendly (no old plaid couches from rental apartments, please).

Do any of you know anyone who knows anyone in the furniture business? Or who has cool furniture they aren't using that they'd be willing to donate or to lend for a few months (art museum patrons shouldn't be too hard on it - especially because no food is allowed anywhere near it!). Or who has reupholstering experience so if we end up getting fun pieces that need a facelift we can call on their skills?

Anyone? Anyone?

4 a.m.

Every once in a while I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does it is almost always at 4 a.m. It happened this morning and here I am, trying to clear my mind so I can go back to sleep.

Here's a funny ted.com video essay about 4 a.m. It made me laugh.

Tagged

Jack was tagged on my friend Teresa's blog and gave the following answers to these questions. Remember, he is a nine-year-old boy. But I'm pleased he instinctively knows how to develop a theme.

1. What is something mom always says to you? Hi Jack.
2. What makes mom happy? Me.
3. What makes mom sad? Me being gone.
4. How does mom make you laugh? When she bangs her head on the air conditioner on the way to SOS Drug. [An outside unit hanging at head level by one of the parking spaces in the back.]
5. What was mom like as a child? A child.
6. How old is your mom? 45, no 44.
   
7. How tall is your mom? 4 feet? 5 feet?
8. What is your mom's favorite thing to do? Drink Tab. [Then when prodded for something with more substance] Swim.
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? Stuff. How should I know?
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Drinking Tab. Swimming.
11. What is your mom really good at? Drinking Tab. Swimming.
12. What is your mom not very good at? Jumping off cliffs.
13. What does your mom do for her job? Nothing yet. [I guess that's sort of true.]
14. What is your mom's favorite food? Tortellini. Ramen. [I think he's projecting his favorite foods that I eat when he eats them. But, yeah, pasta definitely rates.]
15. What makes you proud of your mom? She's funny and she works hard.
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Edd. [Of Ed, Edd and Eddie. Apparently Edd is the one who always likes everything to be really organized. When a neighbor boy overheard us talking about it, he said "You let Jack watch that show?" Great.]
17. What do you and your mom do together? Stuff. Read.
18. How are you and your mom the same? We both eat ramen.
19. How are you and your mom different? She drinks Tab. I drink root beer.
20. How do you know your mom loves you? Because she likes me. If she didn't like me she wouldn't be with me.

I tag my sister Maryann (who I wish would blog more) and my friend Shelley (who I thought wasn't blogging anymore, but I just discovered she and her husband have a new blog). I know they aren't little kids, but they both have moms!