Summer Bucket List
Today is the kids’ last day of school. Yep, school ends on a Monday, a half-day. It’s a totally legitimate day of instruction. Yes, indeed.
Anyway, the kids are home this summer. As opposed to, you know, working in a salt mine or at a camp or something.
However, this year I have some modest hope. There’s a cousin coming from England (the actual official term might be second cousin twice removed of Cadillac’s) and my paperback releases in August and I’ll be doing stuff for that, so it should pass quickly. You know, having fun and all that.
The kids being older and more capable is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they’re old enough to get their own snacks and keep themselves fairly entertained, so they don’t bug me all the time. On the other hand, they’re old enough to get their own snacks, which means they eat like horses if unchecked.
Anyway, one of my friends was coming up with her local bucket list, so I thought I’d make a summer bucket list.
Take kids to Legoland
Go camping
Go fishing
Go horseback riding
Snorkel in La Jolla Cove (I’ve done this before, but not since Hawaii, and I’m a much better swimmer now and not so afraid of those breeding leopard sharks which are harmless [though apparently there’s a deeper canyon farther out which might have bigger sharks, where I won’t venture]). Usually you see a lot of Garibaldi (below). Or just a lot of murky, cold water.
Kayak into the caves (which I’ve heard aren’t really all that impressive, but it does give one a goal while kayaking)
Hike new places
Go to these restaurants
Start playing tennis again and teach the kids how to play so they can play each other
Join the local pool, and swim
Make strange & delicious flavors of homemade ice cream WITHOUT A MACHINE (starting with Nutella—delish! and then moving on to, say, avocado)
And then there’s this additional stuff I think we should do:
Academic Stuff
- Daily writing (20 minutes)
- Math (probably not daily, just reinforcement. The teachers sent packets home)
- Photography assignments. I just found what seems to be a pretty good course on the web, because after all it’s been nearly 20 years (yikes!) since I took beginning photo.
- Art. I have a project in mind to create some paintings for our walls.
And that ought to be that. Right? Right? (she said hopefully)
MARGARET DILLOWAY 