Lake house.  Day 3, if you count Saturday when we packed up the car, unpacked, sorted and generally unwound. This morning, Julia and I took our rented double kayak out for an early morning paddle.  We were out for a bit less than an hour.  I was somewhat apprehensive about finding the house on the way back.  Tonight or tomorrow, longer.

Most of the household is hiking this morning, a few went food shopping, Julia is doing zoom school and I have a few minutes on the porch alone to tap on this machine.  The porch faces the lake and if I move the drying beach towels, the view if lovely.  The sound of water is lovely. I type in 25 minute intervals with 10-15 minute breaks to tell Julia to get outside during her breaks and to sign in for her next class.  Her video is not working today.  I have followed all the instructions given by support last week.  Video is intermittent and re-booting and/or getting closer to the router works once or twice but with no regularity.  Julia is getting used to the intermittence. When I return to my typing, I move chairs, trying to stay shaded. 

The crew, almost everyone is here now, is comfortable.  The age range which might in other circumstances might be challenging is pretty delightful.  Two young, bright girls who are willing to play in the water and around the boat with Julia are a substantial blessing.  

Everyone appreciates eating and drinking well, playing games, making fires next to the lake to sit in front of late into the night and playing in the water.  Last night, there was an impromptu boat ride around a few islands in the early evening.  It was windy and delightful.  I cooked for the crew last night, reminding me of the camping trips with the Jones so many years ago, so many years that Cheshire was in diapers for one, potty training for another (and potty training in an outhouse did not go well).  I made a Carolina meal (my dear, dear friend who so should be here that I tear up giving it just one thought): antipasto with as many flavors as I could fit on a plate (I forgot to cut tomatoes!), pasta salad with tomatoes, olives and basil, and linguine with pesto.  David and I copied Carolina’s antipasto plates so often that making it also reminds me of him.

The grownups who we have now spent a few holidays with and some lake time over the 4^th are good dinner companions and reasonably like minded so as not to have to listen the conservative side of any issue.  There was a time, before trump of course, when I like to banter with conservatives.  These last four years have soured my taste for almost any discussion which includes the GOP side of issues.  I’d like to think of my conservative law school classmates and the conservative judges that I’ve worked for as being part of the GOP who is actively trying to defeat trump in the coming election. There are many sides to any policy or program, but to argue the policies and pronouncements of a man so devoid of brains and empathy and so full of ego and self interest, a man incapable of leading a nation through a national emergency or to tell truth is to be the same idiot as the man himself.  I have never though I would ever say this but I am sure that I could do a better job that he is doing at this moment.

<Smile and sigh> There are birch trees here and pines and other trees but I love the white barked birch.  The chuppah will be made of four birch branches.  What a lovely choice for this setting.  There is a pretty lawn behind the house and in front of the lake.  We hope to set the chuppah up there.  Weather forecasts are not encouraging; however, we are a resilient party, the bride and groom have managed to find a very sweet plan b.  Plan c is already in gestation.  

I have been dreaming.  Vivid dreams.  Remembered for a few minutes after waking.  Savored some.  And then, erased on rising.  From a few days ago, I remember a baby named Vivi and from another night a long discussion.  Hardly snippets, almost single images. 

There was a Facebook posting that asked readers to imagine that this upside-down, inside out time is not hurting children but possibly making them more resilient, generous and altruistic, teaching them about bumpy transitions, quiet, appreciating home and smaller entertainment and a host of other lovely attributes.  If so, these children will grow up and not be able to understand the electorate that supported the current GOP.  If so, they may change the world.  Oh, let it be so.

Sometimes I wish I could get away from the news for a vacation’s worth of time.  Rarely when I travel do I stay plugged into my NYTimes, but in these days of Covid and the destruction of our democracy, I cannot.  Perhaps for just Wednesday.