month 60

tribe love, from all corners of the world

jamin,

when I think about it in months, it doesn't seem that long.  I guess because I can remember month one (sort of, through the haze of your newness) and I remember month 25 when you finally started getting some hair.  sixty months just seem like little tick marks of victories, a nice tempo for you becoming yourself a little bit at a time.  but five whole years?  that is where I get a little wobbly-feeling.  I remember things about being five.  that means we are doing things now that you will tell your family about later.  we are living stories you will tell to someone you are falling in love with, to your own children as you try to entertain them on long trips, to your therapist as you reflect on how amazing your childhood really was.

pirate shirt, pirate puzzle, pirate face.

and what a story we are living.  watching you this summer has been by far the best part of this adventure for me.  I can hardly believe I was so worried about you in the months before we left brevard, so concerned that living far away might be too much for you, that you might find camp overwhelming, that getting you plugged into daycamp would be a daily challenge.  you love life here.  you love day camp: the silly songs, your enthusiastic counselors, your new friends.  you love camp life: you beg to eat every meal in the dining hall, you wish we had campfires every night, you think the skits the kids do every friday are hilarious.  you have fully embraced this entire experience with a sense of adventure I didn't know you had.  it has been an important lesson for me to learn, and I am working hard not to box you in or shelter you too much, but instead to follow your lead in a lot of ways and assume you'll be just fine. I think it is a lesson I'll be learning your whole life, so I am glad I am getting good practice in now.

five is a pretty great age, I think.  you can do a good bit on your own, but you still really like holding hands.  you are old enough that we can snuggle and read chapter books (books I've been waiting my whole life to share with you) for an hour at a time, easy.  learning is something you find exciting and entertaining, a trait that makes me feel much more settled about home schooling.  you love "homework books" and have no trouble completing an entire workbook in a single session.  we made some sight word cards together and I find you practicing them on your own sometimes.  when we are walking together or riding in the car you'll say "somebody give me some numbers!" which is an open invitation to quiz you on some addition or subtraction.  you get them right fairly consistently, even when cora strings four or five numbers together.  it is cute to watch you concentrating on however you see numbers in your head.  I often wonder what the number line looks like to you inside your noggin.

we celebrated your birthday at your pace, which was pretty fantastic.  you woke and let papa and me snuggle you and tell you the story of the day you were born.  you love that story and your favorite part is when papa says "if we're having a baby today, I'd better go mow the grass!"  we piled all your packages and cards around you, and then we could barely see you under them all.  your tribe comes correct, something I hope holds true for your entire life.  you are surrounded by people who love and value almost as much as we do, people that are not afraid to show that love when we need it most.  after  you opened all your loot, we sent papa and cora out to fetch bagels while you and I read and colored and played pirates at home.  we had mac and cheese for lunch, then met a new daycamp friend at the tuck shop for ice cream.  we headed over to lauren and ralph's for a cookout.  you were so excited to have a hotdog.  we could tell after about two bites that it was not as wonderful as you had envisioned, so you struggled through a few more bites, then left the rest for papa.  we fed you cherry pie to keep you going while we waited for the shelter island fireworks display.  it was hazy and almost rainy, but not everyone gets fireworks on his birthday.  you made it about ten minutes into the show before saying, "I'm tired.  let's go home."  you were asleep within six minutes.

cora took this one.

you are loved.  you are treasured and enjoyed.  you are part of a wonderful story, an adventure story at that, and I hope all of that is what sticks when you look back on being five.  keep surprising me, j-mo.  you are my best thing.

love one hundred and eighty million,

mama

plunging for patience

First day of day camp, aka "love bugs."

we haven't posted much because we are too busy living the stories we want to blog about later.  does that work as an excuse for a lack of posts?  I sure hope so.  we are certainly taking lots of pictures (well, lots for us anyway.  we don't have iphones, so it takes a little more effort than everyone else, right?)

 

Cora donning her red white and blue attire

jamin and cora started day camp last week, and they totally love it.  they come home singing the silliest songs; the current favorite is about how their father does not wear socks.  they have had amazing, passionate, enthusiastic counselors, and I am so very grateful for that.  some days they are exhausted by lunch time, so we bring them home for a nap and they are ready to go again by supper.  these kids, jamin especially, LOVE to eat in the dining hall.  it's a huge motivator.  lucky for us, there are plenty of vegetarians (and even a vegan!!!) on staff, so the chef whips up some veggie goodness on the regular.  last night was portobello mushroom caps stuffed with lentils and peppers.  um, yum.

there has been some soul-searching going on this summer as we enjoy our adventure and learn what feeds our family best.  one night we hopped on the ferry to go to greenport  for supper.  we tried to meet up with some friends, but plans just weren't quite coming together.  we didn't have reservations anywhere and apparently when you live in a town with classy people, reservations are a must.  overly hungry and tired, we stumbled into a little burrito shop.  we had sat outside this shop for a bit earlier in the evening and every family that came out was snappy and short with each other.  once we were seated inside, we could see why.  it was HOT.  too hot.  and there was only one waitress for the whole restaurant.  but we were too hungry to try for anything else, so we sat and sweated and waited and tried not to be snappy with each other.  we had been talking earlier in the day about the delicate balance (specifically when one is soul-searching) between taking the plunge and having patience.  I'm a plunger.  eric does much better with the patience.  but this night, sweaty and annoyed, eric plunged.  he pulled a sprig of lavender from behind his ear (because farmers always have a sprig to spare) and presented it kindly to our waitress.  "you look like you could use this," he told her.  "you can wear it in your hair."  she stopped and smiled and asked him where he'd found the lavender.  he told her about his work on the farm, she told him about her summer job on another farm on long island.  they swapped gardening tales, and eric took notes on the farm she mentioned so he could plan a visit.  "what's your name?" he asked before she went away to the next table.  "patience," she answered.

we raised our eyebrows at each other.  maybe it isn't an either/or sort of thing.  maybe we can plunge and be patient all at the same time.  I'll let you know how it goes.

oinkers and chickens and sheep, oh my!

csa line up for last week.  are ya jealous?

so the farm has definitely captured eric's heart, but jamin and cora love it almost as much.  the only downside is that they have their farm adventures without me.  after everyone is freshly rested from quiet time, eric takes the squids over to the farm to explore and play while he harvests his day's pay.  we are eating lots of kale salad these days, much to my enjoyment.  strawberries have slowed down, but jamin and cora got to try some gooseberries (cora loved 'em).  eric's proud moment of the week was teaching his co-pickers how to hackysack.  jamin is learning, too, so as not to disappoint when he goes off to WWOOF somewhere at 17.

the horse trailer is a chicken coop!  might need to talk to the redbud ladies about those empty ones in the meadow...  :)

"BOOB JUICE!" cora yells out as soon as she sees this guy in action.

 pigs just arrived at the farm this week.  they are currently clearing brush.  kids named a couple : snorter and porter were my favorite ones.  it's a great chance to see what we might like to have on our own little farmstead someday.  although I doubt we will ever have 70 chickens at a time.  or that nancy will ever agree to eight pigs. I think 2 pigs is more than plenty.

took the kids canoeing, their first boat ride besides the ferry.  jamin's lifevest came from the "goody pile" at the shelter island dump.  it's like goodwill except it is free and it all comes from rich people.  life jacket is in almost perfect condition.  it must have been last season's color scheme or something, who knows.

in the background you can see the bike eric swears he is going to start riding to the farm soon.  if I call him out publicly, it might happen even sooner :)

water balloons from nonna!

we're having a wonderful time, in case you couldn't tell.  camp life starting to pick up with staff trickling in from all over the globe.  I'm leading some staff training activities and some devotions, stuff I love love love doing.  this week is family camp and more staff training and our kids start day camp.  they can go all day, but my guess is that eric will pull them out most afternoons just so he can have them all to himself.  and show them off at the farm.  he's a pretty proud papa that way.

thanks to those that have sent mail.  it is a big highlight for sure, and we have tried to be good about sending replies, so be watching your mailboxes as well!

ask jamin and cora to sing you the "pizza man song" next time you see them.  it's their newest campfire fav.

All ticked off

This post should suggest that our family has been slowed down a bit by the summer heat, and I think we've learned our lesson on NY traffic off the island, too.  With that being said, we have chosen to commute less by car.  But, no rules have been put into place on others transporting us in their air conditioned spacious rides.  On Sunday, Wendy and the squids ventured off into East Hampton with Lauren and Zoey to swim at their friend's uninhabited pool.  Wendy was intentional about not bringing a camera in order to connect, instruct, and enjoy the experience first hand.  Jamin progressed in his aquatic skills by relinquishing the foam noodle and refining his freestyle swim.  Not sure on the exact details, but initial reports from the pool included a baby diaper full of dookie being tossed into a bag resulting in messy laughter and cleanup.  Upon returning from the pool, Eric was cooking supper with our first guest from outside camp--Megan, from the farm.  Megan arrived on bike with a basket full of freshly picked salad fixins, and a small bouquet of flowers to brighten our day.  Jamin was determined to flex his memory game skills, and challenged Megan to a game before delving into our stir-fried veggies, quinoa, and salad.  After supper, Jamin and Cora invited our guest to play memory again before transitioning into our bedtime routine.  With irresistible cuteness, Cora poked her head out of her bedroom door and projected into a room full of conversation, "Eric, can you ask Megan if she will read to me?"  Now, don't we all wait for this moment of opportunity and seize it will immediacy?  True.  And Megan had no trouble following suit.  Cora rambled and chatted and explained the intricacies of her day for nearly a half hour before pulling the covers up over her waist and rolling over for the night.  Such a fluid, relaxing, and effortless day.

  Monday arrived with debilitating heat.  Eric typically works alone at the farm since the co-pickers take Sunday and Monday as their weekend reprieve.  Decked out in a sun hat and overalls to protect from the the sun already high in the sky, Eric cut his shift short by an hour and a half.  Upon returning home early, Eric was noticeably beat down by the sun and negotiated a nap from the kids.  The agreement--they both stay in their bedroom, use quiet voices, let papa sleep, be kind to each other, and they will be rewarded with ICE CREAM!  Eric set the alarm clock on his phone with a fun ring to initiate a dance party wake-up, and unbelievably.....it all worked.

Roller derby socks, b-ball shorts, NC State gear, and Keens. Nice.

The drive to Tuck Shop, the local ice creamery, is about 4 minutes from our cottage.  Upon arrival, Jamin and Eric had to wake Cora up.  Inside, the ice cream options were many.  But remember, this is Jamin and Cora, practically virgins in their ice cream exploration.  "Would you like vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry," Eric inquired.  "What?, you offered us chocolate, papa," Jamin replied.  "Chocolate is for grown ups." Yes, this has been the most effective ploy in avoiding the chocolate mustached craze that potentially ensues when little people indulge in cheap sugary goodness. (side note: Jamin awoke on Tuesday morning and said, "Did we brush our teeth last night?" "Nope, we forgot," Eric said with a raised eyebrow.  "We had ice cream yesterday, oh man!," Jamin responsibly retorted.)  Well, they earned it.  Eric, Jamin, and Cora shared a medium sized cup of rich creamy chocolate ice cream, a timely solution to the summer sweats.  Surprisingly, The Bean Machine zonked as soon as she got back in the car, foaming at the mouth and rockin' a chocolate mustache.

  Later in the evening, Eric decided to join his buddy, Ralph, for a swim across the bay.  What Eric failed to account for was his lack of endurance and stamina.  After a quick 200 yard swim with barely any current, Eric conceded, admitting he had some conditioning to do before entering a triathlon.  BTDubs, Eric has no desire to enter a triathlon.  Eric hurried home on his newly borrowed bike so that Wendy could head off to lead her first staff devotional at camp.....and she totally rocked it!  High fives and follow-up inquiries left her both inspired and proud.

  Prior to easing the squiddos into their bedroom for the evening, we had to do our daily tick check.  The deer population is notoriously large as they migrate across the bay and chow on everything and anything on the island, except geraniums.  Some deer are tagged with bling and necklaces and ear tags to assist in tracking their migratory habits and patterns.  Still rather alarming is the number of ticks pulled off our family since we have arrived.  Yes, we have a running tally.  In eleven days, Wendy 4, Jamin 11, Cora 8, and Eric 6.  Now you understand why we're all ticked off.

                          

Redefining "class"

Notice Eric's large cup of coffee.  A bit of foreshadowing for you.

 Friday, June 21st....the Summer Solstice!  Unbeknownst to us, the kids had collaborated to prepare breakfast in bed for their mama and papa, and were dressed for the day when they arrived at the top of the stairs to deliver the "bales of hay," otherwise known as shredded wheat.  Eric proceeded to work and picked garlic scapes, strawberries, cilantro, scallions, carrots, and peas. On Fridays, everyone is in action preparing CSA boxes for pick-up on Saturday.  Eric was all smiles upon arriving home.  He and the others at the farm parted ways for lunch with a giant group hug.  Frickin' hippies.

As Eric was easing Jamin and Cora into their midday nap/quiet time, Wendy called with exiting news.  We were all heading to the Hamptons to see where the hospital was located (in case of emergency at camp), and would continue on to the Mecox Bay Dairy Farm for an insider look at the udder side of cheese making.  So, foregoing the naps, we headed south on the ferry and drove toward South Hampton.  Ill equipped without snacks and books to entertain, we stopped for coffee and juice bars.  Hard to tell in the picture above, but Cora is topless.  That's how we roll....and the Manners were just getting started.  Oh man, it was all down hill from here...and let the hilarity ensue.  After locating the hospital and heading back toward Sag Harbor to the dairy farm, the kids were restless and cranky.  Just as we pulled into the driveway of the farm, we had no other choice but to call it a day.  The napless critters were provoking each other and whining incessantly.  En route to the ferry with everyone's nerves running thin, our dearest Cora announced she was peeing in her seat. Jamin was being a big brother and encouraging her to continue as we frantically tried to pull into a gas station that had no bathroom.  Continuing on our search and sensing the urgency in Cora's whine, we had no choice but to pull over on the side of the road and drop Cora's pants in a Hamptonite's  front yard.  Oh yes, and then we got lost on our way to the ferry.  And remember the cup of coffee Eric slammed earlier in the day?  While waiting in line to drive onto the ferry, there was no other option but to refill that cup.   And Eric promptly poured the cup full of urine into the street. A train wreck of an afternoon, but the picture to the right was the closest we came to throwing them out the window.

  It is hard to believe it is still Friday, but Eric pressed on to complete an herb bed assignment at camp while Wendy put the kids down for the night.  As the evening lingered into the horizon, our friend Ralph invited Eric to go paddle boarding into the sunset.  While Eric had never tried paddle boarding, he broke through the hesitation and accepted Ralph's invite.  The two of them paddled into the sunset below, and turned around once the sun was out of view to discover a waxing moon high in the sky reflecting in the calm evening waters of the bay.

Just a little side note, Aunt Denise was buried today, and our thoughts were with her and our family throughout the day.  She was good people, always working in a helping profession, and adored Jamin and Cora.  As this sun sets, we hope she was looking down on us today and laughing at how adventurous and classy we were as we strolled in and out of South Hampton.  A Mannerific day. 

On Saturday, we eased into our morning and prepared for a trip to Greenport.  Having never boarded the ferry without our trusty and beloved Iggy (the Honda Fit), we parked the car and boarded the ferry on foot.  Wendy and Cora were excited to see the carousel as we approached the mainland and prepared for a morning of fun in the sun.  Upon arrival, we headed straight for the carousel, and proceeded to the toy store in town (departed without purchase, success!).  We spotted our first banjo street performer while strolling through town, and made our way to the health food store and across the street for Italian ice.  Making our way back to camp around noon, we remained low key until supper time.  We walked to our friend's house here at camp (Lauren, Ralph, and Zoey Ruiz) and enjoyed the kids splashing in the pool while we munched on stank cheese and crackers.  We've been fortunate to establish an instant connection with the Ruiz family, which have provided comfort, intimacy and simplicity in a friendship.   We are looking forward to a summer of new experiences and memories with our Shelter Island tribe.

Manners at the Manor

 Eric continues to work the morning shift at the farm from 8:30 to 12:00.  Tuesday's duties included picking more strawberries and weeding the sweet potato beds with the crew.  Upon arriving back at camp, he met Wendy and the squids in the dining hall for NY style pizza!  While we waited, we received an urgent call to come outside.  Embraced with excitement and childhood awe, Jamin and Cora welcomed the newest addition to Camp Quinipet--a pirate ship.  We have already enjoyed barnacle stew, dolphin pie?, and of course some Manhattan clam chowder (pirate style) courtesy of Capt. Hook and Smee.  I happen to enjoy the perhaps unintentional crucifix mounted on the deck.

  After a sunny Wednesday morning weeding the parsnip beds, Eric arrived home with yet more strawberries (and kale, chard, lettuce, scapes, dill, and some stank cheese from a local farm).  And apparently, Shelter Island has yet to hop on the tempeh train.  Grocery clerks and attendants only offered blank stares of confusion and questioned its use as a culinary medium.  Soon after arriving home at our cottage, Eric received his first real assignment as a paid employee of Camp Quinipet.  Create and herb bed near the dining hall outside the kitchen, and it must include at least five rosemary plants.  Sounds like a job for Farmer Eric, and he wasted no time before heading off to a local nursery to procure these tender perennials.

  Across the street from the nursery is the Sylvester Manor Farm. Excited at the opportunity to explore the farm and meet Eric's co-pickers, the Manner went to the Manor.  Jamin and Cora said hello to a few before making a bee line to the strawberry patch.  As Eric searched for his daily produce pay (with the critters following close behind), he discovered Susan embarking on a farm responsibility of cleaning the eggs to be sold at market.  She welcomed Jamin and Cora to assist her in dunking a golf ball basket full of eggs in a five gallon bucket, drying the eggs she cleaned, and then gently placing them in a plastic tub.  And you know there are child labor laws in NY, so they were graciously paid with a dozen eggs.  Cora likes the white ones.  While the kids flexed their professional poultry prowess, Eric scored another block of Mecox Bay "stank" cheese, and then invited Jamin and Cora to harvest chard and lettuce.  Rows and rows of radiant green roughage reflected in the eyes of the junior co-pickers. BTDubs, co-pickers could totally be a bluegrass band back in WNC.

  Eric asked Jamin and Cora to carefully assess the lettuce bed and choose the one that belonged on our table for supper.  They agreed on a head of red lettuce, which Jamin proceeded to hold over Cora's head to symbolize a "head of lettuce."  Moving on to the chard bed, the junior co-pickers, seeming strategic in their selection, chose a handful of rainbow chard each.  Yep, we are happy, healthy, and living the dream......and still eating strawberries and stank cheese.

nothing says father's day like seaweed and booty

Happy Father's Day, Eric! Well, it was.  Our family explored the island, and admired the lavishly manicured yards and homes of Shelter Island.  As we cruised and perused the streets, it quickly occurred to us that the homes we were rubbernecking at were in fact just the guest houses, or for the hired help.  Yep, in the backdrop we discovered the actual homeowner's residence with a subtle glimmering of the bay on the backside.  Most were empty since they are vacation homes.  We continued on to the coffee shop and stopped by Eric's farm to explore, pick a few strawberries, and introduce the kids to the work space.

 When we returned home to camp, the kids put on their swimming gear and proceeded to the waterfront.  Activities included making a seaweed cake for papa, a few unsolicited yoga poses on the shoreline by Cora, some waist high trips into the water, and a bit of trash pick-up (which often evolves into pirate booty and treasure, arrrrrgh.)

  On Monday, Eric went to work at the farm early in the day.  Since most volunteers and interns take Sunday and Monday off, Eric had the whole farm plot to himself.  The sun rises at about 5:00 a.m., so the morning shift is when most of the work is done.  Barefooted and topless, Eric picked strawberries (about 2 gallons) for CSA shareholders and the market stand.  Again, he was rewarded with a surplus of berries and greens.


When Eric came home from the farm, Jamin and Cora were eagerly awaiting his arrival to pick up trash at camp.  Since Eric's job description has yet to be defined, he and the kids took some initiative as the grounds crew.  Jamin and Cora earned a penny for every piece of trash they picked up on the grand venture.  How much did they earn you ask? $.79 each.  But picking up other people's garbage is exhausting (allow your eyes to wander to the left.) Eric had a hard time waking Cora up and had no choice but to lure her out of bed with juicy strawberries.

The days are long here.  I often forget about sunsets since the tree line holds my last glimpse of the sun back home in the mountains.  Camp attracts many people with varying sunsets from all over the globe.  Wendy invited Martina, a camp counselor from Slovakia, to join her in watching the sunset across the bay.  Gotta say, what a way to cap off a day.