Every year since I can remember late August has evoked a kind of stagnant melancholy. The hot days start to wane, trips to the river seem less urgent, the kids are coming out of their summer stupor with the grim realization that school is right around the corner, waiting to pounce, kind of like adulthood is waiting to pounce a few years down the road. With the repeat years of experience under out belts we've gotten pretty good at planning and executing several Summer getaways per year. This year we stayed on track and got out camping four times and at least as many times again going to the river or lake with friends. Despite Covid, and with our mainly vaccinated peoples, we've managed what feels like a normal summer, a normal life. Count us among the privileged few.
Back in June I had the idea for writing Letter to Deej, a letter to Dan Jones on an audio cassette full of songs. It started as one idea but soon took on a life of it's own. Not often, but sometimes, songwriting carries you along and writes YOU instead of the other way around. The end resulting 13 songs are kind of a diary of the Cole family's early summer life, 2021:
Among the fun travels we had this Summer - hitting Jed Smith park in the Redwoods and the Smith river with friends, visiting more friends in Chiloquin, seeing the awesome Crater Lake - the most memorable was visiting the Alvord desert hot springs for the first time. Our visit coincided with the Perseid meteor shower, so we had more shooting stars and meteors than we could possibly take in, all the company of a friendly group of strangers sitting in the hot springs in the dark. The Alvord desert playa was also quite scenic and amazing. We may have let the kids drive the minivan a bit on the vast expanse, going for a new land speed record for Toyota Sienna ... or that may not have happened, perhaps I am imagining it. Pictures or it didn't happen:
The coldest swimming hole we've ever swam in on the Wood river
North fork Smith river