Treasure hunting

It’s felt like a bit of a gamble buying a car in the budget that we planned- the cars are old and have plenty of miles on them. Holding thumbs the old girl we chose (a 2007 Volvo XC90) takes us on some fun trips to explore this beautiful country. 

This weekend we are planning to go camping in Vermont. We brought over the bare minimum camping kit and we aren’t exactly experienced campers, but let’s see how it goes. I will remember to pack bug spray; sat outside for a few moments last night and was eaten alive by mosquitoes. The heat is unbearable, the real-feel temperature with humidity yesterday was 40 degrees.

Theo is emotionally labile and has been super sensitive the last few days. My easier-to-read kid. Makes sense, a lot of change, missing the dogs, and he is probably not getting enough sleep (early riser!). I think the summer camp is also a bit of a stretch for him, he's one of the youngest. Right now though, he is super happy, has found a little friend and is soaking wet after some fun in the sprinklers. A lot of hugs needed.

Iris spends a lot of time with dogs in the dog park. She has made a list of the frequent-flyers’ names and ticks them off on a register. The dog owners seem happy to talk to her for ages; I’m sure they all know about Wilbur and Emmet. Iris, as usual, amazes me with her resilience and her old-soul way of being in the world. 

Both kids have started keeping a beady eye out on the sidewalks for discarded furniture. We picked up two great dining room chairs yesterday. There’s a culture of leaving stuff on the sidewalk and hoping that someone who needs it will pick it up. 

My work is due to start on Monday. Daunting, but exciting too. The daunting part is how we will juggle childcare with work, I don’t know how Americans do it for this 3-month summer holiday. 

Yesterday I took a ride on my bike to explore the inner city and went to an enormous Barnes and Noble bookshop. I loved the graffiti of the birds and the huge water feature in between the dense urban buildings (pics below). The bookshop was ok, I felt it was lacking in character and places to sit and read. The book selection was also nothing special, will stick to the more quirky ones I've found.  I passed the modern art museum, will go there soon.

kA