Where Did Summer Go?!?

As usual, when I am busy doing interesting things, I don't have time to post to the blog. Though, this past month it was more about not having Internet access for long periods of time. Which means that I have a lot of blog reading to catch up on. In terms of writing, I'm going to sum up for you in photos some of my summer highlights that have not been mentioned yet.

Julian's Visit
He spent over three weeks with us in Maine during June/July. It was a really fun, exhausting visit. We did a lot- camping, canoeing, Funtown, the beach, the children's museum, soccer, baseball, mini-golf, bocci ball, kickball, swimming, jungle gyms...

Woodland, Maine
I already mentioned my spoiled weekend in Woodland, but I don't believe I mentioned the motorcycle ride. Behind my Uncle Dick you can just barely make me out there under a helmet and a little leather.

My New Green Pot
That would be a Le Crueset oval dutch oven, thank you very much. As a gift for successfully completing my oral qualifying exams this spring, Juan generously offered to buy me "whatever I wanted." He was thinking a beautiful dress or a nice piece of jewelery-I told him I wanted a pot. A bit taken aback, he reluctantly agreed, on the condition that when I tell people about the gift, I am crystal clear that he did not just go out and buy his wife a pot, but rather he merely acquiesced to her bizarre wishes. Duly noted for the record.

Spain: Biduiera
I have to write more about Biduiera in another post. This is the small Galician town of Juan's father. The first weekend of August celebrates the town's patron saint and all his brothers and sisters and their families come from all over Spain. It's a magical place, so I'll save more details and pictures for a post solely dedicated to it.

Winona Floods
While this cannot qualify as a "highlight" of the summer, it's the biggest news our town has seen in a while. The day after we arrived back in town, Southeastern Minnesota saw some unusually heavy rainfall, causing roads, bridges, and railroad tracks to be washed out. Along the bluffs were deadly mudslides and some of our neighboring towns had to be evacuated. Luckily for us, Winona city proper was mostly undisturbed. (You can see an exception above- taken only a couple of blocks from our house. A click to enlarge the photo will reveal cars almost completely submerged under water). In the car on the way home, I had excitedly planned to spend the weekend biking a trail that has since been completely washed out, rollerblading a path that is still under water, and hitting some golf balls at an indefinitely-closed golf course. Compared to what so many people around here are dealing with, however, my upset plans and inconveniences are null.

Today, incidentally, marked another type of "flood" into town- the college students are back. There is not a parking spot in sight within a half-mile radius of campus, and the streets are teeming with them and their families as dorm rooms are filled with plastic fans, shower caddies, hot pots, cheesy posters and that most ubiquitous of dorm accessories: the lava lamp. I am not kidding, I actually saw someone carrying one INTO the building this afternoon.