yes.

the best.

what a weekend. jenna and alex's wedding was absolutely spectacular-- personal, beautiful & perfect in every way. i have never cried so many tears of joy. i'm still reveling in the glow of it all, and also unwinding with a swim, thai takeout, a movie and a taste of wedding cake. congrats to you two lovebirds! check back this week to hear more. xo

summer afternoon.

incorporating camp into my summer days.

lupe and i went for an early walk in the park this morning, and we saw only a few other folks. the quiet air, chirping birds, and floor of pine needles got me thinking about camp, and about the ways i incorporate camp into my every day life-- particularly in the summer. here are just a few...

• walk in the woods regularly. enjoy the scent of pine needles and trees.
• listen for the birds, cicadas and crickets.
• hike a mountain often. preferably weekly.
• when you get too hot, go for a swim. 
• npr's the writers almanac makes for a very nice morning assembly piece. 
• enjoy the quiet moments. 
• sing when you feel like it.
• enjoy the sun shining through the trees-- it can be magical.
• play in boats.
• grilled cheese & tomato soup is always good for a rainy day. 
• bring a raincoat. 
• everything is better with a friend by your side. 

live your days.

"we are reminded how short life really is, and how we are just passing through. so, all the people you haven't told you love lately, tell them, and live your days like you mean it."

-hal sutton

thinking of colorado. xo

cape time.

last weekend i headed to the cape for a little beach relaxation and family time. as always, it was a nice little getaway. in brief: one motor boat field trip to the beach with both parents, one lobster roll, one field trip to the donut shop (an activity more valued for the tradition & company than the donut itself), one kayak adventure to the beach and back for a seal-filled stroll, a bit of sunny reading, and conversation with mom, one book finished and another started, several cocktail hours with gran and fred, and perhaps my favorite cape activity: reading and chatting on the porch with gran. 

in love.

" 'do you fall in love often?' yes often. with a view, with a book, with a dog, with a cat, with numbers, with friends, with complete strangers, and with nothing at all."

-jeanette winterson

what i learned at summer camp.

last week, vermont public radio did a feature story on summer camp! they interviewed the director of camp downer, where several of my good friends spent many of their childhood and adolescent summers, as well as  child psychologist michael thompson.

if you know only a few things about me, you probably know how much my summers at aloha camp meant to me and influenced the person i have developed into today. i commented on the story, and my post was shared on air!

you can listen to the piece on vpr here. enjoy!

inch by inch, row by row.

look at our garden grow!

sailing.

last monday, i got to enjoy a beautiful night on the lake with the finest of company. last summer we took jenna out for a sail and had no wind! we floated, swam, and feasted on the lake with the sails up, but we were hardly moving. this time, we got great wind and great weather! kicking off the week like this was such a treat.

steamboat.

i love vermont, and i especially love summer in vermont. but steamboat in the summertime was also magical, and there are a few things that i miss about it-- the free concert series, hiking in the zirkels or up mt. werner, grilling at 466 cherry, and bike parades with my friends. oh, and the beauty? yup, i miss that too. isn't this picture stunning?

photo cred: erin mcdaniel media

to schmeltz:

happy high five friday!

 

to the beach.

this afternoon i'm headed down to the cape for a long weekend. i can't wait to swim in the ocean, enjoy the beach, kayak around the coves, and read on the porch with gran.

on the lake.

my dad's cousins have a camp in new hampshire that has been in the family since the 1920's. it's a special spot that used to be the location of many family gatherings. my dad and his cousins organized a little dodd reunion, so we headed over there for the weekend. we determined that i hadn't been there in 22 years! so many of my second cousins were new friends for me, but there were also some familiar faces with my dad's sister and her kids coming up from connecticut. it was a wonderful day of reconnecting, feasting, swimming & boating. what a treat.

2,190 days of b & e.

(that's six years, in case you didn't want to do any math today.)

keep your head up.

lupita turns one.

today our little lupe girl is one year old. she still seems like a little baby to me most of the time, but we have also seen her grow, calm down & figure out the ways of a dog's life. she was twelve little pounds of black hair & ears when we rescued her nine months ago- today she is 51 pounds of muscle, with plenty of hair & still those big floppy ears. for a girl who never wanted a dog, i sure do love miss lupita. she warms my heart with every little wiggle, nuzzle, sprint or trick. together, we sleep, we bike, we walk, we climb mountains, and we play with friends. lu gets me outside more often, makes me laugh, and cheers me up. i look forward to getting home each day for her full body wag, thumping tail and excited little whimpers. cliche as it sounds, i can't imagine life without her now that we have her. all of those things people say about unconditional love, dogs being man's best friend... it turns out they are pretty darn true. i have said to brett that i now wish that people had tails, so that you could clearly see how excited they were to see you. lu's little "thump thump thump" when she sees me is so heartwarming, and her love is evident. people can be too good at masking their enthusiasm. if my friends had tails, my heart would be warm all of the time! here are some pics of lu's first year, and here's hoping for many, many years with this sweet girl.

all there is.

"live with intention.

walk to the edge.

listen hard.

practice wellness. play with abandon.

laugh.

choose with no regreat.

continue to learn.

appreciate your friends.

do what you love.

live as if this is all there is."

-mary anne radmacher

bikes & hikes.

as i mentioned, it was a great holiday this week. i celebrated by riding in the montpelier parade with the ORS crew and enjoying some festivities around town. on the 4th we headed towards stowe for a hike up part of mount mansfield, with two stops on the way home: first a river swimhole, and then at ben & jerrys for cones. 

it is a good day when brett, lu & i respectively get to see alex, od & jen. it is a great day when all six of us get to play together. this holiday was a great one!