Summer 2004

Summer. My favorite season of the year. I know. More people like autumn more with it's crisp days and cool nights and colorful leaves. My problem with autumn is the leaves. I have many mature oak trees that seem to all lose there leaves at once.

 

But I digress. This is a post about summer. I love the long days and short nights. I even like the hot days and warm nights. I can do without the humidity though. I love wearing shorts and t shirts every day. No need  for sweaters or jackets.

 

I usually start each day with a wake up bark from my dog Zoey the minute it starts getting light, which is around five thirty during the summer. I get up and feed her and open the doors so she can go out. I can do that since it's usually warm enough on summer mornings. I then go back to bed and Zoey will let herself back in when she's ready.  After going back to sleep I get up for the second time. It's time for breakfast which usually consists of cereal and a bagel or eggs and a bagel and orange juice. Zoey is always right beside me as I eat waiting for me to give her a bite. She really likes bagels and get all excited when I take them out of the toaster. After eating my breakfast I fill the bird feeders and make my coffee. I then take my coffee and cookie to the porch where I relax and watch the birds and scare away the squirrels. Zoey is there with me and for some reason she doesn't chase the squirrels. Summer sitting on the porch is the best!

 

This summer started like the summers of the past forty years. A little over forty years ago I went to Ocean Park in Maine for the first time. The whole family was there and I knew right then I found a place that I loved. So this summer wasn't any different. My kids and I rented a cottage in ocean park for the last week of June. I wasn't able to make it there last year so I was looking forward to this time even more. The week started out wet and cool. I hoped that the rest of the week was better. We all met at a restaurant in kennebunkport where we enjoyed our first taste of Maine. I had a bloody mary drink and steamers. They were delicious! After lunch we headed up to Ocean Park to check in our cottage. The cottage is pretty old being built in the late 1800's. It serves the purpose though. It has four bedrooms and a great porch. It is also close to the beach, the soda fountain and the grocery store.

The first night in Maine we all went to a Sea Dogs baseball game in Portland. Rain was forecast but it stayed dry for the entire game. Emmett had a good time and even got two souvenir balls that were thrown into the stands.

 

The rest of the week comprised of going to the beach and other activities. The water was very cold (around 59 degrees) but I did manage to go in for a quick swim. Needless to say, it was very refreshing!

 

Another activity we did was a nightly game of uno. It's very intense because the winner at the end of the week claims the uno trophy for the year. Brian and Greg usually win but this year Erica clamed the prize. Brian demanded a recount but it didn't change the results.

 

The week went by too fast as usual but I'll be there again next year. 

Father's day - 2024

 Wow! 2024. Where did the time go? Being a father has been the best part of my life. Here are a few of my memories.

Heather. She was the first. She decided that she was going to be born at three in the morning. She always has been an early bird. I got dressed and made it to Baystate in Springfield in record time. It's fortunate there weren't and police on the Mass Pike that morning. Heather was born shortly after arriving. She was a colicky baby and I spent many days and nights rocking her to sleep in my recliner. Heather thrived after that and I discovered she had a vivid imagination. She had plastic dinosaurs and other figures and she gave names to all of them. She would spend hours with them making up adventures. Heather also had a love of music at an early age which still continues today. She would sit with me listening to my albums and sometimes singing along. I still remember the words to the song "Little white duck". Her favorite albums at the time were "Peter, Paul, and mommy" by Peter, Paul and Mary and "Free to be you and me" by Marlo Thomas and friends. She was in the high school band an tried out many instruments. She tried the trombone, the trumpet, the clarinet before she settled on the saxophone.  Heather became involve in sports at an early age also which still continues today. I can remember getting hit a few times by line drives when I would pitch to her. She played field hockey, basketball and softball, her favorite sport. She continues to play softball on two teams.

 Brian. He was the second born. I believe he came in the early morning also. We arrived at the hospital and the doctor checked in and said there was still a little time to go and left. But Brian would have none of that. He decided he was coming out to the world on his time. He was delivered by the nurse before the doctor had a chance to return. Brian had a love of music too at an early age. He could really belt out the song "I just called to say I love you" by Stevie Wonder and it was his favorite record at the time. His tastes soon turned to heavier music including Def Leppard. I can remember him singing along to "Pour some sugar on it" and pretending he was the drummer. He even put one arm in a sleeve to be like the one armed drummer of the group. His love for drums continued and he took lessons and got a drum set. He was in the high school band first with the base drum (remember Heather's broken car window) and then the snare drums.  He and some of his friends started a band and practiced in my garage much to the chagrin of the neighbors. The even played at their high school graduation. Brian always loved pranks and one time made it "snow" after a concert at the high school. Brian was involved in sports also. He played soccer for several years and took up softball. He continues to play softball with his sister Heather on a team they named "Korz light".

Erin. She's the baby of the family. She wasn't like the other two and decided to be born in the afternoon. There were a few tense minutes at the time. The doctor said she was in a little distress and needed to be monitored more closely. But after a longer labor than the other two, she was born healthy and no problems. Brian was no longer the youngest of the family and for a little while he wouldn't even look at Erin. She was a good baby and she loved being with people. I have a memory of her marching in the Memorial Day parade pushing a baby in a stroller. Erin got into dance at an early age. I went to all of her recitals no matter how long they were. She also got into figure skating. I can remember watching her practice and her skating performances at a cold rink. There was traveling also to other rinks for performances. Erin had love of music too and especially like the children's duo Rosenshontz. We went to many of their concerts and I believe I still might have a couple of their cassette tape. Erin was in the high school band too where she played the flute. Erin played soccer for a few years and played field hockey in high school.

I wouldn't give up being a father for anything. It was and still is a very important of my life.  We may not have been the richest family and had to watch our money at times but we enjoyed times and had fun with what we had. All the time I spent at sporting events, concerts, recitals and other events were well worth it. I was sorry to see them all end as my three kids got older and had lives of there own. I have many other memories that I may write down before I forget them. I'm fortunate that all of them live close by and I see them at least once a week. Weekend breakfast has become a tradition except for Brian who says seven thirty is too early!