This has been — without a doubt — the best summer at Camp I can remember. Even though the season was truncated, and even though our numbers decreased every week, it was more incredible than I could have ever hoped. The first two weeks, especially, were magical. We had glorious weather. Warm (sometimes downright hot) but magical. We were all together. Me, Larry, mom, dad, Elliot, Alexa, Meredith, and Ewan. And Lilly of course. We also got to see so many friends. Lori and Ronnie drove down. John and CB drove over. Elliot’s friend Ben made the trip up. Our logical (as opposed to biological) family, the Carnevales, came up for a week of games and laughs. And so many family and friends made the trip over to celebrate my dad’s 80th birthday, which turned into a gorgeous lawn party. We are truly so blessed. We even got to see lots of people who weren’t able to come to us. We made a trip north to see the Townes, the Lantheaumes, and the Wellmans. We took trips down south to see our friends Carrie and Max, for Larry to catch up with former co-workers, and for Kim to see many friends she’s known since elementary school.

An important element to this successful summer was the space available across the compound. We were never on top of each other unless we chose to be. We had Louie, the Yellow Camp (Stoneybroke), the Brown Camp (Brown J. Camp) the Hammock Haven, the beach, the Workshop, the new deck on Yellow and the large porch on Brown, where we feasted with a dozen people multiple times. And when the Carnevales swelled our numbers we even had our neighbor’s camp and beach which they rented for the week. The compound was truly vast.

Together, separately, in small groups and large, we had a blast. We had so many laughs. We had campfires on the beach. We played music, went fishing, went hiking, ate s’mores, played games, sewed, watched falling stars, ate amazing food, listened to live music, went often to the gym, went swimming, went kayaking, spent hours reading in hammocks, played Mario Kart, volunteered at the local library, had outings for ice cream and for Flatbread pizza. Mer, mom, and I went wedding dress shopping with Alexa in Portland, Maine, and had such an incredibly sweet, special day together. We got to catch up with Donnie, Vicky, and Dina Merrill on the way home, rendezvousing with them as they traveled north. Elliot and Larry hiked Mount Washington with John. Larry and Mer day tripped to coastal Maine. Me, mom, and Larry day tripped to Sanford, Maine for lobster rolls and violin repairs. Elliot, Alexa, and dad went to the races in Loudon. Kim and Elliot spent time reading poetry together. Mer went to Diana’s bath with Ewan and by herself. Mer, Larry, and I went to North Conway on Larry’s birthday. Most of us took a trip to Moulton Farms and Sculptured Rocks. We took advantage of the many runs to the airport to enjoy Boston, Cambridge, and Brookline where we visited museums, had a wedding floral consult, attended Italian festivals at the North End, vintage markets in Harvard Square, and the elephant migration down Commonwealth Ave in Back Bay.

There was a lot of coordination and organization and cooperation that went towards the season’s success. Keeping a family of eight fed and in clean clothes and with a clean kitchen, bathroom, and common living space required constant vigilance. Throw in all the additional people and it was A LOT. But many hands make light work. It was delightful to be a family of adults, each responsible and willing to help. We’ve come a long way from having to badger the children to clean up their toys. Now they are taking point on yard work, driving the tractor, helping with dump runs, and taking an interest in learning more about how the camps are run and managed. We’ve come a long way indeed.

Now they are grown and flown, living their own beautiful, full lives overseas. Ewan left after two weeks to return to his work. Elliot and Alexa left after three weeks to do the same. Tomorrow we bring Meredith to the airport so she can return to school and work. It’s been a perfect summer, but now the leaves are starting to turn, the air is becoming cooler, and fall is quickly approaching. We will forever cherish the memories we made here. Every minute we get with them is precious. But we are already looking forward to Christmas, when we all get to be together again in Florida.