Just a little bit more summer

Fall is happening, and I am over the moon about it. So many of my favourites happen in the fall (Rosh Hashanah, Thanksgiving, Halloween, my birthday (!), wool, cool air, pumpkins, back-to-school) that this time of year makes my heart burst. The official start of the season is this week, and I thought I would offer just one more shout out to summer. The end of our summer found us heading north to the camp of some very good friend. They offered us a trailer to rest in (since camping in tents isn't quite Matt's thing, or in his words, the next time I'll sleep in the great outdoors is when I'm buried in the ground. Charming, isn't he?) and were the loveliest of hosts.

I met my friend Liz at a mom and baby yoga class when Alyce was six weeks old. We were living in the west end of Toronto, and I was feeling a bit isolated after having a new baby in the deep of winter. I remember stuffing Alyce into the biggest snowsuit I could find and heading to a class where I hoped to reacquaint myself with my body, and just maybe meet some new friends. It was one of my better decisions. A whole group of us ended up getting along and meeting once a week to walk around the park, but even better than that was my getting to know one woman in particular, Liz and her baby Simon. Simon had me at hello, and Liz and I immediately hit it off. We were both in some relationship with academia, we both enjoyed good food and good coffee, and as it turns out now, we both want to be midwives. Liz is currently breaking ground as a midwifery student in Toronto, and she's keeping a place warm for me.

Like I said, Liz was a good decision. Have I ever mentioned that she flew to Delaware with a four-month-old baby to be there with me when Shira was born? Yeah, she's that kind of person. It turns out that she's also the camping kind of person, and I'm so glad we took her up on the offer to join them for a night at camp. Liz, along with her husband Chris, introduced the girls to their first lake, their first campfire, and most importantly, to their first roasted marshmallows. It was lovely.

This has been a strange summer. I thought I'd be working, getting used to a new job, but instead I found myself looking for work all summer long, without any success. But with this unexpected time has come extra visits with good friends, and I'm always grateful for that.

P.S. If anyone is interested, Alyce's ruby red sparkling camping shoes are available at Target. Oh, Target, I miss you so.

Photos by Chris.