The title is a bit of a tease, because there is no news. Since Robbi and the kids left Thursday morning, I have been away from my desk chair only a handful of times. I’ve taken a few runs, have eaten a few turkey sandwiches, and have made a few trips to see Doug the Baker and get my pastry fix.
Otherwise, I have been writing, editing, and planning for the fall. Among other pending developments, the launch of Bobbledy Books is nigh. I just had to look up “nigh,” fearing I might have made a promise I could not keep. But, apparently, “nigh” means only “near,” which is a sufficiently slippery term to cover various bases. When I say “nigh” I mean “within the month,” and when I say “within the month,” I mean “surely before Thanksgiving.”
Since a comprehensive description of my current activities would be so dull as to make you fall asleep, I will return to the rich trove of photos from Alaska, which I have been saving for this inevitable dry spell in actual intrigue.
So what I can I tell you about Alaska? In many ways we lack the usual amenities. There are no roads, no public utilities, and no stores on our side of the river. On the home front, we don’t have electricity unless we turn the generator on. We do have running water, but we pump it from large plastic totes we fill up from our neighbor’s well. And we do not have a bathtub.
And so. Kato had to bathe in the sink.
If he was a normal-sized child this might not work as well. But as far as he is concerned, it works just fine.
Seeing Kato thus engaged, Alden demanded to bathe in the sink as well. Her slightly larger frame did present a bit more challenge.
But she managed to make it work.
And August? August was no trouble at all.
Though he definitely preferred being in the warm water to being out of it.
Moments later, he was bundled and happy again.
It is always a treat to spend the heart of summer in a place where we could put on sweaters and wool caps. Apparently we missed a 108 degree day back in Chestertown.
I can tell you I did not miss it at all.
Back to my writing for now. There are plenty more pictures to share.
