August! Where did it go?

Why do I say this every month? I've really been dragging my heels on August because I do NOT want the summer to go. I love early summer mornings when we walk through the neighborhood and feel the freshness of a brand-new day with so much promise. I love the long summer evenings and I love going to sleep with the crickets chirping out our bedroom window. I love it that every one has a little more freedom from school and work schedules and we can get together more often. I love the summertime.

The special memories for this August were:
Our Alaska cruise with Dave and Sandy and the kids. We were blessed with perfect weather and almost every experience and excursion was beyong our expectations. Seeing the whales bubble feed was awesome---maybe a highlight for me. I was prepared to be happy to just get a glimpse of a tail or two flipping above the water. Watching the salmon struggle to swim up stream was so interesting and heart rending, too. We just wanted to get in there and help them, they were struggling so hard to fight the current and the waterfalls that kept knocking them back down. We also saw beautiful long haired white mountain goats and got a quick glimpse of a cute little black bear trying to get across the road.
Just being with Dave and Sandy and the kids was a treat. Darin beat the ship's ping pong champion, and Doug and Dave won in a doubles tournament with Susan Easton Black and her son, John (the "former" champion before he played Darin). Eating dinner with the Brinley boys was an experience. Those three put away more food in one meal than I thought possible. They ordered two of every course---appetizer, salad, (I think they skipped the soup course) the entre, and dessert (including cheesecake). And later they'd order room service for more food! They certainly got their money's worth. I think they had a good time.
It was fun to have Dawna with us for Education Week. Doug had to speak every night until 9:30---the last speaker on the program. His classes were full anyway. Dawna left the house at the crack of dawn and didn't appear again until after Doug's last class. She said it was the best week of the year.
Our Brinley Birthday Bash was a Blast! Well, maybe blast is a little strong but it made a good whatever that is when all the words start with the same letter, and it was fun. For those Brinley birthday babies who weren't there, namely Terri, Dave, Parker, and Buddy (yes, Buddy's birthday is August 20th), we went swimming at the Scera Pool until they kicked everybody out for a private party and we had to throw our gear (and some of the children) over the fence and set up our picnic in the park. It's always fun to be together, no matter what the occasion.
We have a week of August left and though I have nothing really special planned I intend to enjoy every day of it whatever I'm doing. Doug has BYU faculty meetings, etc. (which includes a golf tournament for some of the religion department and a hike to the "Y" for me and some of the non-golfers. No Homestead sleep over this year. (sad) Somebody higher up got wind of all the fun we were having getting ready for the new year and put the cabosh on the religion faculty annual retreat. Good thing we're leaving after this year. Things just aren't the same anymore.