I'm back at my post. May, June, July, August have slid by. Let's recap. I remember meeting up with Karen, Fede and the girls in Philly over the Memorial Day weekend. Then in June we went up to Boston for the Early Music Festival. And on the Fourth of July weekend we went to New York for a visit to the Morris-Jumel mansion in uptown (way uptown!). While we were on a roll that day, we also stopped in at the Cloisters, my first visit there. A very hot, humid day, but we persevered.
At the end of July there was Saratoga Springs, and then the Chester Poetry Conference with my 9 returning fellow poets--our third year there now, we are really plugged into each other.
We arrived in Gilmanton in early August, spent a few lovely evenings at a new place called The Landing, on Chris and Heather's property near our house, where they had cleared away vegetation at this fabulous view spot. On August 10 we all saw a lovely sunset. The next morning, Sunday, August 11, Heather had a massive heart attack and died. Our dear friend Heather. Only 63. Very hard to believe. The summer proceeded on, there was an anniversary party for Linda and Pat planned for that very evening--we all came to cheer them up but everyone was thinking of Heather. The weather was lovely for the service we held for her at Loon Pond the next weekend--even the loons showed up. We had a very nice visit with Bruce and Janet at Kittery Point on our way home.
We're back in Lawrenceville for the autumn coming up, temperature a little cooler, nice clear air. I am taking aquatic exercises at the gym, hope to get in some canal walks and bicycling. I'm also doing layout for U.S.1 Worksheets, yet another job!