End of Summer

 I feel like summer just came for a few days, but we sure have enjoyed it.  

The apartment pool has been a fun place to visit, and it's nice to have it so close and usually almost empty.  One day it filled up pretty fast with several families, but as long as there aren't any big kids wanting all the room, the rest share nicely.

Elise goes sometimes by herself, not always getting in, but lying out on the chairs and soaking up the warmth.  She can get a suntan if she wants to.  I won't mention the bad effects of the sun - the age spots, the wrinkles, etc. - I think they come or not, no matter how you treat your body when you're younger.  My generation just played outdoors every day it didn't rain and stayed tan and healthy in our youth.  Later on, some people ended up with skin cancers and some didn't.  Some people wrinkle more than others.  I just don't spend much time looking in mirrors!  

I'll just download all the pictures I see of the pool.  I have to say Jennie and the new management keep it so clean and nice - just sparkling.  It's supposed to be heated, but I do hear a lot of complaining about being cold.  The sun doesn't do much warming until 2:00 or so, and then the sun drops behind the tall trees, and we're cool again.  

Yesterday I found my usual chair empty but half in the sun.  I just put a towel over my exposed arm and leaned back for a some good sun therapy.  I love it, looking up at the sky through the trees and having a cool breeze blow on my face.  Summers are really lovely here.  

Kate was perfectly happy in these pictures but within 15 minutes, she had a headache that made her cry.  I guess it was something to do with pressure and sinuses and tight goggles.  Whatever, we headed home and babied her.  Ice pack on her forehead, Children's Tylenol, a popsicle and some juice after wrapping up in a blanket.  Then Graysen took her a few snacks to feed her and my phone with cat videos, and I heard giggling pretty soon.  

This is the look when you have a sleepover and stay up all night and then get up late and decide to go swimming.  

These are some earlier pictures in my camera of other trips there.  The girls asked if we could get some diving toys, and I found two sets - some sticks and some "jewels."  They like the jewels better, but I worry that they'll conk someone on the head with them when the pool is crowded or someone will step on the pointed top.  So far, they've followed the rules really well and enjoyed them.  Earlier this week when Kate was here alone, Elise stood and tossed them in behind her, and she would dive down and get them as quickly as she could.  

They have been told sternly that they are never to be left on the floor in the apartment for us to step on either!  They aren't really as sharp as they look, but still.....

I don't have a picture of the diving sticks, but these are the ones I ordered from Amazon.  They stand on end when in the water but sink to the bottom.  They seem safer but aren't quite as much of a challenge and definitely not as pretty!

This is where you go to warm up.  It's so funny to me that a group of kids, all about the same age, will sit in there knee to knee and never say anything to the ones they don't know, even though they've been swimming alongside each other for weeks.  The mothers and grandmothers will try to initiate conversations between the kids, but they all seem pretty shy.

This is Elise's favorite section.  She reads and maybe even sleeps when she's by herself .  It's a good place to talk to people that you normally just see in passing.

Aunt CeCe trapped in the float.

I think the whole family will try to take advantage of the last days of hot weather today and tomorrow.  Then school starts on Tuesday, and that might be it!  One good thing is that those of us who want to take our coffee and sit outside can still meet inside the gates on good mornings and take advantage of the sunshine. Our porches are too cool for enjoying mornings much!

I was hoping we would have enough people who knew how to play mahjong soon, but we only have 3 at the most at the apartments.  

I have enjoyed several times of playing at the Y lately.  We get a quiet room with tables just for ourselves.  On Thursdays, I play with Sharon, Jan, and Tom, and we have gotten comfortable with each other's quirks and craziness and have a good time.  I'm not sure Tom has as good a time as his wife and her friends, but he's a good sport.  In mahjong, you can't do much chatting during the game because of having to concentrate, but we make up for it before and after, so I feel like I have 3 new friends.  I visited my old group that I played with before I broke my shoulder and had to stop playing.  A couple have moved away, but there are 3 or 4 left that I played with, and they remember me.  I don't feel like I'm back in their league yet - maybe never - but it was fun to catch up with their lives and watch them play.  

We now have 2 days a week available to play at the Y and one at the senior center, so I should get all the playing I want this fall and winter.  I still enjoy playing on line though, especially when it gets cold!  Mary plays bridge a lot so hasn't joined us, but we'll find a time when we can all get together, I'm sure.  

I want to take more pictures later, but this is just what the table looks like.  We normally have 14 tiles available on our rack and the center is full of discards.

We took a walk to the library this week, the girls and Elise and I.  We went by the UPS store to return an Amazon package, and it took all 4 of us, but we got it done.  Then we walked across the street to the library where I found a sunny corner to relax and wait.  I don't bother with looking for books much.  I just order audio ones from the available one and wait for them.  I love seeing the girls browse though.  They have so much fun.  

Here, they're reading the C encyclopedia!  

I noticed they checked it out too.  I didn't even know you could check out encylopedias, but I guess they're not quite as sacred as they used to be, with Google searches, etc.

Gray has reached 5 feet tall this summer, almost catching me.  She has that PopPop way of standing and his legs!  

Kate petitioned for a Swirl - a frozen yogurt - but I told her I didn't have enough money.  But once we went outside and it was so hot, I gave in and headed down the street instead of crossing it.  I love making them happy, even if it is just food - expensive food!  Kate asked me where I was going to get the money.  I turned my head for a minute, and she got a huge bowl of mango, vanilla, and one other flavor yogurt topped with gummy worms, and Graysen opted for a mango smoothie.  Even with my savings card that I cashed in, it was still $16.  That's why it's not an everyday treat!