August was a lovely month. I started in Pennsylvania, zoomed through Vermont & New Hampshire, enjoyed a brief stay in Maine, lingered in Massachusetts, then started over again: back to PA, then MA, now Maine. Camping was lots of driveways — both old friends and new — but also a state park, an Army Corps of Engineers park, and a national forest, all of which were lovely. If I had to pick a favorite of the campgrounds, it would be the ACoE park, Winhall Brook, in the Green Mountain National Forest of Vermont. Such a beautiful place. I’d love to go back there someday and stay for a while. Oh, and a KOA, where I finally got to take advantage of all the amenities — the swimming pool, the trampoline, even the tetherball. And the camp store for ice cream and candy. Summer fun at its best!

August also included much, much good food. Most of it seafood, but I would be hard-pressed to decide which of the many fish I ate was most delicious. This week included a lobster pad thai and some incredible sea scallops, but the cod Barbara cooked in Rockport also leaps to mind. I think of cod as a “sure, fine, it’s okay” sorta fish, but Barbara turned it into a “wow, delicious” fish — flaky and smooth and flavorful. On the other hand, the sea scallops Deb cooked last night were probably the best sea scallops I’ve ever had and I already like scallops a lot. Decisions, decisions. I’m not going to make one, just going to be grateful as I appreciate the memory of all my delicious meals!

August also included lots of people. I’m not going to make any effort at all to pick a favorite visit, but when I someday reread this post, I think the things I’d most like to remember are looking at family pictures and reading my grandmother’s scrapbook with my aunt & niece; mini-golf & ice cream with my niece and nephew; and yesterday’s kayaking on the river with Deb and Zelda. Zelda was a reasonably good kayaking companion — she only jumped in the water once, we didn’t overturn the kayak, and there was more tail-wagging than whimpering. Actually, there was no whimpering at all, which is a good sign for my September plans of kayaking regularly. Of course, now that I’m thinking back, I’m remembering lots of other random fun moments, too, but that’s what happens when you have a lovely, busy, sociable summer month.

Looking through my photos of the month made me realize that it really took me far too long to figure out that I had dog spit on my camera lens. They’re all blurry and diffused. But here’s one of the prettiest sunrise I saw, taken on the one night I spent at the garden house. It doesn’t do the sky justice, but it was a gorgeous morning.

Wow, and I just remembered that August also included a quick visit with R and M! And a visit with Pam and her daughter at a highway rest stop in New Hampshire. Sitting around a huge campfire at the Travato meetup. Zelda playing with her toys again. Oscar, stealing my phone. Video games with my nephew. Early morning walks in Rockport. Yeah, it was a good month.