It’s 90 degrees in the shade…the breeze is tropical and just yesterday I had a wool sweater on most of the day…I’m happiest laying around like a desert rat but this really is insane…I swear that at the beach even the mussels are panting…but I digress before I even start.

It’s party time again…did I mention that running a campground is like throwing your doors open for a party every weekend? But the guest list is an ever-changing mix of familiar faces and people I’ve only talked with. Memorial Day weekend is the second party of the summer…the first is Clean-up Weekend…more of a shake down.

Today all the fireplaces are lined with fresh gravel and the last piles of brush are hidden away. The picnic tables are carefully arranged like items on the shelf of a high-end boutique…evenly spaced and identical. We always anticipate a frost before Memorial Day so in spite of the record temperatures, my planters will still wait another week or so for their geraniums and cascading ivy. But the bleeding hearts have burst like fireworks and the daffodils are trying to pretend that they didn’t arrive in August…Me…I’m writing to you with my sundress on and my ice coffee swirled with heavy cream…in an hour or two the guests will start driving in and the atmosphere will shift from idyllic to celebratory.

We’re having a marshmallow welcome on the beach tonight with a big bonfire and photo ops for those who want to take the traditional swim…if there are any takers I’ll post the pictures tomorrow…the water must be at least 55 degrees by now. Tomorrow night Brian and Kris will set up their DJ equipment and we’ll have a family dance in the playground…complete with a light show, smoke and a limbo contest. It’s fun for everyone those who dance and those who sit on the sidelines and giggle.

This week brought old friends through the door. First my cousin Sarkis “dropped in” from Iowa. I come from an extended family who collect and drive cool cars and Sarkis has taken it one step further…he bought a cherry red Viper. For those of us not in the know, this is a WICKED COOL car but honestly I didn’t pay attention to the details so I’m just going to put the picture up. He waited a long time to buy it, drove the very first miles on the odometer and my eyes glazed over when he was talking about the specs. It’s pretty, fast and red and that’s good enough for me.

Dave and Pat Tyree also drove in from Georgia this week. They were seasonal guests with us for several years before they bought their own home down in Stonington. Although we don’t see them often enough for my taste, they drop in occaisionally and were an essential part of the volunteer force for Fiber College. But they refuse to settle down for any length of time…this year they’re in Stonington for two weeks before they start driving to California for a four month holiday with a variety of children and grand children…imagine owning a getaway on a tiny island in Maine and leaving it for a summer in Crazy California…somethings wrong! 🙂