the summer i turned busy

 I look forward to summer break with the innocence of a child.  I daydream of sleeping later, waking without an alarm, having long, luxuirous days of sunshine on a beach and having zero responsibilities.

I'm old enough to know better, but as the spring semester started to wind down and classes ended, I had these fantastic visions of a carefree summer.  Yeah, so here's what happened instead...

As is the case with many public art projects, approvals and schedules do not always work well with the school calendar.  MG and I had been working on a project that didn't get started before classes ended, so we just kept working in the studio after the semester ended.

I got the pleasure of helping Katherine deliver her solo exhibit to the Spartanburg County Public Library Headquarters in April.  It was such a great exhibit featuring all of her recent, amazing steel sculptures.  There was even a very cool 2D component she didn't quite have time to set up.  Looking forward to seeing that in the future.  So proud of her.

MG and I had to take a field trip to Highlands, NC to pick up our sculptures from the Emergence exhibit at The Bascom.  Always up for a fun adventure, we took a thrift tip from Zach and ended up trying on fur coats.

My on-campus Starbucks friends kept kidding with me about not having a summer break because I kept coming back after the semester ended.  Each time I vowed to not see them again until August.  They laughed each time and said "We'll see you tomorrow!".  Eventually I was right and now I miss them.  

But I wasn't right yet.  I walked into the Sculpture studio to grab something and was stopped in my tracks by the emptiness.  That's where Dae Dae and MG lived for a few years.  Absence is always stunning.  I missed them already.

But even though MG's stuff was gone, I still had MG for another day, working on the public sculpture project.

But then she cut out for a summer job in Georgia and left Blue and me to install these by ourselves.  This is the site of the old textile mill in Nintey Six, SC.  This is the old turnstile used by workers to enter the mill each day.  MG and I created two period costumed textile workers for the memorial site.  Once this was finished in late May, my trips to Greenwood were over for the summer.  

While I don't get the romantic version of summer break I dream of during the spring, summer does come with it's inevitable perks.  Waking without an alarm on most days, and spending quality time with my army of hummingbirds are two of my favorites.

I also prefer to run in daylight so I can see the wildlife around me and not trip over roots in the dark.  I really love my running time every day and summer usually allows me to run with things other than school on my mind.  It's nice.  Sure, it's hotter and sweatier, but I would still choose to run in daylight.

And when I thought I was done driving to school for summer, I did make one last trip to give a public art tour to the SC Arts Commission.  This was a fun morning of sharing my students' art and our vision for public art.  Lots of fun and well worth getting up early and running in the dark.  This was my last trip to Greenwood.  Ish.  (I did drive back for the BBQ Festival, but how could I not?)

Another thing I look forward to with romantic zeal is having more time to make art.  My dreams of making a whole new body of drawings and sculptures started out pretty strong because I had so many exhibits on the horizon for summer.  I felt the pressure to make a lot of new work and I did create a ton of new drawings.  So after sleeping until 7 or 8 am, I would run, have coffee and then sit at my drawing table for a few hours listening to music or podcasts.  Some days I did this until dinner time.  

I got into several exhibits for summer.  Some of these I had a few months to prepare for and some happened a bit more quickly.  One of these meant taking a day trip to Charleston to deliver a drawing.  Summer often means me taking some solo art trips.  This is more time listening to music or podcasts and sometimes some exploring.  I get to Charleston pretty often so it's not so much exploring as it is trying to decide which of my favorite places I have time to visit.

One of the biggest summer events is our family beach vacation.  This is probably my biggest personal reset of the year.  I get a week of waking up when I want, which for some reason, is usually around sunrise at the beach.  That's too early normally, but I don't complain about the running views.

In fact, I don't complain about much of anything on vacation.  If we get sunlight, I'm happy.  We spend our days on the sand and our afternoons and evenings looking for food and adventures.  

We got to kayak in the open ocean a couple of times, I got my warm, buttery lobster rolls and my balcony coffee.  We could have complained about our dogs getting really sick at home and G having to go back home in the middle of the week to take them to the vet and get medicines but we didn't.  We were just glad the dogs were ok and that the dogsitter didn't quit on us.  

Violet and I left vacation but didn't go home.  Instead, we drove really early to the Isle of Palms for a sand sculpture contest.  We met Cathryn and Elena and their parents there and spent a few hours working in the hot sun.  We won an award, got our prizes, ate some lunch, and then parted ways.  

The next day we realized we were all still hanging out in Charleston separately.  Cathryn and Elena got caught in the rain.

And Violet and I ducked into the Visitors Center and had a guy draw our portraits while we waited for the rain to clear.  Then we walked to our favorite Cafecito for Cuban coffee and empanadas.  When we realized C and E were still around, we invited them to the art reception we were staying for that afternoon.  

Elena and her mom had just left to go home but Cathryn and her parents were staying another night so they all met us there.  We got to make fun photos with the art.  

Then Violet and I got to return home and we had what was probably the "intermission" of my summer.  The first act was over and we had about three weeks to prepare for the next really busy time of being gone and doing things.  So while I worked to finish drawings and begin planning for exhibits, we also got to meet Donovan and his family for coffee.  Donovan is now a PUBLISHED poet with his book coming out soon.  His family is adorable.  They're based in Nashville, so it's a treat to get to coffee with him.

The dogs always provide a smile in my day.  Walter is a happy menace and Timmy loves to hate him.  This was a rare moment of both dogs coexisting on top of some freshly dried running socks.  They love laundry.

Being at home around sunset is also a nice summer thing.  We often have dinner after cross country practice and then we're mostly done for the evening.  The sky gets a little weird some nights while we eat and we all head outside to see if the sky is pretty.  Much of June and July, it was pretty and worth the trip outside.

One of those intermission days, I got to help Katherine uninstall her solo exhibit and transport her work back home.  It was nice to catch up on what had already been a busy summer for us both.  

I also got two drawings into the "Everything But The Kitchen Sink" exhibit in Los Angeles.  This is one of my favorite exhibits in such a cool gallery.  This year, Molly, who lives down the street from the gallery, was able to go to the reception and she sent me some photos.  

This was the sunset she saw on her walk back home.  

I also got to spend some time with my blooms this summer.  I love flowers and really love the ones that grow without a lot of help or input from me.  I just get to enjoy them.  

The summer drawing schedule doesn't require me to work late into the night.  This freed me up to watch some TV.  Most nights after dinner, you can find the kids and me watching at least one show together.  G will stay if it's not something completely silly.  Some nights Violet and I play music together.  Then, after everyone disperses to their own areas for the night, Timmy and I will find something to watch.  Nevaeh had me watching some horror movies this summer but between those, I got to watch The Righteous Gemstones and Vice Principals.  That's when I caught the briefest glimpse of one of my outdoor sculptures in a scene with Walter Goggins at Riverfront Park.

The craziest of crazy things happened.  My friend Creighton is in a band and when I saw they were coming to the Peace Center in Greenville, about 30 minutes from my house, I marked the calendar.  When Violet and I went to the will-call both, the lady handed us tickets and two stickers that gave us backstage access after the show.  We were stunned.  We enjoyed the concert (where I saw a couple of Lander colleagues nearby and at least three former students) and we sat beside a lady who befriended Violet and started showing her photos of her boyfriend who was also the lead singer.  After the show, we got to hang out with the band backstage where it was painfully obvious that we were not cool enough to be having this experience.  Creighton is an amazing person and friend.  Such a cool night.

I also got into another exciting exhibit in Atlanta at Kai Lin Gallery.  I was really happy about this one too.  

In addition to running, I also do weekly PiYo, a combination of Pilates and Yoga.  This really helps my back flexibility and strength and I also think it makes me faster as a runner.  I know it's a weird zen diagram to be a fitness person who is also a creative, but when your creative process involves a lot of strength and movement, I think it's crucial to good health and longevity.  And since this summer was so busy, that leads us out of intermission and into the second act.

As I've detailed here recently, I left in the middle of July for a week long stay in Summerville, SC to install three exhibits at Public Works Art Center.  This included a string of very long days going up and down a ladder, carrying art around, crawling around on the concrete floors and engaging my brain almost every hour I was awake and some of the hours I was supposed to be sleeping.  

You can find details about that trip over there in the margin or by scrolling down to earlier entries.  But the end result was wonderful.  I'm very happy with all three exhibits and I hope you get to experience them in person.  Shows end September 6.  

As soon as I got home from Summerville, it was time to put all my energy into the Summer Studio Sale.  

That week was a blur, but apparently I got it all done with some help and the sale went great.  I got up the nerve to do my first temporary tattoos with the cool pens.

This was a huge step for me.  I've had these pens for years (literally) without getting up the courage to open them and draw on anyone.  Thinking about my current body of drawings and interests, I joke with myself that eventually I'll just be drawing on humans instead of wood, I'm just not sure if that's a joke anymore.  

Anyway, so that was crazy and busy and fun, but then in just a few more days, I had to load up for my next trip.  Once the car was loaded, I went to see Ryan Adams in Greenville.  It was great.  Loved it.  

Then I got up early the next morning to run and then drive to Chapel Hill, NC to install "Phoebe" for the UPROAR! Festival of Public Art.  

I had to be around for a few days and you can read all about that in an earlier post as well, but I got to see some art.

I got to be in a puppet parade that I didn't design.

And I got to see Kathe and Tom, two of my living heroes.  

Our end of summer family vacation turned into G just going to Charleston alone and allowing me to drive down after my stay in Chapel Hill.  In my head it was just a little drive down I-95.  On my map it was more like a 5 hour drive down I-95, mostly in the rain.  

But who doesn't love Charleston?  Even in the rain.  The weather kept it cooler than it's ever been in Charleston in August and I won't complain about not being immediately drenched in sweat 5 seconds after walking outside.  I will complain about my shoes and socks getting wet, but that was just one day so it was fine.  We had a nice trip and ate so much good food.  I had to run a lot extra to make up for that eating, but all worth it.  

On my Summerville trip, I was inspired by two friends who spent every evening outside on their front porch.  To a Southerner, that sounds romantic until you factor in humidity, heat, sweat and mosquitos.  These friends seemed to have found the cheat code and that was a big fan.  I decided to give it a try and I ended up finding my new favorite summer thing.  Porch sitting.  Some of my summer days and nights were so busy that this happened at 11:30pm with a hot tea.  Other times it was just after dinner with a refreshing drink.  Some nights I chose the porch over TV.  I did get some mosquito bites, but with the weird weather lately, I also spent some of those nights in front of the fan wearing a hoodie.  And when I could keep the phone out of my hand during this sacred time, it was all the more relaxing.

These are the Superfriends according to the group chat name in my phone and based on my experiences with them over the last 15 years.  We've trauma bonded together as first year Lander-ites, traveled the world together as pals, and been through all sorts of adulting decisions, twists and turns.  Our latest obsession is watching Sean turn his historic home into a Disney-level experience and talking for hours in his kitchen and dining room.  I love them so much.  We got to all hang out at the end of summer and it was such a great way to end act two.  

Let me be clear, it is NOT cool to talk to a teacher about "being ready for school to start back" while it is still summer.  As a rule, we are not ready, nor do we want to talk or think about school until the day we are forced to by a contract or teaching schedule.  I say that as a teacher who LOVES to teach and absolutely ADORES his students.  Still, I NEED my summer.  At the end (or honestly, the middle) of the spring semester, my batteries were depleted.  I finished the semester on fumes and desperately needed some time to recharge and become a human again.  

One side of my brain says it would have been nice to rest more and not have such a full schedule all summer.  The other side says, "Dude, don't be stupid, you had so many wonderful opportunities and experiences this summer."  And yeah, that side is correct.  I'm so grateful for all of the opportunities to show art, make art and travel this summer.  Sometimes I have a moment of realizing that I'm experiencing a thing that some artists go their whole lives/careers without experiencing.  Not only that, but I get to do that in an interesting calendar balance while also getting to teach art to the coolest students.  So here I am on August 12, knowing that my contract officially starts on August 15 and I'm kinda, sorta, missing my students and my classes and feeling like it's about time to get back to the fall semester.  I'm not "ready to go back" but I'm getting there fast.  

the summer of blue and violet

In the years since I started getting to have a summer break, the kids and I have had a lot of interesting summer themes.  We had the Summer of Waterfalls when we visited over 30 waterfalls in the region, the Summer of Free when we did as many free things as possible all summer and I had a Summer of Beaches when I spent more of my summer on the beach than I did at home.  All good times.

Now that the kids are older, we don’t really plan any sort of summer theme.  They’re not really too cool for it, but as a family, we’re probably a little too busy for it.  They’ve become protective of their limited days “off” and I’ve been busier than ever with art activities and professional development.  This means fewer cool hiking trips or kayaking days.  

Still, I couldn’t have planned a more enjoyable summer than the one we accidentally created this year.

TV

Last year, Violet and I started watching TV together almost every night for an hour.  I do not normally watch TV at all but I knew this was important so I made time for it.  For the entire time we did this, Blue would be upstairs in his room during our TV time.  We would ask him to join us but he had no interest in watching the goofy shows we were into and while he will watch TV occasionally late at night, he rarely watches TV and NEVER watches movies.  

There are no bed times in summer so Violet had more time for TV beginning in June.  This meant we watched a few movies or binged more episodes of our shows.  We caught Blue one night before he went up to his room and invited him to watch a movie with us.  The movie was a silly one I knew he would enjoy called “Cocaine Bear”.  It took some doing, but we got him to watch with us and we all laughed together for an hour and a half.  He told us about some shows we needed to watch and soon we had him watching TV with us most nights.  We watched some good shows but the really wonderful thing about this was all three of us being in the same room every night with nothing in particular to do.  Watching TV in modern times really means having the TV on while you ramble around on your phone or have side conversations about what you’re watching.  This was kind of magical with a rising 9th grader and a rising senior and some nights we even got G to watch with us for a while before her bedtime.  I understand that our family isn’t like a lot of families, but from what I understand, this kind of time together is rare.  This may have been my favorite thing about this summer.

Goodwill

I have always included Blue and Violet in the Summer Studio Sales.  They always get the behind-the-scenes view of what it takes to have a sale in your home, but they also get some experience in thinking of what to make and how to market that to people.  It’s also a way to interact and have things in common.  This year Violet took the knowledge and experience she gained from making bracelets for the Taylor Swift concert and she applied that to making even cooler bracelets for the sale.  This was an activity she could do during TV time each night.  Blue has been into vintage clothing for a while and he decided he was going to try to sell vintage and pre-loved clothing at the sale.  This meant we all took a lot of trips to Goodwill stores together and separately.  Some days the three of us would load up and head to Goodwill as a destination.  Some days we’d try to find one in whatever city or town we were near.  Each trip was a group effort when it came to looking for cool stuff.  Violet, honestly, shopped for herself mostly, but occasionally offered a great find to Blue for his collection.  I was also shopping for myself in the tshirt section, but even I found a few things Blue deemed cool enough for his racks.  We even made a trip to Greenwood mostly just to let him look through the big Goodwill there.  When we arrived, the store was repainting walls and they had removed all of the tshirts.  What a bummer.  We did go back a few days later which provided more time with Blue and Violet.

Running

In 8th grade Blue made the choice to join the Cross Country team.  He hated running with a passion but he fell in love with the team.  Last year he decided there was nothing worth running and training in the summer heat and he dropped out of the team.  He still did discus and shotput at Track and Field, but he claimed he’d never run again.  Meanwhile, Violet kept running and kept getting faster.  She ran Track again last season and really only took a few weeks off from training between the end of Track and the beginning of summer conditioning for Cross Country.  

I go to Cross Country practice during the summer and when I’m not at school during the season and I always run with the team when I’m there.  I enjoy running and I like getting the extra miles and running in different places.  When both kids started Cross Country, I ran with them so they wouldn’t be alone or unsafe in public places.  Because I’m a dad, it was hard to keep my mouth shut when I didn’t think they were running fast enough or trying hard enough.  Both kids helped me learn to shut up and run.  They ran better when I was some distance away and not saying anything.  Apparently my kids are stubborn and don’t like people telling them what to do.  No idea where that kind of trait comes from.

Finally understanding this, I didn’t say much to Blue about coming back to run for his senior year.  Other Cross Country parents would mention it when they saw him and he would dismiss their comments with humor.  He was going to the gym regularly and I knew he sometimes did some treadmill work there.  This summer I overheard him talking about the possibility of running.  I was hopeful but I tried not to say anything.  One evening I turned into the driveway and saw someone running on my trail.  It was Blue.  I pretended not to see and tried to mind my business.  Soon he was having more regular conversations about when he thought he might rejoin the team…as if it was just a thing that had been decided and everyone knew about it.  

He's smart.  He hates summer running and he planned his return to be as late as possible without missing camp and still hopefully having enough time to train to make the team’s maximum 5K time.  I told him I was thrilled that he had decided to run again but there’s no way I adequately communicated exactly how thrilled I am.  

The last half of summer included long drives to Cross Country practice three or four days each week with both Blue and Violet.  The 30 minute commute provided lots of extra conversation time them.  And I got to run with them!  At a comfortable distance, of course, and with my mouth shut as much as possible.  It was great.

Near Death Experience

Trauma bonding is fun.  The kids might say that our commutes to and from Cross Country practice had more to do with Stockholm Syndrome than spending quality family time together, but either way, I’ll take it.  We had some funny talks on those drives but sometimes we just listened to music or they scrolled while I drove.  

This week we loaded ourselves in the FJ for a longer than usual drive to a more distant running trail for Cross Country practice.  We knew storms were predicted but it was sunny and calm at home so we drove north.  About 20 miles up the interstate the sky had darkened considerably.  There was no wind or rain but it was really dark.  This was a quiet time in the car.  Violet was watching something with headphones in.  Blue had addressed the darkness of the sky but was quietly scrolling on his phone.  Then there was a white flash, an immediate CRACK sound and wind like it came from a shockwave.  It looked and sounded like we exploded.  I looked in the rear view mirror and every car and truck behind us had slowed down and put on their hazard lights.  We were shocked.  Well not literally but something had definitely happened.  

The kids never want to miss a practice but Blue’s first words were, “we’re going home”.  Ok, maybe not his FIRST words, but definitely his third, fourth and fifth words.  I asked what the heck just happened and continued to slow down.  The wind was strong now and rain had started.  Everyone behind us still had their hazard lights on and were creeping along.  We were at an exit so I pulled off and headed for the closest gas station.  Blue and I got out and glanced at the exterior of the car.  Everything looked fine.  We were even more puzzled.  We figured if we got hit by lightning, we’d be dead or the car would at least be scorched.  In the couple of seconds we were out of the car looking, there were maybe three lightning strikes nearby and the gas station’s power went out.  We jumped back in the car.  Blue said again that we were going home.  

At that moment Violet got an email from the coach saying that practice was still on.  The timing was perfectly hilarious.  I thought we’d sit there and let the storm pass and then continue on to practice.  The storm would likely be over by the time we got there anyway.  I just couldn’t shake the idea that something had happened, not just near us, but TO us on the interstate.  I got out again and walked to the front of the car.  That’s when I saw that the little metal piece above my windshield was missing.  Gone.  Like, blown off.  How does that happen?  

Blue and Violet got out to see the damage.  The sky was still flashing with lightning so we all jumped back in and decided we were going home.  We briefly entertained the idea of driving back through to see if we could find the missing piece of my car but the storm was now so bad, we just wanted to get back home alive.  

The line of storms had not yet reached our house and we were all still trying to figure out what had happened.  All of us Googled "lighting striking cars" and we all got different information.  Some cars get fried.  Some get the paint scorched off.  Some cars have no damage at all.  We were all amped up as the storm rolled into our territory back home, so we kept recounting what we experienced.  All evidence pointed to us either being hit by lightning or driving directly through a lightning strike.  Either way, my car was maimed and we were all a little freaked out.  

When the storm passed our house, Blue went out for his run to stay on schedule.  I stood on the front porch with hummingbirds zipping all around me watching the sky for lightning while he ran.  The air was rain-cooled and there was a nice breeze.  It was one of those moments where it's easy to be grateful and I suddenly realized I had a wonderful summer.

a busy summer part 6: the end

We were home for 4 nights after vacation before the next adventure began.  This year both Blue and Violet are running Cross Country for their school.  Training for Cross Country begins pretty early in the summer and since Violet was going to try to earn a jersey with the team this year, she decided to start running on her own before practices began.  We have a nice little 1 kilometer trail here at home and it’s convenient to walk out of the house and be ready to run.  She started running around the end of May and the team started later in June.  By the end of the summer the team has bonded a bit and the coach likes to end the summer practices with a 3 day camp just before school starts back up.  

I love to run and I really enjoy being able to run with my kids.  Each year my mileage starts to double as I run my morning 5K alone and then run again with one of the kids as they train.  Blue graduated from needing my support on his runs just as Violet joined the team.  She’s moved along quickly and while she no longer needs my support, we have a pretty strict rule about people not running alone so I still join her on her runs.  

There’s a lot of parental support and volunteering on this team which is really cool.  Many of the parents run or bike with runners at practices and help make sure that no one runs alone.  These same parents travel to camp and help with food prep and various other planning activities while there.  This year school did not interfere with me going, so I planned to attend most of the camp.  

The day before camp was Blue’s birthday.  He got his learner’s permit and had a couple of birthday cakes and lots of gifts. Violet and I got him a llama piñata and filled it with goodies.  It was a good day.  That night the kids and I packed and prepared for an early departure the next morning.  I was up at 6:30 am to get my 5K done.  I dropped the kids off at school and then followed the bus up the mountain to camp.  It was a pretty place with decent cabins and a pond.  When the kids were trying to make sure I was going to camp with them, the pond was a big selling point.  They told me there were pedal boats and kayaks.  Violet said we would kayak together every day.  

I knew I pretty much had to go either way, but I figured I’d have to kayak alone.  While her intentions were pure, I knew that once she got around her friends, they’d want her to do all the fun things with them.  When we arrived, I unpacked and helped the other volunteers get tents and tables set up and then we went for our first run.  There are two runs each day at camp and they begin and end with a half mile loop around the pond.  It was not super-hot but it was very humid.  I had to take a shower as soon as we were finished running and everyone was getting ready for the afternoon free time.  After lunch everyone explored to see what activities were available.  There was a large group of kids at the pool apparently trying to kill each other with a ball.  There was a chilly creek that ran through the property.  There was a zip line and a rappelling tower.  We were free to use the pool, but the zip line and rappelling tower were amenities we did not purchase so those were out.  I don’t love sitting in water with a lot of other humans splashing around, so I ignored the pool.  I walked over to the pond just as Violet and her friends were walking away from it.  Violet ran to me and announced that we were not allowed to use the pedal boats or kayaks due to “short staffing”.  The girls played in the creek instead.

I made my way back to the front porch of my cabin and grabbed my laptop.  With classes beginning in a week, I had plenty to do.  I quickly realized that there was no internet at camp so while I had plenty to do, I was pretty limited as to what I could do.  I used my phone to do make some advising notes for a couple of students and then I decided to just sit and enjoy being bored.  I wrote and drew in my sketchbook for most of the afternoon.  I’m realizing that being bored is a luxury and perhaps even a necessity for a creative person.  In the bustle of this busy summer, I have written some details in my sketchbook but I have failed to draw in it as much as I would have liked.  Now there was nothing else I could do.  It was nice.

The late afternoon run was just as hot and I had to take another shower.  The food was provided by parents and it was pretty good.  I had no food complaints at all.  There was a campfire with s’mores and then some down time until lights out.  Y’all know I’m socially awkward and some of you may be able to imagine that I do not have a ton of things in common with other sport parents.  If you’ve never been the “art person” you’ve at least known an “art person”.  Well, I’m the art person.  I don’t think I’m really that weird, but I know I’m weird to normal people.  So take their trepidation in trying to talk to me and multiply that by my awkwardness and desire to be alone, and you can imagine what it was like for me to sit for an hour in a room talking with the other dads.  Nice people, I just felt very uncomfortable.

The dads split up the two parent rooms and I was sharing one with another quiet dad.  I know this is one of the strange idiosyncrasies of being me, but I don’t sleep well with strangers.  Fun fact: I also don’t like eating with strangers.  There’s something very bizarre about being so vulnerable around people you don’t know.  I can do it because, well, I love to eat.  When it comes to sleeping, I just can’t relax enough to get into a deep sleep.  On a different type of trip a few years ago, I was packed in a room with a whole crew of kids and dads and the dads snored like freight trains.  I may have slept 2 hours in three days that time.  It was horrible.  If you’re reading this series, you already know how I feel about my sleep.  At camp the kids were supposed to be in bed by 10:30 so I was probably in bed by 11:00.  My roommate didn’t snore or make any weird noises but I only slept a little from 3:00 – 5:00 am.  

Lying in bed awake most of the night reminded me of all the things I have to do for school in the coming weeks.  You’ve heard of the “Sunday Scaries”?  I don’t get those so much, but I do get the “August Anxieties” just before the academic year begins.  This was on my mind as we ran our morning run.  There was a lot of free time scheduled for the day and I mostly had to just sit and sketch and try not to think of all the things I had to do that I couldn’t do.  I sketched as kids would come and go in the cabins.  I watched Violet walk with a group down toward the pool.  While they were walking a very loud lightning alarm went off.  They froze, then turned and speed-walked back to the cabin.  

It didn’t storm where we were, but it did storm near enough to cool us down a bit.  The Friday night run was a “fun run” planned by one of the parents.  He spent the day calculating distances between challenge stations and doing math.  I volunteered for the station that required sidewalk chalk and I drove to Dollar General to get some chalk.  I grabbed a coffee at Starbucks on the way and it really helped my mood.  I drew a hopscotch board under a gazebo on the pond and waited for the teams to check in.  After the fun run I packed up and got ready for dinner.  I had to leave after dinner but the camp was continuing through the next day.  I told the kids I was leaving and I headed back down the mountain.  

The coffee helped keep me awake but I was ready to go to sleep.  When I got home I unpacked and washed a couple of loads of laundry.  I took that awesome shower you take when you return from a trip and you get to shower in your own shower.  Then I slept that awesome sleep you sleep when you return from a trip and you get to sleep in your own bed.  

This adventure wasn’t over yet.  I was up at 7:00 am the next morning to get my run in and to get ready for a day in Columbia.  The reason I came home early was because while the kids would be enjoying their last day at camp, I would be driving to Columbia for the Young Artists Festival at 701 CCA.  In one of the earlier segments I wrote about the experience of doing the mural summer camp with the kids from the Boys and Girls Club in Columbia.  The Young Artists Festival was connected to that.  My kids’ murals would be exhibited in two locations in Columbia and I was going to be at a table providing information about the summer camp or perhaps manning a “creation station”.  

Katherine was invited to this event because of her important role in helping me lead the mural summer camp.  After my coffee, I loaded a sculpture into my truck to deliver while in Columbia and when Katherine arrived, we hit the road.  We briefly talked about lunch as we pulled into town, but once we got to the Festival venue, we quickly got distracted.  We were told we were, in fact, doing a creation station.  We had about 45 minutes to develop the idea of what we were doing and to gather some materials from next door.  We made a few posters and developed a system and then waited on the kids to arrive.  

While we waited, I, of course, compared our station to the stations around us.  There was a cool lady beside us with two activities to offer.  She had colored sand and was offering something like sand painting.  Very cool.  On the other side of us was Kat Hampton, a cool art teacher who was doing a printmaking station.  I felt ill-prepared in comparison.  I also felt very hungry.  We forgot about our lunch discussion and realized we were stuck behind this table without any food for the next few hours.  My fear about our station was washed away by the first visitor to participate.  This adorably cute child walked up and announced she wanted to draw a mural.  She was very young but when she said she wanted to copy the bird on one of our posters, she showed off her hand to eye coordination like a champ.  While my fear was gone, my hunger was still intact.  Soon the emcee announced there was free pizza in the courtyard and my heart lifted.  We took turns grabbing a piece of pizza and a water.  The entire Festival was fun and we had lots of participants.  Some wanted to keep their creations.  Some asked us to tape them up behind us on our “gallery wall”.  

The mural I created for inclusion in a park in Columbia was on display at the festival.  It was nice to see the 24 foot mural on a wall for the first time.  We were able to reference it when talking about the mural summer camp.  One of the kids from our camp came through the stations with her mom and brothers.  She came over to speak to us and to tell her mom that she knew us.  It was nice. 

After the festival ended we cleaned up and returned our materials next door.  We were still hungry so we found a Sonic close by and grabbed a snack and more water.  I delivered the sculpture in town and then we made plans to eat an actual meal with the family on our way back.  G and the kids met us at Dempsey’s and we all ate too much pizza while sharing cross country camp stories.  

Ok, so this one wasn’t much of an adventure, I’ll admit that.  But it was probably the last activity of my summer.  The kids would have their first day of school in just a few more days.  I would have one week to get my life together and try to remember what it’s like to be back in class every day.  Summer was kind of officially over for us at this point.  It was a really good summer.  If I didn’t get to see you this summer, I hope I’ll see you soon.  Maybe we can sit down with a couple of coffees.  Thanks for reading along.