Summer fun

I apologize for having been absent the past few days. They flew by very quickly with quite a bit going on.

We had a great time back together as a whole family over the weekend. We had dinner Friday evening at Dina’s house: Dina made a corned beef for the carnivores, and Simmie made a delicious stew with tofu, chickpeas, and red peppers. I have always wanted to learn more about cooking with tofu and I am happy to have such a terrific teacher! All of this was surrounded by countless side dishes. We spent Sabbath afternoon with Simmie and crew, giving us more time to hear details and look at pictures from their recent trip to Israel.

Sunday was a nice day, although the weather forecasters accurately predicted that it would be quite hot by mid-afternoon. To allow Simmie and Ronen to take care of some things, Barry and I took the girls to the Capron Park zoo about 20 minutes from Sharon. It is a small zoo but there are other attractions in the park, including a recently opened water play area. It was already warm enough in the morning for them to play in the sprinklers before the afternoon crowds. We brought along a picnic lunch and then got the girls some ice cream. Here are some pictures from our fun day.

Barry and I have wanted to get to know more about the beaches in Rhode Island and Connecticut, places we could go with the whole family on the way back to New York. On the ride up on Friday, we stopped at Hammonasset Beach in Madison, CT. This would have been a lovely place, with reasonably easy access to the beach, albeit with somewhat rocky sand, were it not for the ferocious black flies. They were biting like crazy, especially attacking Barry. We had not brought along insect repellent, and after a short while at each of three beach areas, we had to call it a day. This probably explains why the beach was practically empty! The weather was not perfect but still nice enough that you might have expected, at the very least, a lot of young children.

Undaunted, on the way home on Monday, we stopped at Roger Wheeler State Park in Narragansett, RI. This was truly a find! There was great parking very close to the beach, which was soft white sand. The waves were modest but definitely appropriate for young children, who were there in droves by the time we left at 11 am. Because it is a small cove, the water is shallow fairly far out and somewhat warmer than typical at New England beaches. It was a little over an hour away from Sharon, so a perfect place to go with our children and grandchildren before heading back to New York. Now we just need to find a Sunday, or perhaps a Monday, which may exclude our sons-in-law but would be quite a bit less crowded, to go with the grandchildren before school begins again in late August.

Late August is just around the corner! What happened to summer? School is starting early this year, the week before Labor Day, because the fall Jewish holidays are very early, beginning with Jewish New Year on September 5. As teachers, Simmie and Dina have to start back at school one or two weeks before that. Oh, well, if we don’t make it there this summer, it will definitely be high on our list for next year.

I feel a bit imprisoned, albeit in my beautiful air conditioned home. I look forward to this heat wave breaking so I can get outside a bit.

Stay cool and well.

Love,

Rebecca