They are back home now. North Carolina, that is. My mother & niece left Thursday morning. They got home about 7:30PM Friday, EST. It was a good visit. We played cards and I got to spend a lot of time w/ my niece. She's way cooler than I was at 13. I was such a dork, but I was too dumb to realize :-) I guess that was probably a good thing.

I think its safe to say we did some bonding. She isn't quite as reclusive as I thought she was. And I'm not quite the boring uncle she thought I was. (not that she ever said I was boring) but there were some things about me that surprised her... at least a little bit! Let's see if I can recall the things she experienced with me that were new to her....

• went kayaking in the surf and in the flats
• sea shell combing on an uninhabited (by humanoid bipeds) island
• refurbished a dog house and got to operate power tools (the cool kind that make sparks fly)
• shared a lot of music
• went to a drum circle and got to see some belly dancing (watched her uncle beating on a drum, not belly dance!)
• drank Kiwi-Strawberry slushes
• fired a rifle (just kidding Mom) LOL
• watched The Breakfast Club
• oh yeah, and talked!

Not bad for a 12 day stint.

It was a pretty cool feeling when we were listening to some of my music and she asked what song that was or who sings that... I guess the old guy has some taste, after all, huh?

One of the songs that she liked was by Michelle Branch, "Goodbye To You". I told her my favorite version of the song was in an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Tabula Rasa for you Buffy fans). We didn't get around to watching it, but I found it on You Tube. See it here...

Its one of my all time favorite musical performances. This was actually when I was first turned on to Michelle Branch. There are a few performances that strike a chord deep within me. I will share some more in the near future.
As I'm listening to this song, I think of this summer. It has been a fantastic summer for me. Many good things happened. Not the least of which was hanging out with my niece.

Last year I told myself that I was going to spend more time at the beach this summer. And I have been. I think I have been to the beach more these past 2 months than I have in the last 5 years. I have the tan to prove it :-)

So how about a quick recap of this summer...

• went to beach... a lot
• kayaked often
• helped my mother and family move into new home
• hung out with some really amazing people that I now call friends
• learned about blogging
• started a meditation journal (but I still suck at it)
• apologized to some dear friends for missing their wedding
• discovered fruit slushes
• didn't gain any weight
• passed the state credentialing exam for Secondary Social Studies and received the certificate
• did some refurnishing at my house
• was reconnected with a long time friend
• spent quality time with my niece
• and got to know two people a whole lot better... my dad and myself

Speaking of myself, I had another good thing happen... I got hired on at King High School where I have been a wrestling coach for the past 2 years. Now I'll be working at that school too!

But the summer isn't quite over yet. Tomorrow a couple friends and I will be kayaking around down town. We are planning on paddling around the Lexington.

On a final note for tonight... I thought I'd follow up on my own little music video. Laura & Micah saw my post and of course the video with it. Apparently I have been forgiven for missing their wedding. :-) We are planning for me to visit them in the near future. I look fwd to that with great enthusiasm! I miss them. After all, they are good peeps!

Thanks again for reading.

Be well