We bought our dog a plastic baby pool today. While I understand that this is probably not the best way to support environmental change—adding more unwanted plastic into the world—it’s so hot in New York and it’s all part of my master plan to keep my dogs clean after their beach swims. Plus, I can’t stop cracking up every time I see them standing in it.
June ended with my daughter, Emi, graduating from the fifth grade, my son heading off to the midwest for camp, and my husband and I sitting along with his brother and my sister-in-law in Row Q for the Jack Johnson concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland. We left our teenagers at home with the fifth graders (oh the joy of not paying a babysitter to leave the house) and went to see one of my top three bands. If you’re not familiar with the Hawaii North Shore vibes of Jack Johnson, you need to run (not walk) to your spotify account. Jack Johnson is to music what my novels are to the book world: it’s where surf music meets summer pages.
He made us feel like we were hanging with him at a bonfire in Oahu, taking requests from the audience, answering people’s questions and shouting out anyone with a touching sign.
One woman held up a piece of cardboard that said: “I found this CD in my dad’s car after he died. Will you sign it for me?” It was Jack Johnson’s latest CD and of course, he brought her on stage to sign it.
Seconds before he came on stage, I turned to my husband and said, “What song do you hope he plays?” My husband said, “Hm. Not sure. What about you?” My favorite song, I said, is “Mud Football,” and guess what?
HE PLAYED IT FIRST. Um, I love you, Jack.
We went to Annapolis the next day and shopped around in ninety degrees + humidity. Fun fact: My husband and I almost moved to a cute little bungalow in the historic old city of Annapolis just after college but we decided DC was the better place for us. It was, but I still love the sweet old town with its twisty streets and colorful townhomes.
We discovered a sweet little bookstore called Old Fox Books, and inside, there was a stack of antique Yale Shakespeare readers (see above). I bought three and put them on my bookshelf in the beach house. I love how they look beside my industrial farmhouse mirror, a stack of newer books anchoring them.
Next door to Old Fox Books is a coastal clothing shop where every piece felt curated just for me (think beachy prints and flowy skirts; a navy strapless dress with pockets!) and I picked up this beautiful blue printed shirt that I’m going to live in all summer. Be prepared to see many photos of me in it. This is one we snapped at sunset the other night.
I arrived at the beach cottage with a stack of eight novels to read this summer. But then I went into a bookshop and saw the paperback of Saltwater by Katy Hays. I haven’t been able to put down the Capri-set family mystery since I picked it up two days ago. I have thirty pages left.
Not only do I love the atmospheric details of being among the wealthiest on the island of Capri (said “Cah-pri,” as one old money character lets us know), but the pages are so engrossing. It’s a psychological thriller/mystery/beach read all wrapped up in one.
I sat on my reading porch, on the beach, on the deck of my daughter’s sailing club and kept turning the pages.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Last night we made pizza on the outdoor grill (we have a griddle attached) and everyone got to choose their own toppings. I topped mine with ricotta, basil, red pepper flakes and paper thin slices of lemon. Thinking of it now, it kinda tasted like Capri. My daughter made margarita-style heart shaped pizzas and my husband put artichokes on his white pizza. It was so easy. We bought premade dough from our local Italian market, rolled it out, grilled one side of the dough and then added the toppings on the other. Then we popped it back on the grill to melt the toppings. Perfection.
I would love to hear what everyone is doing for the fourth. We’re going to the beach, having a BBQ and my mom is going to make the same macaroni salad she’s been making since I was seven. Think: less mayo, more creamy, milky and salty with lots of celery, onions and carrots. One of those nostalgic flavors for me. I might make a watermelon, feta, mint salad, which is one of my favorites too. Plus, local corn. Sigh. It’s so good to be in the swing of summer.
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.