Melting

102 degrees. What else is there to say? We don't move much, and we huddle in the dormer window of J's room, where the only air conditioner, a tiny thing, is making a valiant but losing effort. 102. What is the point of living in the Pacific Northwest and going through all that gray and rain for so many months if summer is going to be miserable too!?

OK, on the not miserable front:

My friend from Maine just spent a week with us and it was wonderful. We have what we call a "vacationship" as we don't speak or email too much, but once or twice a year we vacation together and have a grand time. We were friends and roommates in Israel and she is the reason I am a librarian and also the reason I dated my husband long enough to marry him (nagged me until I called him). We've traveled together on four different continents, and although she is a little bitter about my lion survival plan, which involves shoving her in front of pouncing lions and running while they are distracted, she has overlooked it enough to continue to be my friend.

We had a great week. We walked and biked the river trail, went to the Arts & Crafts Fair, canoed in the lake, and ate terrific vegetarian meals. She let J "help" blow dry her hair, read him stories, and was willing to dig holes with him while I sat in the shade. She didn't mind going to six different stores looking for the perfect side table. She gets along swimmingly with my husband and my mom, and doesn't mind just reading during a lazy afternoon or talking about knitting. Excellent vacationship.

The intrepid canoers. Though, now that I look at the pictures, it reminds me that it was a row boat, really - but we did paddle.