June

Wednesday the 1st Nina had two concerts at school: chorus and band. Strings were first, so while they performed in the gym, we got seats in the lunch room to watch the chorus. Once they were done, we moved to the gym to watch Nina on the bass drum with the band. Sue and Bets left to go home that night.

Nina

Saturday Nina and I got our boosters at the CVS in Fair Lakes and did some shopping, then Nina and Jill went to the Reston Pride festival while I did yard work (and had the easiest time with any of the vaccine shots, probably because I used my arms so much). Nina was busy with Girl Scouts on Sunday, making cookies with a friend, then celebrating the end of the year with a potluck pool party.

Nina

Friday the 10th was Nina’s last day of school. She was released early and as a reward for a good year got a pizza party and sleepover with the neighborhood friends. I wasn’t too helpful, as I went to see The Doobie Brothers at the Lube (twice postponed from 2020). Jill and I were out the next night in Maryland. Having guessed The Food Market would be popular, I had made reservations, so we didn’t have to wait for an hour. The drinks and dinner delicious, and we only had to walk about 2 blocks to get into Merriweather Post Pavilion where guitarist JD McPherson was pulling double duty as the opening act. We didn’t have to long to wait until Robert Plant & Alison Krauss took the stage, to add an unlikely reunion to their unlikely pairing.

Jill Nina

Sunday we had an early Father’s Day since we’d be gone the next week. We stopped at the Lego Brick Fest on the way (or what I thought was the way – slight detour required). Nina enjoyed everything about it except not spending more than an hour there, and both she and Jill left with sets. We got to Dad’s in the midafternoon, and went over to Plaza & Mexico in North Beach where they’d added outdoor seating, and everyone but Dad had fajitas. I told Dad about my pinball machine, and he casually dropped the fact that he had one he’d never used (this comes up later in the month).

Kerry Nina

Monday the 13th Nina started her camps with skateboarding camp. Tuesday we gathered in the early evening as Nina and a number of fellow Girl Scouts had earned a Bronze Award making birthday boxes for the South Lakes Food Pantry. Nina had even made a video on Saturday with one.

Nina

Wednesday we had an appointment, than we got takeout from Big Buns. I took mine with me to Wolf Trap to see the odd bill of Japanese Breakfast and Belle & Sebastian. A friend on Facebook had tagged to help sell the ticket, but it was 3rd row, so I said I’d take out. Japanese Breakfast was a burst of energy, and I’d caught up on Belle & Sebastian, and they were a lot of fun as well (don’t recall ever seeing a band with so many musicians changing places.

Japanese Breakfast

The next night I whipped leftovers together quickly, and was over at Wolf Trap again, this time for Waxahatchee, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit & Sheryl Crow. Not such an odd pairing, since Sheryl’s fantastic last album had a duet with Jason, and I’ve been getting into him. The highlight of the night was Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s cover of Drivin’ N’ Cryin’s “Honeysuckle Blue”.

Nina

Saturday the 18th we packed up and headed to Rehoboth Beach. For the first time ever driving to the Eastern Shore, the Bay Bridge was so backed up it was quicker driving up past Baltimore, then down through Delaware. Still, we arrived first, and the Cannons arrived soon after and explored the very nice house. Jess got some essentials at Walmart, while Chris and I took orders and got the takeout from Iron Hill Brewing (mostly pizzas).

Penny Nina

Sunday most people got bikes, and when I dropped off the non-walkers, I went to Safeway and Atlantic Liquors. After I got back, I relaxed and read in the backyard, then I made fajitas for dinner – Chris’s mom had showed up as well. Monday most folks went to the beach while I was in the backyard again, then we had an early dinner at the Cultured Pearl. Jill and I walked while Chris drove the kids, but he was almost 20 minutes late because he went down too far and got caught in the rush hour traffic. Jess had a work call and came barely 5 minutes after him. We ordered several rounds of dumplings, and the kids fed the koi, then we had some fabulous sushi.

Penny Nina Jess

The beach was a bit much, so on Tuesday a group rode bikes over to Cape Henlopen State Park while Chris drove their stuff over. Meanwhile I slept in just every other day, then I was in the backyard again. I grilled burgers and Jill cooked corn for dinner. Wednesday it was cool and rainy early, then we gathered for a late lunch at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, where the traditional beer on a stick was consumed. Thursday Chris and I took Nina, Penny & Cam to Funland. Cam was determined to win the ring on a bottle game and get a giant stuffed animal, and darn if he’d only sunk about $20 in and got it. He left and I took Nina & Penny around to play games and redeem tickets. Then the rides opened at 1 and I bought them both unlimited ride wristbands. They liked bumper cars and teapots, but their favorite was Gravitron. Later, Chris, Jess and I went to the Dogfish Head Brewery where I had Worldwide Stout aged in Utopia barrel on draft, then we did some shopping. That night we had leftovers.

Nina Penny Cam

We left Friday morning and drove home over the Bay Bridge without much of a delay. We could have stayed until Saturday, but then Nina and Jill would have missed the Girl Scouts Service Unit Encampment over Friday and Saturday nights. After I dropped them off at the scout leader’s house at 5, I made my way to CD Cellar and Victory Comics, then got lamb skewers and salad for takeout at Shinwari before heading to Mason District Park to see the Seán Heely Celtic Band (with Beth Patterson & Colin McGlynn). Once I was ready to see Beth as not lead, I enjoyed them more.

Nina

Saturday I had the whole day to myself, so of course I was at my dad’s house at 10 to meet Tony who’d rented an SUV. It didn’t take us too long to load the pinball in, and after Tony got a tour of the house, we drove back to my house. Then we loaded the glass we’d been keeping for him in the SUV, which took a while. Finally we were ready to play some Rush pinball, and after he got high score (on Nina’s account), he installed the Cliffy’s protectors that had literally just arrived in the mail. Then we played a bunch more games, and he didn’t leave until 6. At which point I scrambled to put yet another meal together to eat at Wolf Trap, this time for Steely Dan. Originally it had been a double bill with Steve Winwood, but the show was postponed due to the pandemic, and initially Aimee Mann had been added (which I was excited about). But they added a nobody, and I just wasn’t that into it, so I sat far away on the lawn. The Annandale shout out in “My Old School” got a cheer from the crowd though (I know it’s different one).

Bryce Tony

Jill and Nina got back Sunday and were exhausted from lack of sleep. Later that day I managed to find the pinballs that Tony had stored in my desktop fan case for safekeeping and then couldn’t find them again (to the point we used another set he had packed). Nina started her summer camps on Monday the 27th with Mason Community Arts Acting Camp: Hollywood Week. Getting her to Fairfax and back every day was a chore, but she really liked the camp.

Nina

I hadn’t posted to Facebook in a while – the world is on fire and I’d been avoiding a lot of social media.
But sometimes the world stops you literally in your tracks.
I’ve been walking the same route on the path outside our door since we moved in twelve years ago, but the number of fireflies I saw on Wednesday the 29th just made me stop in awe.
It’s probably hard to see with this video, but it gave me some hope.