Annual trip to see the sunflowers at sunset

It was Buttonwood Farm time again and the sunshine cooperated fully, only we forgot to put the flash card in the good camera (oops) and didn't brave the line for ice cream.  All in all though, the view was worth the 1/2 hour drive and we came back to Putnam for dessert! Here's what the cell phone caught:

(and here's a flashback to July 2011:)

It's Official.....

We have another swimmer in the house!  My #1 goal of summer was to get Bea really swimming, and it's been inching toward that for the past week or so.  She got a standing ovation at the pool at Culture Camp, but yesterday and today, she's doing this like crazy....

Vietnam Culture Camp & The Berkshires

Last Thursday we headed to our much-anticipated Culture Camp.  We mosied up to NW Mass, stopping in Shelburn Falls to see the incredible Bridge of Flowers and Glacial Potholes:

Next up was North Adams, and a stop to see Sol Dewitt's walls, among other awesome things, at Mass MOCA:

I know my kid has seen a lot of great art because upon exiting the bathroom at a diner in Shelburn Falls, she saw a group of Campbell's coup cans on the shelves and said "Look, they have Andy Warhols!"

She had a blast touring through these hand-painted tents:

We took this selfie in the KidSpace section:

Finally, it was check-in time at camp.  We were greeted warmly by over 50 counselors and 130+ families, including the Chazanoffs who were right next door to us. The girls had so much fun together, especially in the windows of our hotel rooms, which they turned into castles and became queens on thrones! By dinner time, Bea was proudly wearing her t-shirt and running around with all the kids:

It was amazing to see these hundreds of kids altogether, having so much fun and feeling so safe together in this resort. She and Rachel were in Group 1 with a dozen or more kids their age and they had so much fun spending the mornings together doing crafts, yoga, sampling food, learning a few Vietnamese words, and just plain being kids:

There was a talent show and a water balloon toss too:

Anthony and I attended morning sessions for the parents and in the afternoon we'd swim in the pool and do some family sessions, like listening to Vietnamese Children's Stories, 

painting lanterns, attending cooking shows, and sampling our creations:

One of the highlights was Night Market on Saturday when the kids got dressed up and got a chance to play games, gamble, karaoke, dance, play "pin the non la on the man," etc.  Bea loved the bau cua table!

               

                     It was a big dose of Vietnamese pride for these girls and their families!

Here's a few of the members of Group 1:  

Beatrice cried herself to sleep Saturday, so very sad about having to leave camp the next day, and to leave this friend Amelia.  All the more reason to go back another year!

Banh Mi sandwiches were the goodbye picnic lunch food:

Tired as we were, we trekked just a little bit out of the way to see the Van Gogh exhibit at the Clark Institute in Williamstown.  Beatrice loved the swirly colors, despite the appearance of wanting to run away in this photograph:

The weather warmed up and we cooled down with an ice cream out by the water:

It was a long weekend of fun, emotions, and reflection for all of us, and I am positive it will be one of many camp experiences in our lifetime.

Ahhh....Summer.....

There's been a few things going on of late, and a whole lot of "nothing" in between.  The "nothing" is what makes the best of childhood and the best of summertime, in my humble opinion.  No schedule, few plans, fewer rules and transitions.  Bliss. But first, before we settled into "nothing" Bea and I headed to Albany for an overnight trip to see a high-school friend of mine, whose son graduated high school.  Bea helped set up the centerpieces with votives and fresh flowers,

enjoyed playing with teenager Paroma so much, and loved the homemade naan that the on-site caterers dished out!  And I sure loved catching up with my dear friend and her family members, both older and younger!

Then, onto the little things of "nothingness."  Kiddie pool: Bea mourned the loss of our kiddie pool that I threw out after one summer when she was 2 or 3, so I asked Mary Jane if we could borrow hers for a couple of weeks.  I couldn't believe how much a 7-year old could enjoy splashing around in this thing!

Spontaneous hair-dos:  Bea decided I "needed to look more beautifuler for the ball" one day, so she got all the hair stuff out and created this amazing look:

Stretch weaving loom bands:  who knew that they made perfect headbands and that my daughter would bring back the 80's style that I loved so dearly?:

and who knew they also worked as "sunglasses" or to create an Asoka Tano designed face?:

Samm:  We've tried to see her almost once a week, and I recently took them on a hot day to a city park in Worcester with an awesome splashed (and an overpriced ice cream truck who stayed nearby):

                            Toys:  I hear Bea talking to herself and playing many times each day.  It's so nice not to have to stop her imagination to go somewhere or do something as it seems I'm always doing during the school year:

and who knew this steam pipe could be used as a climbing wall off-season?

What's a schedule?:  Bea has miraculously been sleeping until 7-7:30 and even later a few times. Mealtimes and "meals" in general (and bedtime) are much more flexible too, and I tend to let her graze between breakfast and dinner, creating combinations of things she sees in the kitchen.  Today she asked to make ants on a log:

and the other day she dug to the bottom of her Halloween bucket and found an old, likely expired Fun Dip.  She couldn't believe mommy said yes to her request to eat it!  Oh the joy...

She's practicing math facts daily for five minutes, and squeezing in piano practice now and again, but reading has been a huge part of every day.  And the better she gets at it the more and more she craves it, with book in hand (and in every room and car) many times each day!  I think we've been to the library at least 6-8 times in the past couple weeks, getting her Summer Reading papers stamped an earning prizes.  I've also been reading aloud to her, and we read one of my childhood favorites in one sitting the other morning:

(We also watched the pilot episode of Little House on the Prairie and are waiting to start Season 1 when it gets returned to the library.  Oh the memories that brings back!)

Swimming:  She is oh so close to swimming without floats and we've been going as many days as possible to my Aunt's lake house 5 miles away.  Bea loves jumping off the dock and going under water!:

and of course no swim is complete without a break to construct a sand palace:

My little frog still loves this towel!

(and if anyone has any tricks for speeding up the teeth-losing process, please advise!)

Our long string of "nothing" days is coming to an end on Thursday when we head to, as Bea would say "drum roll please..........," VIETNAM CULTURE CAMP in the Berkshires. We are so looking forward to this exciting venture with over 120 adoptive families from all over the country. Should be lots to post after that.  Then hopefully, another string of "nothing" days before we head to the beach at the end of the month.