SUMMER VACATION

So, right after writing that I was glad to be back on the blog and that I was looking forward to posting more regularly (see Hello, June!) ...

I fell off the blog map. Completely disappeared. Flat-lined.

Well, so much for good intentions.

Actually, I was on vacation. My annual summer vacation is a week spent mostly in a coffee shop in downtown Martin, Tennessee, while my youngest child attends piano camp at the university.

After dropping Helen off each morning for a day filled with learning and making beautiful music, I headed to The Looking Glass. This was my "office" last week, the table next to the window:

Wonderful coffee, lovely view, soothing background music, pleasant company...and on Fridays, Karen Longacre makes these wonderful Zen bowl salads that she serves for lunch. It was so yummy, wanted to lick my bowl.

(Actually, I did lick my bowl. If you are in Martin on a Friday and are looking for a tasty, healthy lunch, stop by The Looking Glass. It's downtown, on Lindell Street, right across from the Opera House.)

After working all morning at The Looking Glass, I packed up my office and headed to UTM's Elam Center pool. I swim laps five days a week, for one week each year. Love it. This year, I got to swim next to THIS amazing woman:

Mary is now 89 years old, and still swims all four competitive strokes. She can swim further and stronger than I can, although I am only a little over half her age. She is such a sweet, encouraging, positive lady - her smile and friendly conversation each day made swimming laps a treat. Mary truly is an inspiration.

After swimming, I picked up lunch and headed to the Student Center to write some more. A couple of days, I took a break mid-afternoon to enjoy the beautiful weather and walk around the lake at the Martin Recreation Complex.

Although I did not show up here at the blog last week, I did a LOT of writing...am now 12 solid chapters into Book #4! I am super excited about this newest writing project, and, with such a good start laid down last week, I am looking forward to continuing writing in the weeks and months ahead.

It may not be a holiday on the beach or a scenic mountain get-away, but I love my summer vacation - it's always one of the best weeks of my year!