The school year started for real yesterday with Damian beginning a new chapter as a Middle School student. Don had to return a full week before and has been lamenting the end of Summer quite vociferously since then. I tend to reserve my end of Summer blues until after my birthday in September which is usually about a week after the official Labor Day holiday. We were quite fortunate in that our Summer holiday began before Memorial Day as our school system was lucky with snow days this past Winter so was able to dismiss relatively early.
We were able to fit in a short trip to Virginia Beach. Our extended family usually aims for 2 big get togethers each year. One Summer trip and one Winter trip. It was agreed last Christmas that we would sacrifice the Winter trip in favor of an Orlando area theme park extravaganza. This enabled everyone to have an opportunity to visit with Don’s parents and sister who are Florida residents. I knew that I would still need a little beach therapy so the first opportunity that I was off after Don’s birthday (because SOME of us still had to work this Summer) we put our toes in the water and asses in the sand (thanks Zac Brown Band for my Summer theme song). This jaunt coincided with the Summer Solstice so it was doubly enjoyable. See my previous post Midsummer for more on that theme.
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Don’s birthday present to himself this year was the ability to purchase a Lifetime Pass to the National Parks. To christen this ability we had a lovely side trip to the Yorktown Battlefield and Riverfront area. This pass has more than paid for itself as we now are frequent visitors to the hiking trails in Shenandoah National Park and even paid a visit to Great Falls Park after more than 30 years of living in Northern Virginia.
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If I could assign a theme to our Summer it would have to be Family Reunion. This started with our trip to my cousin’s annual Freedom Celebration (see previous post) and culminated in a visit with the Masters of the Universe (my in-laws) and another of our semi-annual excursions with Dawn & Darren.
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The amassing of a dozen Russos in any one place could be considered an invitation to trouble but aside from the volume associated with such events it is a raucously good time. Many memories were made and will be cherished for years.
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Family gatherings often promote feelings of nostalgia and we were able to quench that thirst also. We took Damian on a tour of the Bronx not often promoted in the media. Orchard Beach, Shore Road & City Island all were places we frequented in our youth that left an indelible imprint and love of the nautical in us. In Damian’s mind none of this could compete with the Bronx Zoo. It had been 40 years since we encroached upon the New York Zoological Park. When we arrived on its “Free Day” we were fortunate enough to encounter a guardian angel who was obviously totally familiar with the Zoo of our memories and was able to bridge us to the transition that is the Wildlife Conservation Society of today. Nancy was a zoo official who noticed us trying to make heads or tails out of the map we had been provided while trying to navigate our way to the Wild Asia area. She asked us if she could help us and then personally walked us to the monorail while imbuing us with all of her zoo knowledge in a way that only a lifelong Bronx resident could present to other members of the club.
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My brother-in-law, Darren was able to provide a reunion for my sister and I with a legacy for my father of which he was the catalyst. It is also a tradition for my sister and I to toast our mother on her birthday with a glass of Pinot Grigio (with ice). Proof that reunions transcend realms of being.
As we move forward in this year we are progressing toward a more permanent union. Our son Eric and his now fiance Natalie will be planning their wedding and in true Russo fashion will be setting the stage for more memories. Each season brings new joys that pack a powerful punch. I won’t say goodbye to Summer just yet.
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