Summer Vacation 2000

Every year I travel to the East Coast to spend a week with my family "downyoshun." (Maryland slang for "at the beach.") We stayed on 44th St. in a modular duplex that was newly built this year. Ocean City is such that from our house we could look to the left and see the Atlantic Ocean, and we could look to the right and see the Assawoman Bay. (Where did it get a name like that?)

This year was magical. My niece was a little over two years old. I hadn't seen here in a year. As I watched her and interacted with her, my inner child resonnated with her sense of wonder and play. It was great when she just called out to me, "Let's run!" We would just run around in circles in the apartment, or run circles around the rest of the family at the beach. I remembered the joy of using my body simply because I have one!

Also on this trip, I met a really fun guy named Doug. He's from Altuna, PA. He is absolutely gorgeous, and I got to see how my mind goes on and on about whether or not to start a conversation with someone I find attractive. It was a big step for me to swim over and say hi. I found out quickly that he had a wife and children, but we chatted for a while. Later in the week, we were conversing about the nature of the universe, God, sprituality, and life in general. I'm glad I met him and had the opportnity to just share with someone about life.

When I returned from 'OC', I set about visiting friends and also schools I had attended. It was a little funky walking around in halls I hadn't seen in five years or more. I was apprehensive about seeing old professors at UMD. There is a part of me that still sees my leaving as "unfinished" or "failing" because I didn't leave with my Ph.D. I know it was the best thing I could have done for myself at the time, but the feeling is still there.

I got to visit for an evening with my friend Vidya, then tour UMD with my friend Luisa.

From there I spent time with my friend Gail and her husband Mike. They live next to the Gwynn Falls in historic Dickeyville. The have a gorgeous house that was built in the 1800s.

From there I zipped over to my friends Damian and Maria's new house to visit with them. They have two children: Nicholas: 3, and Sarah: 15 months. Their kids are just great. Nicholas is so expressive when he speaks. He uses his enitre body when he descibes things. He is such a joy to be around.

On July 27th, I celebrated my dad's birthday with my parents. Then I drove up to Philly to visit with my friend Stasa. She pretty much ranks as my longest known friend these days. We met while I was still in high school. It was great catching up on each others lives briefly. While I was up there, I met her new girlfriend, Sue. The three of us got together with Nif and went to a concert by a band called "Simple Gifts." They played a variety of music on such instruments as piano, concertina, violin, fiddle, guitar, bandolin, and more! It was a three woman band, and they all played multiple instruments. It was a great show.