As has been tradition (we are not ones to hold with tradition), once again we post a summary of our past summer.  Now keep in mind that this is less about informing you as it is in reminding ourselves what we have been up to.  Maybe I should do a post on where I left my keys.

As I reflect back on this past summer, it has been mostly a very fun summer, although we lost our sweet dog Dottie.  She enjoyed a good life, at least from the point she left the pound and came to live with us.  In her eight years with us she traveled more than most Americans.  We and the dog treat industry mourn her loss.

Never to be without companions, we have adopted two new friends – Dirk and Darleen.  They make a lovely couple.

Unlike many parts of the country this summer, temperatures here along the seacoast in New Hampshire were mild this summer, and only got into the ‘90’s back in June – and maybe a few days in July.

Late spring, we got to see northern lights here, which we had not seen previously.  Pretty cool.

We did very little travel this summer – it is hard to get motivated to go camping somewhere else when where we live is just so nice (first world problem).  But we kicked off the summer Memorial Day weekend with a fabulous trip to northwest Pennsylvania to see dear friends.

We (that would be me and some good buds) participated in a charity golf event that supported a very worthy cause (Northeast Independent Living Program) as well as honored a dear friend we lost this past year.

Clearly one of the highlights this summer was having the kids in town.  So.  Much.  Fun.  Nothing says love more than a trip to Fenway Park (Michela couldn’t make the game due to work conflict), but just having the kids in town was SO nice, regardless of activity.  Too short a visit.

We saw some great music this summer at a host of venues.  We saw Bonnie Raitt at the Hampton Beach Casino, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band from New Orleans at an outdoor concert at Prescott Park in Portsmouth, saw the Outlaws with Willie Nelson, featuring NOT Willie Nelson at the Verizon Amphitheatre.  While Willie did not show, we did see Robert Plant and Alison Krauss who were spectacular!  Bob Dylan played, although to be honest he and his band were awful, sad to say.  One of the best shows this summer was seeing Karla Bonoff in concert at Jimmy’s Jazz Club in Portsmouth.  Add in the Low Tide Two (I made that up) at the beach at the end of our road, and voila – you have a very musically entertaining summer!

As is somewhat tradition, we spent July 4^th at our friend Maureen’s house on the tidal Piscataqua River – resplendent in lobster rolls, beer and laughter.  So good.

Throughout the summer we enjoyed multiple biking events, mostly on rails-to-trails locations that are woven throughout the eastern MA and southern NH and ME areas.  For those of you not familiar with New England, you can be in all three states within a 30-minute drive.

And yesterday, while I maintained a role as sloth, sherpa and photojournalist, Karen and friends biked the Maine Lighthouse Ride, a 26-mile ride (or a 60/100 mile ride depending on your proclivity).  The ride began and ended in Portland, along the Maine coast, overlooking a number of lighthouses, beaches and beautiful scenes on a gorgeous late-summer day.

Other events this summer included Michael McGuire’s gallery opening in Provincetown, a vacation (can we really call it a vacation?) down to Orleans on Cape Cod, a member/guest golf outing at my friend’s golf club – affectionately called Bushwood, and multiple events in and around Portsmouth including the Tall Ships Parade, a trip out to the Isles of Shoals, and a visit to the Wood Island Life Saving Station.

I know we had a pretty extraordinary summer, and here’s to hoping you all had an extraordinary summer yourselves!