MEADOW HOT SPRINGS

Summer is fading fast. Too fast. Freedom from school and lack of structure seems to eliminate anxieties I am not quite ready to face again. But there is also the excitement of new routines, which is good for me and my personality type. Change is generally welcome and happily embraced over here. And not that it hasn't already been emphasized many times before, but autumn really is my favorite season. Maybe because its the time of year when change is embraced the most-- changing of the leaves, schedules, clothes, and bedtime curfews.

Michael believed that once we got married, we'd finally have a regular bedtime schedule that would go something like: dinner around 7:00, spend some quality time together for a couple hours, brush our teeth, fluff the pillows, be in bed by 9:45 and cuddle ourselves to sleep by 10:00. Unfortunately it goes more like: dinner around 8:30-9:00, spend some quality time for a few hours, beg him to watch a romantic comedy with me  (which is hardly a fight), or play our latest favorite card game (Spit), check the time -- probably like 10:30- 11:00, realize we are going to be tired in the morning anyways... and the rest is history. To no one's surprise it's the only routine we have mastered this summer.

Weekends are like any other, and are always best. A couple weeks ago we roped my baby sister Heather and my friend Brooklyn into driving south for two hours to enjoy natures gift of organically hot water pooled up on earths surface. Which surprisingly didn't have the sulfur stench that takes at least 5 showers to remove. Best of all, they had fish happily thriving in that 80-100 F water. I felt like Marco in Dr. Suess's "McElligot's Pool," but instead of fishing, I was swimming. And Supposedly the pools are all connected through an underwater stream, which naturally reminded me of the underground river that flows beneath the pastures and Sneeden's Hotel. It happens to be my favorite Dr. Suess book ("The Pale Green Pants," a very close second). So if you haven't yet, I recommend anyone to read it.

Here are some photos of our little venture. I hope your summer weekends have been filled with adventure friends!