Summer, with its sizzling days, steamy nights, searing skies; summer with its children running through the sprinkler, water fights in the park, and nights on the trampoline under the stars; summer with its birthday parties, graduation parties and family reunions, will soon be only a memory. Where did it go?
Here, in images caught in the moment, is a summer of work, play and memories. ...Lili's summer and mine.
School was out June 2. Before Lili left for Australia on June 13, she and I worked with her brother, Steve, at his business -The Parking Lot Stripers (now known as Utah Sealcoat).
The parking lot as we were laying out the angles and lines
Keith painting the stripes - if you enlarge the photo (double left click) you'll see the yellow paint coming out at the front of his machine. Generally Steve did this job but when Keith was there, he did it and Steve helped us lay the chalk lines.
The weather was hot...in the 90s or 100s. That new asphalt was HOT and one day we had to lay chalk lines on brand new asphalt that had just been laid an hour or so before. (It comes out of the machine at 300F. ) That day was miserable! But we did the job and survived - somehow.
Then it was time for Lili to pack for her trip to Australia. Typical of Lili, the place was a disaster, she had things she needed to be doing, but she was engaged in her beauty routine and chatting on the phone. . . while Hobbs, determined he wasn't going to be left behind, attended his beauty routine, too.
Lili really enjoyed her stay in Australia. Unfortunately most of her photos didn't make it home but from the ones that did, I chose the following:
The Australian farm she visited. Of course she headed straight for the farm machinery.
And, as is typical of Lili, wherever she went, she found a furry friend.
She also found a friend when one of her fellow ambassadors noticed her forgetting that vehicles drive on the opposite side of the road and snatched her out of the street - just before a bus thundered by. She and Cody have since become very good friends. He's another regular, now, at our house.
When she came home it took three vehicles to transport everyone who wanted to meet her at the airport and once we were home, we threw a gala welcome home party.
Since then, we've worked - again with Steve's crew - which now does sealcoat as well as striping.
On this particular day I ran the blower to clean the parking lot of debris. 
Steve's new crew chief filled in the cracks with tar and Larry and Steve applied the seal coat with squeegies. 
Lili had a job interview but when she stopped by, afterwards, she drove the truck with the sealcoat tank until we broke for lunch.Now Lili has a job with Hollywood Video, Larry is working as a busboy at The Training Table near the E Center where the Utah Grizzlies play hockey. Larry's girlfriend is staying in Lili's room until she gets into school and starts her new job with Qwest phone service (probably will be at our house through September) and Lili's friend, Josh, just graduated from Job Corps and will be moving into Larry's room on the 7th...to stay until he gets credit built up and can get an apartment of his own. It's a full house.
I spent nearly a week, recently, visiting my mother and step-dad in California. While I was there, Mother had a heart attack. She's still in the hospital but not because of her heart - it's her stomach, now. I'm concerned and want to talk to her doctor - maybe tomorrow I'll be able to connect with him.
Our final fling for the summer was this weekend. Friday night we celebrated Josh's graduation.
Saturday night Josh and Cody decided to surprise Lili when she got home from work. ...So, with my permission, they went into hers and Kari's room and.....a la Patch Adams.....proceeded to fill it with $50.00 of balloons.
Lili thought it was a scream - when she finally figured out why she was having trouble opening her bedroom door - and I bent my rules for a few minutes to let the kids play in there together (normally boys aren't allowed in the girls' room and vice versa).
So that's the story of our summer. Of course, there was a lot else that went on - Lili's birthday party, the pond and water fall we built, Ricks and my vacation, and...and...and - but that's all stuff for a later blog. With any luck, now that the summer vacation is ended, I'll be able to get back to my blogging - as well as one or two other things I want to do.
In the meantime, live long and prosper - as Spock always says.
ciao,
me
