Summer's Over

Bergen, Norway

So, my Summer Journal idea worked for a few days of summer... Then I guess I was having too much fun to set at my computer.  I must admit, it has been a great summer without working and without having to sit on my computer every day to do work.  Most of the time on my computer was looking at bird photos, Facebook and emails.  Very fun computer activity this summer.  Just not as much of it as in past summers, which is also good.

Plus with this carpal tunnel thing going on, typing has not been really "comfortable."  My middle finger and my thumb on my right hand are just tingle-blobs. I have done the "nerve conduction study" in Coeur d'Alene, and go back to see DeBenedetto on Monday, hopefully to set up a date for the surgery.  The left hand is not so bad.  Mostly numbness in my middle two fingers there.  I am hoping I can put off that surgery until the beginning of next year.

Kittiwakes

So the "Big Event" this summer was traveling to Norway.  Here is a link to a 7-minute "Windows Movie Maker" view of some of my pictures from the Arctic Circle (mostly.) (The link is below here, but you may not be able to see it until you rest your curser over it.)

Images from Norway

It was such a great trip.  Don really enjoyed it too, which I was a little worried about at first.  I know he would enjoy the birding days, but I'm really happy that he enjoyed all our days.  Spending time with my friends from 35 years ago was so great for me, but also for Don.  It really made our trip to Norway wonderful.  Solveig took both of us under her wing, just like she did for me all those years ago when I was an exchange student my senior year of highschool.  But the rest of "the gang" was so welcoming and kind to us as well.  It's hard to know how to thank someone for kindness like that.

We also had a chance to stop by London and visit with my sister and her husband for a few days.  We also

Birding Buckinghamshire

visited with her kids, and Toni set up a bird watching day with two expert birders from her area.  Fun times.  Stand up comedy at the "Comedy Store" was another fun event, and we visited the "Tower of London."  Thanks to Toni and her family for a great visit there!

The secondary event which took so much time was revamping our entire front yard, gardens, etc...   For a non-gardner, that was something.  But it's finally done.  Last weekend we bought the gravel for the two little paths we added, and we got those all filled in.  It was a lot of money, re-doing all those gardens.  I hope it will pay off in the long run.  The pay-off hopefully being garden areas that need less upkeep.

Additionally, I took four classes this summer, two here in town, and one in the Boise area.  After that class I drove over to Vancouver, WA, to visit with my brother and his wife, Miller and Stormi.  The last class was

at the Human Rights Center in Coeur d'Alene.   "Integrating Human Rights into Reading and Writing."  Lots of great ideas there, too.  Hopefully I'll be able to incorporate the material from these four classes into my teaching this year.  Always looking for ways to become a better teacher!

Overall, it's been a great summer, and I'm almost ready to head back into the classroom!  I have to be back officially on Wednesday, 8/28, but have already been in a few times.  I'll probably go in on Monday and Tuesday also, a little longer each day.  I find it easier to work up to a full day schedule after being off all summer.  It also helps me feel more prepared for the opening of school!