summer
I had a wonderful summer. I went to my first real pride, which was held in Detroit for the first time in several years. Motor City Pride in Hart Plaza rocked. I caught two t-shirts thrown into the crowd. I saw great performances, including getting a signed cd and photo with Goddess and She. Much cooler were the shots Candace and I took in the civil rights art exhibit in the center of the plaza.
At Hotter Than July, I met Invincible. Candace thought it was the coolest pride event that we went too (Hotter Than July is Detroit's black pride event). It was the most relaxed and welcoming. It didn't feel like an ad-fest or huge event primarily geared at generating revenue. I deeply regret missing my sister's opening performance though. :( That was a huge letdown, but I'm really glad we hung out as long as we did. The boys had a great time in the kids' area and I got to see a surprise performance by Invincible - most intelligent female hip hop artist I've discovered in a long time.
Candace and I took the boys, the dogs, and J1's cousin camping up north. We spent four days at Clear Lake and another two nights at Lake May at her grandfather's beautiful home. It was peaceful... of course, every time we turned around, J2 would be covered head to toe in dirt. It was wonderful, nonetheless (thank goddess for modern bathrooms with warm water). Also, thank god for Candace's air mattress, which, yes, we managed to puncture.
This summer, I also learned that gardening is a lot of work. We got a mound of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cucumbers, tomatoes... so much kale, I don't think I'll ever be low on iron again in my life. I finally canned some tomatoes the other day! It's amazing that we even had time for it. There are also three pumpkins that are already ripe. I really hope the squirrels don't get to them before we're ready to carve them.
Anyway, I'm happy. I'm still reasonably guarded, but we're in a really good place and I am treasuring this new beginning.
At Hotter Than July, I met Invincible. Candace thought it was the coolest pride event that we went too (Hotter Than July is Detroit's black pride event). It was the most relaxed and welcoming. It didn't feel like an ad-fest or huge event primarily geared at generating revenue. I deeply regret missing my sister's opening performance though. :( That was a huge letdown, but I'm really glad we hung out as long as we did. The boys had a great time in the kids' area and I got to see a surprise performance by Invincible - most intelligent female hip hop artist I've discovered in a long time.
Candace and I took the boys, the dogs, and J1's cousin camping up north. We spent four days at Clear Lake and another two nights at Lake May at her grandfather's beautiful home. It was peaceful... of course, every time we turned around, J2 would be covered head to toe in dirt. It was wonderful, nonetheless (thank goddess for modern bathrooms with warm water). Also, thank god for Candace's air mattress, which, yes, we managed to puncture.
This summer, I also learned that gardening is a lot of work. We got a mound of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cucumbers, tomatoes... so much kale, I don't think I'll ever be low on iron again in my life. I finally canned some tomatoes the other day! It's amazing that we even had time for it. There are also three pumpkins that are already ripe. I really hope the squirrels don't get to them before we're ready to carve them.
Anyway, I'm happy. I'm still reasonably guarded, but we're in a really good place and I am treasuring this new beginning.