Ethan is home, Samuel is gone

Ethan is home from summer camp, but Samuel is now off on a four-day backpacking trip with some of his new college classmates. 

We spent Saturday together at a mall in Nyack. Samuel and Ethan both wanted to go there. Manhattan is so dull compared to a suburban mall, after all.

Everyone's favorite part of the day was an interactive adventure at a place called 5Wits. Samuel was totally in his element. 

Ethan had friends over last night, and Jennifer and Samuel were up late packing, while I worked on a manuscript. This morning Jennifer drove Samuel to Connecticut and dropped him off for his backpacking trip.

I had a storytime reading at a bookstore in Brooklyn.

The bookstore was great. The turnout was small. How small? Let's just say I made three new friends: Dash (2), Greta (1), and Max (1). Dash is my new favorite two-year-old, and I think "Beep! Beep!" is his new favorite book.

I read "Beep! Beep!" first. Dash was the perfect age and temperament for it. Then I read "Ten Tiny Toes" for the babies and moms. It's still hard for me to read that one out loud because it reminds me so much of my little boys.

We sold three books, so the store made a $30 profit, and I made $3. Storytime economics are daunting. Never do the math.

Jen met me at home around 2. I decided I'd go to Hurricane Harbor for the afternoon before dropping off the rental car--to take advantage of a paid-for rental car and paid-for season pass. Ethan had a birthday party to go to. Jen had no interest.

As soon as I got in the car and turned on the radio I heard, "Thunderstorms are expected within the hour, continuing until midnight."

Crap. Well, nothing I can do. Keep driving and hope I beat the rain.

I got to Hurricane Harbor at 4:15. The guy at the ticket booth said, "There's a thunderstorm coming." I said, "I know!" and hurried past him.

I went full-body into the lazy river so that at least I could say I got wet. Then I ran to the body slide. The line was about 20 minutes, and just when I got to the top level of the tower...a raindrop. Then another. By the time I was second in line it was raining lightly and I was sure they were going to close the slide right before my turn.

Then an amazing thing happened. They didn't.

The rain fell, but the slides didn't close. People left the park in droves. The lines were short.

Over the next two hours I rode 11 slides. Walk up the steps. Wait behind one or two people. Go down the slide. Repeat.

I made friends with the 10-year-olds who ran up the stairs with me. "Which one are you doing next?" "The orange one!" "Me too! Did you do blue yet?" "No! Next!"

I am who I am. #noapologies, #nojudgments.

I'm home. It's late. I'm tired. I'm going to take the dogs out with Ethan, try to finish the first draft of that manuscript, miss Samuel, and go to bed.