Flowers in the window boxes...again

The Spring flowers looked magnificent, but they were more expensive than the building anticipated, and they didn't last as long as we hoped.

So our flower boxes sat naked for the past month while we came up with a new plan.

Voila. The new flowers were delivered yesterday. They look great. All is well again.

No, this is not about my life.

Okay, maybe the part about sitting naked for the past month.

Smile again

Aww. Thanks, Mom.

Lemon Squeeze at Mohonk

Four down, four to go on the Summer bucket list.

Today we climbed the Labyrinth/Lemon Squeeze. It's a trail on the grounds of the Mohonk Mountain House, an old Victorian resort in New Paltz. The hotel is outrageously expensive, but they sell day passes for hiking the surrounding trails for $27. (Still not cheap, but less than $1,150/night for a room.)

The Labyrinth/Lemon Squeeze entails climbing over boulders, squeezing through narrow rock passages, and scaling occasional hand-hewn wooden ladders.

No harnesses were required, but it was definitely physically taxing.

Eventually we emerged atop a 300-foot cliff overlooking--well, everything.  

We feel more manly for having done it.

Even Ethan, king of the bedroom laptop, said, "That was fun! I'm glad we did that!"

Me too.

There is a lot I don't enjoy about being single. But I'm enjoying being a boy with my boys.

Forthcoming books update

Okay. Here are the latest release schedules for my upcoming books:

• Ten Tiny Toes (board book), Little, Brown, Spring 2018
• How to Become a Knight in 10 Easy Lessons, Sterling, Fall 2018
• Three Grumpy Trucks, Little, Brown, Fall 2018
• Naughty Ninja Takes a Bath, Two Lions, Spring 2019
• Library Books Are Not for Eating, Random House, Summer 2019

A couple got pushed to 2019, which is probably for the best in terms of competitive separation. Although as a business school graduate, I could also make a case for maximizing shelf space.

Whatever.

In the meantime I'm plugging away at more manuscripts.

Brownstone Park

Well, we're steadily checking items off the summer bucket list.

Today it was Brownstone Park, an old rock quarry in Connecticut, where we went ziplining, cliff jumping, rock climbing, water sliding, and Tarzan swinging. 

You know how much I miss when the boys were small. But it's so much fun to do things with them that they couldn't do when they were younger.

You should've seen Ethan leaping off the 15-foot cliff into the water with no fear.

You should've seen Samuel scaling the side of a 70-foot cliff in about a minute.

We all rode the zipline from the highest cliff into the water.

Grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken strips, Dippin' Dots, and a milkshake on the way home.

Pretty much a perfect day with my two favorite boys in the universe.

Sunday Central Park Sprinkler Run

You know the drill: run through every playground sprinkler on the west side of the park from 100th Street to 81st Street, followed by the water terrace at The Museum of Natural History.

I think I could probably do this every day of my life and not complain too much.

Saturday evening picnic in Central Park

On Saturday afternoon Ethan looked up from his laptop and said, "[Curse word], I don't want to piss away this whole [curse word] Summer." He gets that trait from me. I should say traits, plural: the angst over Summer and the cursing.

It was the best impromptu picnic organized by a 16-year-old that I've ever been to.