School starts next week, and with it all the other things the kids are up to as well. There is more this year than last, as it goes, and as they all grow. Not that it hasn't started yet - cross country pre-season is in full swing, and everyday rehearsals for the next ballet have begun. Oh boy. But despite all of that, I declare that there is still so much summer left to be had. After all, late August into September is one of the very best times of the year to be in Maine (shhh...I didn't just tell you that!). The busy spots quiet down a bit as all the visitors head back to their own homes and their own fall rhythms, and the weather is still lovely and the coastline and mountains equally beautiful. It's a wonderful time of year, and I have every intention of squeezing in as much of it as a family as we possibly can. Even if that means a quick jump in the lake after school and before piano lessons, or a visit to the shore while we wait for one of us at ballet rehearsal/horseback riding/whatever it may be. Or, in the case of this weekend when not a one of the seven of us had something on the calendar that we had to do....hopping a ferry to visit friends for the day. Summer...we're not done with you yet!