Sun, mild and warm breezes seem to be the theme of the summer so far. I must admit I am getting a little itchy to do a little rain dance, as the ground is so dry and my hydrangeas are flagging a little already. But wouldn’t it be nice if we had sun all day and rain at night while we were sleeping? Then we would all be happy.

Happy Birthday to all who celebrated their day this past week. Big balloons go out to Thomas Mullen and Thais Pereira, who celebrated on July 9; Phillip Pruciano and Cameron Stanton on July 10; Dominick Assis and Emmeline Meuse on July 11; Shyanne Batchelder and Lara De Oliveira on July 13; and to Natalia BenDavid, Jacob Branca, Ronan Murphy and Katelyn Tankersley who all celebrate their day on July 14.

It is already the middle of July and we have a mid-month changeover of people. It has been a very busy Island as far as traffic, bike riders, joggers and walkers goes. Stores are doing their best to keep the shelves stocked and many Island businesses are still shorthanded.

The cleaners are busy cleaning houses for changeover. Ralph and I did that job for a few years and it was not easy. You have a limited time between check out and check in. Many people were kind to the rentals and then there were always a few that were on vacation and they were not kind to the property. So I give a special thanks to those doing that job.

Last week I neglected to mention the Smiths. Drew and Paula Smith were here to host their annual Fourth of July party. They live right on the beginning of the parade and see the end when it comes back around. They had Paula’s best friends from high school, Noel Bagnall and Amy Billings. Of course, her brothers Tom and John were there with their wives Alison and Debbie.

But the picture that struck me the most was Alison with her mother Barbara. I saw Barbara and it took me right back to the beach days. When she visited she was at the beach and, almost the whole time, she sat at the edge of the water in her chair and kept an eye on all the kids. It was her position for most of the day. So many chairs found their way to the water’s edge as we sat with her and visited. I was so happy to see her face and have such great memories.

Have a great week and keep the home candles burning.