My last post was of snow and now August is almost over? Yikes!

After commuting thousands of miles between DC and New Hampshire since my father’s passing, I’ve spent the summer in New Hampshire. The marathon driving sessions wear on me, so I’ve been avoiding them.

The driving was because I haven’t found a good way to have my mother live alone for more than a few weeks at a time. I haven’t worked out a strategy for getting her help while preserving as much of her independence as possible. So I’ve been the help.

Maybe that’s a good thing, even if it often feels like I’m treading water. During my father’s final months, everything had to be about him. Now I’m able to take the time to work out my mother’s specific needs, even as she works out the business of living as a widow after more than sixty-five years of marriage.

Besides, a health issue has come up that we have to deal with.

a farm stand selling young plants at the beginning of spring in Maine A view of the water and granite at Diana’s Baths.
giant labs of granite in the New Hampshire woods Sand dunes in Barnstable, MA
  1. My mother enjoying flowers and the arrival of spring at Weston’s Farm in Freyburg, Maine.
  2. Slabs of granite in the woods next to the upper section of Diana’s Baths.
  3. A view of the water and granite at Diana’s Baths.
  4. Sand dunes in Barnstable, MA. Was taking a break after driving to Cape Cod to see my wife, my son, and my son’s family.

(All photos by author)