My Summer Bucket List

The hot days of summer are just beginning, and it is nice to realize that we have all this glorious weather ahead of us. Finally WE have the best days in our region, and I just want to soak all this in, the best way yet. And next year we will try to top what was "achieved" this summer. That's the plan! :)

I noticed that if I make a list of something, it does come true. Perhaps in reality it will take 2 or even 3 summers to do all of this, but eventually we will get to it!

So, here it is - my summer bucket list in no particular order:

• Lots of yummy weekend breakfasts with my hubby 
• Read a book entirely in the back yard
• Kayaking
• See my brother more often
• Patio dinners with with parents and grannies
• Beach day(s)
• Going out to a hot dogs and burgers place for dinner
• Drive-in movie
• Make my own preserves (from berries gathered on a farm)
• Camping with a tent
• Bonfire
• A day on a boat on a lake
• Biking for ice cream, and just biking
• Ice cream social for my neighbors
• Road trip with family
• Lazy days with no agenda
• Belarussian style bacon made over open fire
• Swimming in rivers and lakes
• Learn a few new summer soups and salads
• Sailing
• More photo-sessions with my friend, Yulia
• Hammock in our back yard
• Learn a new pie or cake
• A day in a pine forest to smell it and hear the wind in trees
• Spend quality time with my friends on a join vacation, even just in Belarus
• Visit my childhood summers village - Kopatkevichi, and stay there for at least a week
• Yoga in the park
• Running a half marathon
• Play badminton
• Watch our favorite movie with my friend; the movie we saw at least 20 times, when we were teens 
• Stroll night summer streets and avenues of Minsk
• Visit Cape Cod
• Go whale watching
• Pay a visit to the Pacific ocean along the West Coast
• Attend Ivan Kupala, Belarussian mid-summer holiday
• Fireworks
• Visit London and hear Adele in concert
• Hot air ballon ride
• Fly a kite
• Go fishing

I think this should be a good start. :)

The Honeymoon took a loooooong time. You don't beleive me?

Hm..... I am back again. From the honeymoon. Yes, it took 2 months. ..... !

Ok, I am a bad lier, and feel guilty that during this period of my life - wedding, moving into a new house, honeymoon and first holidays as a family  - I didn't blog. Clearly, it is  a crime, at least for my own sake.

To make up for this major miss I am going to be putting the pieces together in the next posts and recreating the beautiful picture of this fall's happenings.

For a sneak peak - Thailand, of course. The most beautiful beaches I've ever seen... So far... :) !

It is definitelly fall!

Yesterday, stepping out of the car, I noticed it was very quiet around. We live by the forest edge, and all summer long, day and night, there was a never ending concerto of bugs and birds. Sometimes the "music" was louder than the hum coming from the highway during a rush hour.
And yesterday I realized that the concerto was over. No whistling, no squeaking, no movement - everything was at a stand still! Some trees lost all their leaves already, some are in the peak of their fall beauty, showing the variety of colors from green to red. It seemed somebody decided to stop life for a moment and study this little corner of the world thoroughly, with no rush. So he clicked his fingers and the life numbed.
If this seems to be a sad scene to observe, I haven't yet mentioned one really important detail: everything was lit by a mild, tender evening sunshine. Sunshine complemented the yellows and reds and made everything just very ripely beautiful.
I find it very interesting that both Asian culture and Jewish religion celebrate really big holidays at this time of the year - the Moon Festival, Rosh Hashanah (New Year) and Yom Kippur (The day of Atonement). I wish Christianity had a big holiday at this beautiful time as well. There is some culture and religion envy (the white one) I am experiencing! :)
BUT, Halloween with its overwhelming orangeness is just around the corner, as well as my most favorite American holiday - Thanksgiving! I like anticipation of a holiday as much as the holiday itself, so I am already enjoying them both.

Last Weekend

Last Sunday my friends and I visited Letchworth Park, where I tried my beginner photography skills. I shoot everything in the manual setting (!!!) of Canon PowerShot S5IS, a "wannabe" professional camera. Here are several of the best photos from that day.

Here is a portrait of a very professional photographer, my friend Yulia (Yuka). She holds her old, but quite professional camera. One more photo of Yulia: