I can see the end on the horizon.  Slowly, slowly coming closer and closer.  The end of summer.

It’s bittersweet always.  Granted the monkeys are starting to get on each others’ nerves more and more.  Summer camp activities are finished.  Picnics and vacations are just about done.  Now I’m spending my days planning the transition back to school- picking up supplies, scheduling fall activities, prepping for the new year.

But before I get too far ahead of myself, I need to take a moment and just relish these last moments  and it was a pretty nice summer.  It was a summer of visitors.  My friend from Oregon (who I visited back in January) came out to visit me and a few other of our friends in the East.  Then we had our good friends from Canada our to visit.  And we managed a trip to camp for a visit with my dad and the yearly trek to pick blueberries.

I have to admit, this year, I didn’t turn every get together into a photography session.  In the past, I’ve stressed myself out, trying to get perfect pictures even with my snapshots.  My hard drive ends up filled to capacity with images that just didn’t cut it and yet, I hesitate to delete the bad ones.  This summer, I’ve tried to be more intentional and sparing with my camera.  I would bring it out for specific moments and capture those, as best as I could.

You can tell me if I was successful.

First up, The Phellos in Pittsburgh…

through the willows

With a group of photographers, there will be more pictures with cameras than without.

my city

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Then it was a visit with our friends from Edmonton.  We’ve been friends since college and our kids always look forward to visiting.

It all started back in 2009 (actually we met up before but the monkeys were all pretty little).  Then we have our visit in 2011.  And finally this year.  We don’t get the picture every visit but it’s still fun to have and see how these kids are growing.

And then we had to add the little guy to the mix

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And finally our weekend at camp.  My dad’s camp is up in the middle of north central PA.  It’s pretty remote (no internet or cell service) but it is beautiful and quiet and so peaceful.

The field next to camp was full of Queen Anne’s Lace and golden rod.  With the sun setting behind the mountain, I just had to persuade the little girl to pose for a bit.

On Saturday, we went to a nearby nature center.  We had high hopes of seeing elk or deer but ended up being eaten by mosquitoes.

And as you can see, my dad also enjoys photography a bit.

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So that’s my summer so far.  Next up, a quick trip to Hershey Park and then it’s back to school!