August 23:

Catching up on the rest of the summer: After the big beach trip, we managed a few small trips throughout the summer, all via car. It was an unusually cool summer in Dallas: only one day in triple-digits, and that one only 100. (For some perspective, in 1980 there was something like 60 straight days with triple-digit temperatures; we usually average 20 or 30 days that hot). So we didn't really miss the annual NY beach trip.

1. Over the July 4th weekend, we took a trip to Houston to visit the Merkls, who had skiied with us in Colorado. They have a lovely house in Southside Place (a small city next to West University Place, completely surrounded by the City of Houston), and we swam, grilled, and drank some mighty fine wine.
2. We spent the last weekend in July at the Martin lakehouse on Cedar Creek Lake southeast of Dallas [see the "Martin/Corrigan" photos]. Our friends Joe and Johanna (Martin) Corrigan were members of our dinner club when they lived in Dallas, but they now live in Shanghai, China, where Joe works as head of Asia Finance for Texas Instruments. During the summer, Johanna and the kids (Ashley, Cassie, and Jack) come back stateside, where they split time between Johanna's folks' houses in Dallas, Massachusetts, and Cedar Creek. They invited us out for the weekend at the lake, and we eagerly accepted. I had to be at a hospital board meeting Monday night in deep(er) east Texas, so we stayed Monday and most of the day Tuesday. The kids had a great time, Sea-Dooing and taking the boat out. I took my kayak and got out a little on the lake when it was rough; a cold front came through and it was actually quite cool. Ellen and I spent some semi-rough time trying to learn to ride a bike; it's not easy for her, and she's not the easiest kid to teach (nor am I the most patient), but we tried. We're not there yet, but we're making progress. The Drummond and Corrigan kids got along like thieves, which is really nice since we usually only get to see them once or twice a year.
3. The first week of August, AM and the girls drove down to Houston to hang out with Gary and Lydia Junek and their girls Alexa and Amanda. I stayed at home to work, since they went during the week. Part of the reason they wanted to get out of the house was because they craved the visit (Mary loves Amanda, and they got along pretty famously when we skiied with them), but it was also to keep everyone out of the house in case it was being shown.

Our house being shown? Yes, that's right, we're selling our house. After 3 years of looking, Anne Marie finally found something bigger, better, and in the neighborhood she's wanted to be in for some time (1.4 miles away, per Yahoo). So now our house is on the market. Let me tell you, August is a pretty crappy time to try to sell a house. We had very little interest. It's picked up some now that school has started (it starts mid-August down here, not post-Labor Day), but no offers yet. We close on the new house a week from today. More on the house next post.

We've got a few trips still in the works, including another lakehouse trip to a totally different lakehouse on Cedar Creek Lake (owned by John Amend, a friend of Lisa Daves' husband Bill) [see "Amend" photos below]. Right now, the kids are getting back into the school routine, and we're trying to keep the Robin Meadow house clean while AM goes shopping for new stuff for the new house. Jeez, just thinking about that makes me think I better get back to work.

At the Martin/Corrigan lakehouse trip: Gina, me, and Ellen on "the General" (I think; the Sea-Doo's have names, but I can't remember which is the General and which is Sam).