It’s a Monday reading post, post-vacation edition – and I wish I was still on vacation.  We spent last week in Lake Placid, New York, with my parents, doing all the Adirondack things – lots and lots and lots of hiking, swimming, and some (not enough) kayaking.  It was exactly what I have been needing: lots of time outdoors, with trail under my feet and smelling the scents of pine trees and fresh mountain air.  We knocked off another high peak (Big Slide – recap coming soon) and plenty of other ADK trails, although there were quite a few more on my list that we didn’t get to.  Something to save for next time!  I grew up playing in these mountains in every season, and it was so much fun to introduce the kiddos to this special place.  Of course, I ended up having to do a little work most days of the vacation – isn’t that always the way it ends up?  But there was enough down-time and enough family time that I still feel refreshed.  And good thing, too, because I have a loooooong and stressful week ahead of me.  (It’s only Monday and I’m already wishing for Friday.)  I know one thing; I’ll be clinging to memories of mountain vistas and giggling kids splashing in a crystal clear lake to get me through the week.

Reading.  I know that I flaked on you for a Monday reading post last week – sorry about that.  I was in such a rush getting everything ready to go on vacation that I didn’t have time to start a draft, and then, well, I was on vacation and I didn’t get to it.  So let’s blow past that and talk about vacation reading.  The joke was on me for a little bit there, because before the trip I put together a huge stack of books to take along, even throwing a giant doorstopper of a Victorian novel onto the pile at the last minute.  The realistic part of me knew I wasn’t going to get through everything, but even I was surprised that it took me almost the entire week to get through Portage: A Family, a Canoe, and the Search for the Good Life.  It’s no fault of the book, which is completely lovely.  It was just that I found myself squeezing work into the after-bedtime hours that I thought would be my prime reading time.  It happens.  Anyway, I enjoyed every moment I got with Portage and then moved on to The Summer Book on the final day of vacation.  It was lovely, and I finished it up in the car on the way home to D.C., then blew through all of Be Prepared, a lightly fictionalized graphic memoir of summer camp – so fun! – on the same car ride before finally turning to Canoeing in the Wilderness.  (What was it with me and canoes last week?)  Anyway, it was a summery, nature-heavy week of reading as it turned out, and I did enjoy myself rather a lot.

Watching.  I didn’t watch any TV at all last week – I usually don’t watch very much, but none at all is unusual even for me – and it was glorious.  Instead, I watched: birds (chickadees, blue jays, and several gorgeous loons); my boots on the trail (ADK trails are notoriously rocky and rooty); my kids splashing and laughing in Mirror Lake.  And it was all wonderful.

Listening.  As with TV, it was a week of earbud detox, and I can’t even say I missed them.  I listened to the Moana soundtrack a lot, on CD in the car driving to and from hikes.  And I listened to the sounds of nature – birds calling; kayak paddles splashing; twigs snapping under my hiking boots.  I’d like some more of all of those things right now.

Moving.  I’m not really one for sedentary vacations, and this one was no exception.  Lots and lots and lots of hiking – including up a high peak, which was a tough climb – and some water sports, although not as much as I’d have liked.  But we were on our feet every day, and our wanderings ranged from the very easy (a stroll through the Wild Center on our one grey day) to the crazy challenging.

Blogging.  In the spirit of just having gotten back from an Adirondack vacation, I have a tribute to my favorite hiking boots ever on Wednesday.  And for those of you who will groan at the hiking-heavy content that is on the way, I’ll return to the books on Friday, with my August reading recap.  Check in with me then!

Loving.  It was so much fun to be on vacation with the family last week!  We managed to see my Grandma at her assisted living facility on our way up to the lake, and of course the kids ate up every second they got with Nana and Grandad.  I just wish that my brother Dan and sister-in-love Danielle could have been with us, but we were all together in June and that’s good too.  With every year that goes by, family seems to get more and more important.  I’m glad I lucked into such a close one.

Asking.  What are you reading this week?