This was the summer of backyard fires, s’mores and hot dogs. As soon as we moved in, we gave ourselves a housewarming gift of a copper fire pit. As evening would arrive, Bradley would ask if we wanted a fire. The kids would, of course, answer yes, and Bradley would head outdoors to cut wood, seek paper while I would gather the ingredients for hot dogs and s’mores.

As vegetarians, marshmallows are tricky (a main ingredient is gelatin – manufactured from animal bones). We found the Sweet and Sara marshmallows in the dairy case at Whole foods for a hefty 7.99 per package – you get about 20 marshmallows – and Gigi went to town. There is nothing she likes better than marshmallows and would eat them by the bag if she could! She became an expert roaster, favoring the red coals that result in a toasted marshmallow over the flames that scorch.

While Gigi became a connoisseur and perfected the art of roasting a marshmallow to perfection, Jude’s marshmallows hardly made it into the fire at all. His marshmallows went in the fire for brief moments and then, just as quickly, back out for a taste test. The cycle would continue like this until there was very little marshmallow on the stick. We rescued the marshmallow and settled it between two grahams and a piece of chocolate, only for Jude to open it back up, eat the marshmallow and chocolate, then offer the graham to Martha. Martha, who is not a graham fan, would leave it on the ground.

This summer was a lot of work. We nearly finished building a whole house without the help of contractors. Day in and out we toiled away with paint, wire, pipes, screws, wood and nails while our children ran wild in the yard and house. One night, after the kids had gone to bed and Bradley and I were sitting near the fire, we commented that having the fire made our house feel like a rental vacation home, that the next morning we were going to grad our sand pails and head to the beach. It gave us a sense of vacation and the feeling that usually comes from taking a break from your home and regular life routines. In this, the summer gained the feeling that we did do something besides build build build. We had quiet campfire moments, sing alongs to Bradley’s guitar, and opportunities to ponder the stars, all from our very own backyard.


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