A short vacation and I’m taking it

It’s been two years of grandchildren custody, and two years since I've been on a vacation. Two years of day to day kid moving. My PT Cruiser faced another thousand dollar repair a year ago, at 160,000 miles, so I bought a new car with 15,000 miles. Exactly one year later it has thirty thousand miles and change.

It could be worse; I have that lovely young mother for band carpool; I take them, she brings them home. She just realized our youngest are in the same grade and both headed for marching band. She’s as excited as I was when I figured it out last year.

Of course there is a schedule for this week; Laura’s band camp and Emily’s band practice, two nights a week until some football playoff game or another. It’s just interminable. Aunt Janice and Uncle Tom are in charge this week.

I’m off to Ann’s for a week.

It’s been a disappointing summer for pictures. The weather has been beautiful, but I've been so put-off by the mean-spiritedness of the community I live in I simply have not gone looking for pictures. No monarchs in my own garden, and only two swallowtail butterflies. Quite a disappointment.

When there were interesting critters I only had my phone. I circled the phlox several times yesterday for a picture of this little transport for a fairy or a pixy. Its abdomen was all leather black; its thorax covered in brown hair. At least an inch long. There were two antennae, apparently a proboscis, for it probed the phlox blossoms. The wings never ceased moving, even when it was gathering nectar. I could not capture a decent image, so here is what I got. Any ideas?

Now I’m off to Ann’s for a week.