Today is a day that my daughter, Rose, and I are likely to remember for a long, long time.  It wasn't some huge event like a trip to Disneyland or a birthday party.  It was pretty much a normal first-day-of-summer-vacation-kind-of-day.  I am a teacher - Rose's teacher, in fact - and yesterday was our final in service day of the year.  Classes ended last week, and so today my wife, Sue, and I brought Rose to the local beach one mile from our house.  Nothing uncommon here in the lakes region of Maine.  But today was different.

It all really started two days ago; Father's Day, 2014.  Rose blessed me with a brand new set of juggling clubs.  They match hers: Higgins clubs endorsed by Cirque de Soliel.  We have been working on passing clubs for a few weeks now, and having matching, lighter weight clubs will go a long way to helping us be successful.  Since developing RMI in both of my wrists, I have not been able to pass clubs.  In fact, I have not performed a partner club routine since the late 1990's.  Then, a few years ago, I learned some compensation strategies for club juggling, and now I'm using the same strategies when passing.  We're inconsistent with it at this time, but I can "see it" now.  I don't know how else to explain it; I see the pattern taking shape again.

So, back to today's day at Woods Pond.  We went after lunch and spent the afternoon.  We planned form the start to swim, juggle, read and just do what we want when we want to do it.  Sue and I found the water chilly, so when Rose swam, we read.  But, when Rose came back on land, we juggled.  A lot.

At one point a car drove by blasting its horn.  I looked up to see that it was Helen driving by.  I have taught both of her kids (and both are quality jugglers themselves) but I looked to late to see if Erik or Lauren was in the car with her.  We weren't intending to do a show, and it wasn't.  but the handful of families at the beach did enjoy what we were doing.  When Rose had the flaming torches going, a 20 something man came over and said, "I've got to snap chat this."  I almost know what that means.  Anyway, as he was using his phone to snap chat my daughter, he said, "Best day at the beach EVER!" 

A little later, a preschool aged girl told her mom, "I like the man (me), but I really like the lady (Rose)."  Rose loves an audience - I don't know where she gets that from - and spent a lot of time with machetes and torches.  But we also worked on our club passing, diabolos and more.  But it wasn't really 'work'.  When we got hot or tired, we jumped back into the pond or I joined Sue in reading.

Summer has begun, and, if this is and indication, summer 2014 will be a great one.