This post started as something else entirely, and then when I started looking for a couple of photos to include, well--it turned into a very photo-heavy post.
I didn't realize it was going to be 50 degrees today! I just wrote yesterday how I can't wait for it to be nice outside so I can start doing some of the spring cleaning I'm looking forward to. Tomorrow it's supposed to be even warmer.
Jerry is off work today, so we are doing some impromptu cleaning in the garage. And possibly a small bonfire tonight to burn all the excess Amazon boxes and wood scraps. So, I'm going to take full advantage of this nice day and instead of writing a full post, I'll just share a few photos. I started looking through old bonfire photos; living in a rural area, bonfires are pretty much how we socialize in the summer. We used to have friends over for bonfires several times a year until the pandemic ruined everything.
Going through the photos was actually kind of bitter-sweet! There are pictures of Mark when we would have small fires in my parents' driveway during trick-or-treating; a picture of my friend Sarah who passed away from melanoma shortly after Mark died; there are several couples who have since divorced; and a couple of people that I used to be close with but lost touch through the years. And a couple of people I've gotten even closer with since then. Not to mention seeing my kids go from toddlers to adults!
If nothing else, it REALLY makes me want to host a bonfire this spring when it warms up. The last few years have been a trial in friendships for sure; keeping in touch during the pandemic was hard, even with video chatting. There is nothing like being around actual people, face-to-face!
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| Eli--making s'mores is his favorite part of a fire ;) |
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| Fourth of July sparklers--naturally, the boys had to pretend they were light sabers. |
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| This was at a Winer's meeting at Renee's house for Halloween in 2012. I was Superwoman--I needed a costume, so I borrowed from a friend! |
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| My friends Sarah--I think of her at least once a day--and Shannon (I actually got together with her last month for the first time since pre-pandemic) |
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| My friend Stacie, who I've lost touch with. |
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| Several of Noah's birthday parties have included bonfires (he was born in July) |
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| A fire on the beach at my parents' house |
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| The kids playing with Joey--he loves the water! |
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| This was not our fire, but the neighbors' behind us. I really thought they were going to catch the trees on fire! |
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| This picture made me laugh--Noah stoking the fire, Eli playing with Joey in the background, and Joey deciding it was a good time to poop mid-play. |
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| This was Mark's birthday in 2011. He's sitting by the fire drinking his beloved coffee. |
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| For Mark's birthdays, my dad used to put a piece of copper pipe in the fire to make pretty colors. |
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| What is a fire without s'mores?! This was at Jeanie and Shawn's property in the U.P. |
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| Probably the first fire of the year, when we burn boxes and wood scraps |
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| Joey looks so young! He's getting gray on his face now :( |
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| I LOVE this picture of Eli and me! We both remember the taste of those plums like it was yesterday. We ate a ton of them--they were so juicy and sweet. |
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| Jerry face ;) |
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| Me, taking a picture of Dave who was taking a selfie of him, Jerry, and Jason--while Jerry took a picture of me taking a picture of them. 🤣 |
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| This was my point-of-view. |
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| Renee and me--I love that glow on our faces where you can't even see the fire but you can tell it's there. |
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| I have no idea what was happening here! Definitely not our typical bonfire weather. |
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| And Jeanie and Shawn's property. Joey loved hanging out by the fire. |
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| This was when OUR fire seemed out of control. Jerry always underestimates how big it can get. |
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| Just Shawn, adding a log to the fire, haha |
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| My parent's 50th wedding anniversary (which we celebrated at Jeanie and Shawn's) |
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| Finally, this was from last fall. We downgraded our enormous fire pit to a smaller ring, and I like it much better. It's cozier and easier to chat with everyone. It'll be interesting to see how we manage to burn boxes though! |
This was a fun stroll down memory lane. I can't wait for bonfire season!
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I do miss the bonfires at our farm. I grew up on 50 acres and every year Dad would drag some felled trees from the 15 acres of woods out into a big field. Our fires always were huge. He even had a squirt bottle of kerosene to stoke it! I didn't know about the copper pipe to add color. That's cool. I hope you have a great summer filled with fabulous bonfires.
ReplyDeleteMy best friend has been trying to get me to host a bon fire (she wants to bring her camper out to our place), all these pictures make me want to do it. These pictures evoke such a sense of happiness :)
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