Ok, so I haven't spent ALL summer in Princeton. I zoomed briefly over to Vancouver to check in with this year's summer institute. Vancouver remains gorgeous.

View from the "penthouse apartment" over Vancouver Harbour. This view always makes me want a pirate ship. Well, darn it, any ship would do...

View from the Penthouse out towards Vancouver Island. Not that you can see it (even in summer the area lives up to its misty reputation).

Crowds of happy people outdoors on Granville Island

Another pretty view - from "Canada Place" out towards Stanley Park.

Nic and I had a lovely few days together in Durham last weekend. We again spent too much time hanging out at Sennett's Hole with Emma and a crowd of other friendly swimmers (most of who wanted to make friends with Emma).

Pretty flutterbies were drinking from the moist sand

Emma was super happy, standing in the rapids

Nic worked on his, um, tan

I don't even pretend to work on my tan. It was a 6pm swim and we think I still turned a little pink.

Again with the happy dog

I probably spent a bit too much time trying to get close up shots of dragonflies

I also spent a lot of time hanging out in the rapids - its like a natural spa!

Nic actually swam (which tells you just how hot its been)

Other than swimming and splashing and feeling up the fauna, we also did a LOT of canning and tomato wrangling -- the garden was going ballistic.

17 cans of juice, sauce and tomatoes

The original, shiny bowls of garden ripe maters (that's a little bit of southern speak for you Aussie folks)

We oven dry the cherry toms and store them in oil. I think I got them a little too crispy this year, but they look cool before you put them in the oven!