I’ve always loved summer — the warm weather, the long days, the feeling of freedom. While my own long breaks are behind me, having a daughter in secondary school still brings a welcome shift in pace each year. This summer feels especially meaningful, as I’ll be bidding for my next assignment soon, and it could be our last full one in the U.S. for some time, so I was determined to make the most of it.

We kicked off the summer with an unexpected event: an ice show. Last year, my daughter began figure skating lessons and quickly advanced through the Learn to Skate levels. By spring, she had progressed enough to participate in the seasonal performance — a proud milestone for both of us.

Much of her early childhood was spent overseas, in places where extracurricular opportunities were limited. Even during our year back in the U.S. for my French training, pandemic-related restrictions curtailed many activities. So, this felt like the first time she could truly take advantage of the wealth of options available in Northern Virginia — a region teeming with opportunities beyond the usual suspects like soccer, ballet, and Scouts. Here, she could explore Irish dancing, field hockey, archery, fencing, or, of course, ice skating.

Though I grew up in this area, I never knew anyone who skated. So when C chose an ice skating party for her birthday in January 2024, I was stunned to learn that eight of the twelve kids she invited had at least a year of skating experience. It struck me how much had changed — and how fortunate she was to grow up in a place where these experiences were within reach.

Watching her glide across the ice during the two-day show, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with pride.

We followed up my daughter’s performance by attending another of my sister’s. Over the past two and a half years, we have had the opportunity to see her in several stage productions. Last fall, she participated in an interactive performative experience of Dracula at the historic Dodona Manor in Leesburg. This year, she played Catherine in a Great Gatsby experience, also at the manor. It was fun to wander the grounds, watching short scenes and interacting with the characters.

To satisfy our sports-watching appetites, we were invited to a Washington Spirit game by my daughter’s friend and family. Although the Spirit lost, it was an exciting match that kept us on our toes. Then we caught not one, not two, but three Washington Nationals games through the summer – one each in June, July, and August. We had our first-ever rain-postponed game in June, which delivered an amazing double rainbow over the stadium. We brought friends to the July game that ended in a spectacular win for the Nationals and evening fireworks. The Grateful Dead-themed August game ended in another loss, but we left with fun souvenir shirts. Win or lose, my daughter and I enjoy an evening at Nationals Park.

In mid-June, I invited my friend JK1 (who I served with in Ciudad Juarez and visited in Thailand and Zimbabwe) to see British comedian Sarah Millican at DAR Constitution Hall. We had enjoyed a holiday lights display with JK1 and her family the previous fall at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, but their time in DC had grown short as JK1 wrapped up her language training and they moved to Laos. I had discovered the award-winning raunchy and hilariously funny Millican about two years before; as soon as I learned she would be touring in the U.S., I bought two tickets. A great deal had happened between my purchase of the tickets in early fall 2024 and the show in June 2025; with the administration’s military parade in the capital the day after, concerns arose that the show could not go on as planned. Thankfully, Millican’s team was in touch with the powers that be and her performance was given the go ahead. JK1 and I had dinner downtown beforehand, and then laughed and laughed through the show. How I had needed that!

On July 4th, C and I ran together in a local 5K. It was C’s first and my first in a long, long time. Back when I started this blog (11 years ago now!), I used to run regularly, but I had stopped when we moved to Malawi in 2017. C had asked me recently to show her my race tees and medals and asked that we run a race together. I suggested a fall run, but she wanted something much sooner. Against my better judgment, I signed us up for one only a few weeks ago. Unsurprisingly, we were slow. But we did far better than expected, and we had a good time.

C then headed off for two weeks of camp in Pennsylvania while I held down the fort with Ramen the Cat. The day after C returned, we headed to the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens to attend the annual Lotus and Water Lily Festival. The park, located in the northeastern corner of Washington, D.C., was originally planted with water lilies from Maine by a Civil War veteran in the 1880s. He and then his daughter commercialized the venture when the lilies thrived in the marshy environment. In 1938, the government of Washington, D.C. bought the land to establish a park, and in 1976, the National Park Service took over its administration and started the yearly festival.

The festival takes place each July during peak bloom. The weather was hot and humid, and the park crowded with flower enthusiasts. There are many activities available over the course of the three days from painting classes and yoga, but C and I stuck to what the majority of visitors appeared to be doing: soaking in the atmosphere and taking photographs. We spent nearly two hours there.

At the end of July, C and I made our way to the National Theater to see the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I’ve been enchanted by the Harry Potter universe since 2000, when a fellow traveler at a youth hostel in Vienna, Austria, passed along her copy of the first book before she flew home.

When we arrived to take our seats in the balcony, we were surprised with an upgrade — something that had never happened to me before in any theater. Our new spots were in the left orchestra section, barely 30 feet from center stage. Part theatrical drama, part sleight-of-hand spectacle, the performance was nothing short of mesmerizing, leaving us and the entire audience spellbound.

Before heading out on our summer vacation, C and I got in a bit of volunteer work at a local farm. Nearly two years ago, my daughter joined an all-girls Scouting America (formerly the Boy Scouts) troop. This past summer she worked on the Eagle-required Citizenship in Community merit badge. As part of the badge, she needed to volunteer at least eight hours with a charitable organization that supports the community. C chose to volunteer with the Arlington Food Assistance Center. For six of her eight hours, we went to JK Community Farm in Purcellville, Virginia on two Saturdays to pick fresh vegetables. I figured if C were going to do it, I should too.

It was hard work! We pulled and cut weeds, and harvested eggplant, cucumbers, yellow melons, tomatoes, and a variety of peppers — including bell, banana, and jalapeño. On the first Saturday, the temperature soared into the upper 80s under a relentless, beating sun. I sweated profusely, and my back ached for most of the following week — to the point where I wasn’t sure I could make it through a second Saturday. Nevertheless, we were there, and my sister and her two kids joined us. However, it was a great experience for us all, to see the kind of work that goes into growing and harvesting our food, and the importance of generosity and assistance to those in one’s community who need a helping hand.

It was another magnificent summer in Northern Virginia. It was not quite over as we had two weeks holiday overseas yet to come, but I think we once again made the most of our time posted to Washington, D.C.