Welcome to Camp Blandings where the three young inhabitants will begin the summer filled with excitement and enthusiasm.
We will swim and play golf, walk to Brookside and likely hike in Colorado. I will make every effort to keep the electronic demons in check.
At some point the season will make an ugly transition and it will become “too hot for the pool.”
But for now, we begin summer again and even I cannot forget the feeling of your world breaking wide open when the bell rings for the last time. Exultation and relief.
Even for the resident camp counselor, who often stands head in hand wondering if this was really what I signed up for, the last day of school is always a good day.
Because of a cooler spring, the peony hedge in the front is a little late in blooming this year. Its stalks are usually heavy with blossoms for Mother’s Day, but this year we had to wait a bit.
So yesterday, when we drove up, car crammed with boys and backpacks and cubby labels and artwork, the peonies greeted us like fireworks, welcoming us home to days of laughter and lounging and beastly boredom. Summer in the Dream House begins today. 
Yay, how exciting! I wish I had a garden to plant peonies in!!
my goodness, mrs blandings- you REALLY do live in a dream house! it is the quintessential “happily after after” family home!
lovely!
oh bless you. you remind me of what summer was. i LOVE the shots of the decades old peony plants.
it’s so very different (but lovely in an entirely different way)living at the beach.
may the force be with you!
Wow what a dream house! Yellow brick with pale pink peonies in the yard and three active young boys.
I hope all the Blandings have one of the best summers yet.
Peonies….one of my favorite flowers. It’s too hot for them here in Texas but they are beautiful. Thank you for sharing yours. 😉
BTW…your home is lovely.
Enjoy, Mrs B! We still have almost a month of school left to go here in NY…..The peonies look beautiful- they are my favorite flower- so romantic !
Suzy – I’m so fortunate that I inherited these. I would have probably chosen white, but the pink punch is very fun.
M21 – It has its moments!
Megan – I knew this would remind you of home. These old hedges are exploding all over the neighborhood.
Patricia – you said it, sister.
Courtney – the peonies from my yard could be the ones in your decanters yesterday – such a funny coincidence.
CC – Sometimes I would trade the peonies for a little winter relief. It’s amazing how you can find them at florists everywhere now. I asked one once if they come with ants – they don’t. He didn’t know how they open without them.
Linda – I had heard you East Coasters tended to hang around the school yard a little longer. Enjoy the last few weeks of a quiet moment here and there.
Lucky you to have such gorgeous peonies! I know you and the boys will have a fantastic summer!!
I love peonies, too; I have just posted a bunch of pictures of them on my blog. Oh, I remember those kid years. . . it was never too hot for the pool for me, anything to escape the boredom of hanging around the house.
Patricia, I can just about smell the peonies from my computer. They are one of my all-time fave flowers and have always reminded me of cake frosting with their big, full, sweet petals. Thank you for the photo display. Positively scrumptious!
Your home and the peony hedge is beautiful. How could you not have a wonderful summer here?!
Enjoy!
You write so beautifully!
Is Camp Blandings booked for the summer? I’d like to rent a bunk for 2 weeks.
What a picture perfect home!
Thanks for sharing these beautiful pictures!
I wish peonies would grow in Florida… I’d be in heaven!
erika
Here’s to the easy living Mrs. B.! Drag the Victrola into the garden, wind it up and unwind with a Pimm’s Cup for us!
Happiest of Summers.
What a wonderful image you created of summer starting. My girls are still in school for a couple more weeks. The peonies are bliss!
Lovely photos Mrs. B. As a boy, Memorial Day was the day my grandmother and her sisters cut liberally from their own peony hedges for arrangements they made and took to the cemetaries. The day continued with hamburgers on the grill and ruthless croquet games, followed by a second round of dessert. Thank you for the reminder.
Thanks to all for our warm thoughts! We are in Texas visiting my folks. Never fear, Rosie is safe and sound at home with her favorite house-sitter (she lets her sleep in our bed.) I’ll be back on Tuesday.
YOU ARE SO LUCKY! I LOVE peonies and living in Southern California I can’t have them in my garden… ugh! On another note… thank you for the laugh… I have 2 camp kids to keep away from “electronics devices” … can totally relate!
Can I come??? I could weave lanyards to match the peonies and sing songs around the campfire…
What a beautiful home. I’m a new reader of your blog, it’s great and the movie it’s named after is one my all-time favorites!
I keep coming back to this post. Your house is sooooo charming, as is your family life. Enjoy and thanks for sharing.
Happy Summer! Camp looks lovely.
Beautifully written, Mrs. B. Thank you.