When summer is approaching and people are talking about summer plans and trips, I often find myself saying, "We hang out."  I mean, we do things: we go to Scituate; we go camping; some years we rent a small place for a few days -- one year in western MA; one year in NH.  But we don't usually take huge trips (unless we're going to visit Daniel's family in NM).   The kids play with their friends, we bike around town a lot, we go to the Y pool, we eat dinner together on the back deck.  We hang out.

Yesterday I had the same thought.  Sure, we're in Italy.  And travel generally sounds exciting.  And it is.  But really, when we're traveling, we're just hanging out in new surroundings, adjusting some, finding ways to be comfortable some, getting to know a place some, learning some.

Saturday Mary, Connor, Daniel, and I wandered the outdoor market in search of pants for Connor, then caught up with Sebastian and Hannah at the sculpture I call The Giant, but which I think is properly called The Awakening (similar or original in Washington, D. C., I think).  A huge head sticks out of the ground, so big you could climb on it.  But easier to climb is the left knee or the right foot.  The kids climbed and then slid down the shin.  We sat on the grass.  Daniel took a video or two.

When the kids got antsy and we all got hungry, we came home, ate lunch, read, napped (disciplined Hannah did some of her Italian workbook since school is starting soon; Mary started to set up a blog so she can do some writing).  Then we headed out to Baita La Faggeta, a forest twenty minutes away, where there are beech trees, trails, boulders.  The kids climbed rocks, ran, made up a water-bottle-rolling game.  We hung out.

We got hungry.  We ate.

The kids begged to return to the terme to wade around, so at 9pm we headed to the hot springs, strangely crowded and festive.  While Mary read her book, the rest of us sat in the hot pool.  Connor lost his watch en route from one pool to another; Sebastian returned with him to search, and they returned successful. (Phew.)

Daniel made the kids practice closing the windows of the car, closing the door to the apartment.  We talked: Mary is considering becoming vegetarian; Daniel may join her.  We called our nephew to wish him a happy birthday.  We called lights out too late, yet again.

A good Saturday.

Hanging out.