The Independent Market Observer

5/28/13 – Welcome to Summer

Posted by Brad McMillan, CFA®, CFP®

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This entry was posted on May 28, 2013 12:35:09 PM

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My family and I spent the holiday weekend in Maine. Unfortunately, it was in the 40s and 50s on Saturday and Sunday, and, unsurprisingly, there weren’t a lot of people at the pool. Fortunately, Jackson, my now five-year-old son, was happy to spend some quality time snuggled up next to Dad watching movies while Dad read. Sometimes, a quiet weekend is just right.

We did get out a bit, including a drive to the nature lodge on the top of Mount Agamenticus, a local mountain with wonderful views from the summit (on a clear day, which this was not) and miles of trails. Jackson and I have hiked up there before, but this time we just wanted to show it to Mom, who was duly impressed. We’ll be heading back later this summer to do some more hiking.

A good part of the weekend was spent resuming the search for the perfect lobster roll. We reviewed one of last year’s winners at Feile’s and took in a very credible new contender at Sundaes on the Beach, both in Wells. Further bulletins as warranted . . .

Monday was in the 70s, and Mom took Jackson to the pool to play for an hour. This is a kid who doesn’t get cold at all—wish I could say the same. We spent the afternoon at home in Massachusetts, doing yard work.

I am happy to say that Jackson gets the idea of Memorial Day. We talked on Saturday about the holiday weekend, which he thinks of as an extra “home day,” and I explained the holiday was to remember and say thank-you to the soldiers and sailors who gave their lives fighting the bad guys. I mentioned it to him again on Monday, and he said to me, “Yes, I remember. I already said thank-you to them in my head.” So had I, and so should all of us. We will continue remembering and giving thanks every year.

As we head into the summer, I want to remember to be mindful of and grateful for everything we have. I’ve spent a great deal of time recently speaking and writing about things to be concerned about and things that could go wrong. Overall, however, I still believe that we here in the U.S. are very well positioned and that our economy is in a sustainable recovery. We truly are blessed as a country, and, amid all our worrying, we should keep that in mind.

I hope everyone reading this had as nice and relaxing a Memorial Day weekend as I did. May the weather continue to improve for all of us, and may we be mindful of and grateful for everything we have. Have a great summer.


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