On Thursday, we went to Walden Pond with my old partner from PJA, Ariel, and her new baby, Dax. Like Thoreau, we tried to live deliberately, “to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life.” That’s why we only packed the bare essentials in the Beachcomber MacWagon, like a family-size bag of Pirate’s Booty, our water squirters, and 4-6 sand shovels.

Despite some clouds and a little summer shower, we had a great time. Ultimate Frisbee player Cassidy taught Hazy how to throw and catch a frisbee, George celebrated his water squirter by yelling “Water squirter!!!” so loudly, the guy sitting next to us left, and I swam across the lake, only to find out later that it had been closed for swimming due to dangerously high levels of bacteria the week before.

Unlike Hazy and George, Dax is pretty social media shy, so I won’t post the adorable photos I have of him chilling like a dream-baby under his makeshift tent. I got to hold him for a little bit and tried to soothe him with bouncing, but then Ariel pointed out that he could only be soothed by squats. Well-played, baby Dax.

On the way out, we posed with mini metal Thoreau.

We have continued to live our lives deliberately since our day at the pond. Just today, for example, we deliberately ate ice cream for National Ice Cream Day.