My summertimes in childhood were actually not that memorable. We didn’t travel anywhere as we had no money. The summer streets of the South Bronx were sweltering hot and teeming with with an undercurrent of naughtiness. As I grew older in boarding school and college, summertime represented a time that I dreaded a bit as that was the time I had to rely on the kindness of others. With no place of my own, I couched surfed a lot. It was not as liberating as many are wont to glamorize.

Now that I am deeply embedded in my career trajectory, summertime is a time of business travel. It does not let up.

However, I am a mommy now. My son just graduated kindergarten and summertime has taken a whole new meaning the last five years. He was born in August- a time of great heat and humidity in New York. His birth easy and fast brought on a summertime of everlasting love.

We celebrate his birthday in grand style each year traveling far and wide. We have gone to Curacao, the Caymans and Mexico for his birthday. Each trip we always make it to an aquarium. As a child and through my early 20s I was a vegetarian concerned about animal welfare. I believe in instilling in him that same love and concern for creatures small and grand.

We just went to the Melbourne Aquarium and captured this photo of a “smiling” manta ray. This is the epitome of summertime for me and this is the image I now carry forth of summertime with my boy.