Where's the Bobber?

I sat on the dock, catching a gentle breeze, while my son was fishing. We laughed recalling a sign which read, "Fishing: if it was easy, it'd be called catching". He cast his line towards the cove opening, set it on the dock & began the climb up to the house for his net. Without journal or sketch pad, my eyes wandered amidst the forest sounds. I glanced over & wondered, "Where's the bobber?" I picked up the ultralight & clicked the reel. A white flash revealed the quickest glimpse of the float, before it disappeared once more. A large-mouth bass had taken it out into open waters & blessedly, my son had not set the bail. I called to my son who yelled back, "Do I have to come back down?!" "Yes ! I can't reel any slower". I was able to bring it in & keep it on the hook, enabling my son to land it. What a funny treat ! On that day, "WE" caught a fish as a team & it was "easy"!

Titanic Week

In July, we always appreciate watching "Shark Week". This spring break London & I fell asleep to the movie, "Titanic" every night. My soundtrack is inaccessible & it is wonderful music to drift off to. I took this shot of London in the aquarium building at the Riverbanks zoo. It reminds me of some alien hibernation egg sack. It has been said that he looks asleep in a submarine's window.

Time Changes Things

We had a learning experience this winter....don't drain the pool unless you are going to take it down IMMEDIATELY. A wind storm came up and blew it over...it looked so sad. Thanks to a lot of work by Tom (& Wesley), it is back up and running. Our back forest is full of laughter and fun and shreiks of delight, once again. What a difference a few weeks make!
We used it as a reminder to count our blessings. we are still reeling from being fenced out of paths we have trod for a decade,,,,but are grateful for wat we do have, We ARE so RICHLY blessed !!!!

Sitting Together

London and I were sitting out one evening, on the banks of the lake. Along came a friend....
London, naturally scooped him up. While he gently played with the little creature,along came another friend...

London has to have Uncle Wesley's approval before he can handle any snake and was oh, so sad to simply watch this one (possibly a baby, yellow rat). Strangely, toad and snake didn't seem to take note of each other in the least...not even when the snake slid right over the toad...more validation that, "If you sit quietly and still long enough, the wildlife will come out".

Sitting on the Dock...

The other night, London had his first, public school performance. His 2nd grade class voted to sing, "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay". That song always reminds me of my father-in-law, Jr. He was of the "Greatest Generation" and snuck into the Merchant Marines to serve in WWII. Characteristic of that generation of men, he was never one to outright express his feelings. He found more practical ways to show his affection. We often used to stop by to see Tom's folks after church and have breakfast together. Once Jr. found out that I love cheese, every week he would say, "Go in the kitchen and get you some cheese...Juanita! Get Jeannine some cheese!"
He would so adore his little grandson! Even though "Tommy" wasn't much one for fishing, London would be out there with him every day!!

Carol of the Bells

Yesterday, as we headed out for our respective schools, London looked at me with a big grin and said, "I have a way to make you think about me all day long."
I replied, "Honey, I think about you all day, every day".
"No, I have a way to make you think bad about me all day."
"Oh, baby, I would never think bad about you."
He then set about whistling, "Carol of the Bells"...He was right ! Two days in and I am still thinking bad things about him at work !!!! (and several of my classes are thinking bad things about me!)

Robot Fun

Making Lemonade

London's first baseball game was WAY out in the country...so far out, that by the time we found it, it was over....no matter: Wrong teams, anyway!! SO we deicded to "make lemonade" and hit a bunch of "country yard sales"...found some very funky stuff, too.
On our way home, I saw it and shrieked, "please, please, please! We have to go back! I have been waiting for weeks for the wisteria to bloom...not only is it in bloom back there, but it is on an old abandoned house!" Tom and London knew better than to argue with me on something like that....("happy wife, happy life")The house had peeling, white paint and the porch roof was collapsing on both ends. Wisteria vines covered the front of the house and the crumbling, brick chimney. The porch was askew with items as though a fast exit had occured...mystery and intrigue! An overturned chair, empty wooden boxes.....the blinds were up at angles, but the glass was all in tact....the screen door was ajar next to an old wall phone...right there on the front porch...ah, those were the days !!!!
Tons of images later, we were on our way home to grilled cheese sandwiches and fun at home.....I hope to make it back this weekend to see and smell more blossoms!!!...maybe even ask around for some local stories.... Or leave it a mystery...I love to make up stories of houses I pass by....

Burnt

This is "Burnt"...not to be confused with Bert, from Sesame Street. London named him. He is the target of torture. I was a bit concerned, but have been told that boys tend to set aside one toy that is such a target. I have asked a large number of men and most eagerly expound fondly and in vivid detail all about their "special" toy of destruction. Burnt has been frozen in blocks of ice, lashed to railings for days on in end, in all seasons. He has been left on the roof in summer heat and thunder storms. He has been strapped to CO2 propelled cars and raced down school halls. He has been spiked on fishing hooks and used as bait, wrapped in duct tape, buried in mud...you get the idea. In this picture, Burnt is locked between my classroom doors. Presently, he has one arm that is attached with duct tape and the other is in a drawer somewhere. He is perched on a top shelf in London's room, peering down from the heights of peril.
Sigh !....He also has an "Extreme [Girl] Doll"...a little Bratz doll. She sits on death row awaiting death by explosion....Ah, boys !!!!

A Day of Firsts

April 1 was truly a day of firsts around our home...we celebrated the first iris blossom of the season. Several more have since unfurled. I felt so Georgia O'Keefe as I shot them...

When my folks moved, 5 years ago, I brought a lilac bush from my childhood home to my home here. April 1, she bloomed for the first time... a lovely white.

We spied our first anole of the year! Of course London caught it. When he finally put it back where he found it, it didn't want to leave.

"Disgusting science (Pt 1)

We gave London an awesome "Disgusting Science" experiment kit, which my dad found online.

Yesterday, we made gelatin and prepared petri dishes to grow molds and bacteria. We also enacted peristalsis...the muscle contractions that carry food through the digestive track. In a nutshell, we put food in the balloon. It went down the "esophogus" and into the "stomach". We added "acid" to the "stomach" and kneaded to assist digestion just as muscles do. Turn it over and the balloon neck becomes "intestines"... In this shot, Tom and London continue peristalsis and the food becomes....homemade poo!!! Way gross ! Way FUN !!!

Peep Jousting

Peep jousting season has officially begun and a 6th team has been added to the line up: Team Orange!! The pre-season opened with players squaring off for control of this newest team. Early polls show that orange has an amazing ability to swell larger than the plate and in record time. In the first match of the season, L's Peep easily overtook J's as her player lost control of her sword early on. As you can see by this photo, L's peep remained standing well after the gruesome match.

As of this afternoon, "bad food tossing season" has also begun. Sadly, pita bread does not soar the way a frisbee does....This weekend, we re-rig the 3-man slingshot for some food launching !!!