Summer school

The kids never had a chance to anticipate the long, lazy days of summer.  As soon as the bell let out, they were confronted with their rigorous summer schedule of math, reading, piano practice, and, in Clara's case, working on her handwriting.  Every year starts with the same fervor and every year it lasts about ... a week.  What have these monkeys really been up to?

Miles got into gymnastics one morning with Coach Squid.

The Two Talmage's

Cousin Kelli and Dan passed through town.  Our kids kept referring to them as "Talmage's family".  K&D's Talmage is 5.   Talmage felt instant brotherhood with his like-named kin -- a rare occasion for a boy who isn't named Sue.

Talmage had a birthday.  Post upcoming (maybe).

This butterfly was spied in the yard.  It has a tear in it's wing.

A warm, giggly summer night.

Playing with friends -- Talmage and his friend, Isaac N., made these "cool" dry body silhouettes.  Miles has found another way to stay cool (see the behind, above).

One day we went back to that beach along the Columbia.  The older boys rolled a huge log into the water ... and as if that weren't exciting enough ...

... they found a bunch of teeny tiny frogs in the log.  The kids brought three home (illegal?) and set up a habitat for them in an old fish tank.  We suppose one squeezed though the air-holes in the lid (diapedisis is not reserved for baby rabbits, apparently)  because grandma found one hopping around the kitchen the next day.

If you can read the label on that glass bottle Sydney found, you'll see it's a bottle of rum.   And that's a pirate barge in the background.  Yo, ho, ho.

Talmage's first real piano recital.  He did great.  The recital went along just fine until the last half when the older students took over and turned it into an American Idol competition.  Two teenage girls sang angsty love songs with lyrics something like, "I'm in so much pain!"  Grandma turns around and whispers to me, "Me, too."

It's been so, so, so, hot.

We are v.e.r.y. s.l.o.w.l.y. building a house.

On this day, I helped grandpa survey the north line of the property and learned a new phrase.  It is this -- when you are without fancy surveying instruments, you "wiggle into the line" to make it straight.  Wiggling.  Ha.

And that's a summer update for you thirsty readers.

To come: July 4th, All Comer's Track Meet, Etc.  If you can't wait, just go back to 2014.  Same stuff.