All Comer's Track Meet. Sound familiar?

Trying his hand at shot put for the first time.

Clara and the 50 -something dash.  She sometimes balks in the middle of these races, so Talmage encouraged her along, here.

They don't always fight.

4x400m relay.  Handing off to Emil.

A little word from our sponsors.

This buster is brought to you by Sports Authority and Tillamook.

(Celebrate Hillsboro also offered the world's longest lasting temporary tattoos.  Milo's rubbed off this morning -- two weeks later.   Also, his infrequent bathing could be an explanashun).

Celebrate Hillsboro

A friend and I ran through downtown Hillsboro early in the morning. Vendors were getting set up for the big day of festivalizing. When I came back with the family later that afternoon,  things were hopping. Farmer's Market, jugglers, choral groups ... and ...

 Rock n' Roll:

 Five Star Guitar strikes again.

Clara chose the Dragon.

"The rock climbing was really fun.  Especially the repelling part."  Talmage.

Finally! Some other summer stuff.

 Concert in the park.  Don't worry, we could hear the music...


even from the playground ...  which is where we spent most of the time. ... not listening to the concert.

When S&S were little, we'd place them back to back in the baby swing.   Here, they show their nostalgia for the glory days.  It was tight.  Their toes were much closer to the ground.  But giggling still ensued.

Clara kept coming up to me and reporting each time she made a new friend.

BFF's

Home again, home again.

We said goodbye to Talmage Friday night.  He slept at GK's house and flew out to Aunt Heather's early, early Saturday morning with Parley.  We started the drive home later that day.

The long drive.

A stop to see Herman the Sturgeon.

Solid gold aka fish food, scattered on the ground (directly beneath the food dispensers, coincidentally enough).

If you teach a kid to fish, you feed him for a day.  If you teach a kid to scavenge, you feed him for a lifetime.  Is a motto.

Parenting Tip #101:  Give children opportunities to practice their fine motor skills.

The Fourth of July, Provo Style

The WHOLE family did the 5K -- cousins, 2nd cousins, aunts, uncles ...

AND Great Grandma Kartchner.  She even made the front page of the Wall Street Journal, er ...  Daily Herald.   Read all about it.

Love this picture of Heather and GK.  The lighting, the expressions.   Sometimes it's not about a PR.

The support crew:

Here she comes -- with the finish line in site.  Drew, on the far right, is the most patriotically dressed (apart from GK) -- on account of living in LA.   Bringing a little "hip" to the valley.

Miles enjoyed the race from the stroller.  Now, that's the way to do it.

Syd and Clara held hands during a lot of the race.  They had so much fun together.  They were excited to get bona fide medals and re-enact their sisterly bonding.

That's a patriotic slug on grandma's hat.

THEN, it was time for the parade.  Autumn and Leslie saved spots.  Clara's plugging her ears because of the fire engine siren.  Miles is digging anything on wheels.  I was digging the air conditioned laundromat down the street ;).

THEN, we do what we do best:   sitting on the front porch of the cabin, talking about what makes the world go 'round ...

... eating popcicles ...

c

... getting cozy with the cousins.  1st and 2nds:

These girls were hilarious.  They'd be pushed super high and sing "Let it Go" and other Frozen songs at the top of their lungs.  Over and over ...

...playing in the dirt.

THEN ... we gave the fireworks a valiant effort.  We lasted about 20 minutes of the pre-show before succumbing to fatigue and hunger.

Except Clara and Heather.  They were ready for more:

When your grandma is an expert educator, you don't just go on a hike.

No no no.   That bone song mentioned earlier ... that led to an anatomy lesson by Heather, CRNA, followed by a memory game with bone cards.  "Femur!"  "Cranium!"  Then, the hike to a secluded pile of bones up a little-used, isolated, back country trail.  The kids were charged with instructions to bring back a bone they learned about.

Eager.  And so innocent.

 They found the bone graveyard.  I love the look on Haley's face. She looks like a forensic paleontologist.   At the scene of the crime.

 Talmage, giving a bear hug.  (It was a bear graveyard.  Or elk.  Or ... human .... )

 School's out and these kids is goin' fishin'.

 Back to the creek.