End of Summer

School has begun.  The kids will miss their lazy summer days spent swinging on our neighbor's tree.

Biking to the park will decrease in frequency.

And once it cools down, I may have to pay more than fifteen cents a kid to have my car washed.

School All Around

Silas has got company at Meadow Heights this year.

Someone in stripes is a kindergartner!

We told Silas to look out for his sister at school and he replied, "We have different recess schedules."

Rosemary entered the classroom like she was inheriting her birthright.  She's ready to go.

Tess was simply thrilled to be included, finally, in this whole school business.

Monday and Tuesday mornings, Tess is attending the Lakeshore "Friends and Me" program, which is run by the City of San Mateo.

Tess danced on her way in, but once Meredith and I dropped her off, Tess said, "You're going to leave me with those kids?"

She was fine -- she began playing and didn't have any trouble when we left.

But when I got home that night, Tess walked up to me and the first thing she said was:  "You left me with those kids!"

50th Anniversary

My parents' fiftieth anniversary was this August, and we celebrated with Blair's family in Olympia.

We once asked Dad for advice on a long relationship and he joked, "Hey, I'm just taking this marriage one day at a time." 

It's worked out all right.

 We also caught the Thurston County Fair (that's Silas and Aden)...

Swam a bit...

And visited the "beach."  More photos will be posted as soon as I figure out Flickr.  (Picasa, where my albums used to be stored, has been closed down.)

Santa Cruz 2016

We took our kids to Santa Cruz last year and they never stopped talking about it.

They were thrilled to be back.

Silas gained two inches, which put him over the 50-inch ride limitation for the Giant Dipper -- his first roller coaster. 

I felt compelled to take a selfie, despite prominent signage warning us to keep phones in pockets.  (For good reason -- the coaster really knocks you around.)

After the ride I told Silas I thought he'd seemed a little scared.  He said, "VERY scared!"

Rosemary relaxed at the beach...

...while Tess kept a wary eye on the water.

Rosemary is apparently our only child with the good sense to get a vanilla dip.

Fountain

Sign of a wet winter:
 
With a dent in the drought, some parks turned on their fountains this summer.

For Silas and Rosemary, it was a welcome return to a favorite summer pastime.

For Tess, it was a revelation. Cold water just shoots up from the ground?  And they let you run through it?

We weren't expecting water at the park -- the kids had no swimsuits and dove in fully dressed (or in Tess' case, wearing PJs).

Water conservation has not been abandoned completely:  The fountain only works if someone pushes this button.

Independence Day

The first, the second, and the third on the Fourth.

Grandma Charlotte's Jello America was a big hit again.

The kids, including cousin Elijah, competed over who would eat which state.

And Grandpa Ray served up homemade blueberry pie.

Rosemary Reading

Rosemary is just starting to figure out the reading thing. 

To help her along, I made a four-page, five-word book that recounts one of our frequent conversations.

Redwoods

We took the kids back to Portola Redwoods State Park.

This time, all five of us spent the night in the tent -- a first.

Did the kids sleep well?  No they did not.  But we survived, and had a marvelous time.

More camping pictures are here.

The Grandparents Keithley

We had a wonderful and often scenic visit with the Grandparents Keithley this week.

We spent a day at San Mateo's Central Park, visiting the Japanese Garden and having a picnic.

We also visited Coyote Point, which was fun until Rosemary sliced her foot open on a sharp shell (about ten minutes after this photo was taken).

More pictures from their trip are here.