Summertime Mya

Mya and Daddy had a Daddy-daughter date to see "ParaNorman."  Mya liked the folding seats.

Relaxing by the pool

With grand-niece Sadie at the County Line

We took Sadie outside to look at the turtles

Here's a way to remember to spell "niece":  "i" before "e" because "nieces are nice!"  

Funny face vehicle

We saw this three-wheeled motorcycle with wheel configuration like a backwards tricycle.  Do you see the eyes and nose?

Baba in the flower pot

Sweet baby James!

Grand-nephew James Kirk Howell arrived on August 24 (great day for a birthday, right, Emma?)

Aunt Beka and Sadie (6 mos) and Aunt Liz and Hank (3 mos) flew in from Chicago on Sunday, August 26, to meet Jim.

Great-uncle Tom with Jim at Jorge's, Jim's first outing for Tex-Mex.

Trifecta!  Daddy Kirk with Jim; Beka with daughter Sadie; Jarrod with son Hank.

River likes sesame chicken!

Dinner guest

This is one of four raccoons who visits the cat food bowls after dark.

Thunderstorm!

So great to get a thunderstorm on Saturday, August 18.  Einar took shelter under the porch swing and stayed fairly dry in the blowing rain.

Baba decided to hang out inside, briefly.  She was not happy about having her photo taken.

Between rainfalls, Papa wiped the "honeydew" (aphid poo) off his truck.  Aphids have taken over the trees for the summer.  If you park under a tree, you can expect your car to be covered with a sticky, sap-like goo.  The aphids consume sap from the trees then "poo" it out.  Luckily, it's clear and odorless.

John Mayall concert on Friday, August 17

Our birthday present to ourselves was attending the John Mayall concert at Austin's One World Theatre.  Papa brought his 40-year-old Jazz Blues Fusion album and friend Roy's Blues Breakers album for John Mayall to autograph.

Papa got the autographs!  Here he is in front of a moving John Mayall, who's 79 and has been a blues musician for more than 50 years.

My favorite zennia ever

How does this happen?  I love this zennia!

Tamyra's in Texas!

LaWanda's cousin Tamyra moved from Portland to San Marcos on August 10.  We had dinner in East Austin and toured SoCo and Sixth Street afterward.  Here we are, waiting for the bats to fly from the Congress Avenue bridge.

Weekend with Jade

Jade spent the night with us Friday, August 10.  We took her to dinner at Alborz, a Persian restaurant, where she met the belly dancer.  Jade really liked the hummus.

Jade is a budding rock star!  She has a great sense of rhythm, and knows how to use a microphone.

Jade decided to wear Papa's flip flop while she walked around the house with the decorative carrot.

Papa shared some of his carrot/celery/spinach juice with Jade.  She wanted more!

Changes in the 'hood

Have you ever seen a McDonald's being torn down? Our neighborhood  McDonald's is being torn down to make way for an apartment complex.  The neighborhood association is fighting the development, which would add a lot of traffic to the street that runs in front of McCallum High School.

Flying watermelon!

Can you find the watermelon "bowl" flying through the air?

River and lime

Here's River's "lime" face, after Mya gave him some.  His first reaction?  "More!"

On second thought. . . .

Tea time for Mya and Papa Bear

Tea time for Mya and Papa Bear.  We used to have a spot of tea (or juice) together when she visited us from Cedar Park. So long ago! We sipped from the kitty cat and dancing man teacups.  Must bring those out for Mya's Thanksgiving visit.

And Mya apparently likes her tea British style, with a bit of milk (but I'll bet this is almond or soy milk, right?)

"Xanadu" at Zach Scott Theater

The Horns' friend Jill played the lead (the Olivia Newton-John role) in Zach Scott's production of "Xanadu."  Synopsis: the Muse Clio inspires a struggling artist to open a disco roller rink but breaks Zeus' rules for Muses when she creates art herself and falls in love with the artist.  After the show, Jill autographed Emma's program. 

Emma and her friend Lilly at the after-show dance party.  Emma and Lilly spent Saturday night at our house.

Look who we met, Otis!

Spiderman at the Dragon's Lair.  We'll take you there next time you're in Austin, Otis.

Emma's first visit to an East Austin food trailer

On the light rail to East Austin

Detroit-style oil pan pizza.  Yum!

Waiting for the pizza.  OK, so is there an anti-gravity field around my head?  Or is it simply the static electricity from all my brain activity that makes my hair stick straight out?  I prefer the second explanation.  On the other hand, if the anti-gravity theory is true, at least my head is connected to my body and can't float away!

Herbivore pizza for Papa Tom and me, and four-cheese pizza for Emma.

Laguna Gloria and Hula Hut

Dreamlike art at Laguna Gloria.  Do you see the rat running in its wheel?

After visiting Laguna Gloria, we had lunch at Hula Hut.  Birds scavenged for dropped chips.  One flew under the table, brushing Emma's legs with its wings!

Trumpet vines in the trees on the Laguna Gloria grounds

Mayfield Park

Emma and I briefly visited Mayfield Park on Friday, August 3.  We left when the lid came off  a day-old cup of oatmeal and milk in Emma's satchel and spilled all over everything inside, including her iPod.  The iPod had survived being dropped in a puddle of paint a day earlier.  There was no place to clean the iPod at Mayfield Park so we went next door to Laguna Gloria.  Later, Emma pried dried oatmeal out of the iPod and it worked fine!

Water lily at Mayfield Park.  

Shell: locust or katydid or cicada?

I wish I could see a locust/katydid/cicada freeing itself from its shell.