Baby possum: Saturday, June 28, 2014

So when we were cleaning out the garage Saturday morning, this little guy was hanging on to a piece of plastic picked up by Papa Tom.  When he dropped off, he couldn't run away because one of his hind legs was injured.  Luckily, Wildlife Rescue was open and staff said they could help little guy recover.

Jade wore her cowgirl boots to Wildlife Rescue to drop off little guy.  She admired the turtles in the pond while we were there.

We weren't allowed through the gate, so Papa Tom held Jade up so she could see the raccoons playing in their cage.

Cleaning out the garage: Saturday, June 28, 2014

So in anticipation of bulky pickup on June 30, we spent Saturday morning cleaning out the garage.  Resulted in a lot of cardboard and Styrofoam being taken to the recycling center.

We had batteries, Styrofoam, cardboard, and metal to add to the barrels.  Thanks, Austin Recycling!

So much cardboard!  But not all ours, thank goodness!

Recycling center staff painting a mural of . . . recycling man???

Emma as "Grace," Daddy Warbucks executive assistant: June 27, 2014

Emma played the part of "Grace," Oliver Warbucks executive assistant in "Annie," put on by the Waco Children's Theater on June 27, 2014.  Beautiful job, Emma!

After performance curtsy

So very professional!

Jade's art

Jade drew this face on the Kindlefire.  She said the person is "mad."

More rain

We've had a wonderfully wet June, enjoyed by Papa Tom, the sunflowers, and the peaches.

Sunflowers line our front sidewalk.  We're still waiting for the monk parrots.

Sunflowers and peaches

Batgirl Jade admires a couple of sunflowers

Jade in heels

What little girl doesn't like to dress up in her grandmother's high heels?  This is the pair selected by Jade.  I discovered as I was trying to take her photo that she was quite good at running away from me in them.  Next thing you know, she'll be dancing backwards in high heels!  They grow up too fast!

Caught her as she came around the kitchen island!

Disappearing Jade!  Zoomed past Daddy at the microwave.

Photos by Mya: June 17, 2014

Beautiful, Mya!  Thanks for sharing with all of us.  We look forward to more photos from you!

Lovely! 

Mya:  are any of these the flowers you and River and Jade planted in March?

Summer fun with Otis

Wouldn't be summer without a sno-ball!  Otis with Hawaiian shaved ice at Ohana, which means "family" in Polynesian. Bubblegum, vanilla, blueberry, and orange.  Mmm!

Sno-balls are among my favorite memories from living in New Orleans.  My junior year of high school, I walked to the sno-ball stand on Maple Street every day at lunch and went through their extensive menu, top to bottom, one day at a time.  I can tell you, there are no bad sno-balls.  Especially if you order them with a little sweetened condensed milk added. 

Oh yes!  We were allowed to leave campus for lunch "back then."  Sad to learn recently that the more than 100-year-old courthouse where I attended high school is being auctioned off by the city.  I can only hope it will be restored rather than torn down.

Amon and Jade: Father's Day

Kitty Cat Fox wrote her name on Daddy's card.

Practicing her name.  A right hander?  Can't remember at what age hand preference emerges.

Daddy with his card

Followed by a late lunch at Pappasito's

Otis and his classmate Lera at the Portland Pride Parade: June 15, 2014

Email from Lawanda: "Otis' friend from Emerson, Lera and her mom Rachel, invited us to join them in the annual Pride Parade in downtown Portland this morning.  She works for an organization that helps the homeless streamline into society with job training,  housing assistance, clothing etc.  So we got to actually walk in the parade behind their rainbow decorated truck with a beautifully adorned Drag Queen riding in the back."

Lera and Otis will be first graders at Emerson next year.

Low-tech accident

So on Thursday morning (not even Friday the 13th yet), I was backing out of the driveway to work, all frustrated because I'd changed the password on my laptop (per its prompting) and had been locked out.  Grrr!  As you can see, this is where the peach tree netting belongs.   Aside:  so far, so good.  No squirrel or bird attacks on the peaches.

Somehow, and it remains a mystery to me, my high-tech frustration was compounded by a lo-tech accident: I backed over the netting and it wrapped around the rear suspension/brake assembly (according to Amon, so it must be correct).  He informed me there is no rear axle on my front-wheel drive car.  I learn something new every day.

Argh!

Amon with his prize.  How would you have liked to see him and his Viking brothers wading ashore back around 900 A.D.?

Okay, monk parrots. Your buffet is ready!

The sunflowers have responded well to our unusually wet spring.  They tower over us.  The better to attract the monk parrots, we hope.

Had to snap a shot of sunshine on the sunflowers as I was leaving for work the other morning.  Do you suppose sun fairies live among the stalks?

June 10, 2014: Happy 19 to us!

Our last year in a "teenage" marriage.  Next year, it's the 20th!  We can't believe we've known each other for 20 years and been married for 19.  Feels like 5 or 6 years at most.  We want for Time to stop or at least slow down.  We're having so much fun.  The whole conventional wisdom about having all your fun before you get married just hasn't been true for us.  We agree that the most fun of our lives started when we met. Here we are at the poetry slam at the Spider House.  Very interesting.  We didn't stay the entire 3 hours but did catch the Haiku Death Match:  17 syllable poems.  (Not unlike 140 character Tweets?)  One of our favorites was something like:  "We don't know how to let go of our grown children.  They let go of us."  (Made me sad too:  please don't ever let go of us, Ryder, Skyler, and Amon!)  There was another one about Waldo becoming a Buddhist and finding himself.  Hmmm.

And delicious coffee afterwards on the Spider House outdoor patio.

Oh!  And would like a tattoo with that coffee?

Anjanette

Anjanette came over on Monday (our 19th wedding anniversary) to pick Fox up, do laundry, and hang out in general.  Good to see you, Anjanette!

Leaving on a jet plane: June 7, 2014

We were on the edge of the Latin Quarter, a neighborhood full of character

Our  hotel, La Residence de Voyager, appeared to have been last updated in the 1940s; the bathroom tile was exactly like the original tile at 1303 Alguno, which was built in 1947, except green and black instead of pink and blue.  Comfortable and within walking distance of much of what we wanted to see.

Thrilled to find a Second Cup two gates down from ours at Pierre E. Trudeau International Airport.  Second Cup was our favorite coffee shop of the trip and we thought we'd never see one again but there one was, just as we were about to leave town.

Last night in Montreal: June 6, 2014

A Formula 1 car was behind velvet ropes for viewing only.  This couple wanted their friend to take their photo next to the car.  Sharp-dressed security immediately stepped into the picture to escort them back across the rope.

We've all felt this way about our cars at some point, n'est pas?

Sidewalk cafe





Walking around Little Italy: June 6, 2014

Cyclists often have their own lane, totally separated from the vehicular traffic lanes

Shopping for apples and bananas

Veronica even washed the apples for us

A family of bicycles

Off-street parking

Montreal is known for its bagels.  One of the best bagel shops is St.-Viateur Bagel in Montreal's Hasidic neighborhood

The owner insisted that we have our photo taken with Nu, who's from Sri Lanka.  He was coating bagels in sesame seeds.  We had two fresh from the oven: so light and delicious!