In loving memory of Lulu Grace, who would have been 7 today: July 30, 2017

You're forever in our hearts, sweet baby girl.

Hippie salt and pepper shakers: July 28, 2017

Fox loves to play with the hippie salt and pepper shakers that we got for Papa Tom's 60th birthday party in 2011.  She filled the tiny teapot with milk to serve Matilda and Ted (who she named).

She voiced Matilda, and I voiced Ted.  She wanted to know why I ended every sentence with "man."

Papa Tom's almost first manicure: July 28, 2017

Papa took a nap and Fox took the opportunity to start a manicure on him before he woke up.

Singin' in the Rain: July 27, 2017

Emma is a natural elocution teacher and flapper in this fun show at the Waco Civic Theater.  Who knew she could roll her "r"s so per-r-r-fectly?  We had a birthday plus one day celebration afterwards at the Olive Garden, finishing up with a dozen bundtinis.  Thanks so much, Al, Joyce, and Emma!

Mmm!  Tiny bundt cakes.  So moist and delicious!

Meanwhile, at the annual Lewis Shindig in Minnesota: July 26-30, 2017

Micah posed next to a photo of one of his ancestors, probably his great-great-grandmother from Sweden.  Scott Swenson, the family genealogist, will know for sure.  To me, she looks more like Micah's Grandpa Lewis.  Maybe she's from the Lewis rather than Swenson side of the family?

Time to re-home squirrels: July 27, 2017

Papa Tom and Fox set up the squirrel cage on July 27, 2017.

The bait:  peanut butter.  

Scruffy went for the bait.  He was re-homed to the Bull Creek watershed, where there's a creek and tall trees, later that evening.

Inside the bird cage at the Austin Aquarium: July 26, 2017

Feeding time!

Not sure what kind of birds these are.  Very colorful and friendly!

Koi pond: July 26, 2017

Feeding time at the koi pond at the Austin Aquarium

Koi would be fun to keep in a backyard pond, but I don't know how we'd keep the raccoons from fishing.

Papa Tom's favorite:  turtles!  He'd like for us to rehab turtles for Wildlife Rescue.  In high school, his nicknames were "Tommy Turtle" and "Tommy Tortuga."

Austin Aquarium: July 26, 2017

Fox the Mermaid and Papa Tom the Merman

Yes, it's the Austin Aquarium.  But reptiles, including Iggy the Iguana, and birds are also part of the aquarium family.

Inside the hurricane simulator.  Winds at 69.8 mph for this photo.

Papa Tom conversing with a parrot

Yikes!  Luckily, the megalodon shark is extinct.  Growing to an estimated length of over 50 feet (16 meters), megalodon-literally "megatooth"-resembled something out of a prehistoric nightmare and has no modern equivalents in terms of size.

Petting and feeding stingrays.  Their tails are trimmed like fingernails every three weeks or so--no danger of being stung!

Stingray face

Tom II is home! (July 24, 2017)

Tom I moving root bound Tom II to a larger pot.

Re-potted and re-homed.  Now what???

Swimming with Fox: July 20, 2017

We spent some time at the pool at Amon and Fox's apartment on Friday.  Fox can swim across the pool by herself.

Pepper plant caterpillar: July 20, 2017

This giant caterpillar ate nearly all the leaves off of one of Papa's pepper plants in just one night!

The pepper plant was nearly stripped.  Mr. Caterpillar has been placed in the butterfly habitat to turn into ... we're not sure what.  But the resulting moth or butterfly will be released far from Papa's garden!

New do for Fox: July 19, 2017

Fox requested a cut at "ear lobe level" for easier hair washing and drying.

Fox and Papa Tom and Katrina the stylist are all smiles.

Blue Cat Cafe, Austin, Texas: July 19, 2017

The Blue Cat Cafe has a play area for customers and cats.  The cats are from the Humane Society and available for adoption.

Beware!  Guard cat on duty!

Photo by Fox

There are "catwalks" throughout the restaurant, which serves "cat dogs" and tacocat (a taco palindrome).  When a black cat walks above you, has it crossed your path?  And, yes, for some reason, there was an upside down Christmas tree hanging from the ceiling.

Growing cabbage in the fridge

This is what happens when cabbage is left in the fridge too long.

New driveway

After the leaking water main was replaced, the city crew replaced the torn out sidewalk and driveway.  I parked on the street for several days so as not to be trapped in the driveway.

Papa Tom's truck was trapped for a few days while the driveway was built and the cement set.

Papa Tom gets back from New Mexico: July 13, 2017

Papa Tom surveys the progress.  He arrived back from New Mexico at about 2 a.m. Thursday, July 13, 2017.  His favorite trail in Ruidoso was destroyed by forest fire and flooding a few years ago.  He could only hike in about 1.5 miles before the trail disappeared.  We hiked his favorite trail on our honeymoon: 12 miles round trip.  Magical experience at the top of the mountain (about 10,000 feet):  lots of horned toads hopping around.  Then three stealth bombers flew past, almost at eye level to us.  The ancient and the futuristic, all at one time.

Leak!

Part of the sidewalk and driveway had to be torn out due to a leaking water main.  What a muddy mess!

The leaky pipe.  Can you see the dinner plate sized hole in the side?

More sidewalk construction: July 12, 2017

Looking east as I backed out of the driveway on July 12, 2017

So happy that they're connecting our front sidewalk with the city sidewalk

Bye-bye peach tree: July 12, 2017

The city crew offered to build the sidewalk around the peach tree, but we thought it would eventually have to come out.

Removed in a matter of seconds, thanks to some kind of tree puller machine

Soon to be sidewalk space

The Patterson brothers

Colton, celebrating July Fourth weekend

The very handsome, accomplished, and good Desty and Colton.  Come see us in Austin!

Papa Tom leaves for Ruidoso, New Mexico: Monday, July 10, 2017

Papa Tom will be the mountain man this week, while I stay behind in Austin, on standby at work in case any fellow Team members need me to take care of anything while they're in training in D.C.  Nice way of saying their potential need saved me from sleeping on the ground and walking up, up , up for miles. ;-)

The sidewalk approacheth: Monday, July 10, 2017

City crews started on the sidewalk at our next door neighbor's house at about 7 a.m.

Almost reached our driveway by about 12:30 p.m.

Done by about 3:30 p.m.  We're up for tomorrow.  Parked the car on the street tonight so I won't be trapped when the city crew tears our driveway out.  

Our peach tree will be no match for the encroaching sidewalk.  Good-bye, little peach tree.  Thanks for all the good fruit.  Well, the squirrels should thank you too.  They certainly took their share!