More Zoo Photos

One of the things we did was ride the Zoo Train!


















Guess who fell asleep ?













I guess the ninty minutes spent in the dinosaur exhibit was exhausting.

Summer Vaction Photos

A and J went to the zoo the other week. J just noticed how Evil A looks (in fairness, J looks like some sort of disguised cleric on vacation).
















Last weekend we all went to Cape Blanco. A was very brave and climbed up all the see through steps. The volunteers were very professional in their warnings about Not Touching The Optics.


















After the lighthouse...
and pretending that we had No Idea it was there...



















We went to The Prehistoric Gardens !

(Only a little bit older than J, but who's counting?)













And ran around on the paths five times.














The next day we went back to the Cape Blanco beach. The tide was very low and all the treacherous rocks were exposed.


















We found the bones of a large (apparently) mammalian sea creature. Or two.

















With conjecture on their probable connection.

Is This A Touching Moment, Or Should We Be Disturbed?

Scene: A and J are driving home after a swimming class.

A (from the back seat): "J! I want to have a Abraham Lincoln themed party -- "

J (imagining readings of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address): "Oh." (Not so secretly pleased that A is voraciously learning about all the American Presidents.)

A (continuing) " -- that way I can be John Wilkes Booth and you can be Abraham Lincoln and I can shoot you in the back of the head!"

J: A! That's just wrong! There's no way we are having that kind of re-enactment at a party (Thankful that we haven't played Stephen Sondheim's Assassins.)


I guess I should expect this sort of thing from someone whose favorite presidents are William Howard Taft and Richard Milhouse Nixon.

High Culture

SCENE ONE: A's room. He's been working on something secret using Tinker Toys. Tinker Toys are on a trail basis, as A) there's a weapons ban going on and B) last time the Tinker Toys were out, there was blood...


A: (easing door open) "OK, J, you can come in."

J: (looking around) "Whatcha working on?"

A: (indicating a collection of Tinker Toys on a small table with a wave of his hand): "Welcome to my museum. On display are some ancient weapons -- "

J: (suppressing a snort at this work-around)

A: "-- from the medieval times. This is an old sword that doesn't work any more. They would have held it like this... (demonstrates sword).

J: (beginning to protest) "Buddy, it's great that -- "

A: "And this is an old Japanese Katana... (demonstrates this sword in a style different from its European counterpart)

J: "Um..."

A: "And this is an ancient flintlock pistol. They would have taken the ammunition out of here (pantomimes using a rod to ram a charge wad and bullet down the pistol bore) and put it in here..."

J: "So, A..."

A: "Do you like my museum?"




SCENE TWO

A and J are having dinner (it is M's night out). The radio is playing the final Liebestod aria from Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde."

J: "...so they've both drunk a magic potion and they're deeply in love with each other, and there's been a fight and he's mortally wounded."

A: "Is he dead?"

J: "Oh no; he's dying from mortal woulds and she's holding him in her arms while she sings about how they'll be Eternally United in the Hereafter." (Mimes singing High Opera at the dinner table and lip syncs with the soprano.)

A: "Oh J; shhh."

The dinner progresses while Isolde sings about "Love Death." The final notes fade away.

A: "J, I... I don't like this song." (Burst into tears)

J: "A, A, what's the matter?"

A by this time has turned read and is still crying.

J: "Are you crying because Tristan is dead?"

A (emphatic nodding)

The Wagner opera comes to and end.

This is Halloween

A is particularly focused on creating a Haunted House for Halloween. Never mind that M's birthday, Labor Day, the first day of Kindergarten, and the Autumnal Equinox all come first; A wants Halloween to happen now.

SCENE: driving from the local hardware store to home. A has been grilling J about preparations.

A: "...and what else could we put into our spOOooOOooky Haunted MAAaantion for HalloweeEEeen?"

J: (still driving, but able to keep the word 'rabid' out of the following list) "We could have mutant squirrels with laser eyes."

A: "Oh J! That would never work; that's not scary, that's just cool."