And So Begins 8th Grade

The beginning of school this year was the beginning of CJ's year of Big Man on Campus. He and his fellow 8th graders began their day by grabbing those most coveted seats in the back of the bus.

This year they will be ending their day with advisory and academic assist rather than beginning it that way. I think this will be a good change for CJ.  

Another sign of a good year to come is that according to CJ he has 'the best teachers' for his 8th grade team.

For the first time since he began school we do not have a first day of school picture. It was yet another rainy day (yep, just like the last day of 7th grade). The good news is that the school pictures this year came with a cd and a release to be able to use the picture any way I want! So here it is.

A Lovely Day to Sit Outside...

Cello lessons at Otterbein have been a great time for me to sit and enjoy the sun and do some reading.

When CJ's lesson was over he joined me on my blanket. We enjoyed a picnic dinner and watched the clouds go by.

We watched this cloud move across the sky and wondered if it would end our picnic. It did, but we did have enough time to finish dinner first.

We drove home in the rain with full bellies and pictures of cloud animals in our heads.

Yike - Skunks

 This summer has been a very smelly summer. Just about every dog in the neighborhood has been sprayed, a few more than once.
Tucker was no exception.
One beautiful summer evening we were at our neighbors enjoying a lovely bonfire and roasting marshmallows. There was the sound of animals in the nearby pine trees that we wrongly assumed was raccoons. Tucker took off and ran head first into a momma skunk. I have never seen a group of people scatter so quickly. Tucker and Steve headed for our backyard, I headed for the odor removal ingredients and CJ ran inside away from the smell. Tucker got bathed twice with the hydrogen peroxide solution and was fairly stink free by bedtime. His leather collar didn't fare quite as well. Here it is soaking in the solution, after a while we gave up and bought a new collar.

Jersey Tomatoes

On the way home from vacation we stopped at a roadside farmers market for some Jersey tomatoes. It didn't matter that we were in Delaware, they were still Jersey tomatoes.
A Jersey tomato is unlike any other tomato I have tasted and makes my mouth water just thinking about them. I thought about how to make the most of my 3 lovely tomatoes and decided on a tomato sandwich to get the full effect of the luscious flavor. So off to the store I went for some squishy white bread (although I did buy the one with a bit of whole grain). That afternoon's lunch was simply yummy. Something that will keep me in happy thoughts this winter.

Vacation in Ocean City, MD

Summer Vacation 2011 found us back at one of our favorite spots - Ocean City, Maryland.
Do I look happy?  Do I look ready to relax?
Yur' darn tooting I do!

This year logged a ton of beach time under the shade of our new umbrella. It was a great year for sun worshipping and doing nothing.  Newspapers and books got read cover to cover, naps, Frisbee and football catches rounded out most of our days. 

It wasn't more than an hour or two of arrival that the first hole to China was constructed. The boys got pretty far until the tide got the better of them.  China is a little damper now. 

CJ's picture reflects the epitome of vacation this year - plenty of relaxation.  The chilly and rough water had something to do with it - it was funny to see a majority of the people standing on the edge of the water, about ankle deep, but not going in.  There were a few brave (or stubborn) people like Steve who got in - I heard it was refreshing - Hah!

This picture shows how rough the surf was for a majority of the week.  The shallow parts were very rough - lots brush burns from people getting thrown down.  The waves were tall and powerful - tough to get over.  And did I already mention that it was COLD!

The (not so) little boy mentioned that he wanted to be a mechanical designer for La-Z-Boy...he just might have a future after all.

Ah.... the Dogfish Head Brewery in Rehobeth Beach!  Great beer (the 90 minute IPA is highly, highly recommended), great food and awesome Ginger Ale according to CJ.  It was about an hour from Ocean City, but definitely worth the trip.  We'll probably make it a stop on our next trip.

It wouldn't be a complete summer without a few battle field re-creations:  Gettysburg, Normandy and others.  It was nice to know that CJ didn't forget all of what he learned this past year.

It was a great year for hanging out with each other.  In this spot we were waiting to get into a very cool, (literally and figuratively) family owned Italian Restaurant on the boardwalk.  The closeness was short lived however, CJ ate the linguine with a garlic clam sauce.  Thank goodness it was a breezy week. 

"I am bronze!"...can't you tell?