Pouring rains

Another afternoon of crazy rain.  3.16 inches fell in Daleville in a short period this afternoon.

We've not had to water our grass the entire summer.  You can see that our tree is sitting in its own little lake.

Small banks slid down onto Catawba Road, and a river of water washed across it.  The neighbors' pool is filled to the brim with muddy water.

We're steaming this summer.

The Big Toe

Fed up with Trevor, Holly's giant toe smacks him in the head.

School shopping

Holly and I started her dorm room shopping today, and Trevor came along. We went to a few places to search out bedding and ended up at Bed Bath & Beyond. She'd seen something there several weeks ago that she liked and was stuck on. I agreed that it seemed perfect for her (black and white, covered with the names of international cities). However, it was only available as a duvet cover, but just before we'd left home today, I checked out IKEA online and found great prices on duvets. Problem solved! She also found bath towels that she liked.

She treated me and Trevor to Starbucks.

Robert grabbed a microwave yesterday at a great price, and she bought a tv for herself.  And so the pile of moving stuff has begun.  It's in our dining room though, and with 37 more days left, I think we'll be moving it into her bedroom for awhile.

A sweet and fun and special day.

Precious puppy

Trevor and I were talking about Lakota a few days ago.  Trevor commented, "God must have done something to your heart so we could have this dog."  Oh, isn't that true?! 

I am so glad I have this sweet dog to love on!

New shower

When Holly and Trevor were at NC, Robert planned to replace their shower faucet. He went in through the access panel in our closet, the handle broke off in his hand, and when he then tried to go in through the faucet itself, the shower surround cracked. Isn't that the way things happen?

We had to decide between tiling the shower or replacing the surround.

 

Although we knew which one was easier, it wasn't a hard choice.

We shared our shower with Holly and Trevor for four weeks, but it was worth it.

It even makes me look forward to the day when we eventually tile our master bath shower.

New Homeschooling section at our library!

I am beyond pleased that our children's department now has its own Homeschool section!  While we had a handful of books collected from the regular library shelves, it was a privilege for me to be able to pick and choose the books that would be purchased for this new collection.

I also took a spare cart and will be highlighting different subjects every month or so, displaying various books from the regular collection. It's my hope to encourage homeschool moms to seek out "living books" to incorporate into their teaching.

Really exciting to be a part of this change!

Holly's cat

She's always made it very clear when the water bowl needs to be refilled.

She really is kind of cute.

New place for coffee

There's a new coffee shop that opened in our little town. It was a perfect excuse to meet up with an old friend. Robert met Peggy and her husband Jim six years ago the first time he went to Calvary Chapel here in Roanoke. They have always been so sweet and kind--the kind of people I would like to be.

They live very close by, but this is the first time I've seen Peggy in person in several years.  She  doesn't believe I'm antisocial. I've had 50 45 years of practice at pretending otherwise.

I like this place much better than the other local coffee shop, and not just for the awesome patio and view. I need to spend more time here, even if it means seeing people.

Foggy mornings

Lots of these this summer so far. Lots more rain than usual too, it seems.

Lucky

We worry about him quite a bit, his health, how he's feeling.  Sometimes he spends a lot of time sleeping, and sometimes we can tell he doesn't feel well. He has cataracts clouding his eyes.

But I'm wondering how much of this is real and how much is fake.

Robert and I were gone a few weeks ago, and Lakota twisted out of her collar while outside.  Holly brought Lucky onto the front porch, thinking he might be able to entice Lakota to come home quickly.

It was sprinkling outside, and he whined at the front door, wanting to come in.

But then he saw a squirrel--in a neighbor's yard across the street.  And he was GONE.

It's hard to believe you see something like that and take off if you're blind, sore and tired.

Our sweet, beloved, silly dog.

Hikers on the AT

This is the time of year that we see so many through hikers from the Appalachian Trail. The trail runs along the ridge of the "mountain" just west of our house, and it crosses our main road that we travel daily. The hikers often stop off at the local Kroger. They are pretty easy to spot.

Not the best photo, but I can't really snap one while we are shopping together, right?

One of these days (okay, years), I will invite one or two home with me, feed them, and offer my shower. My family would just die, wouldn't they?!

Mason orientation

Holly and I spent several days earlier in the week at her orientation for George Mason.  We drove up to Fairfax on Sunday afternoon, as the program began early Monday morning.

Parents and students each had separate tracks to follow, a few of them together with our kids.  Holly stayed on campus in the upperclassmen dorms (which are pretty new and very nice).  The parents' program ended Tuesday at noon, and I was on my own.

Boring!!

Meanwhile, Holly finally got a few hours of much needed down time.  In the evening, the students went to a Washington Nationals baseball game.  Holly snapped this at the game. You have to know where to look, but you can see the Washington Monument poking up behind the stadium.  Look along the overhang at the top of the photo; at the end, drop your eye down to see the Monument.  Such an awesome (although a bit hot), beautiful night, and so exciting to be right in our nation's capital!

On Wednesday morning, the students left the campus to do a service project. I can't imagine trying to coordinate 250 kids, but the group managed just fine.

Overall--good stuff.  Complete information overload for everyone.

Holly commented that these things are planned by extroverts, for extroverts.  A very spot on statement.  Several of the kids I spoke to were overwhelmed and burned out by the end of the first day. Holly had the option of skipping the baseball game and/or the volunteer work, but she chose to stay put.

Breakfast on the second day

At one of the parent sessions, we were given pipecleaners and told to use them to create something that showed how we were feeling.  I grabbed the blue one and left it alone. I explained that I was still going with the idea that nothing was changing, and that I functioned well in denial, that this was no different for me.  The pipecleaner would also be unchanged. My table laughed, not in a mean way, but I think they thought I was just choosing not to really participate.

When we left a short time later, some parents took their pipecleaners, some didn't.  I did, and one of my tablemates expressed surprise that I'd take it.  I told her, definitely, that I was taking it, that I wasn't kidding when I explained what it meant to me!  (I later brought it home and hung it on my bathroom mirror, where I expect it to remain permanently, as in, until the day I die.)  Anyway, it was not a pleasant exercise.  I can worry about this stuff in two months, no need to be thinking much about it now.

One of many gorgeous wooded paths, 

just a short walk from my parking lot to the center of campus.

While the programs were well run, the kids were not given nearly enough food, food choices, or drinks (including water).  I made a food and drink run for Holly early on, kids were buying lots of food at the baseball game, and I ran into several buying food at one of the dining halls instead of choosing the lunch that was laid out for them downstairs.  Fortunately, I know this is not the norm for the course of the regular school year.

Holly and her roommate-to-be spent quite a bit of time together, and they were in prearranged smaller group that included several of the students in their pod. I wish I'd thought to get a picture of the two girls together.

We are looking forward to all of the fun prep--as in shopping--that we'll get to do between now and the move in date of August 22!

Holly's name, near the middle of the photo, 

just above the right side of the serif.

Ha, I just noticed that the first picture I took of this sign did not yet have this group's signatures on it.  How funny (and how odd that I would notice). I guess it will be totally covered by the time all of the orientation groups go through.

Horse Show!

Holly and I went to the Horse Show again this year.  It's been a bit of a tradition of ours, as we've been going for the past five or six years.

This time was a bit different. I wonder how many more of these she'll be here to share with me.

The evening always starts with the saddle horses, not the most exciting stuff for us to watch.  This night, they went on for literally hours--three!  All I kept thinking (worrying) was that we'd be at the show until 1 a.m., and I need to get up early in the morning! (We were driving up to DC the following day for Holly's orientation on Monday.)

Finally the hunter/jumpers began.  Last year, there were 24. It went on for a really long time. They all complete the course once, and then those that make the cut compete for the big prize money. The total purse is $50,000. It usually goes on for a while.

Holly's always taken stunning photos. This year, worried about batteries and no spares, and carrying the larger case, I grabbed her camera instead of my own.  Big mistake. She's totally familiar with taking action shots with my camera; doesn't give it a second thought.  The photos did not turn out nearly as well. She was disappointed, and I blame myself.

Tonight there were just 14 entries, and six made the finals.  It was a very, very exciting ending. A 16 year old Venezuelan prodigy was the first one to run in the finals, with an incredible score of 34.77 seconds.

None of the other competitors were coming close, but the show favorite was the last run of the night.  It literally came down to the last jump, and the 16 year old won by one second.  
 

A truly memorable and exciting night, and we weren't complaining that there weren't as many horses as in years past.  An excellent show, and you can read more about it here.

Maker Faire

Continuing our Summer of Long Road Trips--

After hearing about the Maker Faire from a friend on Facebook, I found that there was a mini-Faire three hours away in Raleigh, NC.  I'd planned this trip for a couple of months, dragging Robert along with me and Trevor, and inviting Trevor's friend Kurt at the last minute.

With all of the crazy weather we've been having lately, we were blessed with perfect weather for a beautiful drive.

The Faire took place in a building at the NC Fairgrounds.  This trebuchet is what we saw when we entered the hall.

Robert looked around for a few minutes and mentioned something about the gun show sign he saw, also taking place on the fairgrounds.  He was gone!

I grabbed Holly's little camera on the way out the door. I didn't want to lug my big camera, and I knew my phone wouldn't work well indoors.

Most fascinating to me were the 3D printers.  I'd been hearing about these for the past few months but didn't really get it until I saw them.  Mindblowing when you consider the possibilities--one is limited only by one's imagination.

The point of the Maker Faire is for people to show what they've made. I encouraged the boys to talk to these people, to ask questions.  They want to share--that's why they are here!

A robotic hand

And Trevor did it again.  He saw someone he knew.  This happens everywhere we go.  This time, it was someone he met while at NC last month in TN.

Trevor's favorites were the steampunk weapons.

As we walked around, it stuck me that I'd never before seen such a variety of cool t-shirts.  When Holly and Trevor were little, we passed on free tickets to Elitches/Six Flags for several years, because I couldn't stand the bizarre piercings and tattoos hanging out of everything (mind you, this was 10 years ago). The Maker Faire was different--piercings and tats, yes, but at least these people had shirts on.  And some donned unusual costumes.

A stoplight in front that changed from red to yellow to green--

and a flashing red DON'T WALK/green WALK sign on the back.

Cannons armed with BBs.

Stormtroopers costuming!  I spent quite a bit of time talking to these two. They put their helmets on just for the photo.  So very wonderful, this began 15 years ago with a small group of people showing up at Star Wars conventions. The 501st Legion is now 5000 strong, with groups in more than 40 countries.  They are made up of volunteers who contribute to the community by fundraising and visiting children's hospitals. Trevor's ready to sign up. (Well, he would if there were a local group, so he'll have to wait on that . . . )

Kurt's favorite was the High Voltage at Home exhibit, as he's been learning quite a bit about electricity lately.

I forced both boys to visit the Learn to Solder table.  They were not particularly impressed, but I felt it was a skill with which to have at least basic familiarity.

A 3D printer modified to play chess--either by itself or with a human player.

The boys tried their hands at lock picking.

All in all, a hit and worth the six hour, round trip drive. With more than 5000 attending today, this Faire broke all of its previous attendance records and will be  looking for a larger location next year.

We found a shady bench close by while we waited for Robert.  The boys read their (free!) Make magazines.

While I was waiting, I tracked down the nearest Qdoba, just two miles away. We packed back into the car and made the short drive.  As soon as we saw the shopping center, Robert exclaimed, "Hey, we've been here before!"  Sure enough--he's only been to Raleigh twice before, when we picked up Holly and Mackenzie from the Raleigh-Durham airport late at night.  Robert, Trevor, and I had checked in to our hotel and stopped at this Qdoba for dinner.  Later that night, after picking up the girls, I brought them to the grocery store next door for them to find something eat to take back to the hotel.

HILARIOUS to me that we ended up at the same place and had absolutely no clue how close we were.

We got home a little after 6. Kurt stayed for awhile, and Judy and Erich came to pick him up, and stayed to visit for awhile.

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To learn more about the Maker Faire, and to find one near you, click here.  Be sure to check out the list of exhibitors.  There was a Faire closer to home, but the exhibitor list was small and included mostly woodworking and jewelry, not anything that we were hoping to see.

Soccer banquet

A mom from the younger division of our team volunteered to pull together this year's banquet. AWESOME! I've done the organizing for the past couple of years, and I welcomed and appreciated her offer. A typical turnout is about 70 people between the three teams.

As usual, the younger teams go first, and ours goes last.

It's very nice, with each player being called up and spoken about individually.

We had four players who graduate this year and received special recognition.

This is killin' me.  I obviously took two photos very close together, and I asked Trevor to make this .gif for me.

Robert keeps smacking Paul, Mike on the left is getting ready to fight, Dylan and (half of) Colman are dancing, and Holly's shaking her head at the madness.

Full moon

May's full moon.

I think I even took this through the window.  Didn't it turn out nicely?!

Holly and Trevor come home

. . . and all is right

. . . with the world.

And Mother's Day

And a little late, but wanted to post my Mother's Day flowers and gifts. I wanted something very low key and was quite delighted to receive a gift card to our favorite family restaurant and a couple of different kinds of candy (orange sticks, and raspberry chocolate!).

I don't remember many specifics, other than I had a very nice family day, and part of our celebration including going up to the Natural History Museum in DC the next day (which I already posted back in May).