Kilroy

146/365

Sometimes, I forget how spoiled we are to live so close to the ocean. Yesterday, we had 20 minutes to kill before the girls had to be somewhere. Not worth going home, so we pulled in at the beach & hung out for a bit...

Portrait Homework

145/365

Not a pose. She had enough of sitting up straight, and flopped back in the grass. Click!

For Who?

144/365

Best I could do, for busy day, and a late-night photo shoot...

For the duration of my 30 day free trial, I am going to try to wrap my brain around the vast universe that is Photoshop. This book is probably my only hope.

Water Balloons

143/365

Working together, five kids can fill this many water balloons in approximately 20 minutes. Working against each other, those same five kids can launch and explode those same balloons in less than one minute.

Bug Eyes

142/365

Horseflies, or "Greenies" are the bane of any beachgoer's existence. They are most active for a couple of weeks in August, and they are relentless. Their painful bites raise welts and itch worse than mosquito bites. If you smack one, they are likely to fall to the sand, and within a few moments, fly off again, dazed but still dangerous. Your best bet is to bury it quickly, before it revives.

Waffle Cone

141/365

No better way to end a fun-filled summer day...

On the Road Again...

140/365

She was ready for anything, with her Schwinn Skipper, helmet and cowboy boots, and nothing but open road ahead...

Gimmee a Brake

139/365

There's probably only one person out there who is remotely interested in this shot. And to that person, I'd like to say: Honey, don't worry about the brake thingy. The girls & I took care of it. By the way, the "check engine" light is on in the other car....you want us to fix that, too?

"Camping"

138/365

All afternoon, the girls were abuzz, implementing their plan to "camp out" in the backyard. First, they convinced their brother to pitch the tent. Then they rolled out sleeping bags, and packed up their toothbrushes, several books, flashlights, the game SORRY, and their pillows. A neighborhood friend was invited for a sleepover. We made s'mores, natch.

Darkness fell, and we issued the "lights out" order. From the couch near the open door, we could hear their excited voices, giggling. We grinned, knowing this to be part of the drill.

Forty-five minutes later, they returned to the house with pillows & flashlights, having spooked each other by talking about neighborhood raccoons and bats and other suburban wildlife. We shrugged, and the happy campers took off for their new site in the girls' bedroom.

Bored Games

137/365

The rain is back, and the board games were in heavy rotation this afternoon.

Bumper to Bumper

135/365

Traffic was backed up in both directions on the fence today... a cute reminder of some of the shorter guests that were here this weekend...

A Day at the Beach

134/365
Don't let this guy fool you -- the water is freezing...!

Piñata Time!

133/365
Technically, you would have to call this shot "post-pinata."

You're probably wondering if one of these little ones had a birthday...? Nope. This was my own birthday party...a surprise, again! Last year, my husband surprised me with a big shindig on my...ahem... 29th birthday. Imagine how shocked I was to find he had done it again. Of course, I would be remiss if I did not also give credit to my family and friends for helping to pull off such a fun event.
Imagine -- turning 29 two years in a row!

Lunch Date

132/365
I asked my nieces where they would like to go for lunch. They had their answer -- and their dessert orders -- ready.

Tiger Lily

131/365

One of my favorite summer flowers...

Scoot!

130/365

Long days summer days leave plenty of time for goofing off in the yard after dinner...good thing she's not in danger of losing any teeth.

Hosta

129/365
Working on my homework today, "Assignment Close-Up."
Have you ever looked at a hosta? I mean, really looked at one...?
Now you have.

Mithing Toofs, or: When is a Tooth Not Just a Tooth?

128/365
I am the type of person who cannot abide yanking of wiggly baby teeth. All that twisting and pulling and hanging by a thread creeps me out.
She is the kind of person who loves to yank baby teeth. And her Dad is always willing to assist. We had all struck a deal...the plan was, if her one remaining top center chopper didn't fall out by Wednesday, he'd take care of it.
As is her usual M.O., she quietly and resolutely took matters into her own hands. And so, with one final "plink" on this sunny Monday afternoon, she shed another piece of her baby-ness, her little-kid persona. She does this all the time, in different ways, and with increasing frequency.
It's kind of exasperating, kind of heartbreaking, and kind of thrilling.
It's just the way it goes, I guess.

Tall Ships

127/365
The Tall Ships were in town this weekend. We stopped in for a peek at what real sailors have to contend with...

Bike Polo?

126/365
Tour de France season inspires all kinds of nuttiness among cycling enthusiasts. If you watch the race on tv, you'll notice the spectators in crazy wigs and body paint, running alongside the racers as they climb the mountain passes. The Belgians are famous for their SuperFan antics.
My brother-in-law will tell you: he's Polish, not Belgian. But he puts on a great TDF party. Once all the guests (ok, all the male guests) are sufficiently "warmed up", the bikes come out, helmets are donned, and croquet mallets are brandished. Game on. If you look closely, you can see that not all the mallets survive the competition...

Sailing

125/365
After three weeks of sailing lessons, my youngest considers herself "pretty much a professional." A ridiculous boast, but it is testament to the fact that she, at age seven, knows how to get around in one of those little boats. Pretty much.

Cha-Ching

124/365

Note to self: Try to remember the next time you take the subway, to bring small bills for the self-serve ticket machine. Because when you feed the machine a $20 bill for a $5 ticket, it will return your change in dollar coins. Coins, which you may have forgotten, are actually still in circulation. As you watch those brassy chips tumble into the change tray, you might even, for a moment, become incensed thinking that the MBTA is trying to reimburse you with arcade tokens. Inevitably, you will feel foolish -- for not knowing, for getting upset, and for not having a place to stash 15 large coins.

So, save yourself the aggravation. Next time you decide to go on a big urban adventure, bring some singles.

The Newest

123/365

I have a brand-new nephew! He is beautiful, and all of us, especially his Mom & Dad and two big sisters, are overjoyed with his arrival.

Welcome to the world, little guy.

(Photo credit goes to my once-upon-a-time baby, now age 10.)

Pop Quiz

122/365

So, here's a quiz for you...

When you make brownies, what do you do with the "dirty" mixing bowl? Do you:

a) Lecture the children on the dangers of salmonella, and then wash it, and any utensils, immediately in hot, soapy water?

b) Give in to their pleading and let the kids have one tiny taste?

c) Hand over the bowl and allow them to lick it clean?

d) Send the children outside, and when nobody's watching, lick it clean yourself?

"I Hate That Dress"

121/365

She won't wear it. Not under any circumstances. She has made that clear.

It's the most girly-girl dress around. An archetype, really, of the little girl dress. It features pink gingham, a round collar, and a smocked bodice with embroidered daisies, all tied up with a bow in the back. Looks perfect with mary janes and ruffly ankle socks. Her sister loved everything about it.

Truthfully, I suspected she'd react this way. While these sisters are close friends, they have very distinct, and different, personalities. But, I thought, "Maybe..."

Ha.

So we took it on a little farewell photo-shoot at the playground instead. It's better this way.

Life's a Bowl of...

120/365

...Blackberries? Black Raspberries? We're not quite sure. But the girls picked them yesterday with Grandma, and they're pretty good...

Everybody Loves a Parade

119/365

Our town's July 4th Parade looks like it could have marched right off the set of the Andy Griffith Show. There are cub scouts, marching bands, clowns, militia men, and garden club ladies dressed in period costumes. Little league teams, hockey players, local theater productions, and neighborhood kazoo bands rig up floats and ride down Main Street. I think I even saw Barney Fife directing traffic...

Fireworks

119/365
Every year in my parent's neighborhood, Independence Day is marked, appropriately enough, with displays of illicit fireworks. Do not mistake this for an organized event, with choreographed rockets and a band playing Stars and Stripes Forever. But as night falls, crowds begin filling the neighborhood, making their way toward the beach. Bonfires are set in the sand. The police arrive on the scene and quietly keep an eye on things. They show little concern as random bursts of roman candles begin up and down the block. Eventually, the families with the biggest cache of pyrotechnics hit their stride, and the show can go on for almost an hour.

This was my first attempt to photograph fireworks. As we remarked last night, it was a "crap shoot". (yuk yuk!) But overall, I was pleased with the results...there are some other shots here.

Hulk Hands?

118/365
Today's rainy day activities included having fun with paint. And clay. The table on the porch is covered with newspaper, and several new masterpieces sit on top, slowly drying.

Mermaids

117/365
My assistant and I headed to the beach this morning, in the hopes of taking some photos for my homework this week. This shot was not part of the assignment, or even the best photo I took today, but I include it here because it made me chuckle, even though my patience with this cold rainy stuff is growing thin.