all good things...

Tomorrow we rejoin the working world. It's bittersweet, really: I love my job, but it's never easy for summer to end and the real world to be, well, reality. I mean, it's a pretty sweet gig-- 10 weeks of absolute freedom, steady paychecks coming in, giving us the ability to do what we want when we want. In fact, we'd be crazy to look forward to that ending.

I have never had a job that required me to work summers. Sure, I had summer jobs while I was in school, but once I was hired as a full time teacher, summers were as free as when I was 10. When we became parents, summer took on new meaning: it meant the end to schedules and routines and time to relax and play. Now that the kids are in school and involved in all sorts of activities, that free time is even more precious. We know we're spoiled-- not many families have both parents home all summer able to enjoy their children unencumbered by limited vacation time. We don't teach to become rich, but I have to say this fringe benefit is a pretty big deal, and worth the frustrations that come with the overall financial picture.

We've come to the end of another year. (Since I started kindergarten, my years have started in September rather than January. I've never really known it any other way.) We go back to workshops, the kids spending the next 2 days with bestfriends. Bedtimes, lunch boxes, homework, and after school activities will fill our evenings. Days of the week will matter again. Boy starts school sports this year, which brings a new level of involvement. They're in separate schools, too-- another new change to the routine. But as I write this, I'm in a fleece and contemplating closing the windows. Leaves are falling, and it's time to return to the real world. In a week, I'll be back in the swing, happily hanging with my Sunshines during the days and my own kids at night. But if you think for one minute that I'm glad to see summer go, you're insane. I know how lucky I am, and I'm going to enjoy every last minute.

the single life

It is well documented that I do not enjoy being alone. Before kids, a 10 minute shower was enough alone time in a day... now I think somewhere around 45 minutes is perfect. Anyhow, 12 hours is far too long. Auntie gave me what for this summer, saying I need to get used to being alone. Well, thanks for your perspective, but I don't see that happening. She never married nor had kids, so obviously she likes the solitude of an empty house. Me... I did marry and still fill my house with kids at any opportunity. I like people and am and off the charts E, so... yea, people. I like 'em.

Yesterday we went shopping with my mom. Today I have a meeting until 3, so I asked if Gramma and Grandpa would like some visitors for an overnight. This means the kids get spoiled before heading back to the grind and I spend the night alone. Bestfriends saved me for dinner-- they made delicious grilled pizza and filled me with conversation. But let's just say I am looking forward to my meeting way more than is healthy: a room filled with 9 people is just what I need, no matter what we're discussing!

I heart Ms. Mimi!

Probably the best thing about BTS (at least for me, in this moment) is the return of Ms. Mimi posts. I don't read many blogs outside the RVBs (these days that means I'm barely reading anything!) but she is such a Rock Star that every post is guaranteed to score at least one giggle, if not a head shaking 'you go girl'. If you're a teacher, and you don't read her, you should at least check her out. She's got mad blogging skills.

15s from FB

Books That Stay With You
Here are the rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. They don't have to be the greatest books you've ever read, just the ones that stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.
1. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee.
2. The View From Saturday, E. L. Konigsburg
3. Wrinkle in Time series, Madeline L'Engle
4. Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay
5. The Fionavar Tapestry, GGK
6. A Song of Ice and Fire series, George R. R. Martin
7. Skinny Legs and All, Tom Robbins
8. I Like It When, Mary Murphy
9. Junie B. Jones, Barbara Park
10. Ramona the Pest, Beverly Cleary
11. The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien
12. Hope Was Here, Joan Bauer
13. HP and the Half Blood Prince, J. K. Rowling
14. The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
15. Where The Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak

15 films
Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen movies you've seen that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes.
1. When Harry Met Sally
2. She's Having a Baby
3. The Breakfast Club
4. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
5. LOTR trilogy
6. The Princess Bride
7. Star Wars (the original, before it was retitled A New Hope)
8. Little Miss Sunshine
9. 4 Weddings and a Funeral
10. Finding Nemo
11. March of the Penguins ("And they will never see their parents again.")
12. Moulin Rouge
13. It's A Wonderful Life
14. The Wizard of Oz
15. Chicago

Camelot

We had a lovely little trip to the Cape. WB's sister and her 2 youngest boys were there as well, and for 4 days we did nothing but laze around and go to the beach and enjoy good food. You have to be independently wealthy to live on the Cape anymore-- all the locals have basically been driven out by the rich folks. Our ability to go every summer will most likely end when Auntie leaves this world: she told me once (during happy hour, when she let down her guard) that all the remaining family wouldn't be able to pay the taxes. She never married nor had any children, so after her parents died she could afford to keep the house and property they had bought in the late 50s, before it was the hot place to retire.

It's a weird place to be emotionally-- knowing you're enjoying something that most people can't, just because you married someone who has a wealthy relative. It's kind of like trying on a new life and seeing that it still doesn't fit. We'll never be wealthy, and that is completely ok with me. (Gods willing, we'll never be poor either.) I will enjoy our annual trips until they come to their natural end, and know the kids and their cousins will have shared memories of Nauset Beach and marathon Monopoly games and keeping the whiffle balls out of the gardens, and it will be a part of what defines their childhood. If that isn't magic, I don't know what is.

While we were there, Eunice Kennedy Shriver passed. All the local news (which is Boston news) talked about her accomplishments, most famously starting the Special Olympics. The Kennedy's have a huge presence on the Cape, although not near Auntie's house. You got the sense that it wasn't just about a famous person dying, but about a great woman leaving the world better for her having been in it. We were struck by someone coming from such a powerful family using that influence for good. Rest in peace, Mrs. Shriver. You deserve it.

enjoying a day of sandwiches

We visited with WB's high school friend this week. I'm embarrassed to admit it had been 7 years since we'd all gotten together. Sure, they moved a couple of times, and often we'd be gone when they'd come home to visit, but that's just too long to go without seeing great friends.


The kids all got along well, which is something since none of them remembered each other. We sat on the dock (the new one, with 11,000 lbs of flotation) and caught up while the kids jumped in the lake and began to build their own relationships with each other. It was quickly obvious to all that Girly and A could become very good friends.

It's wonderful to see old friends again. Within seconds everyone is back in the swing, and it's like we're neighbors who see each other regularly. Having seen my friend with my sister and now his friend at her parent's camp, it reminds you how vital friendships are. New friends are important-- don't get me wrong-- but being with people who grew up with you and stuck with you over the years is magical. I feel thankful to have these friends who we still love to see (even when we don't do it enough) as well as my friends here, old and new.

Last night we learned that a friend and fellow teacher has cancer. We don't know anymore than that, and that he's had to take a leave of absence from school. I must admit I'd gotten used to not having a sick coworker, and am quite saddened to learn of his illness. It also reminds me of all our mortality, and to enjoy every sandwich. I'm glad we got to see so many people that matter to us this summer-- and we're off to the Cape to visit more family this weekend. It's not like I'm planning on something going wrong or anything, but I guess just aware that life is too short to not spend it with people you love. So don't be surprised to see me knocking on your door anytime soon...

I'm not looking

WB doesn't like July 1: to him it means summer is fleeting. For me, it's August 1. School starts in August. School means routines and schedules and commitments. It's not that I don't want to go back to work-- I love my job. It's just that I love the freedom of summer. Because we're both teachers, we get 10 weeks as a family to do whatever we want. How can you want that to end?

Last night we had dinner with Mike and Katie and celebrated summer. Great food, great margaritas, great company-- everything that is great about summer. We still have a month of summer left, and have no fear that we'll enjoy it. But school planing will start to creep in and before I know it I'll be waking to an alarm clock. Maybe I'll wait a few more days before flipping that page...

school of rock

Music has always been a central part of our marriage: I knew he was the right guy when he also knew Fairy Tale of New York that first Christmas. We've gone to lots of shows.. and now that the kids are older, they come along. (Hey-- it's sometimes cheaper than paying a sitter!) Actually, they've been coming along for a few years. Their first show was Guster, Ben Folds, and Rufus Wainwright on our way to Palm Springs in 2004. Since then they've seen BNL, Great Big Sea, and John Eddie. Who the Hell is John Eddie? you ask? Think country Bruce Springsteen and that's pretty close. He puts on a fun show, and seeing him on 207 last night made us realize it'd been awhile since we'd seen him.

Having the kids with us at shows makes me happy. We never played Barney or kids songs when they were little-- they listened to what we listened to, and liked it. And it shows. They can sing along with a lot of the bands we see, and in the right setting, they even jump up and down. Tonight's venue was like a movie theater with a stage, so there was way more sitting in the crowd than there should have been, but when in Rome, you don't anger the people behind you. The kids brought it at the end and did us proud.

I'm madly in love with you and it's not because of your brains or your personality.

Our last three weeks have been amazing. Not only did we successfully get ourselves 3/4 of the way across country and back again, but we had a good time doing it. Our time in MT was wonderful and I feel closer to my sister's family than ever before. Aside from a few horrible meals in SD, there's really nothing to complain about. In fact, the only complaints are travel-food related. Well, that and chlorinated water; the smell makes me gag, which makes tooth brushing interesting, but that happens however I go about traveling. Not bad for a 3 week (and 45 minute) journey.

The only time WB and I are not in sync is when we come to a town where we know someone. I, the capitol E Extrovert, would stop at everyone's house along the way-- and time our days to stay with friends instead of paying for a hotel room. He, however, a lowercase introvert but an I nonetheless, would rather not bother anyone and just stick to ourselves. Life isn't perfect, and as Mick reminds us you can't always get what you want-- but of all the fights and complaints we could have traveling together, this is a pretty minor one. Should this bike trip across country ever happen, rest assured that I'll visit with everyone along the way and he'll just pedal himself along, meeting up with me at the end of the day, ready for a shower, whomever owns it.

Our early relationship was built on driving-- he got a job in Bangor 1 week after our first date. We'd drive to see each other, and then because we had no money (and gas was cheap back then) we'd drive around for enjoyment. We both grew up away from grandparents, so days of driving were a part of the deal. Add his love of driving to my love of figuring out where we are and you have a match made in heaven. He makes me laugh, and I think I return the favor. We think alike most of the time, like wanting to flip the map before finding a hotel-- the goal we each silently set, not needing to say it out loud until Boy asked if we were stopping. When we're on a road trip somewhere-- even just in the state-- I know we were made for each other. I married the right man. And if 3 weeks on the road confirms that, well, I guess I'll need no further proof, ever.

There's something about having, everything you think you'll ever need, sitting in the seat next to you.

there's no place like home....

all the little chicks with the crimson lips say...*

Again with the driving... but with our major rockin' stop early in the day. Actually, it was in the middle of the day. We got queen beds last night... so we all slept well in a relatively empty hotel... so we slept late. Well, late for traveling. We left western Ohio at about 10:15 and had an AWFUL breakfast at the rest stop. Moldy coffee is all I have to say about that. (WB stopped at the next service area and we dumped the bad stuff and tried again, with much better success.) We reached Cleveland around 12:30, and easily parked at the R&R Hall of Fame. It was an expensive ticket but a wonderful afternoon walking around (let me repeat that: walking around and not sitting at all!) and seeing some really cool things. Bruce Springsteen is the traveling exhibit currently, and they did this cool thing with the lyrics to Thunder Road written, in his script, on the walls going up the circular stairs. Well worth the 2.5 hours spent off the road.

We got back on I-90 and headed East. Through PA without even stopping once and into NY. We stopped for dinner outside Buffalo and both of us wanted to get to the 2nd map of upstate NY before stopping for the night. So here we are at a Comfort Inn outside Syracuse. They don't make it easy to get to this hotel, but maybe because of that it's also relatively empty and we got a non smoking room $20 cheaper than if we'd taken one on a lower floor. Whatever-- I'm young and can take an elavator up a few flights to save a few bucks.

Tomorrow, home. Boy has made it clear that when he gets out of the (mini) van he is not getting back in anytime soon. We'll be ready for visitors whenever you're ready to come by...


*Today's winners get this prize. I'm kinda sad this game is ending. I may have to just pull out a random contest when I get bored :)

Oh, there's nothing half way about the Iowa way to treat you*

Today was just about driving. We left Albert Lea, MN, after a "free" continental breakfast that gave new meaning to not having too high an expectation in such situations. Gas was cheap, though-- $2.37 or something-- and so we dumped the awful joe and filled up the van. ("You mean mini-van" Nanny.) In under an hour were in Iowa, and I started singing the above song (that was a hint, friends.) Iowa isn't bad-- a bit more topography and lots of farmland. Heck, any state that legalizes gay marriage before our state is ok with me! Miles clicked away, and before we knew it we were crossing the Mississippi. Now that came close to making me tear up: I take great pride in being someone who lives East of the Mississippi, so actually being East of that river made me happy. And, checking milage with Boy, we decided we were half way home. 2.5 more days. 2 more hotel rooms. 10 more meals. Within reach, for sure.

Crossing the Mississippi got us into Illinois, and about 65 miles later back into EDT. Our clock matches home! We stopped for dinner in South Bend and waved to Mr. Basketball from the road. The goal of today was to get into Ohio, and WB was determined to meet that goal. And so here we are, at the first EconoLodge we found inside the state line. Tomorrow gets us to Cleveland and a long stop at the Rock n Roll Musuem. Yea, we all really just want to be home, but 4 hours walking around while checking out something we'll all enjoy is probably just as important. Let me tell you, 3 days of basically sitting is not good for anyone's back or hips.

It feels pretty good to be past the half way point, and to be back East again. The hardest part of tomorrow for me will be actually stopping in New York and not pushing through to just get home. I guess it'll depend on how well we sleep tonight, and just how cool the museum is.

*Today's winners get this print from Excelsior Geyser at Yellowstone. It's my favorite thing we saw in the Park.

sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug*

Our day started heading to perhaps the most toursty-trap part of our trip: Mt. Rushmore. Viewing this monument was never on my Bucket List, but when you're within 50 miles of it, and you have your kids with you, it seems the wise choice to just go see it already. And so we did. And it was what we expected it to be: an impressive carving of 4 unifying Presidents in the side of a mountain. $10 for parking, and we spent maybe 30 minutes there, which included buying 4 postcards and then addressing and mailing them from there. (Dr. Sis, I think I transposed your zip code when I had to do it from memory, so it may take awhile to get to the boys...) It's quite something, but it is not the sort of place you spend a whole day at, which is good when your real goal is to log some eastward miles.

Once we'd retraced our steps back up Rt 16 to I-90, I made WB stop at Wall Drug. Again, it was quite a tourist trap, although I wasn't expecting it to be as bad as it was. I just like the story of this family opening their drug store in Wall, SD, in 1931 and noticing no one was stopping on their way through, still in 1936. So Ma had an idea to put up signs and give away free water... and the rest, they say, is history. (Or herstory, if you're feeling like a femist tonight.) Anyhow, we bought 2 postcards for us that have Native American founding fathers superimposed above Rushmore. Boy recognized Sitting Bull's picture, which made me quite proud. We'll need to do more with chief Joseph, Geronimo, and Red Cloud. I should put together a Native American History course for school, but that's a tangent for another post. Those 2 postcards totalling .75 earned me a free "Where in the Heck is Wall Drug?" sticker, which is what I went in for in the first place. Ah, advertising...

Now it was time for some miles. Here's the thing about "Great Faces. Great Places." slogan of South Dakota: I'm not so thrilled with the places. If you really want me to come visit your state and be a tourist, put in a sit down resteraunt on I-90. I had to eat a dog from the roller for lunch. I have NEVER done that before, and trust me, I never plan to again. I was happy to leave SD and cross into MN again. All was great until we stopped in Worthington. Here's my advice about stopping in Worthington: don't do it. There's nothing to eat there, either. We found a Chinese buffet where we had to pay before we were seated, and then seat ourselves and get our own drinks and silverware. Seriously.

So all I could think about all day was how "America Runs on Dunkin." America does not run on Dunkin-- the East Coast of America does, but the Midwest definitely does not. I cannot wait until I can get my first medium hazelnut with cream and sugar, just how I like it...

Yes, sometimes you're the windshield and sometimes the bug. We're driving the evidence home with us now.

*Today's winners get the above pic. Which I'm sure you figured out on your own.

all around me, peaceful*

We left Bozeman at 9:30 this morning, after getting to spend some time covered up in nephews. As excited as I am to get home again, I am going to miss those boys and my sister and bro-in-law. It was a wonderful trip and so great to be with them. I know we will never live close enough to get together randomly, but there is the chace for a meeting in DC next summer: I really hope we're able to make that work. 2 years between visits is just too long.

Our stop of today was at Little Big Horn Battlefield. For those of you who are not history buffs, this is where Custer made his Last Stand. In fairness, the visitor center did try to represent both sides equally, but my bias towards the Native Americans overwhelmed me. Custer doesn't deserve any respect! He came in and took thier lands and expected thanks and a ticker tape parade? Um, hello? What planet are you coming from? Oh, right Eastern European White Man Who Thinks He Deserves Everything. I remember now.


Finally, in 1991 (I was in college now, people, and the Battle had happened 115 years prior) a Native designed monument was erected. I think they did an amazing job with the design-- it is built into a hill, and barely visable from the road. It is built in a circle, which is very significant in Native religion. The walls are lined with quotes and thanks for the sacrifies made there. Sitting Bull summed it up perfectly in 1881: "They attacked out village and we killed them all. What would you do if your home was attacked? You would stand up like a brave man and defend it." Sorry, President Grant, but just because the only tool you possessed was a hammer doesn't mean it was the right tool for the job.

Later tonight, watching the kids swim in the pool Tom Bodett kept clean for us, I was struck by how much they enjoy each other. They were laughing and playing and generally enjoying each other's company. Juxtaposed with the stop-of-the-day, I again found myself thankful for my life. I get to live the way I choose, surrounded by so many wonderful people that I sometimes feel spoiled. If someone attacked us and said you have to give up your beliefs and religion and traditions and your home, well, I think I'd fight back to.

*today's winning picture is one of these. Let me know your preference... or if you want me to chose, it'll be the first one.

so long, farewell...

Yesterday we took WB into Yellowstone. For those of you who have never been, I have 2 things to say: first, go. Find a way and just go. Second, if you try to do it all in a day, be prepared to be exhausted at the end. But a happy exhausted, because it is a very cool trip. My favorite is Excelsior Gyser, most likely for the brilliant teal and turquoise colors. Do it in a day, do it in a week, but just do it.

We had dinner in West Yellowstone. Now, it is important to note that West Yellowstone (the Montana town, not a part of the National Park) is only about 15 miles from Idaho. Spitting distance... so why did this sit down resturaunt serve me mashed potatoes FROM A BOX???? Seriously people, you should have more pride than that.


So what do good road warriors do in such a situation? They head to Idaho to buy a bag of chips. We stopped at the state line, right behind another family and before a third family doing the same. We, however, proceeded the 4 miles into Island Park, Idaho to buy our snacks and at least spend a bit of our traveling dollars in their state.

Today the kids and dad's floated the Madison while the mom's and baby did a bit of scrapbooking. We ended the day with a neighborhood retelling of The Tempest, adapted by Cousin O himself. It was a fun little evening and a nice chance to meet the neighbors before we head back east, to home, and the people with whom we share our lives. We'll be headed back to Bozeman in June of 2011 for WB's final class, and I'm sure we'll have as great a time then as we did this round, but man, am I ready for the East Coast again.

(mostly) urelated to travel!

From Jess, via FB.

Three names I go by:
1. Mumma
2. Nanny
3. Buckaroo

Three jobs I have had in my life.
1. teacher
2. service clerk at Shop 'n Save
3. chambermaid

Three places I have lived
1. Biddeford
2. Farmington
3. Peru

Three favorite drinks
1. margarita
2. DD hazlenut coffee
3. JD

Three TV shows that I watch
1. Saving Grace
2. The Closer
3. Numbers

Three places I Have Been
1. New Mexico
2. California
3. MONTANA!

Three of my favorite foods
1. salad made by someone else
2. Lays low salt potato chips
3. fajitas

Three things I'm looking forward to
1. visiting Little Big Horn
2. checking my mail/comments
3. coming home!!

The mountains win again...

Today the kids and I knocked off another state that we've been in: Wyoming (Oh, yes!) is the home of Yellowstone National Park. It's only about 2 hours from Bozeman, and well worth the day we spent looking around.

Stop 1 was, naturally, Old Faithful. We saw it erupt twice-- the first time was just as we'd gotten in and the second took about 15 minutes longer than predicted, which caused me to wonder if I'd broken that bit of plumbing, too. We were treated to this cool inverted rainbow for our troubles.



From there we headed to the Canyon, which was a beautiful sight but a scary walk down to the lookout. Very skinny walkway, plunging over the side into nothingness. The mom in me can't handle such sights anymore... and maybe I'm getting a bit of mountain related anxiety. Notice how tightly I'm gripping them: that is not an accident. More on this later.

We crossed a few milestones the teacher in me enjoys-- the Continental Divide and the 45th parallel. I'm envisioning a "Where was Buckaroo and why should you care?" scavenger hunt to start the year.



Boy got to see his bison, and Girly her elk. We took the scenic route out of the park, right smack through the mountains, and I'm not kidding, I almost had a meltdown on the way down. The road was tiny-- enough room for 2 cars, 2 white lines, and 2 yellow lines. Outside the white line was nothing-- just the edge of the mountain. I pulled over to let the cars behind us pass and tried to get Uncle J to go ahead of me (he'd been behind us so we could pull over and look whenever we wanted) and he offered Dr. Sis to drive: it seemed smart to take them up on that offer. I'm not sure I'm going to be capable of driving the support vehicle on WB's cross country bike ride without therapy. Maybe I should start when we get home. Come to think of it, the Blue Ridge Parkway almost did me in post Atlanta Olympics.

(Yes, the irony of living in the Western Foothills is not lost on me. I can't explain why I'm losing it out here but have no issues at home. I keep telling Boy that traveling triggers my panic reflex. It might not be just a line I'm feeding him. I can cope going up, but coming down, well, it's not pretty.)

M is for....

MSU and mountain! Today we hiked "The College M" which is in the Bridger Mountains. It was a simple little walk, although rougher for this old Nanny who is not in as great a shape as she'd like to be. Boy and Cousin O could have taken the hard way, but no way could the rest of us. We went up the longer, less severe way and then took a short cut, saving us about 3/4 of a mile but increasing the altitude by more than maybe I should have attempted. Or Girly, who should have had her puff in hand and not in the van. Anyhow, we all made it and had a fine, safe trip down.

should we stay or should we go?*

Today found us exploring again. It was cold and rainy (note that I have less guilt now!) so we decided it would be a good day to find Bozeman Hot Springs. I ventured out with map in hand and my two plus Cousin O in the back seats. I could get used to having a hot spring around-- it's a hot tub with water heated from the earth. It's perfect for my recycling nature-- no energy expended heating cold water-- just hot, soothing water ready for soaking at all times! Unfortunately, other people like these hot springs too.

And therein lies the rub: while I love my peeps of all kinds, I'm not such a fan of hanging out in pools with rude, oblivious people of all ages. I had to yell at one group of middle schoolers, trying to splash their buddies and repeatedly getting me. I let it go the first time... and then the famous Meanie came out. What's worse, though, is the adults supposedly watching their charges. They say nothing, ever. If I hadn't had 3 kids of my own to care for, I'd have just submerged myself in the steaming water and pretended no one else existed. Instead I convinced the 8,9, and 11 year olds that they, too, would rather sit and soak than play in the pool. Well, it worked for a little while...


Later in the evening, Cousin O had a pot luck for his baseball team so we took Cousin H to Columbo's pizza with us. I have to say, with all apologies to JOB, I had the BEST pizza of my life tonight. Crunchy crust with basil sauce and mozzarella, garlic, chicken, broccoli, and roasted red peppers. Heavenly. I am in love. They even have good local beer on tap. Again, there are a lot of reasons to stick around town... but the vast numbers of people would probably overrule pizza and hot springs love. Probably.


Oh, this last pic is a request of Wendy: kids in the sun at the town pool yesterday. Again with all the people! Give me a quiet riverbank that is hidden from the world anyday.

*Beaner and Nutty, I'm tossing this title out to you. Do you get the reference? Make your rockin' nanny proud...

update from Dino Camp

WB is settled into his week looking for dinosaur bones. He called last night, from the top of some mountain he had to hike up (I'm sure it's more like a hill, but you get the idea) to get cell coverage. He was able to slide into a vacated cabin and get himself a single. Other tidbits include the obvious lack of interwebs, the prevalence of rattlesnakes, and that the roads become impassible mud runs should it rain. (We are really, really hoping for a dry Friday and Saturday so he can return to us on time!) In short, just what he expected.

Tonight he called while we were at dinner. The reception kept cutting out, and I couldn't hear him through the disjointed call and the full room. He told Boy and Girly, though, that he'd found a dinosaur tooth and a backbone, possibly from a T-Rex. That's worth the price of admission right there, folks! I wonder if those artifacts will end up in the museusm next to the rest of the specimen they have on display. (The actual bones, not just replicas.)

It sounds like he's having a good time. I hope he is. I'm sure Beaner and her fellow incoming 7th graders are going to have a good year filled with cool dinosaur stories. Lucky them!