Chilling out, second grade style

The last block of the kids' second grade year, their school work focuses on 'healthy living'. They learn about eating good, healthy foods; they also learn about how to be physically healthy. So for three weeks, twice a week, all the second graders (and their parents are invited), bring mats or towels, and practice yoga for 20 minutes, first thing in the morning out on the front lawn of their school.

Sounds good eh? And we didn't even have to move back to California!

Jim and I joined them a few times to stretch out like "monkeys", "snakes", or "giraffes". The instructor has a clever way to direct the otherwise fidgety children through the poses.

We are missing the last week of it... but get this... we will be able to have our own yoga sessions... on some of our favorite beaches... a couple of thousand miles from this grassy lawn.

Chilling, we will be.

Roses are pink

Oh the beauty of technology. It can't beat the beauty of these roses that Katie and I see and smell on our walks. And yet, how easy it was to snap a few shots without the hefty camera in hand.

I think of the month of June when I think of roses... At least it was so in previous years. This year, roses bloomed early. I don't blame them. Summer is predicted to be a scorcher... and if I were these roses, I would bid adieu long before then.

Mid May Day

Not too many words to share today. If you can tell from these photos, though, you must know that we are enjoying May. Though it's been a busy stretch, but we are all content, happy and healthy. Not much else we could ask for. Hoping that is true with you, too!

Find to Feast, all in a day

My infrequent visits to this blog does not have to do with my lack of wanting to share tales of our life and photos of our days. The time that used to be spent taking and loading photos, writing and posting on the blog, is now primarily taken up by a small 25lb canine named Katie.

Katie and I, we walk.

We walk the streets of Bexley, sometimes in the dark, sometimes in the heat of the day. Sometimes we walk in silence, and sometimes I am entertained by podcasts, interviews, or music.

In short, instead of spending time on this page (which has changed on me since I logged on last time... has it been that long?), I am out and about, lost in my dog-walking world.



Until we stumbled on a pile of wood planks. They were left outside on the curb, to be taken by the garbage collectors. What I saw was not 'garbage', but potential. I grabbed one, and walked the dog home, with a 6 ft long piece of wood under my arm. The next walk took us back to the same pile, so I grabbed another. And then, I got smart and drove back with a car to pick up a few more. I had a plan.



And that's how this table was born. With a couple of abandoned shelves in the basement, and a few long nails, we made ourselves a new piece of outdoor furniture. Pretty much for free.



Within minutes, the table became a chemistry lab with a mad scientist.



And then it became the buffet table for a late afternoon feast of grilled pizzas and grilled caesar salad (thank you for sharing, Michael!).







It's a wonder how we lived without this table before, just hours ago... Within a day, we embraced and enjoyed this new addition and everything that can fit on it.