But Wait--There's More

I guess I can't quite give up the family-documentary aspect of this blog, because as summer draws to a close, I'm compelled to post some images and thoughts so I can remember this happy time. Here goes:

Like most eight year-olds, Miss M loved swimming this summer. I loved to watch her pale form glide underwater. With her sandy hair and grey-blue eyes, she's always seemed part sea creature to me.

Six year-old Boy Wonder continued to keep the 500Jerk household apprised of the barges and birds on our piece of the Tennessee River this summer. I frequently caught him peering out the window to see what might be going on.

Although birds, boats, coins, and gemstones were and are still of keen interest, Boy Wonder's obsession with Legos has led to a recent household ban on all Legos-related discussions. Legos are now officially known as "The Toy That Must Not Be Named."

This does not in any way prevent him from talking about them.

We met up with some Knoxville friends at Chicago's Eleventh Street Diner in July. The adults ate matzoh ball soup while the kids drank indelible grape soda and got goofy.

We went west--way, way west--to Montana. And we would love to go back.


We rested when the opportunity arose.

We humored each other and posed for pictures on our many summer runs to the chicken coop. The chickens continued to confound the 500Jerk family with their unerring ability to escape the coop.

Blasted chickens.

We climbed trees.

We fell out of them, too, but that's just part of climbing trees.

We labored mightily. Or at least, Cuzzin' Dan did.

We raced trucks around. In fact, this is Boy Wonder's signature summer 2009 look. No shirt, shorts, and Tevas--hunched over and running like hell behind a massive toy truck.

We giggled with girlfriends.

See?

It's good to have girlfriends that make you giggle.

We were adventurers.

We jumped into the Tennessee River. Again, and again, and again.

We got lucky one fine weekend and enjoyed our neighbors' lovely pool while they were out of town. (We had permission, I promise!)

Sometimes we got a little too close to each other.

And we lost teeth.

I'm not necessarily saying the two are interrelated, but there's been so much tussling between Miss M and Boy Wonder that it's completely possible a tooth got knocked loose.

We taco'd. I bet you didn't know "taco" is a verb.

It is when you sail through the water on a taco-shaped tube.

Miss M grew tall and, if possible, even more sweet.

Boy Wonder learned to ride a bike. He took a scary spill that tore up his knee and terrified his mother, but he has since made a full recovery.

We listened to this one Dan Zanes song over and over--Oh, the summertime is coming, and the leaves are sweetly swaying, and the wild mountain thyme grows around the purple heather, there you go, lassie, go, and we'll all go together, to pull wild mountain thyme all around the blooming heather, there you go, lassie, go.

It was a good time.