The fact that I have not been blogging as much does not mean that we have stopped living. Indeed, we have been having a fine time, keeping busy with various enterprises, some of which include smiling.

Here are Robbi and Kato at the Friendship Montessori School Mothers’ Day Tea. At this much-anticipated annual event, mothers and their Montessori-educated children are given the opportunity to lounge briefly in an attractive wicker chair.

Before moving on to the less photogenic but surprisingly comfortable dumptruck area.

Also, as Chestertown gears up for the annual Sneaker Creeper, we have been doing our part to drum up enthusiasm (and sign ups) by designing a new logo and sponsoring a logo-festooned water bottle for each participant. In order to spread the Bobbledy love around, we created a bookmark to be placed inside each water bottle.

Which led to a good deal of trimming.

We try to make our propaganda as easy on the eye as possible.

Also, kimchee has returned to my diet in force. We are now on day 9 of the 15-day detox. I have dropped eight pounds and feel like I’ve also turned back the clock about ten years. It is mid-afternoon, the time of the usual swoon, and yet I am typing away with alacrity. I do not like to evangelize, but wow we both feel good.

As for the children, Alden lost one of her two front teeth and went to the dentist. The two events were sequential, but otherwise unrelated.

The peonies outside the front door of the barn sure took their sweet time in coming this year, but arrive they did, eventually. They are spectacular, and we’ve made a habit of forcing the children to pose with them for an annual (look how much we’ve grown since the last time our parents made us pose by these damn flowers) shot.

This one is my favorite.

But we got a few that I consider keepers.

It was my job to stand behind the camera and tell inane knock-knock jokes while Robbi framed shots. The image below was prompted by a punchline that would not be appropriate in the Montessori setting.

Over the weekend, we went to the Massey Air Museum for one of their regular fly-ins. Pilots from all over the place descend upon Massey for fellowship and pot luck. And anyone is welcome to come join the fun. 

There is an enormous old plane, the make and model of which I do not know, that anyone can climb around in. It’s really quite wonderful, especially for airplane enthusiasts like Kato.

The cockpit is available for admiring and sitting in.

Even the aisles are places of wonder.

As planes landed on the grass airstrip, Alden heeded the important details.

While I played around with the camera focusing alternately on the near…

…and the somewhat more distant.

Ultimately, the camera paled in comparison to the matter at hand.

Although it was an air rally, there were antique cars, this one from 1929. I wish I remembered what it was called, but I can tell you that the guy who owns it spent three years restoring it.

That afternoon, we headed to Kent Island for a reading at the library there. We had a great turnout.

After a presentation and reading, vigorous book making ensued.

Including the first punk/goth/gangsta cowboy that has ever (to our knowledge) graced the pages of one of our workshop books.

We love helping kids see how easy and gratifying it is to make their own books. It might be the best thing we do.

We capped a busy Saturday by slipping into our finest and walking down the street for a little social gathering. Alden would not be persuaded that her Christmas dress might be a bit out of season.

Frankly, I’m glad that she stuck to her guns.

The boys opted for a more casual approach.

Ours were the only children present. We crossed our fingers tightly that they would not give us cause to regret bringing them along.

But somehow, they rose to the occasion, August navigating all the way from the bar to the buffet line without shattering his lemonade glass.

I spent the entire party not looking awesome.

While Robbi and Annie held up the opposite end of the spectrum.

The sun was just setting as we made our way home, reminding us just how magnificent Stam Hall really is and how lucky we are to live in its long shadow.

It was a wonderful weekend. It has been a good stretch of days.

Spent in such excellent company.