Heigh-ho! (1/4)

At long last! A few (ermm...) photos and a few more words from our WONDERFUL almost-five-weeks in and up north of Iowa City. Thus begins the first of a four part series:

(1) saying, "See you in a week!" to dear Dally (2) interim airport antics and (3) the thundercloud that awaited us at our final destination (and presaged a beautiful summer storm, as well as the temporary extinction and fabulous rekindling of the glowworms' lanterns. So beautiful. So summer in Iowa)

(1) among other things, the arrows Tomi set down to show monsters the way away from Gramma and Grampa's house (2) a very common scene for five weeks (3) just before the melt down over Dove bars (which was obviously due to jet lag, but still... I will never hear Leo say, "Schokoladen!" with the same thrill of mama-ly pride again) and
(4) bunnies watching bunnies nibbling

(1) the children's corner of the Iowa City Farmers Market from above (2) a close-up of one of the children at the children's corner of the ICFM and (3) a couple of the fantastic performers we saw each time we sat down to rest on the edge of the market. The ambiance at this market is almost too good to be true. I've never felt anything quite like it!

(1) my friend Jean and her two fabulous beans (2) G&G and two sweety elves (3) a bit of the well-done pre-play that we were lucky enough to have caught, and (4) the eldest of the fabulous beans, showing us a mere speck of his climbing repertoir (he's an incredible climber - I've never seen anything like it)!

(1) bluegrass's best (2) snowbunnies with Gramma (3) Grampa with Leo-just-prior-to-wild-meltdown - many thanks again to jet lag, for that rare spectacle... and (4) Daves diggin' it (do people still say that, or has English-speaking life moved on, despite my absence?)

(1) this moment was too beautiful to pass up (2) three pixies take a two-second break from wild antics, and (3) peace and love

(1) the front yard and the blue-blue skies (2) a view of the lilies in one of the side gardens, and (3) a close-up of a lily in said side-garden

(1) a view from one of the side gardens (2) back garden with bean tee-pee, and (3) Gramma giving Monsanto a run for their money in her garden in the triangle

(1) a bunny and his Sunday comics (2) a bunny at Wallace Winery, reading his Pokémon cards as the adults drink in the fine Iowa wine (it's true!) and the beautiful folk music of Dave Moore, and (3) fellow bloggers and drinkers-in of the beauty

(1) a water sprite (2) another water sprite, and (3) the 2nd water sprite, sniffing the lilies

Those were but a very few of the moments (and the pictures thereof) that we so happily spent in the first week of our Iowa, &cetera summer of 2008 vacation. As usual, a lot of great moments went unrecorded on film. And though I'd love to "talk" about it all, it's taken me so long to get this little bit up that for now, I'm going to have to leave it at that and move on to Part Two - the arrival of the papa. Please stay tuned. And in the meantime, big hugs to all of you who made this summer vacation so lovely for us. You know who you are...! xoxo

"Yes, you do!"

So... I was picking out pictures for the Iowa, Etcetera post, the tardiness of which I am very ( x 583! ) sorry for (but I've hardly even read other people's blogs, much less had time for my own since our return (three weeks ago, now. Yikes). It was a harsh return to reality, I have to say. There was real life. And the anniversary of David's death. But there was also catching up with friends here. And so). So anyway, here we are, three weeks later. And before I actually post abut that wonderful ( x 835! ) time we had with Gamma-Gampa and the rest of the folks back home, I feel obliged (despite my promise NOT to blog about other things until our Iowa post was up) to mention one of the many little parents-and-their-boys conversations that has taken place in the past 21 days.
To wit:

Leo: Why (do bears like honey)?*
Mom: That's a good question, sweety. I really don't know. Remind me to look that one up, will you?
Leo: Yes, you do!
Mom: I do what?
Leo: Yes, you do know!
Mom: No, I really don't. I'm sorry, but...
Leo: Yes! You do!
Mom: No, I really don't! I'll try to find the answer for you, though.
Leo: But you know it!
Mom: No, I don't. Honestly!
Leo: YES, YOU DO! YOU KNOW IT!
Mom: (trying to surpress a laugh, but honestly flummoxed) Honey, why do you think I know the answer to this?
Leo: Because you are not little! You are a big girl! So you know things! You know all things!
Mom: Ahhh... (tries to explain, but has a lot of trouble, what with all the burgeoning laughter and all...)

*I think that that was the question. In any case, it really was the first question of theirs that I couldn't even begin to answer - a rare one for which I didn't even have a that'll-do-for-now or facetious kind of response. I was so thrilled by the astute nature of the request and the back-and-forth that followed, though, that the initial question may have gone out the window, and been replaced by this sozi. Ah, well!

p.s. The pic's from a couple days after our return. Leo had a time out, and when I came to release him from his bonds, that was what I found. These boys make me laugh and laugh - often, in spite of myself.