Ordinary Life

" Everyday is a School Day (And That's The Way We Like It!) "  is our intended mentality, but our reality includes new back-to-school activities  every now and again.  It helps us pretend that we aren't weird home schoolers every day... only most of them.  It also gives us a window of time to measure progress for our required annual review.  One Year Ago:   Now:   I took a lot of photos intending to hopefully luck into a few good ones to share, but to haven't found the necessary time or focus to sift through or edit photos, so here we are, squinty eyes and all...Scroll quickly....

I started to write a post about loss (and legacy reels) back when my grandpaw passed away ...and then tried again recently when my uncle departed. Days got busy, I'm easily distracted and all of my attempts felt too frilly...too feely. What I'm really aiming to say has been said in countless ways so, maybe that is why I feel too antsy to pin the words down ( pen the words down?). It amounts to "Life is beautiful." though there are plenty of other worthy and valid things to be said about lives well-lived and legacies left behind. Like the following statements: "The Grand Canyon is large." "Niagara Falls is wet."  "There's gold in dem dar hills."  improvements could be made but the fundamental idea is present and accounted for. Sometimes that's the best one can do. So, here I am, sharing the video made in tribute to my uncle as a stand-alone excuse for where I've been lately, a picture-postcard from this other place for which ...

There's just something special about Walt Disney's Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. It is my favorite park for several reasons, and it seems to me one of the most fitting monuments to the man behind Mickey Mouse. At its inception, Walt said of EPCOT:  "EPCOT will be an experimental prototype community of tomorrow that will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American industry. It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed, but will always be introducing and testing and demonstrating new materials and systems. And EPCOT will always be a showcase to the world for the ingenuity and imagination of American free enterprise." Ingenuity. Imagination. America.  I think that's all of it in a nutshell.  Walking through the park makes me nostalgic. Not only for past visits and childhood adventures, but also for the strong broth of a certain philosophy, spooned to me steadily f...

When asked what she was most looking forward to at Disney, Riley hoped to meet Princess Aurora. Everyone else agreed that watching RyeBird explore the Magic Kingdom for her first time would be the highlight of our experience. While we didn't catch Sleeping Beauty this go around, Riley hardly seemed to notice once she got inside the park.  And we enjoyed watching her have a big day every bit as much as had been anticipated...even the part where she was scared of Daisy & Minnie... a decision she made only after we waited in a considerably long line, and only once we were close enough to judge they were just too big, too real for her comfort.  At the end of the day, Rye's favorite part was "Dream Along With Mickey"- the stage show at Cinderella's castle where we all defeated Malificent by chanting 'Dreams DO Come True!" until the jilted sorceress had no choice but to storm off in a huff and puff of smoke, promising we hadn't seem the last of her... (...

Tonight,  I saw an unanticipated result of our current administration's influence on today's youth. Chandler was describing an efficiency report for Fort Stewart that he had accidentally  "over-seen" while we were in Savannah recently. His grandfather, an engineering contractor for McLean, had some reports lying on a desk, in a closed binder in the same room the boys were bunking. Total happenstance report reading,  really. What Chan was impressed by was the efficiency of the Army as detailed in the report.He was describing how the report listed amount of wattage used per army barrack. And that's when I spotted it.  He said " Army Buh-Rocks " Bunk houses by this name would be the current President of the United States. (And I'm pretty sure he didn't serve...)  We often tease ChanMan about his creative pronunciation skills, and it is a homonym, so, I won't devote any more of this post to something that may embarrass him. However, it is an ide...

The morning of Clay's " Business Meeting " (Ahem: Golf Tournament) we roamed & roved until time to meet back up. I had long wanted to try Maple Street Biscuit Company, so when we stumbled across their new Beaches location, it was all happy anticipation. We were not disappointed. The place has atmosphere... really nice atmosphere. Above the drink station hang Mason jar lights, wire baskets line the dining area and the long sturdy tables provide plenty of sitting room for large parties. Had the Atlantic Ocean not been lapping the shore just across the road, the warmth and earthy textures coupled with the friendliness of the staff could have convinced me that I was in a mountain breakfast house. Years of family road trips to North Carolina and Tennessee have left me quite fond of such places, though I'm inclined to believe most everyone has at least a  slight breakfast bias. {Do you?} One of the benefits of having such a "shoe-full" of children is that we a...

Jax Beach Jubilation:  Oddly enough, the first beach we hit this season was not the one closest to us. Clay had some business across town- (okay, it was a golf tournament.) Tee off was early the next morning, so we grabbed some SmashBurgers (the Sunshine Burger is my favorite) and a room near the shore.  Those of us who did not bring our clubs (or everyone except Clay & Chandler) spent the afternoon on Jax Beach while the big boys went to the driving range.  This was one of our first really pretty days- the sand was warm, the water- no so much.  Not everyone is deterred by cool water. Rye was escorted to the water's edge by each of us in turn. With Sister:  And Fisher- (she calls him her prince):  Lifeguards were training for the oncoming summer season. I think this lesson must have been "People Watching 101" or a "Rogue Surfer Roundup" drill:  No shovel or pail but plenty of sand and teamwork for castle building:  We even spotted a mermaid:...

Rye is all about HORSES these days. Therefore, WE are all about horses these days.  From stick ponies: On our way back home from a Sunday drive to Savannah, we stopped by Bass Pro Shop. She also got a lasso: And carousel rides: Chandler shilled out the money for baby sister to take a whirl around the mall carousel before we headed back home.  Hey, Ya'll!   To galloping and leaping around the house, pretending to be a horse:  Then finally, FINALLY meeting (&riding) a REAL horse: Stay-N-Country Ranch has a LOT of horses and other animals too. Fisher took his turn first:  Riding like a natural Kentuckian: Waiting patiently in the Peanut Gallery: Fisher holds the harness while Rye gets geared up Moment Of Truth: "Riley are you ready for your turn?" 'YES! I'm ready to JUMP FENCES?' GiddyUp & Away We Go!  Learning to command the horse and identify parts with Mrs. Missy:  Learning to care for horses is an important part of riding them.   Hoo...