End of Summer

 Reid visits Vermont for the first time.  Tastes apple.

Orono has a festival.  We 'fest.'

Reid accompanies via bicycle.

 Reid really gets into eating what they call "food."  (Don't worry, he's still really into eating everything else too)

We visit a corn maze (Liam is "Straight-Mon" a superhero he invented, complete with pose)

 Straight-Mon and family solve a corn maze, and it does rock.

 Beedo, the Reeder A Beeds, aka "Micro-Chunk" learns to sit.  This is big deal.

Liam gets a second hand bulldozer.

And Reid helps daddy cook.

Davis to Orono

To those with the wooden spoons and underwear the summer progressed normally, even while the apartment was packed up.

Superheroes and Princesses discussed pressing matters - of leaves and baby puppies.

We crammed our belongings into a six by seven by eight foot metal box.

And crammed ourselves into other travel containers.

We visited family (including great-grandma Maggie)

(Who lives close to a part of Washington state called the Pellouse)

Decided not to throw ourselves down the Canadian rockies (in Alberta), 

And with a little help from Grandparents,


Got comfortable in our new home,

Saw some excellent friends,

Diapers,

 Boots and all.

Down East (at least in that general region).

We've landed in Maine!
We visited with Quirk/Bulger clans on our way there and enjoyed family time in Waterton:Topher and Marie joined us when we arrived in Maine. Without their help, our belongings would still be in a box in Portland, ME, and we'd be homeless.
We found ourselves a house that's larger than our box of possessions can fill, but it abuts land-trust woods with trails and there's a river just down the road that we've been swimming in almost every day (sadly, no pics of the river--we've been too busy swimming).

Reid, it turns out, likes more than just milk:

We met up with our friends Todd and Sus and Maeve, and much fun was had by all:
Tim has started his new job and is officially a professor--he likes the work and is now seen wearing more and more collared shirts:

Liam has started pre-school three days a week (one of his favorite personas these days in the world of make believe is Satski, a character in the movie Totoro--turns out she has a lunchbox). Here's Satski with her lunchbox:
Reid's working on crawling, and playing the occasional video game:

And KQ is holding the team together:
Sorry we've been in such poor contact. We're still settling into normalcy, but we're happy and well, and have many a guest room in this big house of ours.

PhDone!

In 250 Mrak Hall, at the University of California, in Davis, they keep a small bell, set aside on a little platform, for a particular type of occasion.  They rang it once on Wednesday, at around 2:20pm, as I was leaving.  People clapped, and Shelly Archer used the word "Doctor" to describe me.  She was the first person to have done so who was not technically incorrect. 

So there it is.

Thank you Davis.

Tim and Sally visit Solano Park one last time

Babies we cared for, and entertained.

We visited the swimming pool every day.  Especially on Katie's birthday.

Reid at the swimming pool.

Reid and Daddy having a giggle.

Liam gets thrown up out of the water.

The poolside.

Babyhood.

Cuteness.

Tim spent lots of time taking care of Reid.

Grandma Sally bought Liam a "flute" or a "clarinet" or a "recorder-phone" depending on your gloss.  It was the single most popular gift Liam has received in a long time.  His daddy liked it too.

In the competition for baldness (including three participants) Reid wins out, with Katie placing last.  Gotta try harder Kate!

Yosemite Trip

First we drove to Yosemite. 
(WARNING: image may not represent actual driving, or fun incurred during actual driving)

The Sexton + Kolser = Sexters held us by the hand in terms of planning.  We were blissfully in the dark.  I still am.  We camped in Toulumne Meadows (by astronomical luck). We hit Lembert Dome the first day.

 And it was pretty.

 I guess that's the point, though.

 On day two, we hiked to the top of Vernal falls.  It was hot.

A child exploring nature.  The part of nature that he is examining here is a green plastic bead.  "Daddy, a green plastic bead!"  Oh, for simpler times.

 Some of us fell asleep with granola bars in our hands (and mouths) on the way home.

 Others of us are perpetually stimulated by our mouths.  Reid tried out all possible tastes and textures available at his disposal, including the his hand, the burb-rag,

 a cloth book meant for chewing,

 and a combination of hand and book.

This kid may like food.

Just a guess.

~