Saturday, July 15, 2017

A Good Day to Die

Jacob has been feeding the birds while Papa is away.

Jacob made it clear that he would not like to eat what the birds eat.

I was happy to have someone else handle the suet.

For the record, the birds love it.

The morning was beautiful, and I went in search of the quail.  I know where they are, but my camera struggled to see them.

On the other hand, the hummingbirds love to be photographed.

I was invited to a luncheon, so I left Jacob with plenty to do.

I made sure he had something besides ice cream to eat.

Of course, Jacob is a healthy eater.

Jacob has a preference for Q episodes.  I still have several to show him.

After my lunch, we of course went tramping.

I'm not sure what I like the most about this place.

Watching Jacob have fun is high on the list.

I took this photo so Jacob could see how high he was jumping.

Jacob gave me permission to post this video of his new jump.  This is called "Fish out of water."  It's not the best movie I took today, but it was his favorite. Please notice the kid in the lower left.

We are learning that on Saturdays, lots of big kids show up.

This makes dodgeball especially exciting.

I have to confess that Jacob is way fun to watch.

I suppose I could worry about Jacob's health and safety, but I don't.

He was very tired by the time we left the tramp park.

I put him in my Star Trek hospital.

After ensuring that he was sufficiently hydrated, I walked down to feed the koi.

They came running.

I've never seen them so happy to see me.

And I hadn't even started feeding them, yet.

On my way back, I saw a finch very happy with Jacob's efforts this morning.  Another fun day!

Friday, July 14, 2017

Roasted Almond Fudge

Rumors of ice cream at every meal here are unwarranted.

We love this dish.  I grow my own basil in the summers.

Jacob spied the the elusive quail in our yard.

I carefully tracked them to the back yard where I found the mommy.

Jacob enjoyed Chip Camp.  He now randomly tells me factoids, such as how many particles are in the air I breathe.  Or how thin this layer of gold is on the quarter.

Jacob has discovered the joys of the BYU ice cream.

Jacob's dog-sitting job paid off.  We got a great deal on a tablet during Prime Day.
I made another attempt at using the sourdough starter in my bagels.

I learned how to wake up the starter, and it seemed to be alert.  However, the dough wouldn't rise.  I wasn't sure what to do.  I finally shaped the bagels and let them rise for an hour, something I've never done before.  To my surprise, they came out fine.

Maybe better than fine.  The flavor of these bagels is worth the trouble with the starter.

With the job and two camps out of the way, I took Jacob to the library this morning.  My library has books by his favorite author which he hasn't read yet.  And I reserved two more.

Then, big surprise, we went tramping.

Jacob has been watching the high school kids do this jump, which is called a fish jump.

Sometimes a flip just happens.

After much persistance, not only did he get it, but I figured out how to focus my camera.

He surprised me by saying hi.

A little dodgeball was in order.

This is all part of the game.

One last fish jump.  I might take a movie next time.  This is fun to watch.

Then, get this-- we picked up Will for a late lunch!

Jacob was actually very excited.  Cafe Rio is always delicious.

Will had not seen a recent Studio C episode.

These guys are way fun together.  We had a wonderful afternoon.

I saved a job for Will's visit so Jacob wouldn't have to do all the work.

I streamed the Hamilton soundtrack while we pushed and lugged.

During a short break, Jacob exploded something or someone.

Once the room was put back together, Jacob decided to surf.

This kid has such a creative mind.

Will was folding his laundry and missed the action.

This was actually hilarious.

No grandmothers were injured during this adventure.

Maybe I should have taken a movie of this, too.

There was no way to avoid the spill at the end.

Or the laughing.

We are having the best time together this summer.

Will had time for a game of pool before I took him back to campus.

I decided this was a good opportunity to see if my camera could focus on pool balls.

For sure it can if the balls aren't moving.

But if the balls are in motion, then it's another story.

Jacob, in the lead, got a little cocky.

A rematch is in order the next time Will needs my washing machine.

On the way home from dropping Will off, I showed Jacob where a secret creamery is not far from our house, hidden in a student housing complex.
Tonight he picked my favorite.

Thank you, Julie. You're Welcome, Louie.

Did I really want to start this last post of Steve's visit with another picture of my groupies watching Star Trek?  I sure did.  We'...