The last gasp before the kids went back to school was a neighborhood expedition to the cabin. We The kids all climbed to the top on the first day. Christina, Max and Bela's mom was very good at keeping the kids going and knowing when to stop for a snack or a rest. Calvin lost his shoe to the mud monster and then got wackek in the face when yours truly (mom) stepped on a branch that rolled the wrong way. He was incredibly upset by this and wanted to get me back. immediately thereafter. He was looking for a stick and I was trying to help him find one. He insisted it had to be dry and at first I thought he was looking for a walking stick. When I asked what he wanted it for, he surprised me by saying he wanted to get me back. The important detail that was holding him up on implementing his "get back at mommy" was the paucity of dry sticks the right size. An eye for an eye, a good whack with a dry stick for a good whack with a dry stick. I managed to persuade him that a deliberate attack was not equivalent to an accidental swat. The negotiations, after walking for hours were, as you might imagine, were quite delicate. I'm still waiting for him to accidentally whack me with something so that I can let him now he's gotten me back.

We got three families besides our own to come up for the weekend and go for a walk and swim at Giant's bathtub. The kids slept in their own tent and Shander and Michael overheard what appears to be the first of their budding interest in kissing. They spend a considerable time talking about how much they would need to be paid to be kissed by "so and so" and how much they would pay for the opportunity to kiss some other "so and so."

oh boy... puberty is just around the corner!!

The trip to Giant's bathtub was a bit of an adventure too. Dave led the way and his memory served him right. It was a perfect length walk and we got to swim just before the sun went down. Greet got the award for getting wettest in his jeans. Valerie was the biggest chicken, but eventually got wet. Thankfully, we found a good last patch of sunshine to dry off on and have a snack. I'm incredibly grateful to have such great neighbors and friends to share these adventures.

Providence

The stay in Providence was interesting. I got to see old friends and make new ones. I thought all the students from other schools were excellent and also the residents at Brown. I also got to meet and talk to Jay Baruch, writer and EM physician. One night after I got the dreaded needle stick, I drove out to see my old drosophila lab partner, Joel, in Wood's Hole. We had dinner, walked on the beach, and talked about life, liberty and the pursuit of education under eccentric advisors--something we both know a little about:). The highlight of the trip besides getting a look at another program outside of Syracuse, was my artist room mate who make great paintings of horses and also this crazy Donkey Wand. I'm hoping to make one of my very own when inspiration strikes. Providence also has clouds and weird street art and the ocean is nearby, which I loved.

Ola and Ziad's and Terek's triplets

Ola, my beautiful--she has no clue!-- friend from Lebanon had her triplets. All healthy. We went to visit and Isabel and her friend Olivia were crazy about the babies. In fact we all were and had to take turns even though there were three to go around. Their names are Mustafa (the chosen one), Noor (light) and Ayman. I'm not sure how to spell any of these so will ask Ola to correct these. Ola's mom is visiting and she has a very nice helper from Thailand. Enjoy the picutres!