Our Distinguished Visitor

Glad Merrica made the trip all the way from Tanzania!

I think nearly all of this has already shown up on Facebook, but here are a few photos from Merrica's visit:

Mariners game:

Pretty serious stuff.

Sunny cheap seats, but not a bad view:


Day at the beach:










Pretty tiring when all's said and done:


Took the ferry to Vashon Island:

And the photo up top documents a little of our day there.

Wouldn't be a visit from Merrica if there wasn't food involved:

Watermelon:


Ramen:

So much more was eaten, but it looks like that's it for photos...

Good visit all told. Come again soon!

And while Merrica moves on to Montana and the rest of her vacation, we're trying to make the most of these last few weeks of summer, with a little help from our new ride:






Bonus flip flop shot:

Okay, summer won't last forever so I'd better go enjoy it!

Our Indiana Family Vacation

Of course by the time Franklin warmed up to the game, his cousins were on the 17th hole... But trust me, he loved it.

Main event was the 90th birthday of Franklin's great-grandpa Frank:


Thanks to John Armantrout for these photos from the party by the way!





Plus one classic Franklin image:


And then there's the other side of Franklin, pictured here bonding with a distant relation, Matthew, who clearly knows the way to our man's heart:


After things quieted down a bit we played the aforementioned mini golf:

Didn't actually use this club—insisted on having one like the bigger kids of course :)

Also had a nice day trip to the charming and historic Spring Mill State Park. Didn't get any photos, alas, but we did take home some fresh stone-ground corn meal, so now we all know what the "mush" in Good Night Moon tastes like. (Answer: not bad, if served with maple syrup.)

Great to see Franklin bond with his cousins:


And of course with Papa's tractor.

He preferred the littler one: guess it seemed like a better fit for him?

Hope to see everyone again soon!