Back in the saddle

While we were at the dump this week, Finn spotted a collection of gently used bicycles which he urged me to drive by and inspect on his behalf.

We looked at them out there in the rain and he spotted one that caught his imagination, and so he further pressed me to inspect it more closely.

As I groped around the muddy pools surrounding the bicycles, Finn called, "That one, that one!" from the car.

"This one?" I asked from the downpour, pointing at a purple two-wheeler with rickety trainers and a sticker on it's side that read, "Puddin'."

"Yes, that one! Get it. Put it in the car!"

Later at home, after the rain, we worked on the bike--new trainers, new handle grips, new bell.

A little while after that, Finn learned how to ride...

Tall Ships

Finn of County Norfolk (formerly of County Santa Cruz and soon-to-be-of County Middlesex) and his kin boarded the Libertad--a 356' full-rigged ship out of Buenos Aries--over the weekend in Boston Harbor.

With a beam of 45'3" she is as wide across as some boats are from tip to transom! The Libertad is a big, Tall Ship!

Finn was most interested in the Bridge, which is the ship's command center.

He also showed interest in the craftsmanship of the wood decking.

On the car ride home that night, the young lad dreamt of stowing away and becoming a seaman.

Finn was joined by Susi, Jerry, Chase, Willy, and his mom and dad. Aunt Barb, Jack, and Kyle were missed, and they all risk Naval Court-Martial and/or keel hauling for their transgressions :)

Driving driving

Finn's cousin, Oliver, from Ottawa visited for Canada Day last week and the boys had a good ol' time driving fire engines and tractors.

What was he thinking?

When you look at a Warhol, especially if you place yourself at the center of it, as this young lad has done, you have to wonder:

What was he thinking?

Maybe it was this:

"Something I'm not doing these days that I should be doing is meeting more science people. I think that the best dinner party would be where each guest was required to bring a new piece of science news to the dinner table with him. Afterwards, you wouldn't feel you'd wasted any time feeding your machinery with just pieces of food. Nothing about diseases, though. Just pure science news.

People send me so many presents in the mail, but I wish that instead of all the presents and art mailers I would get science mailers in language I could understand. That would make me want to open my mail again".

Andy Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol, 1975 (Penguin)

(Photo: Shot with MacBook Photo Booth.)

Ticks, pools, beds, and bells

Today was a day of firsts for Finn of County Middlesex (formerly of County Santa Cruz).

While changing Finn's diaper before breakfast, daddy noticed a small, seed-sized adhesion on his right hip, just below the diaper line. We immediately realized what it was after all the hype here in New England: a nice new deer tick. We're becoming seasoned New Englanders and the presence of this little sucker (literally) didn't alarm us the way the previous one did a few months back (back of the neck, just inside the hairline, and deeply embedded, requiring laborious torturous removal techniques). Today, we simply called the doctor for an appointment, drove over there with little-to-no celebration, and had the tick removed.

A lolly-pop later we were back in the car heading toward Sleepy's on a mission for a new bed. We were briefly sidetracked by Sports Authority, where we purchased a 2-to-4 year-old's pool inner tube--complete with thick rubber tubing and Schrader valve. It's rained a lot here during the past few weeks, but we're completely ready for the sun and a few afternoons over at Susi's pool now!

Once back on track, we met Gerry, who is the salesman over at Sleepy's. He sold us a firm twin best-seller for just over $300 all-in (mattress only). Finn talked about his new bed all day, each time swelling up with a really big-boy smile of confidence and excitement and pride.

Later, mom and Finn went shopping for sheets and a protective barrier for the new mattress, and they also found a new bicycle bell and old-fashioned horn. Daddy installed the bell when they got home but Finn said he didn't want the horn installed just yet. Then the three of us rode bikes and rang bells for a good half-hour. Awesome stuff.

Finally, after a good hog-down on some tasty tandoori lamb chops from the BarBQ plus some ice cold wedges of watermelon eaten al fresca, we put on the new sheets and settled into Finn's first night in his the bed.

It's 930 and the lad's been up there, silent as a mouse for fifteen minutes. The night is young. We'll see what happens :)

Pre-Father's Day

Pre-Father's Day shenanigans with Finn and his father.

Midnight snack

A few nights ago, Finn of County Middlesex awoke with tears cries from a bad dream. He was inconsolable until he caught a whiff of his father's bowl of popcorn. After that, things improved.