2015 Week 29:

Near daily rainstorms keep the outdoor plants and birds happy.
Flood warnings are frequent.
However, the hot weather is here and it feels like summer has finally arrived.

Caught drinking

This indoor plant was not happy having outgrown its special pot--the last remaining piece from my parents' tea set from when I was a very small child. It has served many purposes, bears scars and stains, has lost its bonnet, but holds many memories.

Tuesday, July 14, I realized that in six weeks I'd be teaching again at Ivy Tech--Spanish 101.

And Kayla posted the following:

Rebecca is 11 months today!

Wednesday, after tap class, I stopped by the pottery studio at the Red Barn. Mike goes in only once a week now. He manages to have fun projects going while supervising the kids. I checked out a couple of his practice pieces--one had grown hair since last I saw her, and the other, old and battered was about to be recycled.

While writing a graduation card to Savannah, I thought it would be fun to see photos from the previous time we had seen her at a family reunion. I discovered these cute second-cousin pics  with Skye, who will be a senior this year.

Thursday evening several families who have hosted Basque students came together to welcome two girls visiting this summer--Irati returning for the fourth time brought her younger cousin to have the "Upland experience."

Marta and Irati

This was my favorite group picture. I loved how the "American Moms" pointed to and claimed their Basque "daughters."
Our hosts, Dane and Laurie (far right) left two days later to visit dear friends and familiar places in the Basque Country, on their own this time.

Mike could not be with us. This week, he put in very long days (oft painful) working on the robot and preparing for the prestigious off-season competition--the Indiana Robotics Invitational, July 17-18.
"Not Yet" and the small team performed valiantly against the giants. They were privileged to be there, learned a lot, raised their average score, and rolled in Saturday night tired and happy even though ranked 58 out of 70 in the end.

Meanwhile, I was home with three grandboys and a house full of fun and fighting. I had acquired a train table and Thomas the Train sets at a garage sale.

Sunday before packing up, we played "who can build the tallest tower." Zion assumed the winner's pose. Jude's favorite piece was the magnet crane. He had a difficult time sharing.

Three popular weekend reads. Can you guess which one was the favorite?