2017 Week 35: Big and Small; Old and New

My flower plot grows differently each year. This summer the hydrangeas, which were pruned way back, grew enormously, and the begonias look stunted.

Even so our days are made up of the big and the small.

Michael completed two fairly large projects. Sunday afternoon and most of Monday he was tiling the Community room at MadJax for use by the First Lego League which opened Tuesday. 

After dinner at Stephan's we swung by the elementary school in Yorktown, so Moriah could see, hug, and congratulate her little brother who won an award for running 100 miles over the summer.

Mike and I were fascinated by the mural in the entryway. Notice the details. How many little creatures can you pick out?

Resting in the park after a hard day's work.

The other project took most of three days. 

Michael tarring the driveway

The Upland 150th celebration continued over two weekends and included a midweek family movie at the Lion's Club. So Nanna Leah, Rebecca and I enjoyed the latest Smurf movie.

Nanna (photo by Rebecca); Nanna, Becca, and puppy enjoying movie and popcorn.

It was a BIG week for our new housemate, Moriah. It can be overwhelming to figure out class schedules and expectations, stay on top of homework and social events and interactions. Thankfully she has made friends and a wing of one of the dorms has adopted her. 

Moriah's varying roles: student; my technical support; Rebecca's preferred game partner. 

Saturday, Rebecca spent a few hours with us while Queen Kayla was presiding over the princess party at Cornerstone Center for the Arts where she teaches dancers of all ages. Fall classes are starting up next week. Notice the castle she made (with her mother's designing help).

Leah added two members to my turtle family this week.

Kayla and Rebecca ballerinas

Labor Day weekend is always huge in Upland and more so this year with the town birthday celebration. The town was overrun by shoppers hoping to find good deals in the 200+ yard sales. I stopped by two. We don't need anything but I was tempted by a couple treasures. The most irresistable were these antique books: four Louisa May Alcotts and an Uncle Remus--memories of years gone by.

Michael and I started the day with a pancake breakfast at the Victory Acres farm. It was chilly enough that we needed to warm up by the fire.

Later, after Rebecca went home . . .

ATV fun with abuelo.

. . .we ended the day at the BBQ Rib Fest listening to the Cumberland Gap blue grass singers. We enjoyed them so much we stayed three hours!

While there we learned that when Leah arrived home from a wedding she discovered her pet cat had died. She was quite devastated. This was her last photo of him, incidentally caught in the sunflower pic.