Brookline porchfest

Syl is a good sport. When I asked her to come with me to a colleague's house party (his house is a stop in the annual Brookline "porchfest" party) she was completely game. Getting to climb trees, swing, and play bongos was a bonus.

"What's all this about the Trans-Pacific Trade Pact?"

That's what Syl asked me today on emerging from the bathroom. When I talked her through it, she actually pretty much understood.

This was fun

I did this leadership podcast thing at work, and as part of it they posted these creepy Obamaesque posters all over campus. My team thought it would be funny to collect them all up and plaster them to my office wall, as a sort of ultimate "ego wall" (they were right: it was funny). So I decided to let them deface me, with the most creative entry winning a pair of Red Sox tickets. These were the entrants:

Can you guess which won?

What do 98 recorders played by third graders sound like?

Slightly less hellish than you'd expect.

I don't know who decided that this screeching banshee of an "instrument" should be mandatory for elementary school students nationwide, but whoever it was, he/she was a sick, sick individual.

Still, Sylvie's music teachers managed to pull an enjoyable morning concert out of the squeaking masses. And Syl did great. If you have trouble finding her, she's the one in the middle who insisted on adding some "flair" to her uniform.

Memorial Day on Winnie

Last weekend (yes, I've been busy!) we headed to Winnie for the first time this year, once again the beneficiaries of the Greens' generosity with their incredible lake house, this time with a group of new Wayland friends. The weather was a little chilly (highs in the high sixties, water temp in the fifties), but that didn't deter Syl and her cronies for even a second from pursuing the usual range of aquatic activities.

I brought my drone, and got some really incredible arial shots and video. I think this thing might be my favorite ever gadget--it really allows for a perspective that literally wasn't available before, which is saying something these days. For example(s):

Now back to the ground...

Did I mention that water is fifty-something degrees?

White Rabbit

 

Daily tasks

In addition to normal morning activities (breakfast, bed making, etc.), every morning Syl knows that she needs to practice piano, violin, and recorder (Dan's favorite) and practice math on her iPad. I'm so evil. 😉

 

Buddies

Syl and Dan usually hang out together a lot on the weekend: ice skating lessons (too cold for me!); trail bike rides (too bumpy for me!); trips to the barber shop (no real reason for me to skip, but why start now?); etc. They also enjoy their down time together. 

 

 

The Final Bridge

The girl scout "bridging ceremony" in Wayland is considerably more low-key than in Holliston. For one thing, the bridge is highly-portable. For another, the speeches and performances were kept to a minimum. The whole thing wrapped easily under an hour, with no apparent reduction in pride or enjoyment by the participants.

Syl took this one:

I titled this one "the final bridge," because it is not yet apparent to us that Syl has an interest in continuing with scouting. Stay tuned...