School!

Oh, the end of summer is so melancholy.  Except it isn't really the end of summer yet, is it?  Nevertheless, school is starting.

Yesterday we met Boylee's teacher and took a quick glance at his classroom.  Ms. P is young, pretty and seems very gentle.  But she's been teaching 4th grade for several years, so I'm sure she's stronger than she looks.  From her bio we see that she's got a strong background in art, and loves photography, French and yoga.  Sounds like an interesting combo.

Boylee's fairly happy, but not particularly thrilled to be going back.  He's glad to be seeing friends again, and is interested in being upstairs at school after two years downstairs with the younger kids.

I will keep you posted!

Boylee's Blog

http://mineshaftcentral.blogspot.com

Art Camp

When we got back to town we did one week of a fabulous art camp, run by two staff members of our school.  The week's theme was sculpture.

The camp venue is a quiet spot in Griffith Park, so the kids are outdoors all day.  And it was HOT.

This sculpture they built collectively over a few days.

A hike in the early part of the day, before the real heat set in.

Book sculpture project.

Boylee with his.  It has a thread at the top so it can be hung up.

Running through a sprinkler!  Relief!

The instructors dismembered a big pile of stuffed animals, and then the kids mixed & matched various pieces, and sewed them together to create a unique animal of their own design.

They also made some small clay sculptures...and spent a lot of time spritzing either other with water bottles.  Boylee came home every day filthy - which generally means he had a great time!

One Last Thing About Camp

Part of the fun of camp is the elaborate weekly schedule.  Click on it for a close-up!

bbs- Boylee

The Post Written by Boylee Himself

Hi guys! I am starting to post on Blah-La-La! i am also making a blog that will be entitled

Panda Post

More Highlights

We picked the best day ever to visit Alcatraz.  Look at that view of the city!  

Taking the Junior Ranger oath, after successfully completing his Junior Ranger workbook, which was filled with facts and questions about the island.

At his favorite store in the whole, wide world.

What Happened in July

We're back from our five weeks up north.  We had a great time!  Except when I tripped over, and broke, my laptop power cord, which meant I couldn't post any pictures.  Here's a quick summary:

Walking with Dad.  Wow, Boylee's getting tall.

Brand new wetsuit!  (Thanks, Papa & Noni!)  This led to...first ever up north ocean swimming.  He loved it!

New camp friend: Ryan.  A sweet, generous boy, Ryan gave up his own sleeping bag so that Boylee could go to a sleepover. Didn't quite work out, but thanks for trying, Ryan!

The town pelican.  This guy had it made because he was brave enough to hang out close to people.  We saw him being fed several times.

Bike riding with cousin Uriel! Boylee's hand-me-down bike fit Uriel perfectly.  And the bike he got for his birthday (but just got to use for the first time) fit him perfectly.  So both boys were happy!

Alcatraz!   Waaaaay more fun than we could have imagined.  

Last day of camp...final camp circle.

With favorite counselor, Daniel.  

I'll have more to report, but there's a general update.  Now we have one week of art camp, then about ten days of free time...and then school will start.  Tragic!