Sunset Dinner Picnic

After house cleaning and yard cleaning, Bob rewarded the family with an impromptu dinner picnic by Marshall Lake.  He cooked up delicious pork kebabs on the portable gas grill, and we enjoyed Noah's garlic goat cheese on crackers as an appetizer, and watermelon cut by feel since the sun had set for dessert.
What a relaxing evening, listening to music, enjoying good company, eating tasty food, and watching the sunset over the forest.

Lukas trying out his new phone camera

A slice of homemade crusty bread

Looking over the San Francisco Peaks

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Joel doing deep cleaning resulted in Bob receiving a thick envelope the other day. It was a trip down memory lane and a vibrant lesson in history. Airline tickets $13 although TVs cost $500 - today it seems these prices have flip-flopped.
The handwritten notation on the top made it so much more personal and meaningful.

Bread

Lukas keeps cranking out delicious bread - the alluring aroma hits as soon as one walks through the door.

Help, What Happened to our Yard?

The backyard has missed us! Last summer, Bob and the boys invested a lot of time in cleaning up the yard and creating a pleasant environment with a patio and flower beds. Well, when nobody is watching the weeds take over, and in our case, even nasty invasive miniature trees popped up in places they were not invited to take root. Little by little, we are attempting to reclaim what is rightfully ours. It will take a bit of sweat equity and dirt under the nails for sure.

Here is proof that it is not all weeds

Fix It

Noah upgraded his phone and to fund his new purchase decided to sell his used one. Before it could command any money, the phone needed a new battery.  With patience, care, and a hairdryer, the phone is now as good as new and ready to be listed on Craigslist.

First Day of School

When one homeschool, there seems to be school going on at all times. There are a few distinct delineations between school and non-school. However, there are seasons when we do more rigorous studying, there are seasons when we are more structured, and there are of course seasons when all the learning is experiential. So what is the first day of school? It is a question that cannot quickly be answered unless 'first day' is defined more clearly. As we began a new season of more structure, we were too focused on getting on with things that no photos happened. Oh well, there will be photos of school days as we continue to develop a rhythm for fall.
As complicated as our 'first day' of school can be, it is relatively uncomplicated to determine Bob's first day of school. So being a good sport, he posed for a pictured all ready to head out. He is multitasking, biking to work to save money and gain exercise, and he has not even taught one class yet!

Amazing Opportunity

Lukas has a fantastic opportunity this fall -  an internship in his field of interest. It means he will travel to the East Coast, he needs to have his driver's license, and he needs to bring a computer. He currently has a desktop computer, so we knew that we would need to get him a laptop before he heads off to college. A desktop with a large screen is not that easy to cart off to the library for a late-night study session.
He passed his driver's license test with ease and is 0gloating that he passed on his first try, not like his Dad, who needed to do it twice.
The computer research was extensive and comprehensive - here is hoping this one will last until he can buy his own.
He is now ready to head East!

Home Sweet Home

After many long hours on airplanes and waiting in airports, we are finally back home in Flagstaff. As much as we enjoy traveling, coming home is even better. We are all looking forward to sleeping in our beds tonight.

Game Time

Niclas hosted us our last night in Stockholm. Since he lives north of town, it made the ride to the airport shorter and avoided most of the morning rush hour. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of Vietnamese Spring Rolls and found a new 'must-have' gadget  - the spring roll paper dipper. After dinner, we played games and hung out - a terrific conclusion to a fun Sweden stay.

Fika

Elisabet and Sandoval invited us over for Swedish fika on Sunday afternoon. It is a joy to fika outside in a beautiful garden.

Brotherly love

Larsboda

We spent wonderful days with mormor and morfar at Larsboda. It was nice to have a bit slower pace after the intense touring in Israel and epic cross country driving around the US.  Due to the lack of rain, there was hardly an edible berry to pick, but there were rocks to be raked at the little beach. Bob and the boys fashioned a canoe out of the old surfing board and set out to explore the nearby islands. The boys also completed a few chores around the house - most notably gathering and disposing of the branches from tree trimming. Between tasty meals and good conversations, and games of Sequence, we even managed to set up a new puzzle, one without straight edges. Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to finish it so that it will be there ready for the challenge next summer.

Lingonberries might be plentiful later this fall

A few blackberries

Roenberries are pretty, the jelly is tasty, but it is not a pick off the branch and eat berry

Mormor shared her secret meatball recipe with Noah

Cleaning off old axes