First there was the ear operation…hearing's much improved thanks to medical science. Blair drummed in the Arlington parade this year. What a treat and a paying gig! The bedroom's done and lovely. On to the next project.

David's back from Serbia and Tessa's returned from her travels. Hillary leaves NYC in August for some new adventures.

We're having way too much fun this summer. Back from a week's visit with his parents in Florida, Blair's drumming and recording and working more than he'd like.

A group of us girls took a road trip to NYC to visit Hillary and Grace and Patsy and others.

We've puttered around with the upstairs bedroom for months. Blair was lamenting the ease with which one can draw these designs and the difficulty in executing them. There are more cabinets and glass and lights in this room than you can imagine. Carpeting is next. Then the dreaded cleaning of the glass and dusting of the collections. With any luck, we'll move into it this month.

The neighborhood is filled with kids who love to come and swing in our front yard.

Breakfast Club out on the patio at La Chatelaine is a Saturday morning ritual that we thoroughly enjoy with our friends.

David's back from an trip with his CMU class to Serbia and Tessa finished her art residency in Virginia.

Life is good.

The bedroom renovation is coming along well and we're adjusting to the idea that we will soon be "sleeping with the fishes" and bones and mechanical toys and other collections of Blair's.

The pear tree's going too. Seems a shame when it's just blooming but it's either that or let its roots heave up the driveway and wait for another storm to take it down.

Let's hope the ladder holds.

I’m having a grand time out on Whidbey with friends. This afternoon we took a tour of a magical cottage deep in the woods. Here are a few pics of various sites. More later.

The first few pictures from Aunt Mary’s 100th birthday bash are up. I’m not sure how to distribute these ultimately. Thought you’d like to see a sampling while I sort out the details. The originals are huge files that will print in high resolution…these pale in comparison.

It was a great time…being re-introduced to cousins and discovering how much we still like each other! And celebrating Aunt Mary’s long and obviously healthy life at the same time. Stay tuned for more….or if you have pictures you’d like me to post, email me.

ThreeWalls Gallery in Chicago is presenting meanwhile, a two-person exhibition of current work by Tessa Windt (Pittsburgh) and Jenny Walters (Chicago).

The gallery’s writeup says, "meanwhile is space and time at the in-between; the membrane through which memory, desire and longing pass. Windt’s sculptural forms, although deflated are still luscious, while Walter’s images of empty blankets retain their poignancy and hope despite their depiction of absence. Although the body has vacated these artworks, they retain the trace of presence, both remainder and reminder, embodying both the potential and the surplus of life and love."