It's been a relatively quiet post school-year lull here at Tifftown. I've been catching up on actual work. I'm less interrupted now that I don't have to jump up and coordinate something or drive somewhere with the frequency that I do during the school year. And in those down moments, I've taking to sitting on the back patio and looking out over the garden and listening to the fountain trickle. It's like a much needed waking nap.

Rex is off with his friends at Six Flags and San Francisco to celebrate graduation. He sent us this photo of himself with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. Looks like he couldn't have asked for a better day in the city.

Valerie has been out working in an almond orchard daily. She has been earning money by pruning the almond trees and generally working on her blisters, calluses and sunburn while building character. Today she smartly left wearing a hat, long sleeves and long pants. Her first days in the orchard she looked more like she was dressed for the beach. But now she looks like a proper field hand. No photos of that girl for this blog post.

Sometimes Shutterfly sends me "memories" of some number of years ago. Below is a memory from five years ago of Rex and Valerie out shooting ground squirrels in an orchard. Also captured are flowers from our yard frolicking in the new pool. 

 As it is June, it is boysenberry time. Our neighbors have always provided us with berries from their yard. Good neighbors! We loved them so much we also planted some in our yard. Really, I cannot get enough. They left on vacation this year for Oregon and asked us to go into their yard and pick their berries and eat them. Yes, please and thank you! So, it's also pie season here!

Amira is on her post-8th-grade-graduation trip to Washington, DC and New York. Below are some photos I was able to collect from other people on the trip who kindly shared them. You have to look closely for Amira in the group photos, but she is there. Clockwise from top: Wall Street Bull (NY), Einstein Statue (DC), White House (DC), Some museum or something, and Statue of Liberty (NY) with her friend, Lakeyn.

Trips, trips and trips! How fun for these kids. 

Michael is hanging back to earn money to support these adventures. On his off-time he digs in the yard on a quest to get the gophers that seem to elude him, hits golf balls at the local greens, stacks and chops firewood for next winter, repairs sprinklers so our plants will survive and plays guitar. 

We have a few family trips scheduled for the summer. We'll be staying in state for them. Before we know it the summer will pass and Rex will be living on his own down in Southern California, Valerie will be a senior and Amira will start her freshman year of high school.