Brutal re-entry

It took about .3 seconds for the family to assume the above positions.
We surely stayed for beyond what was socially acceptable.

We had a 9-hour layover in Paris. The girls wanted to see the Eifel Tower. It seemed the perfect alignment of possibilities and a great reward for two hard-earned years at the French school. But when we arrived at CDG Airport, things fell apart quickly; after a series of unfortunate events, we ended up instead crashing at a nearby mall. It could have been Anymall, USA, except for the French. Farewell, vain ambition!

Four days later we were back in Tbilisi when friends from out of town paid a visit. We were in no condition to accept guests, so we met up at a favorite restaurant. The jetlag was in full force. Little guy, in his exhaustion, got friendly with his new-found friend (these days he prefers beards and ample bellies).

The girls, literally, slept at the table. They stayed awake long enough to order soup, which they left untouched. 

I think this was our worst jetlag yet. The overall transit time was three days, which must have exceeded our limit, and it took weeks to recover. Our only consolation was the bottle of melatonin pills I managed to snag in the States before departure. Sweet dreams little man!

Lake Minnetonka

Lake Minnetonka: the last of summer's aqua adventures in Minnesota.

We were ecstatic.

A number of years ago Grandpa rented a boat for the day,

and it has continued as a cherished tradition.

It's a great time for reconnecting.

This year we discovered a Bald Eagle when we put down the anchor to swim.

He perched over our water play,

which lasted well through the day,

until little people petered out.

The sparkling sunlight on water accompanied us as we made our return,

we will savor the memories till next year.

Minnehaha Falls

We gathered for a picnic with family (on the other side)
at one of the oldest parks in Minneapolis.

It was a super relaxed affair.

Here master griller is taken unawares in the very act
of creating the most tasty burgers imaginable.

Meanwhile sun-kissed kids keep busy in the usual way:

teasing,

tugging,

sneaking,

plucking,

posing,

meandering,

but in all soaking up the best of late summer.

The Peace of Wild Things

"When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.

 I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light.

For a time

I rest

 in the grace of the world,

and am free."

A poem by Wendell Berry

Times like these

Grandchildren time

Sibling time

Cousin time

High time

Spry time

Breakfast time

Stealing time

Quality time

Grand old time

Up North

We left city life behind for a week to relax and enjoy company at my family's biennial reunion. I wish I could stop time on those sparkling lakeshores.