Thursday, August 16, 2007

un paseo with abuela, random fried yummies and garden art

nothing like fresh fried fish from your local fish shack




MAKE ART NOW!



Magdalena in her element, painting



Augustus reveling with paint



Sunday it was so hot. Phew. My mom called and said come to the beach, it's so hot! I couldn't, having spent the last week neglecting my AOR (area of responsibility), I Had To Do Chores. Magdalena piped up a few minutes after I hung up and said can Abuela come over here? Who could resist that? So I said give her a call and invite her. Ever tell a four year old to go get the phone, a usual that's-not-a-toy-please-put-it-where-it-lives item? So exciting! She dialed the numbers and invited Abuela over herself and was thrilled when my mom said yes. Again, who could resist? So after Abuela arrived she hung out with the kids and read books while I handled my AOR, then we ventured out into the heat of the afternoon for a paseo down to the river with the kids. No stroller, everybody walking, and glorious it was. We found treasures of acorns and wildflowers and watched a striped honey-bee collecting pollen. There were wild-looking hard tree mushrooms and weird growths on the ancient oaks and a canopy of twisting trees leaves branches and dripping Spanish moss above our heads. Heaven.


Monday I had to retrieve my camera from Artoga, Magdalena's last week camp, so we went for a random lunch at this fish shack out at the beach. Did someone say deep fat fried fresh fish? Oh Heeeeellll yes. And french fries. And conch fritters. yum. And oh yeah, sweet tea. Pure Heaven.


Tuesday we met our buddies Donna and her boys Jake, Liam, Cameron and Ace at the Cummer Museum and Gardens to beat the heat with an indoor playdate. And maybe get some culture while we're at it. The museum was fun but really it was the gardens that rocked. On the way out the back of the museum to the gardens is a kiosk with little clear plastic lunch boxes that have bright yellow signs on them: MAKE ART NOW! So we MADE ART NOW! Each art kit came with a little bottle of h2o, water color paints, a water color paint brush, cut paper, paper towels and directions/instructions for the uninitiated. We needed no direction. We sat down by the river to attract what breeze there was and hunkered down for some making of art. Now.

Life is to perfect to pass up the details, the little moments of Cameron's blue car painting, the zinnias trying to out-burst each other with color, the devotion of a four year old girl, the fun of running up and down a museum hall that echoes, squealing with delight. Who can resist that?

2 comments:

  1. OH that pic of Jake could be be more thrilled to be there? LOL
    kiddos are lovely, what an aweseome time, glad we came!

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  2. Connor, we just got back from California and I had to see what was new in Florida "connorloveland!"
    it looks like you guys have had quite a rich and creative summer yourselves. Oh, how I long for fish and chips on the beach....
    miss the beach already and it's only been a few days...
    so much love to you all, and, keep on making art. NOW!. (i so am going to use that all the time)
    joie

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