One of the things I hate about being a Dad is that I am often away at work when interesting things happen. During the Winter, Kathy and the children try to be discreet, but in the Summer, caution is thrown to the winds and they revel in their fun, in defiant disregard of my feelings.
This weekend Kathy is away, attending a homeschool conference (or so she says) with a friend, and I have been asked to write a blog in her absence. Looking back over the photos from the last month, I have unearthed a handful of pictures worth mention, especially since I seem to lack a topic on which to pontificate.
We had occasion to visit The Refuge several times this month, and it is exciting to see the progress being made, as stone and logs continue creep around the outside of the building. Even someone as visionarily-deficient as I can begin to imagine what the Main Lodge will look like when it is finished.
Of course, inside the building, there is still a lot of work to be done.
One of my dreams is to raise my family in the shadow of that retreat center, once it is up and running. Time is running out for my oldest son … and all the time, our family’s roots grow deeper and deeper here in Suburbia. It is hard to watch a dream die, sometimes.
Toward the end of Wilderness Northwest’s Day Camp, I had an opportunity to visit briefly with my brother and his family. I brought a few extra portable fans out with me, since many of my children enjoy the ‘white noise’ the fans generate to help them sleep more soundly. We enjoyed a few silly moments making fun of the ‘stackable’ marketing text on the box and speculating as to why anyone would want to stack fans on top of each other.
Who knew their stacked power would be so turbulent?
Speaking of my brother, while we visited, I gently chided him for the lack of new content on his blog, and suggested that he and I could co-author a new “Men’s Blog”, since Kathy has run away with this one. We practiced our ‘bemused and thoughtful’ facial expressions.
I have a tendency to doze off when I get too philosophical.
One day this month I was working diligently in my office, when I received this phone call:
Me: Hello?
Daniel: Hi, Dad. Can we climb on top of the van?
Me: Er, um, why?
Daniel: We think it would be cool.
Me: Er, um, what does your Mom say?
Daniel: She said to call you.
Me: Er, um, OK. Be careful, and spread your weight out so that you don’t dent the roof.
Daniel: Great! Thanks, Dad!
The mind reels, as I think of how many of these kind of questions Kathy fields during the day.
Why scale these forbidding heights? As mountain climbers everywhere have answered, “Because it was there.”
As Kathy has mentioned in earlier posts, she’s been working through Proverbs with the kids quite a bit. Recently they must have studied chapter 12, and Rachel felt the need to highlight one of her favorites.
When it comes to animals, Rachel is passionate and relentless. One wonders how this will play out, as she grows up.
Part of our entertainment while visiting in Michigan was found in watching the two littlest girls interact. Separated by only a few weeks in age, Sarah and Aydia are very much alike. This photo (taken today, and thus qualifying for Project 365) was taken while Sarah spoke with her cousin on the phone, unconsciously imitating one of Aydia’s most common facial expressions.
It was a pretty good month, even if much of it came to me second-hand.
Tim — Project 365, Day 214
Thanks, Tim, for the pictures and ‘story’ in K’s absence!! I so remember calling Nana and telling her that our boys were jumping off the garage roof. I asked her WHY? She said ‘becaue they are boys.’ Ha. Sure did surprise me!!
Have a good time home with the kids. You’re a GREAT daddy. Love, Aunt Kate
Thanks for pinch hitting, Tim! Always enjoy your entries. I often find that the kids want to do very strange things, especially the young gentlemen.
Great photos and recap of the months doings.
… and I remember when the blog was solely yours, Tim. LOL
I really enjoyed the photos. Wow – The Refuge is really taking shape.
I suspect most husbands feel as you do about the summer months…..sad…but I know that Kathy and the children are so grateful that your provision allows them to have tons of fun while you work.
I’m glad that someone remembers when I pontificated in lonely solitude.
These days I am working to keep Kathy from having twice the number of posts that I do … it is a battle I will likely lose before the summer is out, she is so prolific.
With regard to Summer and Winter, it is topsy-turvy — when I was a boy, how I longed for Summer! Now, although I love the sunshine and warmth, it is so much more difficult to work in the Summer, I almost prefer the rains of Winter. With the days being so long, it is hard to get enough sleep, too. Ah, but who can complain when the sun is shining, especially in the Pacific Northwest?
Tim, I remember too when you were the sole blogger–not only HERE, but the only blog I’d ever heard of. “How unusual,” I thought, “that someone would want to type their thoughts on the internet for anyone to just read.” LOL
Even if Joshua doesn’t enjoy as much time at the lodge as the younger children, it will still be a place of refuge for him as he grows older–and has his own family. Additionally, he’ll have the clearer memories of the lodge’s beginnings. It won’t be less, just different.
Trevor loves to play IN my car (but I don’t let him). I’m sure he’d have a blast if he were to actually climb on top of it! (I’m not showing him these photos, no way!)
Hey Tim,
Your wife left a comment on my blog and mentioned that her dh blogged too. Glad to see some great daddies and great daddyblogs are out there!
Yes, but now Kathy is home again, and I have to fight to get time on the keyboard. Happily, she’s letting me post on the Tip for Tuesdays (Parenting), so I’m not totally banished.
Second hand fun…. sigh…. that’s what my dh experiences as well since he works such long hours for days on end in the summer. (LOL). He also gets similar questions….. when I’m either too tired to think through the answer or honestly don’t have a clue if it would be ok or not… questions like this are passed on to my dh…..
“Dad, is it ok to shoot my bb gun at the corn?”