Audacious

214/365
11:18am

Its Bloom In the Clouds height and then mountainous arc bellows downward. Its color: bold, saturated, thick.

Gutsy. Undomesticated. Wild. Not For Manicured Beds.

Clasp

213/365
7:37pm

So I shall never forget exactly where the creases and curves lie in the hands that tirelessly and tenderly labor for the three of us.

Kate 2.0

212/365
10:56am

I'm going to have to insist that you click on this photo; it must consume your entire screen to be fully appreciated. I am fully aware her features are not in focus, but there is beauty to be admired in those locks.

Happy Birthday, Kate!

So Retro

211/365
11:46am

This is so Midwest of me to shoot and post. On one of three (count them: one, two, freaking three!) stops we needed to make on our way through Illinois and Wisconsin, this struck my photo eye. And I wasn't the only one. When this bad girl pulled into Oglesby, people in the McDonald's were talking. 1958 Farmall 340 at your service.

Long Arm of Love

210/365
7:03pm

Whether we're two or almost ninety-two, there is something powerful about the cradling arms of the people who love us.

Fry Joy

209/365
12:39pm

This is the very first time Jack has ever eaten McDonald's. Seriously. First time. Ever. As in Never Before. We have never needed to because we carry an arsenal of safe food. But having an additional option is exciting, and after some research and several questions for the manager*, Jack had his first McDonald's lunch. To be sure, this will be far from a regular occurrence, but, from a parent perspective, it felt so normal to have this family food option while traveling this weekend.

*Each McDonald's is different; please contact the individual franchise manager if you're dealing with food allergies.

Album

208/365
1:16pm

Charlie can be Full Throttle, and be stopped dead in his tracks by a photo on the laptop slide show. And what's better than the Movie of Our Lives?

Overdue Fun

207/365
6:27pm

How is it that we've lived here for seven sultry summers and missed [um, free] Concerts on the Square entirely? Easy. We've wanted to go, but we're kinda known in the parenting community as Sleep Nazis, and well, our children are sliding into crisp star sheets and settling into Beatrix Potter's latest adventure before The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra has even started tuning their instruments.

These events and experiences make Madison fabulous, and it was time we we were a part of it. We took the bus down the the Capitol Square (and, I swear, if that was all we did, the kids would have been just as thrilled), met some super fab friends, and set up shop as a component of the ginormous community patchwork quilt on the lawn. There was eating, there was chatting, there was playing, there was wine, there was music, there was laughter, there was culture, and, surprisingly, there was very little Toddler Meltage.

And we'll do it again without hesitation because Beatrix Potter can wait for this.

Sustenance

206/365
6:23pm

Who would have thought a July day would be perfect to simmer Minestrone for two hours? Sixty-five and and seven hours of hypnotic rain. Again. However, there is something damn near magical about making food that was picked from the earth four days ago.

Iris

205/365
5:06pm

Those eyes.

Man, if we're not vigiliant, those eyes are going to get him out of a world of trouble.

The Mother of Light

204/365
1:12pm

John has this inexplicable attraction to festivals. Maybe it was growing up with the Illinois State Fair in my backyard (ahh yes, that, my friends, is a good example of hyperbole), but I do not share his passion for fair culture. Or maybe it's because John has overdone it a bit. That said, I appreciated the religious procession of Festa Italiana on Milwaukee's Lakefront. I didn't fully understand all the symbolism at the moment, but felt the experience to be fairly rich, especially for a festival.

Because the researcher in me needs to know, I thought I'd share my discovery. Here, a painting of Mary holding Jesus is placed on a platform and lifted by a squad of about sixteen barefoot men. As they walk in the procession, they stop to gather onlookers, say a prayer, and allow others to decorate the stage with flowers or pin money as an offering to Mary to intercede on their behalf. Now that's a whole lot cooler than hanging out with carnies. Although I do hold some loyalty to life size butter cows.

No Peeling Necessary

203/365
5:17pm

Found these sweet, precious jewels of Mr. McGregor's nestled in our CSA box. And out of no where it reminded me of a square, fairly blanched photograph with rounded corners of my mother standing in our first backyard. She had six-month-old me clinging to her left hip and left arm wrapping me securely in place, while the other is flaunting her carrot trophies in a firm, triumphant grasp. The sun is high and in back of the photographer; we're both squinting and casting a short shadow. I haven't laid eyes on this actual picture in decades, but as I held these carrots by their leafy shoots like my mom did, I immediately flashed to that scene. In my brain pipes, as Jack would say.

I wonder what small things in life, like a bunch of carrots, will jog the boys' memories in 30+ years.

Ninty-Nine Percent Chance of Crappy

202/365
1:13pm

The foreground nearly looks staged because of the light reflecting off the tree leaves, and that's because the sun is almost shining on them. Seriously. Behind me, slivers of blue sky and a random golden rays tease us like a creepy clown doll; sure, it's smiling, but you know there is something downright evil about it.

I mean, come on! Look at Lake Mendota--that's unequivocally sinister.

Free Entertainment

201/365
12:08pm

The boys had front row seats as the City of Madison removed a tree from a neighbor's yard. It sustained their interest longer than continuous YouTube replays of Black Eyed Peas Boom Boom Pow. Had I known we'd be out there for the entire lunch hour, I would have made popcorn.

Definitions

200/365
4:03pm

This is Summer. This is Boy. This is Five. [Going on Twenty.] This is Jack.

Big Hitter

199/365
6:45pm

Editor's Note: Guest Blogger John

Parenting, I am quite certain, combines stretches of total chaos and monotony with the occasional moment of total, slack-jawed wonderment.

Despite the failings of the Chicago National League Ballclub, the National Pastime has still managed to capture Our Hero's imagination. We recently enjoyed the musical stylings of Mr. Justin Roberts, and his pint-size hit Pop Fly, (which recently topped the Preschool Hot 100) started Jack thinking about playing a little. So, we dug a wiffle bat and bag of balls out of his closet and headed out to the yard.

I have to admit, my expectations for the whole exercise were low. I still have bad memories of the "Connect Four Incident" of 2007. And, about the only sport we've been playing of late are continuous reenactments of penalty shootout that ended the 2008 Champions League Final. The tee ball set was cannibalized for parts at least a year or two ago, so we haven't been swinging the bat at all. And as a family, we're not necessarily well-known for our coordination.

Imagine my shock and awe, when after a bit of tutorial on stance and bat positioning, Jack began spraying the ball around the back yard. Solid contact, big hits. Big smiles, all around. I had to run inside to grab Jen, so she could be part of one of those coveted moments.

Tutorial

198/365
7:38pm

Heidi and I took the first of two much anticipated cooking classes at Orange Tree Imports. Tonight's culinary guide, Laurie Conrad from The Blue Daisy, presented us with a Summer Spa cuisine that was light and refreshing. We sampled finger toasts perfectly balanced with smooth brie, salty prosciutto, and not-too-sweet Bellini jam; chevre pots with lavender buds and agave; and a creamy and totally fresh green goddess dip and crudites. Zabaglione was served with a mound of fresh berries, but there wasn't enough time for the custard to set and be what it was supposed. I'm up for the challenge.

Rough Landing

197/365
12:23pm

Charlie always has a scrape, bump, scratch, bruise on his [insert any body part here]; this child is never blemish-free. Ever. He has enough energy to power an entire theme park. Solo. Alas, it should not be a surprise that he cracked his noggin on the train table at Grandma and Papa's house. But Gram had a pink kitty boo boo ice pack that, if nothing else, was entertaining enough to distract him from the Drama.

Related: his bump is no where near where he's holding the ice pack.

The Art of Watermelon Zen

196/365
6:16pm

As this freshly crowned two-year-old meandered across the yard and thoroughly enjoyed his birthday watermelon, he was completely undiverted by the buzzing celebration around him. And this was after cake. Talk about precision focus.

Happy Birthday, Brodie!

Birthday Wishes

194/365
7:01pm

I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll bllllooow that candle out. Three Little Pig humor.

Happy Birthday, Papa!

Wetland Trivia, Part I

193/365
8:54am

I had this image pulled up on the laptop from a series I took at Lake Wingra. Charlie walks by, looks at the picture, and says, "Nice hot dog." We, ah....um....well, obviously need to get out in nature more frequently, or eat less summer food. However, turns out the kid was spot-on because another name for cattails is corn dog grass. Who knew? And the plant is nearly one hundred percent edible. By humans. Seriously. And the pollen, get this, is used to make fireworks. I know, I know, you're bowled over.

In Training

192/365
7:03pm

Charlie was sitting next to the back door (read: good light) playing a mean rock set on his ladybug xylophone (read: doing something noteworthy). As I returned with camera in tow to document the budding xylophonist, he looked up and flat-out announced I couldn't take his picture for the blog. If it should happen that I was unclear, "You can't take my picture for your blog!" summed it up quite concisely. Turns out, the issue was that he wanted to take my picture for his blog, which I'm sure he'll be rolling out shortly. As soon as that broken camera is replaced. And he has access to the laptop. never.

Larger Than Life

191/365
6:12pm

It was already a quirky POV, so just for the helluvit I made it even more eccentric.

I appreciate your patience as I am going through a creative lull here. Our little point-and-shoot camera was fatally overwhelmed by the unfortunate Death By Toddler method last month, and I have found myself being more protective of my DSLR, which means I have less to work with when I'm not documenting the stuff we're doing away from the house.

That said, like all things in life, this project has its ebbs and flows, and I am ever grateful to those of you who are sticking it through my ebbs.

Vacation Day

190/365
4:04pm

And, sadly, you can see in the window reflection what kind of day he's missing. But there were miniature trees taking root in our gutters.

America's Farmland

189/365
6:10pm

Riding home from Chicago, I caught this quintessential farm at about 75mph.