Sunday, June 28, 2009

eco graffiti


eco graffiti, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

afternoon


sleep, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

sleep


sleep, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

the littlest eloise


kiss the baby, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

yellow


yellow, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

We saw this neon yellow mushroom on a walk at Pandapas Pond in the Jefferson National Forest last week.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

campy

When we picked Ella up from camp on friday she looked worn and had a huge scrape down her calf. She had so many bug bites, but she was happy. "I've been creeking up to my neck and playing soccer with a rock," she said.

She learned a lot, made a new best friend, and we will definitely be going back next year.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Eloise

I'm playing Eloise this week. Ella and John are at Granny's, and John has a weeklong conference. I'm going to fly home midweek to pick up our CSA box and clean the house, but Ruby and I are having a summer respite.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

cherry cobbler

Ten forty one and I just put a cherry cobbler in the oven and cracked open a beer. Starr Hill Dark Star Stout. I've essentially been up since four when Ruby decided it was time to play a bit. She fell asleep a little after six, and my alarm went off at six thirty. I took Ella to camp and then went on a hike at Pandapas Pond with Liz, Phoebe, and Emma. It was sparkling and lovely, and I photographed some gorgeous mushrooms.

Back at home I wrestled some dishes and laundry until it was time to go back for Ella. At some point this afternoon I realized that another Carolina wren is nesting in our yard, this time in the mailbox right next to our almost always open front door.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

campy

When I went to pick Ella up at camp today I found nine children sitting calmly around a picnic table sewing the fabric that they dyed yesterday. I wish it didn't have to end, but we'll start our own camp. Camp plant all the zinnia and sunflower seeds in the house. Camp bread baking. Camp blueberry picking.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

ruby


feet, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

driving that train


driving that train, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

John is enjoying dropping his sister off at the park every morning. She jumps in the van with nine other kids, and he gets to roam all of his favorite climbers and slides. This morning we were the only people at the playground. We picked mulberries and ate them until John's mouth was purple. Magical.

Ella is in a biology field camp with some of her best friends.
They are out there listening to birds, hunting for salamanders, talking about watersheds, and writing in their field journals.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

one with the universe


one with the universe, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

Friday, June 12, 2009

drink


brave, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

We were down at Duke University putting my husband in a tube. Or at least that is now the kids describe it. They saw the tube and yet still didn't wonder too much about why daddy had to go into it for two and half hours. Like every checkup involved a long drive, a night at a nice Hilton (Priceline $50!), a dip in the pool, a little rest inside a giant magnet.

Apparently he was born with a few heart defects, and since having our first child in 2001 he has been investigating the inner workings of his own heart. He has visited cardiologists from west coast to east. One in Portland wanted to crack his chest as soon as possible. Now, a few years later Duke says that some congenital abnormalities have corrected themselves. He has an extra loop, a partial anomalous venal return, that isn't wildly changing the way his heart functions. Come back in a few years for a checkup.

Can you say load off of chest?


You can see how much fun we had at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. We couldn't even do it all in one day. We want to go back to the Children's Museum in Raleigh and the NC Zoo in Asheboro. We pack a lot into a one night trip, but we enjoyed the funky sort of lowbrow strip in Durham, and wish we had a restaurant with a plantain sampler and a coffeshop with a hula hooper. Ditto Taqueria with a walk up window. Ditto Taco Bus. I loved seeing people who don't look like me, backpacked bindi babies, and giant butterflies.



winged


her moment, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

dance makes music


dance makes music
Originally uploaded by ellajohn

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

butterfly garden


butterfly garden, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

north carolina is very hot


north carolina is very hot, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

who is turning one on friday?


the ruby crawl, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

Sunday, June 07, 2009

chatham county line

We went out to see Chatham County Line tonight. They played a fine little show for a very small audience in a patch of poison ivy overlooking the river. Ruby was rocking. John absolutely adored the rockpile, and Ella was the one turned cartwheels and picking crabapples. Oh, summer. If I could only get comfortable in my own skin.

giles county, virginia


giles county, virginia, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

''hair tut"


''hair tut", originally uploaded by ellajohn.

let me get this foot up


let me get this foot up, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

mr happy


john at graduation, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

ella and mia


ella and mia, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

Today was the second day of summer. John is desperate for his own American Girl doll. He was a miffed that there is no American Boy and for a while said, "Oh, I'll just get my own girl." Grumble. Grumble. Grumble. They he decided his girl could get a short haircut and Granny could sew him some boy clothes. Brilliant.

Granny thought he should have some superheroes, some bats, bows and arrows, and a shot of testosterone. I''m thinking he could have one of those knock off dolls from Target. He is three. His only doll is a waldorf baby doll, a snuggly, and these big girls are really playing with their dolls for much of the day. They made swings for them today in the dogwood tree.

don't take your eyes off of this one

She heard the water running and started her crabwalk from the living room. She scrambled around in the toy bucket to get this fish and climbed the side of the tub ready to get in.