Summer!

Our daughter sits across the table from me, working on her 8th grade math.  The boys have gone into South Lake Tahoe to make the first "dump" run of the day.  They are hauling 1500 pounds of concrete.

The kids finished 5th and 7th grade at the end and beginning of May, respectively.  Since then, our daughter has been rocketing through 8th grade math and has about 6 weeks to go at her current pace.  To keep his skills sharp, our son has daily assignments, too.  One he particularly likes is "Fly a Jet Fighter" - a book in which he learns about fighter jets and their history and for each 2 page section, there are associated math problems such as determining how much faster a MiG-19 is compared to a Gloster Meteor.

The technical challenge for us, regarding school work, has been scanning our daughter's tests so they can be e-mailed to her teacher for grading.  I recommend the app, "Scanner Pro".  It is BETTER than the printer/scanner we were using on the boat.  The only problem is that an iPad 2 does not have a good enough camera - it requires a newer "i" device.  That, combined with free WiFi at the South Lake Tahoe library, is a winning combination.  And here's a shout-out for the SLT library: they only require a picture ID.  No proof of living in the city required to receive a library card.  YAY!!  We're now all enrolled in the summer reading program.  Our son has already marked 5 hours of reading so he can get a Jamba Juice gift card.  Hey, if I was motivated to give blood so I could eat a piece of pie without guilt, I'm all for food as a motivation to read.  8-)

Their parents' work has been more physical than intellectual.  We've hauled over 6000 pounds of concrete and wood to the South Lake Tahoe.  This involves loading two 10x12 foot "barges" with whatever materials we are hauling and then towing those barges a third of a mile with a rowboat.  Dave then backs the truck and tailer down the beach so we can transfer the haul from the barges to the truck bed and trailer.  Our son has been the master rower - taking almost every load over and rowing the empties back.  He has blisters to prove it.  I have thoroughly cleaned out the staff house and many of the decrepit and soiled b​ooks - a couple hundred pounds worth.  Seriously.  Who will read a Reader's Digest condensed book set from 1971 that has not been touched since it was set in a building that is home to mice every winter?  As much as I love books and reading, I am not fond of the Hanta (sp?) virus or dust mites.  

I have been working on my dutch oven cooking techniques.  Using a dutch oven with coals is inexact to say the least.  At least with charcoal briquettes, one can estimate the temperature to the nearest 15 degrees or so.  Regardless, the family seems happy enough to eat my experiments.  8-)

Lastly, there is a phenomenon I've been wanting to describe.  While sailing well off-shore (10+ miles or more), there were several times while seated in the cockpit during a sunny, clear day, David would appear to me to be more real, more "crisp".  His image was so stark and delineated from the background that I couldn't help staring at him.  My thought at the time was that the air was truly that much cleaner and clearer than I'd ever seen.  Then, during our first week here at camp, after one of the thunderstorms, the air had the same quality.  The very trees seemed brighter.  Despite the dust on dry days, the air *is* very clear here in the mountains, so it delights me when it is even clearer.  Its as if a thin veil has been lifted from my eyes and I can see things as they truly are.