Sarah and I did some origami. That was lots of fun. But what I find even more fascinating is the bizarre random assortment of stuff in the background of these photos. These photos feel like my mind of late. Presumably something important in the foreground, but lots of strange and inexplicable things jockeying for attention just outside of focus.
Last night, Sarah and I finished reading the last chapter of The Last Battle. We've been reading the Narnia books for more than a year now, a few chapters a night, a few days a week, with other books interspersed here and there.
This is the first time I've read all the way through the Narnia books for probably 20 years, and they had as much magic this time as the last. Perhaps even more, as I got to share it with Sarah. I think perhaps the end of the Last Battle was a little too high-browed for her. But she's definitely had her appetite whetted for books of this short, and wants to know what other books might fall in this category.
Maybe, just maybe, we can read The Hobbit before too long. :-)
Yesterday I got to go to Sarah's class and tell them about Kenya. I took various artifacts, including my rungu and spear, and talked a little about growing up in Kenya, and in what ways things are different there from here.
I read them When Africa Was Home, which is a wonderful book about what it's like for a kid who has to move from one culture to another - in this case, from Malawi to America - and back again. I love this book because in a small way it's about me.
Kids ask the funniest questions. One kid asked how people cut their fingernails in Africa. I'm not sure what thought process went into that question, but I talked about how most of the time one can get the same stuff in Africa, although it might be a different brand, or work differently.
In all the years that I've done these "what is Africa like" talk, there's one consistent question that I always get. "Did you get to ride an elephant?" So now, the first time when I can actually say "Yes, but not in Africa", nobody asked it. It was very disappointing. ;-)
Sarah and I, along with Annie, Bob, and Abby, went to King's Island yesterday. It was hot, and a beautiful day, but the park wasn't too terribly crowded. We spent most of the afternoon (at least, after lunch) in the water part of the park, doing all manner of water slide rides. That is, the girls and I did. Bob and Annie sat in the shade. :-)
Sarah *LOVED* her first roller coaster rides. She was very disappointed at how many rides they wouldn't let her on due to her height. That seemed very unfair to her. :-(
We got back to Lexington after 10, and Sarah was so fast asleep that she didn't wake up taking her out of the Jeep or putting her in bed.
We saw a statue of Don Quixote on the main street entering the park, and Sarah knew what his horse's name was. I'm so proud. :-)
Today is Sarah's last day as a 2nd grader. She is happy and sad about this. Happy that vacation is coming, sad that she won't be at school any more, and that she won't be in Ms. Cunningham's class any more. Ms. Cunningham is, as she told me this morning, the best 2nd grade teacher in the world, and I certainly agree. We couldn't have hoped for a better teacher, and we are hugely grateful. It's great teachers like this that make kids love learning. And, of course, the principal at Sarah's school is one in a million, and positively the best principal in the world.
