Fauna of For-Mar

Dunno what these little centipede things are or where they came from, but they were certainly out in force and getting frisky:

Again, not sure what this is. It's furry and it likes the water.

Okay, these are ducks. I know THAT.

The end of two eras

 Frederick has long since given up tramampolining, and it was getting pretty rickety anyway, so... to the curb it goes.

 The back yard certainly looks larger now.  Jami already has Plans.

The other era is that we've got new parking permits.  Okay, pretty minor, but as you can see by the sheer thickness of the layers of stickers, we've had these a while.

Kidding! More Mikado

Thomas did agree to play along with the Sunday matinee performance (three times while driving there--a 1.5 mile drive--he asked me, "Why is it called a matinee performance? And why are those aimed at kids and old people?") so he play along with a rehearsal and 8 performances. This past week all performances were in the Kearsley Park Pavilion a building that, I am sure, our faithful readers will remember from many a jaunt Simon and Frederick had during the worst winter days. It's one of our oft selected sledding sites. Here it is packed with about 200 people with plenty of room to spare. (I know it doesn't look like there are that many, but there are. I did a quick head count while I watched the closing song.Here is the orchestra, tucked neatly on the right. It was nice to see a part of Flint that is normally abandoned, loaded up with lots of kids and old people. If only it were like this every day...After the performance ended I had to wait another half an hour or so while Thomas packed up the percussion bits (lots of bells and whistles to go with the gongs and drums) and suffer having his picture taken. Theatre people really go for picture taking in a big way.I know Thomas was glad to be free of this, especially with school starting, but I think he actually enjoyed himself during the shows. He certainly did a bang up (so to speak) job with so little chance to prepare.

[Simon addition] Here're a couple of snippets at the very end of the Mikado at one of the evening performances in Kearsley Park: 

Renting a paddle boat on Big Seven Lake

Big Seven Lake is finally free of bacteria (or at least: within legal limits), so it's time for another dip!  Jimmy has been hankerin' for a pedal boat ride (having forgotten how boring they actually are) so (foolishly) Frederick and I get out of the car on one side of the lake, have him drive on to the beach part, rent the boat, and arrange to meet us in the middle of the lake.  Even more foolishly, Jimmy explains all this to the guy renting out the pedal boats.  Still, he lets him rent one (money talks, all $8 of it) and we do indeed meet in the middle.  Then Jimmy remembered how boring pedal boats are.

Miscellaneous trots

Here are some of the sights and sounds of late August with Frederick:
Strange graffiti in Flushing Park

In the woods in Flushing Park





Grand Blanc Commons.

Thomas turned 17!

This first item is a laptop with "Alien Ware" (which will mean something to serious gamers) which offended him at first (he said he is "anti-technology") but now he loves. Kids. Here is a small sampling of all the music cds that he received for his birthday. An eclectic selection. Sometimes at 2 am we hear THe Kinks blasting at top volume, and sometimes it's Tchaikovsky. It's his last birthday as our little boy.

Mikado performance

Anxious to find out what all the fuss was about, Simon and Jimmy went to see the Mikado last Thursday. Isn't this the same picture I took>? The Opera House...again.I don't remember seeing this during the musical.Definitely the same picture I took.Something or other.Who are these people?Thomas too small to see clearly (against the wall on the left side of the orchestra group). Thomas agreed to play along with two more performances (tomorrow and Friday) but flat out refused to play Saturday as he has a "prior engagement" (an online gaming event, I suspect). The final performance is Sunday at 3:00. He won't say one way or the other if he will play for that. Whatever happens, there will be no more photos of The Mikado.

Mikado rehearsals at Huckleberry Railroad

[Text written Thursday 13th August] Thomas got an email a few days ago from a piano instructor at the FIM who needed a percussionist to play in a small orchestra for the Mikado. Apparently she is the musical director for an local theater group that puts on 5 or 6 different plays and musicals every summer. Here is Thomas two nights ago, reading through a score. Because of a series of hapless events that had nothing to do with him, there were no percussion instruments for him to play on that night, so he just followed along during the rehearsal.

Here you can see a bit more of the stage which is obviously pretty small.  According to a pamphlet I was reading while killing time this is an old opera house that was built in Fenton in the 1800s but then moved to Crossroads Village (which is a tiny fake town made up of old buildings that were moved to there from various cities across Michigan).  During the day volunteers dressed in early 1800s outfits sit around (women knit and men play instruments or putz with horses) and, if you talk to them, they will tell you about their "daily work."  Very earnest.  That's Thomas with the decrepit orange hoodie.

This was last night and now Thomas has his instruments and is good to go. Last night was the last, and only apparently, dress rehearsal. So Thomas was under a lot of pressure to get it right. There isn't just the predictable bass drum and snare business when the soldiers march about, but also various triangle bits when the ladies sing, as well as various bells and whistles to signal pranks and slapstick antics. Thomas was a trooper and did an great job.

This is a sign on one of the kiosks at the start of the Village park. Thomas thought that was very amusing.

Hard to believe this is the same train that Simon, Frederick and I rode last December in that amazing snow storm. Where has the time gone? Pretty flowers just cuz. Here is the outside of the opera house. Here we are crossing the railroad tracks heading back to our car. Thomas has four performances this week (tonight, Friday, Saturday and a Sunday matinee) and, if he is feeling generous, four more next weekend. Since he starts school on Monday, I don't know how generous he will be feelings.

Jimmy gets a haircut

 Yesterday, going for a walk at Seven Lakes (we wanted to swim, but the beach was closed because of "bacteria").

And now, today.  He asked for it!

Alyssa's annual fundraiser

How we're spending our Summer

One constant has been playing Racquetball with Jimmy.  Neither of us is any good, but I have enough memory of playing Squash for many years (albeit over 20 years ago) to beat him most of the time.  We'll have to stop for a while, though, as they're re-flooring the weight room, and all the courts are only accessible via that.

Meanwhile, on the weekends F. and I like to take an amble.  This is Davidson Park.  The second picture is up on a ridge above the river, which you can just see peeking through.

This is Grand Blanc Commons, this morning.  Buggy, but pretty.  I dunno what the red flowering tree is, but it lasts all year.