June's eye surgery successful!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that a few hours ago June finished up the surgery to correct her so-called "low intensity" glaucoma. Today Dr. Millett fixed her right eye; last week she got the left eye working better again. All this means that we can now head down to Georgia for the rest of the summer--right after we stop off at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning for a last-minute check with Dr. Millett, our ophthalmologist (hey, that's a good word for a spelling B!).

June 24: Chelsea visits Kirk and flies to Massachusetts

On Saturday, June 24, June, Chelsea, and Andy drove down to Nashville to visit Kirk, Lora, and Madalyn and make sure that Chelsea got to the airport to fly to Massachusetts. Kirk fixed us a delicious Mesquit-roasted chicken with the fixings, showed us the wonderful restoration progress on his home, and took us to the airport. Chelsea safely ascended into the blue sky and arrived at Hartford shortly before 6:00 p.m. While she was in flight, Kirk brought out some really good beer and salsa with nachos, and we chatted for a good bit about life and life's lessons. Then after Kirk and Andy worked for a couple of hours on setting up new bathroom curtain fixtures, we all went to bed--pooped out. Lora came home late (she'd been with Madalyn to Mary Carol's seventh birthday party), and we didn't get to see her until the next morning where she joined us for coffee. Shortly thereafter, we drove back to Richmond so that we can ready for June eye surgery on Tuesday and our drive down to Georgia on Wednesday. All in all, it was a wonderful, but short visit. Kirk recommends that we all read The Law by Frederick Bastiat. It will, he promises, show the aweful truth about governments. Andy has promised that he will read it--yes, all thirty-six pages! In fact, Andy downloaded and printed the pdf file. Now all he needs is some quiet time for reflection.

At the beach on Jackson Lake

There's a nice beach down by the dam at the lake, and we spent part of two days there. Jackson and Mary Carol took to the water like dolphins while Hayden was a tad reluctant. But Amy coaxed him, bit by bit, and soon enough--there he was: a little whale bobbing in and out of the water!

Five Fish in Twenty Minutes

On the afternoon of the day Jackson, Mary Carol, and Hayden arrived at the lake, we all went down to the dock and boat to see if the fish were hungry. Granddad had bought some red wiggly worms and kept them in the fridge. After a little discouragement (the fish weren't biting), we finally got the kids, the worms, and the poles in the right spot at the right time, and up came five--count them: one, two, three, four, five!--sunfish, all of which were thrown back into the lake so they can grow bigger and bigger. And we'll catch them next time!

Mary Carol's Birthday Today !

When Mary Carol Kuhn wakes up this morning, she will be seven years old! She'll invites gobs of her friends over for a big party and have a wonderfully memorable birthday. As an appetizer b-day, hoping to show her how a party works, we celebrated her birthday at the lake two weeks ago. And darn! She already knew how to blow out the candles! Happy Birthday, Mary Carol! And, oh, by the way--while at the lakehouse, MC discovered she was missing a tooth--the first one she's ever missed in her whole life. What a smile!

June took this photograph!

After the recital this afternoon, Chelsea and Andy stepped back under the trees on the EKU campus, and June took this photograph with her telephoto lens. The photograph means so much to Andy because today is the last day Chelsea will be with him until August when she returns from Massachusetts. As we English professors say, "Ain't she beautiful!"

Chelsea plays "Sunset on the Shannon" at Piano Camp Honors Recital

This afternoon Chelsea finished her participation in the week-long Stephen Foster Music Camp on the EKU campus. Every day from 8:00 to 4:30 was spent in practice (about three hours a day!) and in class (composition theory), along with some more fun things like bowling last evening. At this afternoon's Honors Recital, Chelsea played Melody Bober's "Sunset on the Shannon," playing it beautifully, with lots of feeling and confidence. It was wonderful to see her artistic presentation on the big stage in Brock Auditorium! By the way, it's the River Shannon in Ireland that Bober's composition evokes; and when Chelsea played, we thought of the River Shannon as I saw it in the accompanying photograph. You did it wonderfully, Chelsea!

Liz and Art stop by for a few days!

Liz and Art stayed with us soon after we got down to the lake, and it was wonderful to be with them as together we caught up on family news in the front lawn, took a cruise on the boat, went to the Atlanta Aquarium, shared a lovely meal at Ruby Tuesdays, and then wished them well as they head down to Savannah for the rest of their early summer vacation. Art found a way to fix the old metal bed Chelsea was sleeping in that had begun to come apart so that later Andy was able to repair it. We so enjoy Liz and Art whenever we get to be with them. Our next time will be sometime in September at the Galt House in Louisville, where we like have Sunday brunch in the toppermost Flagship Restaurant on the twenty-fifth floor. O boy, we can hardly wait! Thanks for visiting us, Liz and Art!

Visiting the Atlanta Aquarium

When Liz and Art arrived and stay with us while on their way to Savannah, we all went to the Atlanta Aquarium for an afternoon of fish and sea mammal watching. The aquarium touts itself as the world's largest and has recently acquired to new--and large!--female whale sharks. I forgot to stick an image card in my camera and had to satify myself with taking a few shots of things with my cell-phone camera. If they're not too murky (looking authentically as though they were shot a mile down in the Pacific Ocean), I post a few. In the meantime, go to the Atlantic Aquarium for a look-see!

Two Weeks at Lake

Right after Chelsea's track meet--in which her team running in the 4 x 200 meters stepped up on the winner's blocks!--we went down to Turtle Cove for two weeks of family fun. Here, for example, is Chelsea plowing through the calm seas of Jackson Lake. Things went well for a great day or two until the wiring on our old Evinrude 35 started smoking and burned up enough insulation to strand us in the middle of lake. A couple of good Samaritans towed us to the dock, and now the boat is waiting for a new wiring harness to arrive and be installed. You can bet we smiled while the fun lasted!

Visiting Lisa and Tim (on our way to the lake)

On our way down the lake we spent a lovely evening with Lisa and Tim, Patches and Coalman (do I have his name spelled correctly, or is it "Coleman"?). We drove over to Coolidge Park and stopped in at Clumpies for some "no-where-else-but-at-Clumpies" ice cream. Clumpies is the new "must see" in Chattanooga. The ice cream is made in the store so it is always fresh. They have all of the traditional flavors year round and always have new and original flavors that change with the seasons. Afterwards we stayed the night with Lisa and Tim, spending some time in the "big-ass TV room." A wonderful visit! Thanks, Lisa and Tim, for your love and hospitality.

June 2: Chelsea qualifies to run in the Track and Field State Championships

What a day! We all got up at 5:00 a.m. and got to Model School by 6:20 so that Chelsea could catch the bus with her teammates and go to Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington for the Boys' & Girls' Track and Field State Championships. The competition to qualify in tomorrow's final heats was fierce. Chelsea ran in the following races:

• Girls 4 x 200 Meter Relay
• Girls 4 x 100 Meter Relay
• Girls 200 Meter Dash

The first race, the 4 x 200, was her team's best. With her teammates--Maggie Wilder, Bethany Pratt, and Allyson White--running the first three 400s fast, Chelsea ran the last quarter-mile leg in her personal best, giving the team a head's up qualification for tomorrow finals. To encourage and congratulate her for all that she's done to help take Model's Girls' Track Team to the State Championships, Lisa and Tim sent a lovely bouquet of flowers on Wednesday. Just look at that smile on Chelsea's face! Thank you, Lisa and Tim! Let's all wish Chelsea God's speed as she runs tomorrow!