Power of Imagination

I continue to be amazed at the power of imagination that Alaina & Addison have.  For years the girls have had their own cupboard at my house filled with water bottles, water pitchers, and the like.  Year after year they find new and imaginative ways to play with these simple "toys".  They set this up in my basement and I haven't had the heart to put it away.  It brings a smile to my face every time I see it

2010 Ping Pong Olympics

Firstly, I want to thank Joy for organizing the 2010 family camping (a.k.a. Cousins Camping).  It was so nice to be able to drive up and not have to worry about anything.  That was a real gift to me!  Joy also started a fantastic tradition - The Ping Pong Olympics. It was a blast.  We were having so much fun that the folks at the campsite across the road asked us if they could buy a ping pong ball from us because they wanted to partake in the games as well!  Like a great sportswoman, Joy gave them the ping pong ball free of charge!  Way to represent Joy.  They returned the ping pong ball in the morning and insisted we also take their professional grade orange ping pong ball. I love the community in action.  In the picture above Ryan and I were trying to bounce the ping pong into the plastic cups from a fixed distance.  The ping pong ball had to bounce once before it entered into the cup.  We then had to retrieve our own balls.  It was a battle to the end when I had a lucky hop off of a piece of gravel and landed the ball in my cup.  Victory!

Adam and Isaac had a great competition trying to blow the floating ping pong ball in one cup into another.  Isaac made swift work when he landed the ball in with a huge breath like that of a dragon! 

Linda must have been practicing this at home - look at her technique.  She edged out Carol but Carol received the best splash caught on film award! 

Umm.  What kind of face is that?  Ryan schooled me in one swift blow.

 

Winner!  Addy!

Faith really held her own!  She loved her prize:  beautiful smelling lotion!

Look at the concentration on Adam's face - it is unparalleled.

Winner! Joy!

Simple Things

Sometimes I don't appreciate the simple things until they are gone.  Right now, for me, it is ice.  It's simple - just water at or below 0 degrees Celsius and yet I can't wait to have it all the time.  It is a simple pleasure to have ice in my cup on a hot day of gardening.  I rode my bike down to Jim's Ice Cream today just to buy a cherry slush laden with little bits and pieces of ice.  It was delicious and refreshing.  In Haiti this past February I remember feeling the same way; what a pleasure it would be to have ice.  The street vendors sold glace (ice) at a few of the market places but not knowing where the water had come from I refrained.  Even in Haiti, just a month after a devastating earthquake, people understood the simple pleasure.  So this afternoon I rifled through my kitchen boxes in the basement and found an ice cube tray (I have an ice maker in my old fridge in the garage but the water hose isn't hooked up) and I filled it with water so that tomorrow I can indulge in this simple wonder.