Back in Blacksburg

Well, we've been back since July 30, and we've had a few small adventures together-- Steppin' Out, a zoo trip, a visit to RompnRoll, Price House camp for Miles-- but as always, life seems a bit less photographable when one is at home. Still, here are a few moments.

A stranger walked up to me and asked if we wanted a family photo. She said she remembered how rarely she had been able to get pictures of her whole family at once. This Yankee is still not used to strangers approaching one and asking questions, but when I got was she was trying to do my heart just swelled. It's true! we have so few family photos that I didn't request someone to take, and regard as a huge favor when they did. Here we are, August, 2013, Steppin' Out portrait:

This is our 4th Steppin' Out, our 3rd Blacksburg anniversary. This is how I remember them: The one where we loved our new town and I hula-hooped, the one where I was pregnant with Adele and Miles was in a really awkward potty training stage, the one where Adele was a baby and Miles loved bluegrass and we got rained on copiously, and the one where the weather was perfect and we all had a blast.

Here's Miles, only a couple hours in, displaying his swag

Taking a break from animal adoration

Here was an interesting moment. So, among the tents with local organizations, groups, and political candidates, was a kind of Gun Lobby group, there to celebrate the right to bear arms, and really, also, to promote the bearing of arms, there with actual guns, with neon "guns save lives" stickers and- for real- raffling off a Glock of the same variety that was used in the 2007 Massacre. Grunerts felt this last item to be in rather bad taste. So did this protesting group:

On a lighter note, this year's Steppin' Out included a scuba diving area. Far out, man.

Steppin' Out clued us in that RompNRoll, the local indoor kid gym, was having another free session. Obviously, we had to be there.

This guy is adding to his playground-based skills weekly/

Did I enjoy the parachute more than my kids? Probably not, but it was close.

Super Adele (they were handing out capes! what could we do?!) demonstrates her slide skills.

One of her favorite sentences is "I hang!"

Coming back from Roanoke after a zoo trip, the sky was full of varied beauty.

As I remarked to a friend, there's nothing like the landscape-- watching a sunset, or the progress of a rainstorm, or going out on a misty morning-- to make you feel at home in your surroundings. I have a peace about being home in Blacksburg, despite loving other places this summer, too.