August 15th, 2009

We've been so busy, it's hard to remember what's happened in the last 6 weeks.

Except the for heat...

For two weeks, the Pacific Northwest was a furnace, with temperatures peaking at 108 degrees in our town.

Luckily, back in May, we painted the entire roof of the house with aluminum tar. This highly-reflective coating probably saved us from being cooked alive. Even so, the temperature in the house was unbearable for several days.

No we don't have AC, and neither do most of the homes in the Seattle area. But we might be putting in a central AC unit next year after this summer's experience.

Peter Madison (my cousin) was nice enough to have us over to their house, which happens to have a new central air system. We all hung out in their pool, then chilled out (literally) inside the house until about midnight, before daring to return home.

Other than that, we've mostly been working on the yard. The fence is about 80% finished. The irrigation is 25% finished. We still have to put in the lawn, lighting, fix the deck, and complete a dozen smaller projects before the summer ends.

We're planning a much-needed trip to Maui for a couple of weeks, in October.

Lia is growing so fast!

-Rob and Nicole

On the way to the lake, Elliot and Rob visit with some Bellevue firemen and their super-long fire truck.

At 8 weeks old, Lia starts to make some pretty awesome facial expressions!

Holding the camera at ground-level to get this shot.

Grandpa and Elliot sit on the bow of our boat, as we cruise around the lake on Saturday morning.

At the tango festival in Kirkland, Mom and Elliot cuddle between dances.

Here's Jacqueline dancing the tango at the festival.

OMG she's standing on her own! Well, sort of...

The fence, so much work left...

Clearly satisfied, Elliot smiles after getting his ducks in a row.

Elliot gets some air-time at the lake one hot summer evening.

During one of the freak summer rains, Elliot went venturing out in his rain-gear. This was a good chance to play with the wide-angle lens.

"Hmm... what can I get into next?"

Elliot and Grandpa check out the ducks.

Nicole and Lia get to know some of Jacqueline's tango pals.

Chris and her two favorite grand kids.

Here's the fence with 7 panels completed. This project is taking a looooooooooooooooong time.

Bath time at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

Up at Grandma and Grandpa's, Lia works on her many facial expressions.