County Fair!

We had a great time with cousins at the county fair!  We love our cousins!

Jake is Driving!

Jake got his Drivers' Permit!  After a long day at the DMV, even Annie and Sebastian got pretend permits!

Then, Jake drove his first drive across Irving!  We were all a little skittish, but he did a great job!

The Girl with the Cross Necklace

 Mom, Annie, Leigh and I went to the Kimbell Museum.  Here is Annie listening to the guided tour and Mom studying a Bernini statue.

Here is Moms' favorite painting in the museum: the Girl with a Cross Necklace by Braque.
I love it too!

Cycladic Culture

I had no idea that there were ancient cultures that were ancient to the ancients.  That is, if ancient history is marked by people like Socrates and Plato (400 BC) to Julius Caesar 32 BC), then I learned about cultures that were 2,000 years before them.  One of the main cultures I learned about is the Cycladic peoples, who lived 2800-2300 BC in the Mediterranean.  Here are some of their works of art.  

Kite Surfing

   As is predictable with Ron, he happened upon the unpredictable.  He rented an ATV--All Terrain Vehicle.  He took Sebastian and Clare all over the island, scouting out fishing villages, mountains, waterfalls, and the ancient ruins of the Cycladian culture.  The next day, we rented two, and all went for a ride.  We went in search of the beach reported to be the most beautiful on the island.  What did we find--kite surfing!  Lots and lots of kite surfers!

Family Vacation

After an intense six weeks of work, our family took a vacation for a few days on a beautiful Greek island.  What a joy!

Clare

  Clare had her birthday on the last day of the program when we were in Nafplio.  She got her ears pierced!  She's about the most fortunate girl in the world, to have spent most of the birthdays of her life in Italy, France and Greece!  What a streak!

Preciousness!

Athens

We enjoyed brilliant lectures from Ron and Kenny at the Pnyx (the birthplace of democracy) and the Areopagus (the judicial site of Athens, where Paul made his case for Christianity to the Athenians).  

Ron at the parthenon. . .

. . . reading Greek inscriptions clear as day.  Such a scholar, he is!  Jake could not help but be impressed.

Wonderful food at outdoor tavernas!

Mycenae

Ron was superb in leading the group through Mycenae, relevant to Homer's Greece and the home of civilization 5,000 years ago and beyond.  We had gorgeous views of Greece from Agamemnon's palace!

Socrates' Prison

The highpoint of my summer so far has been giving a site lecture at Socrates' prison!

Clare escaping prison!

Annie Learned to Ride a Bike!

She learned on the same bike, on the same tennis court, as Leigh did several summers ago!