Hearts all a flutter

We're all readying ourselves for the next leg of the journey which happens to be an almost cross country road trip for five.

-Sofie is now quite well travelled for a six year old and knows what she is in for this time. Still, she is game. She has even okayed a trip to Europe next summer, but mostly is looking forward to going home, to California, to receive her belated birthday bunny.

-Anja is madly doing Mad Libs, and being generally wonderful.

-Caleb is hanging in despite an unconfirmed bout of the West Nile and a broken Hobie Cat.

-I am hoping to sleep better tonight. I tried to donate blood today with my friend Lynne, but was told my heart beat irregularly too many times in a minute, according to my wrist pulse. Shouldn't have drinken that coffee at the diner? They are so picky.

Tomorrow, we go to Aviva's for dinner. We will camp in her yard. Saturday or Sunday we will hit the open road. This time we are taking I-90, the northern route, and going through Yellowstone. We will be home on August 10th.

It Ain't Florence Street

More Heidelberg project.

Preston Woodward, lead singer of punk rock band, "The State," playing a tiny pink acoustic guitar after dinner.

Caleb and Sofie hanging out with some guy at the Elvis festival on the left, and one of many scenes that one can behold at the Heidelberg project, in Detroit, on the right.

Where the Volvos Roam

We've been to Elvis fest here in the park in Ypsilanti, and the air show just east of us here. Some of the planes could actually be seen flying by Lynne's house. Aviva, Nikki and I saw the blue angels in formation flying over Lynne's a couple of days prior to the event my whole family attended with Lynne. We received free tix from Lynne's friend Heather who lives by the show. We also went to the Science museum this past weekend. They had a great IMAX movie about the great lakes and a planetarium show about the seven wonders of the galaxy, the sun not included... Brutus managed to get to a lake for a quick dip with his buddies, Brooke and Tasha. Caleb is laying a hardwood floor, and I am off to do the laundry with the girls. We've put offers on two houses, both unseen, and in Sebastopol. Neither of them have come to anything, but it is an interesting process, and we are learning a lot. Mel and Jesse have had more success, maybe because they are old hat by now. They have beaucoup des maisons maintenant. I just added a two unit conversational french class to my schedule for fall as I couldn't bear going without. I am also taking Physio and Nutrition for a total of ten units. Hopefully this is not too much what with schooling the chitlins, working a bit, and generally enjoying life, as I am prone to do. Lynne's car hasn't been broken into in a few days, but we're still parking in back. We took the Volvo in to be repaired, but the mechanic couldn't find enough wrong with it to warrant changing out the drive shaft as the first mechanic wanted to do, so if we are stuck in Iowa on the way home laid up at some KOA, I hope noone is too upset when I set up camp at the Holiday Inn, or preferably La Quinta, as I was all for doing the work when the prices were good, here in Ann Arbor where other Volvos roam.

We spent the fourth at my mom and Mac's house on Bass lake with my step-brother Eddie and his wife Sherry and their four boys. They had a lot of friends and some other family around. The neighbors and our large group had a potluck and a huge amount of amazing fireworks. My favorite firework was called, "Life's a Beach." It looked particularly brilliant over the lake. The neighbors on the other side of the fence however had one that I thought should be called, "Life's a Machine Gun." I suppose that's the sort of thing fireworks are intended to mimic so I really can't complain. I usually don't appreciate fireworks as they are scary and smoky and wasteful, but I really did enjoy them this time. Perhaps it helps to drink yourself silly first.