It’s a good thing I’ve had a number of houseguests lately.

It seems lately that if no one came to visit, I wouldn’t take any photos.

And if no one came to visit, I would be lonely.

Dan’s visit was particularly wonderful.

Iris absolutely adores him,

& not just for his apple pie.

(Sorry, no pie photo: we ate it all.)

Mom & I were sitting on the floor of her study. She was doing something important— some writing of some sort. Waiting for her to finish, I watched her hands.

She had shiny pink, neatly curved nails on deep nail beds. It must have been winter or early spring— certainly not summer— as none of the nails were broken off from gardening. As she thought, she picked the skin of her thumbnail bed with her forefinger. Now and again she bit off a small piece of skin with her teeth. It looked much more painful than biting the nails themselves. Biting nails did not hurt. I knew this. My nails were well-bitten. I bit them down to the quick and deeper, and the quick of my nails receded every year. Biting the nail too deep hurt, but biting the nail itself did not hurt.

The skin on her hands was not smooth, pink, unwrinkled skin like mine. Her skin was covered in diamonds. I wondered how they got there— those tiny, evenly spaced lines. I thought the lines were elegant, like her fingernails. I wondered if her skin was always like that. I wanted my skin to have diamonds, too.

It does now. Diamond lines and veins.

Happy 49th anniversary, Mom & Dad!

Here we have three generations of men

(& people who will eventually be men)

taking a break from their shed-building project.

…& back to work.

Iris & I went to the Museum to ride the carousel.

I took maybe 50 photos. It was high noon and we were in the shade but the background was in bright sunlight. I was trying to get movement blur in the background without blur in the foreground. It was difficult to get the framing right because I was holding an infant while standing on the carousel as it was going round & round and the horses were going up & down and the light was only almost decent in one position and the background was only decent in two positions.

After much processing, I think I have two photos that turned out okay.

Horrors! It’s been nearly a month since my last post!

My camera is so sad from missing me.

Iris, also, will be missing me. And I her. She is going on a trip with Papa.

They are leaving Friday & coming back on Sunday, after bedtime.

Iris packed 21 books, 7 pairs of socks, 7 pairs of undies, and 5 camisoles.

I don’t think she forgot anything.