Tuesday, April 27th, 2021

Little People in the Sandbox

The best thing about vintage Fisher Price Little People is all the people and the accessories.

We got rid of most everything else.

 

 

 

In this case, I am not exactly certain what is going onβ€”

something involving some goats and some people in blue police-style hats. They might be farmers.

 

 

 

There are a lot of other people, tooβ€” tho none of them seem to lively at the momentβ€”

and an up-turned television, currently being used as a trough.

 

 

 

The fields are well groomed.

 

 

 

The machines are well maintained.

 

 

 

It looks pretty peaceful. I will try to remember it that way.

 

Saturday, April 24th, 2021

At the Car Cemetery

We went to the Car(r) Cemetery. Whole car(r) families are buried there.

 

 

 

We found Father and Mother Car(r)β€”

 

 

 

Their ancestor, Parker Car(r), who seems to have lived a very sedentary lifestyleβ€”

 

 

 

And Parker’s wife, Sarahβ€”

 

 

 

 

And Ernest A. Car(r), who was always serviced by the most honest of mechanicsβ€”

 

 

 

We also found Mary, whoever she wasβ€” a wagon, perhaps.

 

 

 

Many people doubt that cars have funerals, but I have proof.

Here, for example, is the funeral of a maroon 2005 Prius, as documented by my brother, Dan Shanahan.

 

click here for more drawings by Dan

 

 

Wednesday, April 14th, 2021

Pont Drouin Covered Bridge, Compton, Quebec, Canada

Monday, April 5th, 2021

Iris’s 9th Birthday

For Iris’s birthday, she decided she wanted to eat carrot cake on top of Mount Ham. So we did. If mount Ham was good enough for me, then it was good enough for her. Carrot cake was what the rabbits voted for, but we didn’t bring rabbits. At the last minute, Iris also decided to bring a friend. Fortunately, there was a very good one available for last-minute birthday parties on mountain summits.

 

 

 

Hymie and Napua came with us for the purpose of taking photos. Hymie is all fixed up so he could attend the doll party in good form. The biggest difference, aside from the fact that his fabric is now perfect, is that his mouth is about 1/8th of an inch narrower. It’s quite noticeable if you know him! Napua is Megan reincarnated. She includes all of Megan’s stuffing plus some, and her head is configured over Megan’s old head. But really, nothing is the same aside from the fact that Iris still has three dolls instead of four. You wouldn’t recognize her in any way shape or form, but they say that reincarnation is like that.

 

 

 

While AmaΓ«lle took time to finish her cake (she is especially good at savoring), Martin hiked to the other high point on the peak. Once Akiva saw that his papa was all alone, he wanted to go, too! Do you see that tiny blue spot to the left of the slightly larger red spot, just to the right of what appears to be a ham radio tower on the peak?** That’s Akiva! He went all the way over there all by himself.

 

 

 

**It is not actually a ham radio tower: it is the profile of the enormous crucifix where they tortured the last of the wild mountain giants.

Friday, April 2nd, 2021

How we ended up behind Isabelle’s houseβ€”

We went looking for a shortcut,

We went looking east and west,

But we did not find a shortcutβ€”

 

 

 

We decided long was best.

Sunday, March 28th, 2021

Paper Block Man

Setting: Moderately messy playroom.

Children seem to be distracted from play due to the presence of their father.

 

 

 

The father is focused on his workβ€” a block sculptureβ€” and appears to take little notice of the children.

 

 

 

Because he did not play with blocks enough as a child, he has trouble getting them to balance.

 

 

 

Fortunately, that does not deter him.

 

 

 

Determined to make up for lost time, he begins again each time they fall.

 

 

 

Finally we have it: a French-man with a full belly.

 

 

 

Egg, orange, peach, banana. Toast, fish, strawberry, apple.

The children return to their play.

 

Friday, March 26th, 2021

Frog on Ice (Johnville Bog & Forest Park)

Where the sun shines most, the snow was mostly melted.

 

 

 

Unfortunately for this ambitious amphibian, many paths were still coated in ice.

 

Thursday, March 25th, 2021

Akiva & TabΓ©a estimate the distance to the ground.

Sunday, February 28th, 2021

Martin at 49

Martin needed a new profile photo for his resume and LinkedIn account.

We chose this one, but all of the other ones were cute, too.

 

Saturday, February 27th, 2021

Hymie’s Nose

This is Hymie. Hymie is nearly four, which is young for a doll, but he has had a rough life. He spent two years in a bed that was right next to a very large window with direct southern sun. The sun shone through the window on him all day. The fabric on his body and clothing (and the fabric on the bed linens) faded immensely and began to break down. I have never seen such rapid fabric breakdown! The part of Hymie that was under his clothing stayed in good condition, but his clothing went from a deep, rich green to an old, faded green. The nose, always a tender spot, got a small hole made worse by intense rubbing.

 

 

 

At my Akiva’s school, in kindergarten, they have a doll-party day each March. Hymie is really quite shy. He does not want to go, especially in such an embarrassing condition.​ Akiva said that he would rather borrow a strange doll than bring Hymie! I had promised to re-do Hymie by Akiva’s birthday, but will not have my son borrowing a strange doll for the party. Hymie will have new skin within the week.