Bits and Pieces

Hello again loyal readers-- Katharine reporting from Valdosta here. We have been settling in, James is doing well and we are all enjoying visiting with the family. His language continues to grow exponentially. He repeats almost everything I say, which can be quite humorous! He's got a funny little Dutch/Southern pronunciation mix that is entertaining. When he says "bye-bye" and "Micheal" (for his cousin, not his dad) there is a definite twang on the "eye" sound. Today we were continuously re-enacting a train disaster on the model set by disengaging part of the track and waiting until the train was very close before repairing the tracks. Each time he yelped "fix it" and "oh no!", but the oh no sounds like "O NEW", which reminds me of that eu sound in many Dutch words.

He still wakes up talking about Micheal, Emily, and Sophie (his cousins from Atlanta). He must be wondering where they have gone. No new Valdosta photos-- we have been inside avoiding the heat. We spent some time this morning playing in the garden, but we avoid the heat of the day. Instead I will provide some photos from our ATL jaunt. Here are James and his cousins playing at the park and enjoying some pool time in the backyard.

As for Mike's adventures-- the word is that he has been extremely busy. In some ways I think he imagined he would have time for a little blogging while at Heartwood, but I do not think that is the case so far. He sent an email at 5:30 AM on the morning of the first day of school-- so excited about the day that he had awoken early. This week they are creating a cabin that they will then put together in Connecticut on Friday. They spend time in lectures and working/measuring/cutting all day (there are surely more official words for these tasks, but I thought some news is better than no news so I am winging it). They have an occasional evening program, and will be traveling to Ohio later in the summer to build a structure there. On one of the first nights they spent HOURS sharpening their tools. This week's speaker is a timber framer/author whom Mike really respects. So it is basically like Christmas for him every day. Though I say that knowing he misses me and James. His parents will manage a visit near the end of his term, and I am already wondering how they will get Tom Maier to leave the place once he visits-- it sounds to me like his idea of hog heaven. Car-less Mike has made a deal with the other apprentices to take charge of the kitchen/cooking in exchange for an occasional ride into town or for errands. He is also keeping an eye out for places to which we might like to re-locate at the end of the year. So-- the news is he is busy and happy!

Apparently his classmates are a cool group: a pair of California winery owners, a Mennonite gentleman, a nearly retired military man, a Richard Dreyfuss lookalike... the list goes on. He is also really excited to be surrounded by such a group of hard-core timber/building folks. He is right in his element and learning as much as possible. FYI his e-mail access is limited during the next weeks (and he is super busy), but if you'd like to drop him a line he can be reached at:

Mike Maier

c/o Heartwood School

Johnson Hill Road

Washington, MA 01223

Here are shots of cousin Micheal by the baby pool (he and James share similar muscular physiques)

The twins

James on the slide

Riding/driving the auto at the park

Michael and Emily prepping the cooler

James in his super Euro Bob shorts ready for a swim