Talking back

So I just had to call a crane company about getting our new fridge through the window (nothing fits up the stairs). Henry heard me in the next room leaving them a message. Immediately he said, copying my voice-mail tone exactly: "Hi. This is Henry Jonah [Lastname]. I just took all the salmon off my bread with my teeth. I would like some more salmon on my bread." Rote mimickry? Early deadpan humor?

Mister mister

Scattering meadow-grass seeds. Gardening is probably Henry's favorite thing to do.

Especially when it means misting Daddy.

View of our street (horseback on a rake).

Cuddles and Pie

So we were up till 10 last night reading Pooh stories. At 8am today we hear:

(See A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh. New York: Dutton, 1988, page 74.)

Check out the cool suitcase. (Bob's motto is "Can we fix it? Yes we can!" - kind of timely.)

Henry getting squirrelly at the Madison airport on the way out (and this was just the beginning...)

On the carousel at the zoo

We thought Henry would have to wait for a trip to Egypt before he got to ride a camel...

Madison zoo

Looking at giraffes.

Feeding the goats.

Train to nowhere (cute design, though - complete with steam whistle and driver who says "All Aboard!").

Kinda makes you want to take a nap in the sun like these guys.

With Grandpa Roger on the stoop

The bubble machine is a wondrous device.

But sometimes it gets stuck. Then, cover the opening with your finger for a moment...

Ta-da!

Bob's Busy Bubbles

Have we mentioned that Ann is really into Bob the Builder? She found Henry a Bob pillow, which he actually likes to sleep with. And here is an unusual gadget: Bob's bubble-blowing bulldozer.

Pour the bubble solution into the reservoir, press the trigger, listen to the whirring motor, and see...

Bubbles!

Olbrich Gardens

Ann took some nice pictures of Henry when they went to look at the butterflies (and ride the train) at Olbrich Gardens in Madison. By a four-headed Naga...

...and a Thai pavillion.

Grandma Ann's house

Grapes!
 
Raspberries!
 
A scooter and permission to ride it indoors!
 
Incredible.

Grandpa Ken's chickens' new coop

Back in Mass., at the place still called "Henry's new house." Meanwhile Grandpa Ken's four chickens have taken up residence in their solid new home as well.

A sliding door leads to the chicken run. (Henry tries it out.)

A plate-glass window, insulated floor, etc. No electric blanket requests here!

Supervising the construction.

Hi up there, Daddy!

Drilling through the tin.

Ken and Nancy's garden

Black currant bush. (I took this picture exclusively to make my mom envious - she loves black currants.)

Watering the gladioli.


Actually, why not water the weeds and the dirt while we're at it?

Enjoying the fruits.

Reading

A book about verbivorous mice.

A book about a poet-mouse.

And of course, books about Bob the Builder and his busy tools.

Does the wrench book do wrists?

Building the coop

A big three-day construction project: building a new coop for Grandpa Ken's new chickens. It needs to be raccoon- and weasel-proof and to withstand a Wisconsin winter. Perhaps Henry's favorite part: getting a ride with the cement blocks in the trailer behind the lawnmower.

He was even into the ear-protecting headphones.

Ken Sr. had collected some amazing scrap lumber for this project. The floor is some kind of 1-1/4-inch-thick chipboard (plus foam insulation underneath).

Some lucky hens!

Scenic overlook

Morning mist in the valley.

Dinner on the deck.

The next day, trying to use the big binoculars...

...to see a woodpecker.