Spring Break, Part 2

Gregoropolis Spring Break 2020 is in full swing!

Bowie: I think it's time for a sing-along!

Valerie: How about 'Rock Lobster'?

Bowie: "Motion in the ocean"

Holly Belle and Valerie: "Oooh-Waa"

Bowie: "His air hose broke"

Holly Belle and Valerie: "Oooh-Waa"

Bowie: "Lots of trouble"

Holly Belle and Valerie: "Oooh-Waa"

Bowie: "Lots of bubble"

Holly Belle and Valerie: "Oooh-Waa"

Bowie: "He was in a jam, S'in a giant clam!"

Bowie, Holly Belle, and Valerie: "Rock Lobster!"

Tyler: Surf's up!  Time to hang ten!

Mikko: Cowabunga, bro!

Alice: Good gracious, Anthony, why are you so covered up?

Anthony: I have to be careful.  I'm much more pale than the rest of you.

Rhoda: And just what you supposed to be doing?

Frank: I'm the lifeguard on duty, naturally!  It's a tough job, but someone has to do it. Hey, you kids!  Those rocks are out of bounds!

Giancarlo: Patrick and Ravi?  I wouldn't have thought you two were 'hang out at the beach' types.

Patrick: Actually, we're collecting samples of coastal marine life to study.

Ravi: Seen any tidal pools?

Emile: Of course eet ees very nice, but Côte d'Azur eet ees not.

Louisette: Oui, mon petit lemon.  But zen, nozzing else compares, n'est-ce pas?

Emile: True, true.

Holly Belle: This has been the best day ever!  I think we should stay at the beach forever.

Daddy Steve (in the background): Why is it so warm in here?!?

"Rock Lobster" written by Fred Schneider and Ricky Wilson

Spring Break, Part 1

Holly Belle: I'm sick of winter!  I want to go somewhere warm.  Why can't we go somewhere warm?  Why can't we go to the beach?

Anthony: It's...complicated.

Robin: Actually, spring officially began a few days ago.

Holly Belle: Well, it sure doesn't feel like spring!

Robin: Hey, I've got an idea.  If we can't go to the beach, perhaps we can bring the beach to us.  Remember 'the beach'?

Holly Belle: Oh, yes!  The beach backdrop!  I forgot all about that.  Where did we put it?

Anthony: I think it's rolled up in the closet; the one you can barely open without stuff falling out.

Giancarlo and Wyatt: We found it!

Robin: Why are you wearing those hats?

Giancarlo: In case something fell on us.  That closet is a disaster area!

Holly Belle:  This is a start, I guess.  But it doesn't exactly feel like Florida in here.

Robin:  Hmm...we need to create some 'climate change.'

Anthony: Now don't tell Daddy Steve about this, or he'll go on and on about being driven to the poor house.

Wyatt: He talks a lot about the poor house.

Robin: Old people often do.

John Martin: Is it getting warm in here?

Holly Belle: Put on your swimsuit; the beach party is about to start!

Barbara and Beatrix: Did we hear someone say 'party'?!

TO BE CONTINUED!

Hunting Leprechauns

Daddy John:  The boys were ready for another round of 'King of the Hill' when they discovered the snow had all melted!  They were kind of bummed until I reminded them their Rose Cottage friends, Henry and Lewis, had recently gone looking for leprechauns.  Maybe they could do the same (and walk the dogs at the same time)?

Stephen Orange was all over this idea.  He immediately took charge and decided this would be a scientific expedition.  Of course, they must first plan and prepare themselves scientifically...

Stephen Orange: We are hunting leprechauns today; they are a devious breed, so we'll all need to be on our toes.  Remember, this is for science, so keep calm and take note of your surroundings.  Carefully observe the leprechaun; what is he doing?  How does he look?

Stephen: We'll break into two teams, with BR and myself as leads.  Grab your gear and we'll meet back here in five minutes.

Stephen, to himself: I wonder if I can get an article for Fortean Times out of this?

And soon enough...

Stephen: Sound off!  Stephen Orange; camera and notebook for field notes?  Check!

Stephen: BR;  back-up camera?

BR: Check, boss!

Stephen: Pete Dakota: flashlight for illuminating under the house and inside the hedges?

Pete: Uh, check?

Stephen: Nicholas Sahara; binoculars for preliminary recon and scanning the yard?

Nicholas: Sir, check, sir!

Stephen: Right.  Nicholas and I will go this way, you two go that way.  Remember to call out if you discover anything!

BR: Hey, I think this is where the girls saw that Snow-Ape a couple of months ago.

Pete: >Ulp<  Let's check out the other side of the yard now.

Denali and Annabelle, meanwhile, paid no attention to the boys and were just happy to be outside, playing in the yard.

Stephen: Well, nothing has been using the bird bath for quite some time.  Not even birds, it appears.

Nicholas: Great Richard the Third's Ghost!

Nicholas: Stephen!  Will come down from there this instant!

Nicholas: Peter!  Have you and Benjamin had any luck?  I do believe Stephen is off his chump with this expedition nonsense.  I do so hope we go inside soon.

Pete: We haven't seen anything...but I swear I saw that Christmas Elf out of the corner of my eye.

Nicholas: Oh, please don't fret so, mate.  Christmas is long over; I'm sure he's on holiday or in hibernation, or whatever it is elves do.

Later, back inside...

BR: Well, that was a bust.  I think the only leprechaun we'll find is on a box of Lucky Charms.

♣  Happy St. Patrick's Day from Gregoropolis! ♣

What We're Reading, Part 2

Daddy Steve: You may recall that in addition to loving books, the Gregoropolis kids are also quite fond of lighthouses...and who wouldn't be?  Lighthouses are just plain cool!  Naturally, a book about lighthouses is sure to be a hit.

Daphne: Here's a book about lighthouses on eBay!

Sasha: Wow!  It looks really cool!

Miguel: Let's ask Papi Esteban if we can get it.

Meghan: Does it have a 'buy-it-now' button?

I was more than happy to buy it for the kids.  Normally we have excellent luck with things we purchase on eBay; unfortunately this time proved to be an exception.  The book was water-stained and filthy dirty.  It was fit only for the trash.

Meghan: Well, that was disappointing.

Miguel: Sí, ¡Qué lástima!

Daphne & Sasha:  >Sigh!<

Daddy Steve does not give up easily.  I soon tracked down and ordered another copy.  When it arrived, however, there was a different problem...

Daphne: I wonder why they packed it in such a big envelope?

Daddy Steve wasn't too good at reading the fine print this time!  Apparently the book also comes in a 'big people' size, too.

Sasha: Gosh, it's going to take all four of us just to open it and turn the pages!

Fortunately, the third time, as they say, is the charm.  And speaking of charms, we're all 'charmed' by the little lighthouse charm (missing from the first copy) that came with the book!

Meghan: This is my favorite book of all time!

Sasha: Mine too!

Daphne: Mine too!

Miguel: ¡El mío también!

What We're Reading

Daddy Steve: Gregoropolis is a book loving household.  The kids enjoy reading, and think it's an excellent way to pass the winter hours.

Marta, Kevin, and Kaveh all love trains, so naturally they're fond of the the Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends books.

Marta: Did you know that the Atlanta train system was named after me?

Kevin: Really?  Wow!

Kaveh: Hmmm...

Holly Belle, Frederick, Colin, and Ann Marie have formed a poetry appreciation group.  They're currently studying Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Emily Dickinson.  As you might expect, Holly Belle has plenty of 'insights' that she's more than happy to share.

Holly Belle: Well, what I think Dickinson is expressing here is --

Colin: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Oliver, Luke, and Frank have been reading a book of Oscar Wilde quotations and have concluded that he was the wisest man ever.

Oliver: Listen to this one: "I can resist anything but temptation."

Luke: That's deep!

Frank: Yeah, that definitely speaks to me.

Uli has been carefully studying The Joy of Cooking.

Uli: Ach!  I think I could write mein own cookbook.

Rolf: Ja, ja! You should!

Mod girl Sally really digs the PopArt pop-up book.

Sally: Groovy!

Katy, Sasha, and Miguel are studying all the great works of art.

Katy: I think the Impressionists are my favorites.

Sasha: Me too.

Miguel: I'm drawn to the works of Diego Velázquez, myself.

And of course Mikko, Tyler, Blake, and Rhoda can't get enough Harry Potter.

Tyler: Prisoner of Azakaban is the best!

Blake: No, definitely The Half-Blood Prince!

Rhoda: Oh, Stupefy! you two!