We All Scream (For Ice Cream)

Daddy Steve: It's hot summer day here at Gregoropolis...

Frank: I got hot playing outside.

Luke: Me, too.

Luke: What are you doing?

Frank: Trying to cool off!

Frank: I think some ice cream would taste good right now.

Luke: Shouldn't we ask Daddy Steve or Daddy John first?

Frank: Oh, we don't want to bother them.

Frank: Mmmmmm, chocolate!

Luke: Actually, I like Neapolitan.

Frank: This is the exact same, just without strawberry or vanilla.

Luke: Welllll, I guess you're right.

Frank: Another scoop?
Luke: Yes, definitely.

Frank: That still doesn't seem like very much.

Luke: Maybe just one more...

Frank: Gee, there's not much left.  We should just finish it off.

Luke: That would be the responsible thing to do.

Frank: Uuuuffff....I'm stuffed.

Luke: Me too.  That was a lot of ice cream.

Anthony: Hello boys.  I've been to the store and got us a little treat--ice cream!  And it's Neapolitan, your favorite!

Back Home Again

Daddy Steve:  Everyone here at Gregoropolis is happy because Daddies John and Steve are back home again after a week-long trip to southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Daddy John is fascinated with genealogy and wanted to do some research on his colonial ancestors.  This meant spending a lot of time at libraries and historical societies, as well as exploring some very old cemeteries. 

We didn't take any of the kids along as we thought they would find it boring (frankly, Daddy Steve found it a little boring at times-but Daddy John had a good time).  The big payoff is that we discovered where Daddy John's 7x great-grandfather was buried in 1730.  It was a little Quaker burial ground in a small village.

Of course, we had to bring back some presents for the kids.  We did have one free day when we went to Newport, RI and toured some of the amazing Gilded Age mansions, such as Cornelius Vanderbilt's home The Breakers.  The rooms were all very grand, but the most interesting was the enormous kitchen with its dozens of gleaming copper pots and pans hanging from the ceiling.  At the gift shop, I bought some miniature copper cookware that was perfectly Sasha-sized.

Emile: Fine copper cookware is an important part of any great French chef's batterie de cuisine!

A stop for supplies at a local Target yielded these little storage units, which are perfect for the boys' bedroom.  Maybe it will encourage them to tidy up after themselves.  Or not.

I haven't bought much in the way of toys for the girls, so I really had to get something for them.  Thank goodness for airport gift shops!  I picked up this Peppa Pig figure at Logan Airport in Boston.

The girls were thrilled with Peppa, and promptly organized a welcome tea party in her honor.

Even Rhoda agreed to attend, although she added her own, unique style to the occasion.

Summer Pleasures

Daddy Steve: Here in Minnesota, where we live, winter lasts a long time.  Through the months of cold and darkness we wait for summer's return.  We wait and wait and wait.

Giancarlo: I don't think summer will ever come.

Strangely enough, when summer does finally arrive, we find ourselves wondering why we were ever so keen on it in the first place.

Ezra: It's too hot out here!

Holly Belle: The humidity is making my hair very unmanageable!

Emile: Ze mozquitoes!  Zey bite and bite!

Rolf:  >Achoo!<  Ach! Der pollen makes me sneeze!

It seems as though we're never completely happy with summer.

Sebastian: Drat!

Daphne: Phooey!

Robin: Why did it have to rain? Our picnic is ruined!

Giancarlo: Why is it so dry?  Our plants are wilting!

Even though it seldom suits us, the summer still seems to go by much too quickly.

Anthony: I'll never get these home repairs done by fall!

Tyler: Oh no!  School starts in just one month!

Mikko: Yikes!

John Martin: You can tell the sun is setting a little earlier.

Duncan: >Sigh<

As usual, Kaveh offers some words of wisdom.

Kaveh: Like all important things, we want our summer to be perfect.  We want every day to be the ideal summer day.  Of course, reality is never perfect.  We can't truly enjoy summer until we embrace that imperfection.

Miguel: Take a deep breath, relax, and let go.

Sasha: Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Music Appreciation 2

Pete Dakota: BR. Hey, BR!

Benjamin Roy: Oh, hi, Pete.

Pete: What are you up to?

BR: Well, Daddy John and Daddy Steve are going to a concert Sunday night, so I was listening to some of the music by the band they're going to see.

Pete: Who is the band?  

BR: Their name is Erasure and Daddy John says they're his very favorite.

Pete: So that's why he's been acting all excited; dancing and singing around the house. 

BR: That Daddy John.  Still listening to CDs.

Pete: I know! Not streaming on his phone or the computer!

BR: What a dinosaur.

Daddy John the Dinosaur presents a musical fun fact:

We're all familiar with the Sasha dolls that appear on the band Yazoo's sleeve for the single "Don't Go," but did you know that Vince Clarke, who founded the band Yazoo, went on to found the band Erasure?

Knockout!

Daddy Steve:  The other day Rhoda came upon Mikko, Tyler, and Blake working out in their 'gym.'

Rhoda: What are you guys doing?

Tyler: >Ahem<  We're doing boy stuff.

Mikko: Yeah, boy stuff.

Rhoda: Dancing?

Mikko: No!  Boxing!  I'm practicing my footwork.  You know...'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.'

Rhoda: You look more like a Junebug to me.

Tyler: Why don't you just run along now.

Rhoda: Those are cool-looking gloves.  Can I try them on?

Mikko:  Oh, alright.  But you know, these aren't the kind of gloves you wear to tea parties.

Mikko & Tyler: Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Tyler: Mikko! Are you okay?!

Mikko: Huh? Wha' happen?

Blake: You look like you're seeing stars; like in the cartoons.

Rhoda: Sorry about that.  I didn't mean to hit you so hard.

Mikko: Um, what?  No, I just lost my balance.  That's all.  I barely felt it.

Tyler: Yeah, he barely felt it.

Blake: Looked to me like he sure felt it.

Mikko: Ah, hey, Rhoda, ah, let's not tell any of the others about this, okay?

Rhoda: Sure thing.  And just for the record: I'm not the kind of girl who goes to tea parties.

Extra-special thanks (with cherry on top) to Marti Murphy for the boxing gloves!

Cowboys

Daddy Steve:  It's just another day out on the range (a.k.a the backyard) for cowboys Bowie and Pete Dakota...

Bowie and Pete Dakota (singing):

I'm an old cowhand, from the Rio Grande

But my legs ain't bowed and my cheeks ain't tan

I'm a cowboy who never saw cow

Never roped a steer 'cause I don't know how

Sure ain't fixing to start in now

Oh, yippie yi yo kayay, yippie yi yo kayay

Pete Dakota: My legs might not be bowed, but I do know all about ropin'.

Bowie: Is that a fact?  Well, why don't you prove it by ropin' that critter over yonder.

Pete: I'll do just that.  Now watch, sonny, and get educated.

Bowie: I declare, that wasn't half bad ropin'.

Pete: Let's see you try it now, tenderfoot.  If'n you can.

Bowie: If'n I can?  Oh pardner, you'll be eatin' that ten gallon hat after you've seen me rope yonder critter.  Here goes!

Pete: Well, shucks, if'n that ain't some mighty fine ropin'.  Put'er there, pardner.

Both: YEEEE-HAAWWW!

These two cowboys were having a mighty good time.  The 'critter over yonder,' however, was not the least bit amused...

Anthony: Alright you two!  Enough of that horseplay!  Untie me now!

I'm An Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande) by Johnny Mercer, 1936

Holly Belle's Cooking School

Ravi: Hello, Holly Belle.  What are you up to today?

Holly Belle: I'm going to teach Rolf and Paul to bake a cake.  The Gotz boys are such good, attentive students.

Patrick: What she really means is that they will believe anything she tells them.

Ravi: Exactly.

Holly Belle: Okay, boys, let's learn how to bake a cake.

Rolf: Ach, sehr gut.

Paul: I like cake!

Holly Belle: Let's get the ingredients out first.

Paul: Uh-oh, we're out of flour.

Holly Belle: Not to worry.  A good cook knows how to make substitutions when necessary.  Basically anything that looks like flour will work the same as flour.  Like this baby powder, for instance.

Rolf: Ahhh.

Paul: Very clever.

Holly Belle: When you think about it, a chocolate-covered cherry is really no different from an egg.  Both have a hard shell and are filled with liquid, with a big gooey thing in the center.

Rolf: Hmmm?

Paul: Ah, okay...

Holly Belle: Make sure you mix everything up well.

Paul: It's hard to stir.

Holly Belle: Now we'll put it in the oven and set the timer.

Rolf: This is exciting!

A little while later...

Holly Belle: All done! What do you think?

Paul: It looks kind of funny.

Holly Belle: Um, well, of course it's not frosted yet.  Let's have a little taste.

Rolf: Blech!

Paul: This tastes terrible!

Holly Belle: What?!?  Oh, I see what you mean.  It really is bad.  That's strange; I can't imagine what went wrong.  Well boys, it's important to remember that a good cook must know how to improvise.  I noticed that Daddy Steve bought some raspberry tarts from the bakery...

Rolf: Ach, ist yummy!

Paul: This is so good!

Holly Belle: Oh I just love to bake!  We should really do it more often.