Toddler on a Mission

Isaac's all about education. He's educating his poor benighted parents on the subject of the terrible twos. Jay waited until he turned three to become obstinate and strong-willed. Isaac, my friends, is another story.

Thankfully, we've seen this animal before, though the last time one appeared, he was about six months older and 10 pounds heavier. Carrying flailing, screaming Isaac upstairs and dropping him in his crib is, well, child's play by comparison. [Not fun, but familiar territory in any case.]

In a few years, he will have caught on that screaming "I want insert widget here" will not get him the widget. Sooner, if we're lucky.

When he's not screaming or ignoring instructions, he is (of course) a charming little boy. He was pretending that a bundle of crayons in his hand was a telephone and saying, "Hello, police? The monkey ate all the grapes.", which is a twist on the "Hello, police? This is Isaac Carlisle Baxter. Jay Bear [pronounced 'Burr'] is in trouble [with Mama]", which he plagiarized off of Jay's version (in which Isaac was in trouble or screaming or something). He's an adept little mimic.

Maybe he can be VP someday...

Mebane Presbyterian

Our local Presbyterian church is indisputably the loveliest church building in downtown Mebane. The Victorian section is replete with stained glass and features a lovely, complex roofline and a stately tower. The more modern colonial style sanctuary (not shown) distinguishes itself from the pack by the exceptionally graceful spire (below).

Mebane in March

North Fourth Street

Our house

Dogwood Festival 2007

Dream House

This house is catecorner to the playground, so I can drool at it in between watching the boys.

West Holt Street

This is the house we had a contract on for a few months at the beginning of 2006. The new owners have removed the odious aluminum awnings and replaced the battered (and beebee-ed) vinyl siding with more vinyl siding, but the structural issues our inspector pointed out seem to have gone unaltered. My The House of a year and a half ago is now a rental property. *Sigh*

Santa Rage. Once we see this in Iraq, I guess the war will be finally over.

Clay Street, July 4, 2005, 9 AM

This is the view as we approach Clay Street from our house. These buildings are on the Eastern side of the one-way block of Fourth Street. The more successful businesses are across the street...







Here you can see the nice contrasting brickwork in one of the buildings above.












This is the opposite side of the block, where there is a computer store, an antique store, the Fourth Street Bar and a very chic gift shop.










This is the facade of the gift shop, Solgarden.