Puddle Hunt

There was a gentle summer thunderstorm this morning which was wonderful in that sleep-in-and-listen-to-the-rain-on-the-roof kind of way, but not so wonderful in that meet-up-at-the-park kind of way.  Of course, the latter is what Joe and Clara had plans to do with Graham and Connor this morning.  Instead, they came over to Raleigh House.  By the time they arrived, it had stopped raining, and the world was puddle-wonderful.*  And you know what that means, Fans: we're goin' on a puddle hunt.  We're gonna  find some big ones.  And we did.  Especially on Graham and Connor's old block on which they have been reinstalling drain grates, and where they had not yet resurfaced the street, and where we thus found great big "orange puddles," otherwise known as standing water.  The gang charmed many a passerby in his or her car.

The hunt begins.

Great big orange puddle. (It's true.  Joe and Graham have the same shorts and shoes on.  Their mothers have great minds that think alike.)

Motley crew.

It must be noted that it was Birdie who showed the boys how to tame the puddles hunted.  Our Bold Girl was (naturally) the first to step into the big orange puddle and splash all around.  (She also mucked around in plenty of muck.)

She's in!

Eventually, one of the four found some stray piece of concrete from the newly poured curbs and curb cutouts, but there were plenty more from where it had come.  Big splashes and lofty lessons about gravity, as well as more prosaic lessons about not throwing rocks while our friends are in front of us, followed.

Whoa.

So, too, did a hose down in underwear back at the ranch.

Hose down.

Just think, Fans: it was only a year ago that Joe and Graham were hunting down fire hydrants while Clara and Connor were napping, or were pushed along in their sporty (or macho) red roadsters.  Oh Fans.  It went by fast.  As  fast the 15 years that have passed since their mothers' friendship began.

*e.e. cummings.  Good stuff.