We had a family reunion last weekend and apparently we are descended from monkeys…My kids and their uncle shimmied up and down the lally columns in the basement of the house in which we met.  Isaac has always been a climber so he had no trouble.

Abigail is definitely more hesitant but that’s her nature.  I am not sure about uncle though.  He looks natural in the picture but I can’t speak to his pole climbing experience.  Anyhow, we had a lot of fun at the reunion.  I am not sure if families do this much any more. 

My grandpa’s people (there were 8 brothers and sisters that survived into adulthood) used to get together once a year.  All 200 or so cousins would goof around on the farm, swim in the pool, drink way too much pop from the fountain machine…you know, kids’ stuff.  Anyow, as the number of original brothers and sisters dwindled (my grandpa is the last at 94!), the reunion shrank significantly.  I am partly to blame as I didn’t make the trip back home.  Still, I wonder if it is a fading tradition.  Well, this new reunion is going strong and we surely enjoy attending.  My kids get to be monkeys just like I used to be.  I have learned though…no free soda fountain!

I posted about this earlier this Summer but Emily was awarded the Paul Morris Character Educator of the Year for the state of WV. She was formally presented the award yesterday and we attended a recognition dinner last night. There are some links here and here that talk about her and the award.  I know she hates the pictures and all of the attention but she is a great counselor and a great wife and I am super proud of her!

A while back we took a visit to the WV Capitol grounds and were able to tour and take pictures of the area (and play a little soccer on the grounds).  The Capitol building is imposing at 535,000 square feet but sits upon a magnificient grounds of proportional size.  The exterior is made of Indiana limestone and the majority of the interior is marble.  What we all noticed is how beautiful the golden dome is.  It turns out to be covered in 3 inch squares of gold leaf over copper and lead.

It’s amazing!  In its current form and location, the capitol was built between 1924 and 1932 at a cost of $10 million.  Inside, there are numerous offices but also several displays taken from the exhibits in the nearby WV Cultural Center.  We saw displays on shoes and walking sticks (much more interesting than it sounds) and talked to the folks stuck working on a Saturday when we visited.  It’s really an interesting place to walk through, especially on weekends when it is not busy. We saw tons of beautiful bits of artwork formed into the building as well as incredible craftsmanship around the rotunda area.

Some folks say it is overdone and wasteful but I think it beautifully illustrates that good government should be beautiful and strong, neither extravagant nor cut to the bone.  Meh, I won’t get all political here, but I think the Capitol building is a beautiful symbol of WV!

There is a small town nearby called Clendenin.  Whenever it makes the news or whenever we drive by and see a sign of any sort, we say “Clendenin, Clendenin, Clendenin, Clendenin” without moving our lips.  To be said properly, you must also say it slowly in a monotone sort-of-southern voice.  It’s almost a mental illness with us but we always do it.  Right after college I worked as a laborer with a fella from Clendenin (did you say it correctly?)  and he always talked about where he lived (can you guess where?)  He was fairly country and spoke little except when speaking about Clendenin.  I’ll never forget how he pronounced it and the fact that he started this madness that Emily and I suffer with now!  I suppose every couple has some sort of goofy stuff like this that they do (I hope so or else we are just crazy) that seems to make the kids look at you and wonder if they will ever be normal.  Sorry to say it kids, you have no chance!

What a busy Labor Day!  We did more labor than normal this labor day but had a lot of fun too.  Emily was in the Charleston Regatta parade as usual.  Her school, Piedmont Elementary always enters a float to highlight the great things going on there.  Piedmont is an inner-city school with a very diverse population.

They were recently selected to be a NASA Explorer school.  NASA promotes science and math in diverse schools by providing resources and curricula (and all sorts of other stuff too).  It’s a pretty neat program and has helped Piedmont extablish a science magnet program within the school.  Anyhow, someone at the school came upon a space shuttle which was incorporated into the float for this year.

Emily and the other teachers had a choreographed march they did in the parade.  We had front row seats so we got to holler for her as she passed.  After the parade, we went to the carnival on the river and the kids rode a few rides.

It was pretty hot so we didn’t stay long.  Isaac loved the long slides but Abigail was a little more subdued on the carousel.  We had a great time sending off this summer!