It's Blackberry Juice, Not Blood: A Few From My Birthday | 06.18.12

I had a great birthday.  Tilly and I went blackberry picking at the dogpark, and then we all went out to a late breakfast.  Tilly said something like:  "You are my favorite daddy in the world who goes and picks blackberries with his little Tillybird."  Something.  She's becoming a daddy's girl this week.  

My God there is no love on earth like that you feel for your child.  

Fathers Day On The River | 06.17.12

Emma treated Tilly and me to brunch on a paddleboat on the river today for Father's Day.  It was perfect weather for the three hours we were out on the water.  It was beautiful.  It was a wonderful Fathers Day.  

I have always thought I have the most beautiful daughter in the world.  But I also don't think I have ever seen Tilly look more beautiful than she does in this pic.

God I love her.

Lipstick | 06.15.12

O-Bento! | 06.10.12

There's a great Japanese place right down the street from our house.  We've been there before, but Tilly's dextrous abilities have amped up a bit since last time.  

I'll have one of exactly what I want.

Serenity, huh...so that's what that feels like.

Miso.

Determined.

Success.

Old pro.

Says it all.  The look.

Adventurousness.

Efficiency.

Aussie Aunties Blow In To Town | 05.31.12

Emma's Aunts Colleen and Kathy stopped by last week to meet Tilly, have dinner, catch up, and regale us with stories and observations about their trip around this country.  It was great to see them again.  It was great for Tilly to meet them.  

It's now my much considered opinion that being an Aussie just comes with a fatalistic amount of sorrow (assuming, that is, that you love your family).  If indeed you do love your loved ones, you are bound to be 8,000 miles away from some of them or all of them for some or most of your life.  You get tiny little splashes of time spent with them, like the perfect light on this May evening, splashing the kitchen with light...and then it's gone.    

Death stare practice.

The Matilda Louise Connolly Self Loving Society, May 2012 meeting.

I think we all have photo albums that make us react like that.

Tilly is apparently not impressed with Great Aunt Colleen's masseussing skills.

Gotta love a girl that loves ribs.

Not sure I feel the same about the love of iPhones.  

Grave Crawl VII | 05.28.12

The now annual ritual...

Start at the King Pin Pub in Plato, MN.  

Then to Jessenland...Woody met the relatives this year.

To a bar in Henderson, where Tilly and Jameson broke down in a contagious sobbing war when each was given the other's Marachino cherry.

A playground can salve a lot of wounds.

Then to visit Grandpa Jim.  If only he'd had a chance to meet all of them.