Ann and I wanted is summer to take it easy and stay at home. No traveling or working at other. Theaters. We have ended up working here in town helping out with the local arts program/
Summer camp. I am teaching two classes for the 6th grade and up crowd, while Ann is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in the organizational end of things. So I am done by 11am or so and Ann is done by 1pm on some days. Although what is the most tiring part is having to wake up at 7 every morning, let me tell you.

What I have been working on some afternoons is the foundation of our house. Previous owners had piled dirt up to high near the back wall of the kitchen, which resulted in the sill plate rotting completely away. So this wall of the house was being supported by the memory of what used to be there. Lucky one of our friends is a great contractor, one that knows his stuff and returns phone calls (which in Rockbridge County is really hard to do especially if it is deer season), and I am assisting him on it. It is funny that I can know so much about scenery construction, but can feel like I’m flailing the dark when it comes to foundations and stuff. Maybe my trepidation comes from that this has to be secure for more than a couple of months (like a typical theatre thing).

This while thing has totally delayed our planned deck, but it needs to be done. The plus side is that we are putting a bunch of insulation under the house and around the plumbing under the kitchen, so that should make life easier in the future. We also put in one of those electric pipe heaters (pipe wrap?) to keep the water running to the kitchen from freezing in the winter.

So that, plus the heat wave and me working out in the yard during it, has taken up all my time lately. Hopefully I’ll be able to get my summer research project back on track, and also get my 3d printer cranking Things out again.

We had graduation last week. So the school year is officially over. Graduation pictures can be seen here. It is interesting to be a part of this historic school, something I never thought would be me. I am not a person that is interested in pomp and circumstance, and I have never cared about appearances. That is entirely evident if you have seen pictures of me in high school… or college… or grad school.

But anyway, there I was sitting in an academic gown watching these preppy kids (predominately preppy some are actually normal) get their sheepskin diploma. Yes they do really have a real sheepskin option. I thought it was pretty amazing, my college graduation was in a basketball arena that I had never set foot in before, and I didn’t go to my grad school graduation. So being a part of this formal graduation ceremony is weird for me. What makes it weirder is that this is now a part of my normal school routine.