Breaking in the swim team suit

Check out Grant in his swim team suit sporting about 3% body fat! We closed down the pool tonight. Spencer and I hit tennis balls and had such a good groove going. He's gotten really consistent and is so much fun to hit with!

Final hours of the school year!

Today was the second-to-last day of school for the kids and the last day of the HAE Green Club. Here's a few cute photos. I did a little demo/lesson on fuel cells then the students went to the green house and loaded up on plants to take home! Lots of good stuff to plant this weekend! Mrs. Utzinger, a HAE 4th grade teacher, worked hard to get the club going this year and I'm glad I've had the opportunity to participate with the kids!

Getting to know the summer students!

The last few days have been spent getting to know the 33 amazing students, who are here from other universities as well at VT, to participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program. I have chief responsibility for the 12 students in science and engineering fields who are focused on fuel cell research. On Monday we hiked to the Cascades, in the Jefferson National Forest, and yesterday we participated in teambuilding activities and seminars at the Selu Conservancy in Radford.

Chess!

Today the boys met with Chuck for chess lessons, which they were very much looking forward to. They began at 10:30 and I had to leave at 11:45 for tennis. When I finished a bit past 1:00, Robert reported they were still working! I don't know how Chuck can keep a 6 & 8 year old interested in anything that long...he's a miracle worker with enormous patience. I can see the kids taking pride in what they are learning, a fun thing to witness! (Note the dog under the table; everyone participates!)

Last night Spencer and Grant met and played with the new neighbor's boys, Carter and Liam. They hit it off with them big time, and they are such nice boys. Spencer reported that Liam is his "twin" because they are both very intellectual (at least in their own minds!). Their parents are quite cool too, so I see lots of fun times this summer for all the neighborhood families.

Harmony among the pets!

To think that I worried about whether our pets would get along! Clearly, that is not an issue!

String Theory/Quantum Mechanics

The Elegant Universe - string theory, quantum mechanics. The string theory is about strings of energy that vibrate and stretch. Every thing is made of strings even black holes! A special type of string is a graviton. It has 11 dimensions. Click The Elegant Universe for more information.

Quantum Mechanics and String Theory

By Spencer

Piano recital, first chess lessons

Today was Grant's first piano recital, held at the Kroontje Center at Warm Hearth, where about 20 residents watched. There were seven children and he went third. Each child played two different pieces and Grant's were God is so Good and Bingo. He took command of the piano - no hesitation, self-doubt, or concern. He didn't even want help juggling his books. Afterward we enjoyed refreshments with the other families. Big thanks go to his fabulous and patient teacher, Darlene!

God is so Good


Bingo

The kids also started their chess lessons with CR and loved it! They worked for two hours, focusing on puzzles, checkmating with a king and rook, and getting started on the Free Internet Chess Server. Their homework is to play three games on the computer and email them to CR so they can review them next time.


The last bit of news is that Trixie is an official graduate of Doggie Obedience Class! She (with Robert as master) did very well and she is ready for the next series of classes that will be off-leash.