Hazy, crazy

So hot today there was a heat-haze, and so humid my hair has been curly-crazy like I had a really atrocious perm (no, you don't get a picture).  This particular hot spell won't last, but it may be a glimpse of the summer to come.

Cool-aids

A couple of firsts for the year today, starting with the kids getting back in the pool. Brr, the water is still really cold, but it was up to about 90F out so they could take it.  And air-conditioning on for the first time, cooling the house down before bedtime.

Also today, not for the first time this year...a drive to the airport to wave the Man off - again.  But it's just a short trip this time, he should be back to spend Sunday with us.  I'm hoping he'll write and tell you about where he is tomorrow.

The Man adds...here is a picture taken in my hotel this evening. You're not allowed to swim in this water, but it is very special, being a mix from 1700 rivers and lakes around the world...

 

...including the dear old River Thames, and those other famous British bodies of water: Lake Owego Camp and Lake Parsippany.

There's a big clue in one of these photos as to where I am...

Seoul to Seoul

The Man writes...for my second day in Seoul I hiked up Namsan Mountain and then took the elevator to the top of the Seoul Tower.  From the observation deck 1500 feet above the city it was possible to get some grasp of the sheer scale of the world's second largest metropolitan area.

I then walked down the other side of the mountain, past the Seoul Millennial Time Capsule (to be opened in 2394) to Namsangol Hanok Village. This is a collection of half a dozen restored traditional Korean houses. The interiors were also furnished in a traditional manner, but sadly we were only allowed to peer in, not to enter and try to fully appreciate the atmosphere.

However, I did get to see what the kids do for kicks in this part of the word:

Musical babies

As I've mentioned before, the Boy's music teacher is very much pregnant.  Today (to her relief, I'm sure) was her last day at school before maternity leave.

The Girl's Irish dance teacher is also expecting a baby soon, so this evening was the last dance session for a while.  The students' moms all clubbed together to buy a customized green onesie and bib printed with a Celtic knot and the legend "Born to dance" (no pressure, kiddo).

And yesterday we received an email from the Girl's skating coach letting us know that her new baby boy had just arrived.  Happy news!  I hope she'll leave it a couple of years or so before she tries to find out if he was born to skate.

If it had been any 'otter...

...there's no way the Man would have made it round the whole length of the Bethlehem Memorial Day Parade today.  That is quite a cosy costume he was wearing, and if the temperature had edged much above 70F he wouldn't have lasted the hour it took to wind up and down the streets past the cheering crowds.

But he did a grand job, hamming it up in style (now I know where my son's dramatics come from).  He was happy to oblige all the kids who wanted to high-five him.  Not just little kids, some quite big people too. There were also two rather attractive lady fire-fighters who wanted their picture taken with him.  Hm, I never imagined I'd one day say to my husband, "Well, that's nice, but don't let me catch you cuddling pretty girls when you're not dressed up as an otter."

There were nine of us in the Parade representing Friends of Five Rivers, but the Man really stole the show for us.  What a wonderful husband I have - otterly awesome!

Art and Seoul

The Man writes...last weekend I found myself completely unexpectedly in Seoul. My first stop was the National Museum of Korea.

Apparently it is the sixth largest museum in the world and a sign outside claims that is exactly the twelfth most visited. Inside there is an overwhelming collection of thousands of Korean artifacts from ancient to modern times, including works regarded as national treasures.  But the building itself, which is around ten years old, is also very impressive.

Travel Times

It has been a rather dismal day here, cold and very wet, and brightened only by the return, eventually, of our favourite Man.  For reasons too tedious to go into, it ended up taking him longer to get from NYC to Albany than it did to get from a somewhat remote town in Korea to New York.  But he's back now!  Hooray!

He had an unscheduled couple of hours to wander the city - can anyone recognise what he saw?