This is summer.....

And......



Summer, the puppy, belongs to the Horning family.

Mrs. Horning was Henry's first grade teacher, and I had the great privilege of getting to know her when I volunteered in her classroom almost every week this past year. Mrs. Horning is the kind of teacher that sets the bar so high, that every other teacher will be compared to her for the rest of Henry's school experience - - ("Well yes, that was my Harvard microbiology professor who just won a Nobel prize in medicine.  But, did I ever tell you about Mrs. Horning in first grade?")

Really. She's that wonderful.

At the end of the school year in June, I mentioned that I was toying around with this photography thing and Mrs. Horning graciously agreed to let me drop in one evening and use her family as my test subjects. 

(Okay, okay.....I'll stop calling her Mrs. Horning.  Those old grade-school habits die hard for me).

On a warm evening a few weeks ago, I stopped by for pictures, and Beth (!), Chris, Simon and Emma were beyond charming and welcoming.  So much so, that I wanted to put the camera away, wait for cookies to come out of the oven, and then head downstairs and watch the Twins game with them.  They were my kind of family.  And Summer (the dog) was as much a part of the family as anyone.  (In the photos below, be on the lookout for wayward snouts and tails.  Summer clearly wasn't photo-shy!) 

As Beth and I planned beforehand, the family spent their time just as they would on any summer evening.  And I snapped away.  It was perfect!

We started outside in the backyard.....







































And then we headed inside to the kitchen.  I wasn't kidding about the cookies.  (Grandma's recipe, I understand!)











 





No surprise here - - Simon and Emma are huge readers....(I bet they finished the library summer reading program, unlike the failed attempt at our house.....)





During the course of our evening, I think Emma gave me one of the nicest compliments I've received to date: "This is the most fun I've ever had getting our pictures taken."

I pretty much felt the same way - - Most fun I've had too!! 

My thanks to all of you!!