May 2:The weather was pretty and it was the first weekend in days not spent supervising or even discussing siding, wood rot, paint, and foundations. We needed out of the house, and in a hurry. Since C&D are enjoying this year’s flowers, we made a quick visit to the Houston Garden Center. We touched and smelled everything, from the roses

to the magnolia blooms in the trees

(Carmen asked Matt to lift her again and again, and made sure I took pictures. Lots of pictures.)

to the sticks on the sidewalk.

A couple of us had a hard time understanding the concept of landscape design, and that we shouldn’t be walking on the mulch. Or maybe they understood, but didn’t care.
May 7:

At the end of the week, we had our foundation stabilized a bit. Our house is built on a mound of soil that has been gradually eroding away. We want to add some soil and a retaining wall, but needed to stabilize the foundation first. It rocks and tilts with every rain and spell of dry. I know this because the doors stick and unstick, always catching us by surprise. The piers should help keep the foundation level, and at minimum prevent the foundation from tilting any further. C&D liked watching the men dig holes, and admired the piles of mud. They also noted that one of the men had a belly button (he was working with no shirt). It’s interesting that other people have belly buttons, too!

May 5:

C&D realized I had a camera in my bag. They wanted pictures of themselves sitting in their carseats. Notice Carmen hasn’t entirely understood the “smile” suggestion when the shutter is about to click. Her head is always forward, her mouth open as she anticipates a chance to see the image on the LCD. David isn’t likely to smile, either. He does like to pose, however. Vanity, thy name is Carmen and David!

Posted 15 May, but time-stamped May 7th to keep the photos chronological.