Neighbourhood in spring

The days are getting more reliably fine, and we are deeply enjoying life in our neighbourhood. Huge trees, gardens vivid with new green and walls of color--azaleas, rhododendrons, tulips, lilac-- including ours, which is full of flowers, including a sea of white irises. It is truly beautiful. Everyone is out in their gardens and the kids are playing outside and in the alleys. We've taken the weekend easy.. since the film festival has started, we've been swapping off kid-care and catching some films. We played some ball in the alley, the kids played in the garden and with the neighbours, and Anselm rode his bike up to Volunteer Park where we met Sophia and family. While I was at my movie, Blaise walked Eliot down to their place where we all met up for a magnificent dinner Saturday evening-- gin and tonics in the garden, homemade pita, and grilled salmon with Craig's amazing marinade. The kids disappeared into the neighbour's yard to play with their kids.. magic.

Today we walked down to play at school, and there we bumped into John, William and Thomas. Anselm joined their game of T-ball, along with another second-grader who happened to be there.. lots of fun for all the kids. We are especially lucky to have Vios and Volunteer Park Cafe close by, and always meet someone we know there, or someone new (usually thanks to Eliot's gregariousness).