Duncan bids farewell to Arbutus Middle School

Grade 8 strings serenading us at the beginning

Today was the Graduation/Recognition ceremony for the Grade 8 class at Arbutus Middle School. 

 We were told it should be "semi-formal"... Duncan decided that might mean a step up from his usual sweatpants and T-Shirt, so we did head off for a bit of shopping to get something a bit more 'styling'.   Here are some photos from the event!

Duncan walking across the stage to shake his teacher's hand (Cathy Nelson)

Uumati came to the party!   She just got her hair dyed blue!   Yea!   Another girl in the club!  Check it out!

While Duncan is super stylin' in the new clothes (he hates that phrase), Uumati probably wins the prize for best dressed female (and smartest vintage clothing shopper!  Check out the David Bowie styling on the jacket!)

I supposed I have to concede that Duncan is finally taller than me.  How did this happen!?

He is also significantly taller than Katie! (she is my new 'executive assistant' for those of you who haven't met her yet... you will get a chance this summer)

And here is Duncan with his Principal (Mr. Powell) and his grade 6 teacher (Mr. MacKinnon)

One last fun note.  In addition to having a dance, and kareoke, they also had a Photobooth set up, so you could go in and get (free) photos with your friends.  What a riot!

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Rebecca and Kelvin

Dear Dad: There are lots of things to thank you for on this day.

Amongst them, thanks for teaching me how to think and learn.  I live my life by two of your sayings:
1.  There are no bad questions
2.  Words don't have meanings, people have meanings for words.  

Rebecca and the sockey doll

I am reminded everyday to try and hear questions (especially ones i don't like) with an open heart.  I am reminded every day to ask myself if others and I are using words in the same way.

Thanks for letting me monkey around in life! ....or at least tolerating it even if you didn't love it!  :-) 

Arta and Kelvin on the beach at the lake...

Thank you for wrapping me in blankets of and word and song. Thanks for reading aloud and singing to me (to us kids!) as a child.   Thanks for not only reading us The Lord of the Rings, but also for singing all the songs.  Thanks for giving me an abiding love of words: poetry, plays, prose, essays.

Thanks for surrounding me with books -- both ones i could read, and ones whose titles and authors i could not pronounce.  I mean seriously, Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles?!  What kind  of names are those?  (I remember pronouncing as "Ayes-CHAI-lus", "YURI-pedes" and "Suh-FALK-You-Leez").

Alex, beardless!?

Duncan, with haircut!?

Thanks for falling in love with Arta, and giving us a wonderful mother. 

Thanks for the great genetics, that I got to pass on to those two wonderful boys of mine (with some help from Steve, of course!)


I love you dad