New punching bag

The new punching bag doesn’t stand a chance against the onslaught of attacking hobbits!

Greek Hoplites

Seimi and Eejee want to be Greek hoplites for Halloween this year, so the Mayor got started early with the costume-making to allow the hoplites to train up. Here's Eejee helping sketch up some preliminary concepts.

Seimi reading up on Alexander the Great while his Corinthian-style helmet is being worked on.

Ela testing the helmet fit.

Ela helping with the hot gluing for the chest armor.

Greek armor finished and ready for the Sons of Thunder!

Phalanx formation!

The young hoplites.

The small blue hoplite in his treehouse.

Greek shipmates

Addendum: Ela helped Seimi decorate his treehouse, so here it is in full Greek galley splendor. Notice the ram at the bow, the painted eyes, and the row of oars.

Treehouses at 100%

July 22 start to September 11 completion.
Close to 200 Mayor/hobbitling hours.
So worth it!

Start of Term Feast

Tuesday was the first day of school, so we decided to have a Start of Term Feast. Here are the owls and a bat circling the table, waiting for the feast to start.

Multiple delicious courses being prepared in the kitchen.

 Feast time!

Each of the pupils was "sorted" into their respective grades by Howard the Trunk Monkey, based on his ability to peer into their heads and discern the types of things they are ready to learn. Here's Eejee being sorted into pre-K.

Seimi was sorted into Second Grade.

Ela was sorted into Fifth Grade.

Boookie was sorted into Seventh Grade.

Hooray for school!

Treehouses 99% Complete

As the summer has come toward an end, work has steadily progressed on the treehouses. The hobbitlings have all helped in their own ways. Boookie has grown in stature, strength, and in usefulness as an apprentice carpenter. He's progressed to the point where the Mayor will just line him out and say, "I want 40, 8-foot 2x4s, and make sure they are straight," then the Mayor wanders off to keep shopping at Home Depot while Boookie selects the lumber and loads the cart!

Ela has helped with organizing and sorting lumber, as well as making measurements, doing drilling, and other odd jobs.

Seimi and Eejee have mostly helped by staying out of the way of construction.

Eejee's treehouse is intended to be somewhat suggestive of an elephant (helped here by "ears" cut out of the old sled).

Here are some photos of progress

As the fall rains returned late Friday afternoon, the Mayor got the last piece of roofing installed.

 Ela's treehouse

 Peeking up through the trapdoor into Boookie's treehouse

Looking over at Seimi and Eejee's treehouse complex

There are a handful of boards for the Mayor to trim and a couple hundred screws to grind from the bottoms of the roofs, but we're basically done for now. Stain will come later, as will the growing list of features and improvements.

Time flies

Eejee wearing Boookie's old Carhartt jacket while Boookie wears his current version (purchased in the Men's section ::sniff::).

For comparison, check out Boookie wearing a similar sized Carhartt just a few years ago.

Fall!

Quoth Boookie and the Hobbit Wife:
“Nothing says Fall like the Mayor listening to Husky football games while cooking huge vats of delicious food.”

A man’s place is in the kitchen.