departing, arriving

Matt left early Wednesday morning for a trip to the western mountains.  I heard from him yesterday and then received these two photos around noon today.  Unless he happens to cross an area with a weak cell signal somewhere back in those mountains I won't expect to hear from him again until Saturday.

This kind of travel feeds his soul.  And I know - wherever he is - there's a big smile on his face :)

There are plenty of smiles on faces around here too.  The exact same day that Matt departed.... my parents arrived!  Mom and Dad have been in Asia for four months already, so they are jet lag free and eager to join right in to all the fun.  We've had two gorgeous days, pleasantly warm and sunny.  The perfect welcome for a six-week stay here in town!

Dad is teaching basketball, Mom is teaching crochet.  They're practically on staff with our little home school :)

Perfect timing, since we could use some fresh legs here for the final laps of the race!