Young Swimmers and Old Souls

 Just a little snapshot entitled, "A Day in the Summer of the Dopps."  Here, my latest, greatest idea.  A cooler full of drinks for Cherry Hill.  It so much more fun than...not having a cooler full of drinks at Cherry Hill.  Notice Tizzy is in her floatie suit, which enables her to float on the lazy river with Xanthe while I drink all the drinks in the cooler.  They go around one time, check in with me, and repeat.  All day long.  Also notice that my foot is STILL in a wrap because it never healed.  Eventually, I'll probably go to the doctor, who will tell me to ice it and take ibuprofen and wait. :/

Ruby's sunglasses just spontaneously snapped, so I put them on after she rejected them.  One lens is better than no lenses, especially at Pirates Cove, where eye patches are all the rage!

 Ari looks so cute in her new suit!  We hit a sale one day at Downeast and nabbed a few new suits cheap.

 One night, Scott texted and asked what our plans were for dinner.  I sent him this picture.  Nothing is as good, easy or cost-effective as David's Pizza.  If I call him as we're leaving The Hill, dinner is ready when I get there.

Another night, we did this.  Some Kings came over and Freestone grilled up some burgers and dogs.  (Scott was watching the NBA draft at Iggy's with his dad and brothers, leaving the grillmaster job open.)  There were a few glitches in the grilling.  The first burger Free tried to flip ended up in the gully.

 The same night as the bbq, Ruby had a recital for her students.  They started filtering in as we were wrapping up King festivities upstairs, wiping off the counter and replacing the trays with a new batch of cookies for the recital-goers.  Tricia had just arrived from Miami, and she and Jim were able to stay for the recital to see Esmae and Ruby play.  I was so proud of Ruby!  She hosted the recital so gracefully and her students did very well.  She is a really good teacher, and her studio is quite robust.  She has 12 students and a waiting list, and I'm trying to convince her to raise her prices.  She is every bit as good as teachers (like me) who charge 10 times more.  Her response is, "But what if I charge more and they can't afford it and then they never play an instrument?"  There are so many things to love about that statement, I could burst.  Ruby truly cares about her students and their families.

 Six of the students earned their "Twinkle Trophy."

 When it was Ruby's turn to play, Tziporah walked up to her and said, "It's my turn a sing, Wooby."  As Ruby played her piece, Tizzy made herself comfy on the bench and hummed along, occasionally belting out a random word.

 It's easy to see how compassionate and patient Ruby is, in everything she does.  Hosting a recital in front of a roomful of adults, she calmly let Tizzy jostle her, sing in her ear, and hog the spotlight.  It doesn't matter what Ruby played, or how it went.  It just matters that, at that moment, Tziporah felt special, and everyone in the room saw Ruby's beautiful spirit shine through.  Isn't that how it is in life?  In the end, the only thing that matters is how we treat people.  How can Ruby be so young and embody that idea so completely?  She is a old soul, and her mother is continually in awe of her spiritual maturity.  (And her guitar playing.)