We've been busy the past couple of weeks since we returned from our trip to Utah.
I got just a few days to rest before leaving for Dresden, Germany to give a paper at the university there. Dresden is a lovely city. I was especially excited to see this building, the rebuilt Frauenkirche, that was destroyed in the bombing of 1945 and rebuilt a few years ago. I had to give my paper in German, which I was very nervous about, but the paper went very well and more importantly . . .
. . . the shopping went great. These fabulous Lego-guy headlamps were among the prizes I brought home. You push the button on their shirts and the light comes out their feet. Germans make truly interesting toys. 
Meanwhile, Lucy finished 2nd grade and got to go to Lotus Lake Camp for two weeks. Here she is with her favorite camp counselor, Alison. Lucy was in the horseback riding program and she did very well -- in fact, she got a special award for being the best horsewoman in her group!
She also did a lot of swimming in Lotus Lake and passed on to the next Red Cross swimming level. Her goal for next summer: to pass the "raft" test so she can go out in the deep water.
And Austin's law office has acquired this six foot tall stuffed black bear as its latest decoration. Austin's law partner Scott accepted it in lieu of payment on a case he did for a taxidermist. (I don't know what's more disturbing: the fact that a client thought it would be a good idea to "pay in bear" or the fact that Scott agreed!) Anyway, attempts to donate the bear to various charitable causes have failed so he now stands in the corner of their office reception room where he can welcome potential clients. (The kind that pay in cash, I hope.)
The taxidermist promised Austin and Scott that the bear had a "non-menacing expression." I think he looks extremely non-threatening, don't you? Especially with that pink daisy between its legs. . .
