Hat Thievery

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous summer day here in Northern Virginia, and we spent most of the afternoon in an outing with our local grandchildren to Burke Lake Park, a great (free!) picnic and fun location not far from our house. We enjoyed a picnic lunch, rode the train and the carousel, and visted the open house display by the Fairfax County Police Department, but the high point of the afternoon was ... as it often is ... a spirited game of "Let's Steal Opa's Hat."

Ever since I developed the solar panel on the back of my head, I've taken to wearing a floppy sun hat while working in the yard or spending time outdoors. My granddaughters Leya and Elise have decided that it's great fun to play keepaway with said hat.

First, of course, you have to catch Opa ...

Once you've caught him and stolen his hat, you need to make sure he can't move fast enough to get it back ... either by attaching a high-energy grandchild to each leg ...

Or by just weighing him down ...

Elise is never satisfied with just one hat when others are available ... mama's cap was up for grabs, too ...

Elise gleefully points out that ha-ha-I've-got-your-hat-and-you-don't. 

Elise's dad told us one time that we shouldn't bother with setting up a college fund for her - given her mischievous nature, a bail fund would probably be more useful in the long run. True dat!

That was yesterday. Today we'll celebrate Leya's sixth birthday with a tea party for Leya and her friends. This ought to be interesting. 

Have a good day, and enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo