Sixteen

 On this day in 2004, Claire was born. Sixteen years later, Claire has grown into a wonderful young lady.

Emma at McMurtry

So we dropped off Emma at Rice University for Orientation Week. The last picture before she disappeared into their hands. I'm reasonably sure she's studying something useful.

Cap and Gown

Emma in her cap and gown. She's allowed to wear the collar, stoles, cords, and medals that represent  her awards, club memberships, and various accomplishments.

The Dress

For reasons that cannot be adequately explained, Emma's senior prom was cancelled.

But she already acquired the dress.

So, making the best of the situation, Emma and her friends had a mini-prom.

Which meant that she got to wear the dress.

We went to a local park beforehand to shoot a few photos.

And one of the group.

Our First Senior

With a bit of an unexpected ending to Emma's state-mandated education, the high school provided yard signs for the seniors. At the school to pick it up, they had this display.

The poor child had to stand there for several seconds as her mother and I took photos.

The sign in hand, it was back home, where Emma endured the indignity of even more of her parents insufferable picture taking.

And sometime this year she'll get to walk across the stage. I think.

La Jolla Cove

On our trip from San Diego to Los Angeles, we stopped at La Jolla Cove to observe the marine life.

Walking back to the car I spotted this curvy tree.

Disneyland, Again

With three days of tickets and only two parks, we had to choose one for a repeat visit. We chose Disneyland so we could spend more time in Star Wars Land (or whatever they officially call it).

Then we looked for the stuff we missed the first day or things that aren't in Disney World.

One last look at the Princess's Castle.

We finished with a visit to the original It's A Small World.