Click for a fuller-size rendering of the above.
PART 5 - Meanwhile, at home

The above picture was taken on the first day that all three of our kids were back to school, virtually, of course. Our tradition has been to take individual photos with each child on the first day of a new school year, but after walking into this scene at the start the Fall 20 term, I thought it was a more fitting record. Please note this is a single picture taken with the iPhone panorama feature. The break in the middle is the wall that divides our kitchen (right) from our breakfast room (left). I adore this moment and that I could capture it as well as I did here.

Some notes about what you are seeing:

• Our Breakfast Room was converted to a Computer Cafe when we started giving the kids computers. Marty wasn't keen on the idea of them having computers in their rooms (and still isn't). This allowed them to have a computer but have it be in a public space.
• I made the table/desk structures in the cafe from old wooden doors people were throwing out in our neighborhood--a for sure perk of living around hundred year old homes. They are solid wood and super sturdy. The narrow door serving as a monitor hutch on Alex's desk was made from a cute quarter-width pantry door. The legs came from Ikea and were attached in minutes.
• I ordered custom cut glass to sit on top of the paneled doors to create a flat working surface.
• The desk bases were fashioned from some plans I used to make my basement workbench. I also used these plans to make each kid's loft bed/desk combo (which merits its very own write-up).
• Yes, that is a BE KIND sticker on bay's laptop. The only thing missing is her "It cost $0.00 to be nice" shirt.

I think I mentioned at the start of this that all of my children have preferred, if not even enjoyed, remote schooling. They are most thankful to have a lot of the downtime and inefficiency of a school day removed from their routine. I am most thankful that (1) they are responsible when it comes to their work and require no parental oversight to do what is being asked of them (with one exception) and (2) that my children get along as well as they do, especially the boys. I can't imagine how different this would look if Anthony and Alex weren't, essentially, best friends. Hearing the ease and joy in which they spend time together definitey warms a parent's heart. Now, they will on occasion, run their sister from the dinner table with their adolescent humor and silliness. There has been many a night after some of their conversational antics that Bella will push her chair back, say, "Well, I think that is about enough family time for me" and excuse herself from the table.

The exception I note in the prior paragraph deals with Anthony. In the first few days of online school, he figured out how use a video recording as his background image on zoom. He then proceeded to record multiple short videos of himself looking thoughtful and reflective and interested. In each video he wore a different shirt. He had a shirt for every day of the week. And on Tuesday he would wear his Tuesday shirt, queue up his Tuesday background, and then kick back comfortably with his camera off but his video persona representing him. Marty and I weren't sure if we should chastize or compliment him for this 'workaround'. We began to broach the subject but he quickly cut us off saying that's why he had coordinated shirts, if he gets called on, he can switch it over and no one will ever know. I knew all of my kids would out-wit me in time. I just never guessed how quickly it would happen or the myriad of ways in which it would happen.

Now changing gears a bit, I want to mention something about this shift in approach the pandemic forced on us. One thing I don't think has gotten nearly enough credit, like not even close, is America's technology infrastructure. The variety of techs involved in this redefintion of how this nation worked, was quite significant. And, that they shouldered this transition as well as they did, and did so with next to no warning, was kind of amazing.

After the extended spring breaks and when schools had decided to go online, I fully expected to see a major collapse of our country's networking infrastructure. Before this, the most these systems had to manage was the usual sort of internet, social media consumption, and a bunch of people binge-watching Netflix. But now, on this Monday morning where the majority of schools were coming back online, it was suddenly charged with handling all the usual professional and social activities as well as simultaneously streaming content to EVERY SINGLE STUDENT IN AMERICA. That the entire environment didn't just catch fire and burn to the ground is beyond comprehension. How did they not get as much as a single woot for this achievement?

So kudos to zoom. And kudos to all the telecom and wifi providers. Even if all you seemed to get was people nit-picking an oversight of this feature or that ability, I found your products and services to have over-delivered on every front. And I saw your response to this unexpected call to action to have been nothing short of remarkable. Absolutely remarkable. Thank you.

And kudos again to the iPhone panorama feature. Anything that lets me take that picture above with the ease I did, is pretty badass too.