40 days and counting

Every year around this time, something strange happens. I find myself smiling more often and daydreaming about fall Sundays and reading the sports section more avidly and buying magazines I might previously have ignored. There are only 40 more days until the Bears open their 2007 season and defend their NFC Championship crown. So when Amber, Sam and myself found ourselves driving right past the Bears training camp on our way back from vacationing in Memphis...well, we had no choice but to go watch practice, right? And hence began what I hope will be a long-standing tradition of visiting Bears training camp and getting an up-close view of the Monsters of the Midway.

- Cliff

A busy month

Sam has certainly kept himself busy during the month of July: eating vegetables for the first time, greeting visitors from all over the country, meeting with family everywhere from Ogden Dunes to Memphis, visiting the National Civil Rights Museum, traveling to his first Chicago Bears training camp...whew. Being seven months old can really tire a boy out. Enjoy this collage of the month's many activities and memories.

Ladies Love Sam

Sam is a hit with the ladies - they can't resist his curly mohawk (see photo essay below), his winsome smile, and the giant globs of slobbers he leaves all over their shoulders. Here's some shots of Sam with his favorite girlfriends.

Photo 1: Sam's oldest admirer is Great Great Grandma Tate - 97 this week! Here Sam celebrates her birthday, along with his Great Grandma Cooksey, Grandma Anderson, and Mom.









Photo 2: We've had a house guest for the last few weeks - Bethany Erhardt, professional cellist. One of the perks of her time with us: live lullabies.










Photo 3: Sam's sitter Emily has a 14 month old daughter, Christine. Recently Christine spent an evening with us so Emily and Ben could enjoy a night out. Here we are, playing in our little front yard.

Mohawk: A tribute

The following Wikipedia excerpt speaks to the origins and significance of mohawks in Amerian society:

"The Mohawk or Mohican is a hairstyle which consists of shaving either side of the head, leaving a strip of noticeably longer hair. Mohawks were a short-lived fad in the mid 1960s. Mohawks became common in youth subcultures in the late 1970s. Throughout the 1980s, they were modified by subcultures within and derived from punk and adopted by various other groups, becoming more diverse in style in the process. Today, mohawks are still associated with the punk subculture, but have become a part of mainstream fashion and are also shared by many other subcultures."

The great thing about Wikipedia is that average users are able to edit/contribute to particular entries. This technology will allow us to clarify that mohawks sometimes occur naturally, no shaving required. In these rare instances, a mohawk-like strip of hair appears on the top of one's head, while the sides of the person's head remain noticeably bare. It's fashion statement , biological marvel and personality reflection all at once. Since only two such instances are documented (Stripe from the movie "Gremlins" and our little wonder Sam), I will need to include photographic evidence on Wikipedia's site. It will obviously be noted that mohawks that are simultaneously natural and and naturally curly should be viewed as symbols of unique spiritual power and status. At any rate, stay tuned to Wikipedia for this graphic evolution of Sam's natural mohawk: