While Kyle and Nico were in school and I was at work, everyone else went to the beach where Maya and Mario found this decapitated head, which bore a strong resemblance to Rory.

Maya is delighted to take on the role of big sister/mother in training. She has been extraordinarily helpful and seems to be enjoying every moment with her younger cousins.

Both girls are drawn to Nala who has been very accommodating of their attention.

This is older sister, Sophia. She has the most beautiful eyes and a bright personality to match. We engage in long conversations on topics of great importance such as the correct color of a banana. The more softly I speak to her the more exaggerated her facial expressions become. A future in acting will be one of many options she has in front of her.

Yesterday I focused on the boys. Today we turn our attention to the girls. This is the youngest cousin, Rose. She is an adorable little force to be reckoned with. Her parents describe her as willful. Her teachers describe her as smart but lacking a single ladylike bone in her body. She has decided I am similar enough to my brother in appearance and sound to warrant calling me papa. I am obliged to follow all orders I receive from her.

Rory, Mario, and I watched as Nicolai’s soccer team closed their season with a 1-1 tie. We had many opportunities to secure the win, but each slipped away. After the game, the team posed for photos.

If you can imagine a cross between Sumo wrestling and platform diving, then you will immediately recognize the game of King of the Dock. Kyle was dominant but not invincible as each boy in turn was dispatched into the cool water only to come back for another attempt on the King.

 
Nico arguably has the best volleyball technique of the bunch and made many nice spikes, digs, and blocks throughout the match. He and cousin Rory worked together for several nice bump, set, spike combinations.

 
Air Mario leaps into the sky for a spike during a competitive game of sand volleyball. The party was held at a local pond which has been the subject of many photos I have taken over the years. One of my teammates has a house here with exclusive rights to use the beach area for parties.

This muscle flexing among the cousins is not a new phenomenon. Here is a photo taken a decade ago featuring the same group plus my sister’s son John. It scares me to think what this group will be up to in another decade. Some may even have little muscle men of their own.

The boys did not require much encouragement to flex for the camera and fortunately for followers of this blog, I was not drawn into this particular activity. A closer inspection of the six packs will require you to enlarge the photo by clicking on it.,

My brother’s family is visiting for the next week although he, unfortunately, is unable to join them. Pictured here are my two sons on the left and my two nephews on the right (nieces and their mother are spending the day with Maya and Jeanine at the Willard Carnival). We are attending an end of the season soccer party for my team. This morning we had our last home game and finished in style with a 4-2 victory. My knee is still not 100% but I was able to provide two nice assists.

The guilty party was this coyote who was hunting in our newly mowed field. Nala’s electric containment fence is the only thing that spared this fellow a skirt with death. What Nala’s breed lacks in social skills it makes up for with raw speed and agility.

Nala alerted us to the presence of an intruder on our property as dusk arrived.