CAMP!!

We decided that this was the summer for Cooper to go to a sleep-away camp!  It turns out, you can go to Rock Springs Ranch 4-H camp (as Alan and I both did for a zillion years), even if you're not in 4-H.  So we signed him up!

Packing:

Getting ready to go!

I don't have any pictures from his four days away, but Cooper reports having a wonderful time.

What I do have is a picture of the AAA guy jimmying the locks on my car after I locked the keys inside when I picked Coop up from the 4-H fairgrounds.

And a picture of the smelly laundry that awaited:

Some new things...

New nerf gun to round out a "terminator" look:

Borrowing Daddy's hat and glasses:

New hat rack for all of his hats!

New magic desk-cleaning wand!

New outfit:

A short stay in Lyons

Alan and I both had conferences at the same time, so Coop when to stay with the grandparents in Lyons.  In addition to tons of swimming, Cooper finally learned how to drive the gator and even practiced going in reverse:

Toasting marshmallows over the grill:

Pallet craft project:

And Vacation Bible School at the church:

Italy -- last day

We took trains back to Rome from Sorrento.  In the Naples station, Coop stopped to play the piano:

The fancy hotel for our last night in Rome:

Tired of selfies and ready to go home:

We made it!

Italy -- Pompeii

The reason we went to Italy -- Pompeii!!

A closer shot of the ruins of the main square with Mt. Vesuvius in the background:

Another part of the city:

Coop running up steps of the theater:

Coop at center stage:

In front of the building that was a court and then later a church (full of judgment in either case!):

Italy -- Sorrento

By the time we got to Sorrento, it became clear that Coop was tired of Italian food!  Hamburger:

Eggs, sausage, toast, bacon:

Apple pie:

Street view:

Orange tree:

And our best meal of the week: spaghetti carbonara at a restaurant called Meeting:

Viva Italia!

Italy -- Capri

From Sorrento, we took a day trip to the Island of Capri.  The downside is that it's an island, and Cooper and I are not boat people:

We took a lot of dramamine, and made it through the day, including a tour around the island:

We took a bus to Anacapri (a town on the island), and from there, we took this chairlift to the highest point on the island:

It was peaceful and lovely!

And it had gelato!

A selfie -- Coop is in the chair behind me!

Coop's new hat from Capri:

Italy -- Rome to Sorrento

After several days in Rome, Coop and I headed south to Sorrento.  Which involved a high speed train ride from Rome to Naples.  But first, nuggets and the Rome train station McDonald's:

The train gave us snacks and water!

From Naples, we took a local train to Sorrento.  Which was insanely crowded:

The entrance to our AirBnb house:

We made it!  Cheers!

Italy -- cooking class

We signed up for a cooking class one evening:

Mixing eggs and sugar to start gelato:

 Mixing pizza dough:

Finished pizza:

Finished gelato (chocolate and vanilla):