Will you color with me?

Here's a picture of our friend, Homer Hickam, coloring a royal picture with Princess Maggie. (She laid aside her crown for the evening.) They started the coloring process on the deck, but couldn't seem to find a suitable surface on which to work, so they moved inside. Once they were all settled in, on the right page, there was much discussion as to what color crowns needed to be, whether the picture on the opposing page was a bell or a pointy princess hat, and whether there were sparkly crayons when Homer was little. They then commenced to coloring. (You can't rush into these things...)

After taking this picture, I went out on the deck to visit a little, and from where I was seated, I could tell that Homer was getting filled in on topics I shudder to think about. (At one point, Wayland came out and told me that Maggie informed him that her feet were really stinky, and would he like to smell them?)

Bless his heart, he didn't smell her feet, but tonight when I was putting her to bed, I asked her what the happiest part of her day was.

"Coloring pictures with my friend!"

"What was the saddest part of your day, Mags?"

"When I had to tell them goodbye, and didn't get to wave at them leaving. I want them to come back and color again...."

We've been looking forward to having Homer and his hunting buddy, Frank, to our house for supper for a long time. (I say hunting buddy; they are hunting fossils, so in a way, it's true.) Homer is a retired rocket scientist, scuba instructor, paleontologist and author. He's one of the most interesting people I've had the privilege of meeting, and we've been corresponding by email for several years. It was wonderful to be able to finally see him face to face and enjoy a meal together. And of course, color pictures.

We now proudly display his picture of a prince in a gold crown, with sparkly blue eyes, on our refrigerator! And we're preparing to read all the Josh Thurlow books this summer. I can hardly wait!

Thanks, Homer. And come back for another visit when you can; you are always welcome, here.