He is a Cadet

My #1 son has finally broken out of the VMI Rat Line and become a full-fledged Cadet.  His girlfriend took this picture of him looking all "studly"... (her word, not mine).  He is a Cadet - he was a boy when he arrived in August... now -- now he is a Cadet.

Breakout was HARD.  They worked together and succeeded.

He is tired and dirty! Boy, am I glad I don't have to do his laundry!! Getting that red clay out of their clothes is not easy.

The Rat Mass is now officially the Class of 15!!

This honor comes with privileges! They can refer to themselves in the first person. They can walk through barracks in a normal fashion - no straining, no following the line, no pushups. They can call home whenever they want. They can eat like normal people and they can walk pretty much where and how they want. The best part? They can take afternoon naps! (Not that my boy can take naps, he's got class in the afternoons... doesn't it figure?)

Congrats, my boy!!
Thanks to Courtney and Jake for the use of their pictures!

Fractals on the Pool

I love the way the ice formed on the pool cover. The texture is amazing.

I like the way you can see some leaves in the ice, too. It almost looks like the leaf is blowing off a branch.