As of the middle of August, Will had been at Sandhill for two months, and was really settling in. It was time for another visit from us, but we wanted to share with you some of the photos we got from the staff there that show what he had been up to. They have a pretty big garden where they grow food, and he loves helping out there. Also note the drawing of a pug (we’re pretty sure that’s Hank) and the mustache he rocked for one of his peers’ birthdays.

We visited toward the end of the month. This was our second visit, but some patterns and traditions were already emerging. We definitely spent some time snugged up reading, and helping write postcards to family and friends back home.

We also took Will on an outing. One thing that colors our memories of this visit is that we literally drove straight from Dorothy’s memorial service to the airport to fly to visit Will, so we were having lots of feelings about her. We brought three stones, engraved with the names of loved ones we had lost, hiked to the top of Tomé Hill, and found a nice place to leave them.

Our visits with Will are controlled pretty tightly at this stage, leaving some time for Becky and I to get to know the area. On this visit we hiked Petroglyphs National Monument (which we recommend), and enjoyed gourmet treats like Waffle House (which we don’t recommend) and frozen treats at Rita’s (YES).