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Like any kid, I suppose, Anthony certainly loves getting new toys. He turned 7 years old recently, and enjoyed opening presents at his little party. But a present from my baby brother and his wife arrived later, and we kept it secret for a while until Anthony's busy school schedule allowed enough time to enjoy it.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 52 mm — ¹/125 sec, f/3.5, ISO 5000 — full exif
What's This Squiggly Line?

I was impressed again that he actually looked at the card. At this age I don't think I ever did, except perhaps to look to see whether it contained money.  He could read his name, but didn't know what the squiggly underline was for, which is what he's asking about in the photo above.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 28 mm — ¹/125 sec, f/3.5, ISO 3600 — full exif
Getting Past the Bubblewrap Defenses

Aunt Natalie is an art teacher, so he's got a sense of what might be coming, and is excited....

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 26 mm — ¹/125 sec, f/3.5, ISO 5600 — full exif
That “I'm Excited, But Don't Know What It Is Yet” Look

These turned out to be Blendy Pens, which he thought were “cool”.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 58 mm — ¹/125 sec, f/3.5, ISO 6400 — full exif
Iron Beads

He has a small set of iron beads like this, but this pegboard is much larger, so he's excited about the possibilities it opens up.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 50 mm — ¹/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3600 — full exif
Silly-Face Maker

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38 mm — ¹/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 5000 — full exif
It's a Beanbag Banana!...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 4000 — full exif
...That's Filled with Letters

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 52 mm — ¹/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 5000 — full exif
Catching His Attention

This engraving thing really grabbed his attention. It's like a cross between tin foil and carbon paper... you use the enclosed tool to scratch lines in a black-covered silver sheet. This one has a sea-horse image printed lightly on the black; when you trace over a line, the resulting scratch is very shiny and bright.

It's a bit beyond his age to do it properly, but he wanted to try. I fetched a high-intensity light from my office and set him up on the kitchen table...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 31 mm — ¹/80 sec, f/2.8, ISO 450 — full exif
Artist's Workbench

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 48 mm — ¹/80 sec, f/2.8, ISO 900 — full exif
Artisan at Work

He wasn't in the mood for photos anymore, so I stopped at that point, but he was at the etching the next day, and I tried again...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 62 mm — ¹/80 sec, f/4, ISO 6400 — full exif
Concentration

Thanks Alan and Natalie! He wrote a thank-you note the evening he opened them, and I'm proud to say that I finally got it in the mail today, so it's heading your way now.