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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.