We got new neighbors, about a year ago. They have a little girl close to Calvin in age. Last year the two kids eyed each other with interest across the lawns, but they crossed the property lines only once or twice. Even this summer there was very little mingling going on, until this week. This week, on Sunday, the neighbors had their inflatable pool set up and asked Calvin to join them. It was a fun afternoon, and the next day the girl came over and asked if we'd like to go to the park. Since then, they've played every day. They usually play in our front yard, riding bikes (it was thanks to her encouragement that Calvin took off the training wheels), drawing with chalk, and playing some totally imaginative, totally absorbing game. They've been inseparable. Her parents have started calling her Hobbes.
