Vacation IV

We have actually been back home since Sunday, but have only now had the chance to recap everyone (as if you are sitting on the edge of your seats;) on the homestretch of our vacation.

We flew back to B'ham and stayed the night before driving to Columbia, SC where our dear friends live. We had to pick up Tsuga in Greenville and this made an overnight stay in SoCar perfect. As if we needed an excuse to visit...

Thanks so much for entertaining Alder on the swing set,

on the trampolineand with a box of musical instruments.

And thanks also for entertaining us adults with awesome Indian cuisine and late-night ramblings...

We so enjoy spending time with you guys and hope our fall break beach plans work out!!

We left SC mid-day on Sat and arrived in Greenville that evening to pick up our long lost pup. Alder was sure to let us all know how glad he was to reunite with his best bud. Tsuga, on the other hand, seemed less than thrilled to leave his indoor palace and return to a loud baby that pulls his hair and offers him toys to eat....
Satellite also got a taste of Alder for a few minutes and was quite tolerant.
And Grammy and Pa Pa, thank yall for coming to visit the morning we headed back.

Vacation III...Grand Isle

My parents own a fishing camp in Grand Isle with another family and we have started an annual tradition of going down there each summer to fish, hang out on the beach, play games, and spend quality time together in general. It is so great to get together away from our respective homes and associated stress and really relax and enjoy each other.

For those of you who do not know where Grand Isle is - see the green arrow on the map below:

It is very near the mouth of the Mississippi River: offshore oil rigs are visible all along the horizon and the oil industry is very present. On a more positive note, the landscape is very marshy and beautiful and the place is teeming with life. This pic gives some idea of the nutrient content (and sediment loading) in the mouth of the Mississippi.

Generally, water in satellite imagery is black, because it absorbs light waves, and reflects none back to the satellite. Rather, when water bodies contain various amounts of particulate matter, like nutrient-(and pollution-) laden sediments, it reflects light waves and results in vivid colors in the imagery. These nutrients provide the foundation for thriving communities of marine and estuarine life.

The next pic is to give everyone an idea of what a fishing camp in Grand Isle looks like: up on stilts to prevent major damage from hurricane-related flooding.

Here we are are about to embark on Alder's first boat ride. He was a bit tired and not so impressed, but wait until next year! Marilynn just turned 3 and was very sweet with Alder.

We also spent a good bit of time each day on the beach. Alder really enjoyed this! We loaded up the wagon and headed out. Alder found all the beach debris to be much more fun and tasty than the plastic toys we toted out there.

But most tasty of all was......the sand. Silty, brown... nutrient-rich... sand.

YUM.

Elizabeth, Granna and Grandad...Thanks so much for a great time and all of the hours babysitting so we could go fishing! We miss you already and can't wait until we see you again.

Marilynn and Charlotte.....thanks for showing Alder such a fun time. He will be more gentle and not pull your hair next time we see you!

I think the appropriate term for this portion of our trip would be "Too Much Fun!" and as a result....we are all beat!

Vacation II

We arrived at Granna and Grandad's VERY excited to see Alder and he happily greeted us. Indeed he has developed a much greater desire to, not so much an ability to, talk. So he tries to mimic every word we prompt him with, not knowing and not caring, that most of what he says sounds like the same 5 or six babbles. He's trying though. We can approximate that he still says "ca" about 50+ times per day in reference to anything with wheels (or circular structures)...it is kinda getting old.

He is also very generous with hug and kisses these days, which is wonderful for us!!!


While in Birmingham, we played and tickled and laughed a lot to make up for lost time away from him. Sprinkler time in the backyard....yes that is a ponytail as his hair is quite long now.

He is SOOO much fun and a total ham after having full-time grandparent attention for a few days. Anything he does that he thinks is cute, is followed by a glance to the closest adult and a big smile with scrunched nose as if to say.....'yup, I know that was really cute and now you will laugh and smile too..." Pretty spoiled, but cute nonetheless....

After Alabama, we flew to New Orleans, to arrive precisely, fortuitously, on the birth date of the some of our best friends' first born. Moreover, our hotel was less than a block from their hospital. What odds! So we had a nice visit with them, catching up on life for the first time in over two years. Wonderful.

Some additional exciting news regarding Alder's progress with signing: While in a restaurant in New Orleans (Superior Grill on St. Charles) Alder finally started signing "please!" We were so excited. After months of US signing, he is now frequently signing "please" and "milk" and attempting "cracker". The rest will come soon.

Vacation III from Grand Isle will be posted shortly.

Vacation Part I

Well our summer vacation has begun. We will try to update periodically.

First stop was to drop off the dog. Thanks Travis and Tom for meeting us in order to make our trip shorter and thanks Ana and Travis for taking such good care of Tsuga. We will not be surprised when he wants to be adopted by you guys who have more time and energy for him these days....

Second stop was Asheville, NC. It was nostalgic and quite nice to wake up here after a long evening of driving (Alder sleeping...at least a little) and get coffee at Malaprops while sifting through cool books.

Next stop Knoxville! It had been over a year since we moved from this great town and it was so nice to spend some QT with friends we had not seen in too long. Thanks Lara and Biff for the hospitality - keepin' it safe with good food, good wine, and most importantly...good times. A funny side note: we have known Lara and Biff for around 8 years (from our Boone days) and we have not once seen Biff not wearing his favorite hat!

Jason and I are now in Chattanooga for the Society for Conservation Biology meeting. Alder is with Granna, Grandad and Aunt Eli....we miss him terribly but are enjoying the opportunity to go out and get a beer and sleep until 8!

Alder continues to be so pleasant and fun. He barely fussed in transit and seems to make a good impression on all the folks he is meeting. He is laughing and 'talking' up a storm. Reports from the grandparents say that he is saying new words by the hour! We got a call two hours after separating from him announcing that he was saying 'umbrella!" Yeah...and a two syllable 'aan, aa' is certainly him saying 'granna'....;)

More to come....and that was a joke about Biff's hat.....

Independence Day Fun

We love our neighborhood. It's not the southern Appalachians with a creek in the back yard, but there are lots of kids and huge trees. An annual 4th of July parade is pretty cool too.

I can remember sitting on the back deck with an itty bitty Alder last year and listening to the raucous go by. This year it was fun to pull an ogling Alder in his wagon. Blue shirt and red wagon is the extent of our decorations...it was pretty last minute.

Another noteworthy event - we pulled out this hand-me-down toy into the front yard and found out that Alder is not so far off from walking after all! Well, it will likely still be a few months, but this is progress, right?!

Vanity?


Or a trapped house fly?

Rash and Lentil Walnut Burgers

So, the fussiness has been attributed to a virus that is wrapping itself up as an odd rash. Uggh. Here are some picks of what such a rash looks like if any of you need a diagnosis. It is apparently no longer contagious once it reaches this stage.




Also, we have come to terms with the fact that 13 months is kind of a tough (albeit fun and very cute) age. He is becoming quite strong-willed and tantrum-like behavior is beginning to show itself. Dramatic, head-thrown-back whining, especially when hungry and tired (if only he could sign and tell us so!!) Being held is sometimes effective, but a walk outdoors and talking about trees, birds, Tsuga and of course...cars....seems to help most of all.
Playing in a plastic pool on the deck was also a hit for a while...he actually dunked his forehead into the water very carefully and enjoyed watching the water trickle down his face.

And finally, we made some lentil walnut burgers tonight that were very good and pretty easy. I will let you know if Alder likes them. We ate after he went to bed for the night. He has pretty much been eating what we eat these days - curried lentils and super garlic whatever! He smells the best at day care!!

Here's the recipe from my staple - The Moosewood Cookbook:

I doubled the recipe and we have plenty of leftovers.
Tip: Saute veggies while lentils cook.

3/4 c dry lentils
1.5 c water
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 c finely minced onion
4-5 large cloves of garlic, minced
10 large mushrooms (I used an 8 oz pack of portabellas in the doubled recipe)
1/2 c very finely minced walnuts
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
black pepper to taste
1/2 c fine bread crumbs or wheat germ (I like both ways)

1. simmer lentils in water until water is almost all gone. transfer to bowl, add vinegar and mash well.
2. cook onions in oil for 5 minutes. add all remaining ingredients except bread crumbs and saute for 5-10 minutes.
3. add saute and crumbs to lentils and mix well. Let cool for ~ 1 hour.
4. form 4 inch diameter burgers. Fry or broil on each side until crispy on outside ad heated through.

Serve on whole grain bread with your choice of cheese, condiments (home-made BBQ sauce is my favorite!), lettuce, etc...we had a side of locally-grown steamed broccoli!

Enjoy!