magpie bessie

a landmark proposal

2012-02-02T20:30:00.000-05:00

My brother recently introduced me to the wonder that is the Smyth Natty Boh/Utz Girl ad campaign. Having moved away from my childhood home over 20 years ago, I was not aware of this landmark proposal on North Charles Street in Baltimore, MD. On a recent trip back, my brother showed me the billboard, advertising for Smyth engagement rings, "Where Baltimore gets engaged."

I was --and still am, of course-- utterly charmed. The combination of two beloved Baltimore/Mid-Atlantic states brand icons make for a perfect regional hook for sweethearts looking to tie the knot. Romantic Mr. Boh of the National Bohemian Brewing Company proposing on bended knee to the ever-blushing Utz Snacks Potato Chip Girl. Bliss!

Happy James Joyce Birthday

2012-02-02T10:34:00.003-05:00

Read up on your Joyce!

***************************
Updated to add:
Rabbit liked my little James Joyce doodle and decided to make one too. Here it is(Joyce has a better tie):

Boy

2012-02-02T10:33:00.000-05:00

By special request, an embiggened version of Rabbit in the playstructure.

Hop Scholar

2012-02-01T15:10:00.000-05:00

A full two years after deciding to start a beer blog, Steve and I finally have a posting to share over at Hop Scholar.

If you like us, like beer, and/or like our beer, please bookmark Hop Scholar and look for more postings on beer, brewing, and living a hoppy life.

Hopefully, we will post again sooner then 2014! ;)

1932

2012-01-30T13:23:00.000-05:00

Pop-pop Elmer (top row, 2nd from the right) and his mates, the officers of the "Fighting First" Infantry, Maryland National Guard, at Camp Ritchie, MD, 31 July 1932.

This is a detail from a much larger photograph.

Props to my eagle-eyed Mother(Elmer's daughter) for correcting my previous, egregious, typo in regards to this image. Thanks Mom!

Extraordinary: The Conference of Birds by Peter Sis

2012-01-27T15:55:00.000-05:00

"The Conference of Birds" by Peter Sis

Quite simply, a treasure.

Reading Polo

2012-01-27T15:47:00.000-05:00

Rabbit, reading "Polo: The Runaway Book" by Regis Faller. "Polo" books are pretty much perfect for anyone, but most especially for the pre-reading set, who get to follow a complex, intelligent story by themselves. A good thing for a burgeoning reader to feel s/he has ownership of a book and story without parental involvement, I think.

Rabbit never noticed me taking this photo.

Happy Birthday to Pop-pop, from Rabbit and Bear

2012-01-25T16:32:00.000-05:00

Bear continued in his fashion well after I stopped filming. Dedication to craft.

Artist/Engineer

2012-01-25T10:36:00.000-05:00

First his picks a color from the container, colors with it on the paper, then sets it carefully and thoughtfully in his "line."

Bear is a great maker of "lines," creating them with matchbox cars, Star Wars guys, legos, crayons, tator-tots, etc. He is very precise about them and will tolerate no outside input. He has his method. Don't mess with his vision.

Spy Pond, fade part 2

2012-01-25T10:30:00.000-05:00

Back in November, I posted a selection of images of Spy Pond illustrating the fading of color from early to late autumn. Today I found that the same scene is vibrant in it's own way:

my Sailor Twain cameo debut

2012-01-25T08:19:00.001-05:00

I am absolutely thrilled and delighted to share my Sailor Twain cameo debut! You can see my gloriously hatted mug on the sign in the upper right corner, hawking our beer to the denizens of World's End, home to the Mermaid in the Sailor Twain comic. Here is the direct link to the full page: http://sailortwain.com/blog/2012/01/25/sailortwain336/

Screen grab from webcomic Sailor Twain; design, artwork, and story by Mark Siegel.

What transpires in these panels is a bit complicated to explain succinctly, but as you can see, a mermaid is very very angry. I encourage you to find out why for yourself by reading the FREE webcomic: Sailor Twain or The Mermaid in the Hudson. It is a rollicking good read with fantastically imagined characters and an intriguing mystery, not to mention great musings, history, back-stories, and commentary "Below the Fold"(the accompanying blog to each new page). You lucky reader, you!

I knew that I would show up in the pages of the story eventually, and had a sneak preview of what my cameo would look like: http://magpiebessie.blogspot.com/2011/05/i-oughta-be-in-pictures.html

Here is the link to today's page, with my cameo: http://sailortwain.com/blog/2012/01/25/sailortwain336/#comment-10228

Here is my first post about Sailor Twain: http://magpiebessie.blogspot.com/2010/02/sailor-twain-or-mermaid-in-hudson.html

Here is the post about our sail on the Hudson aboard the Clearwater with Mark Siegel and many wonderful fans of Sailor Twain. Steve and I brought beer! http://magpiebessie.blogspot.com/2011/08/sailor-twain-and-clearwater-sail-hudson.html

Percolator

2012-01-22T08:26:00.000-05:00

I am a bit late to the bubbly wonder that is the percolator app for iPhone. It is a really nifty little toy/tool for making images. Here is this morning's ice on our old windows:

And here is the same image, processed through percolator:

Not necessarily a better image, but interesting. I think I am going to have fun with this app!

preschool photogs

2012-01-20T17:14:00.000-05:00

We scored a nearly mint VTech Kidizoom camera at our local library thrift store, and are well on our way to kids making their own photos. Stay posted for images from the point of view of Rabbit and Bear!

"take me picture"

2012-01-19T11:03:00.001-05:00

The boys fluctuate between this and "no photos Mama!" Already, they are already savvy managers of their public images.

planes, trains, trucks, cars, and a cat

2012-01-15T15:32:00.002-05:00

The day was a freezing cold 18 degrees Fahrenheit, so the boys got very creative with the items at hand, in the space we have. Oslo helped.

Annual Holday Beer Tasting Party

2012-01-13T21:17:00.003-05:00

This unglamorous photo documents the holiday brews we served at our annual Holiday Beer Tasting Party last Saturday night(7Jan12). It was a great time in no small part to the fabulous folks who attended, contributed tasty victuals and libations, and helped us drink this beer. Whoa.

Back Row, L2R: Noel des Geants, Jolly Pumpkin Noel Calabaza, St. Bernardus Christmas Ale, Anchor Our Special Ale 2011, Brasserie DuPont Avec les Bons Voeux 2009, De Proef Brouwerij Snowball Saison, Troegs Mad Elf

Second row, L2R: Petrus Winter #9 Ale, De Ranke Pere Noel, The Bruery Four Calling Birds, Ommegang Adoration, Anchorage Brewing Whiteout, Fantome de Noel, Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper, Full Sail Wreck the Halls, Saint Landelin Speciale Noel, DeGlazenToren Canaster, Jenlain Noel

Front row, L2R: Sierra Nevada Celebration, Corsendonk Christmas, Batemans Rosey Nosey, Sam Smiths Winter Welcome, Ipswich Winter, Mendocino Oatmeal Stout, Oppigards Winter Ale, Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale, Steve's Homebrew Persephone 2010, Steve's Homebrew Sugar Plum Fairy 2010

Now, to recycle this collection! Time to plan for next year! Wheee!

loss

2012-01-13T10:29:00.000-05:00

Our family suffered a tragic loss this past weekend, and it is difficult to slip back in to a normal routine with the heartbreak, pain, loss, and confusion that this death leaves behind. Fiercely love your loved ones. Cherish your dear ones. Forgive.

N, may your memory be a blessing.

Totoro love

2012-01-05T17:18:00.000-05:00

The Totoro hat is a bit on the huge side, but it is crazy cute!

Cursed Pirate Girl

2012-01-04T16:41:00.001-05:00

Allow me to introduce you to the wonder that is Cursed Pirate Girl, by Jeremy Bastian. It is nothing short of a masterpiece of graphic story telling and illustration. It is my new favorite treasure on my bedside table.

Here is a peek at the inside artwork:

I am not going to do a full review here, but only wish to encourage that you seek out the Cursed Pirate Girl for yourself. If you ask me nicely, I will let you see my copy! ;)

Apparently, there is a 4th chapter of Cursed Pirate Girl in the works. I. Can't. Wait!

An interview with the artist Jeremy Bastion can be found here.

The original kickstarter campaign page(which I totally missed out on) can be found here.

Army Guys

2012-01-03T16:38:00.000-05:00

A while back I lucked into a huge box of classic plastic army men at our library thrift store. It is a colorful and motley assortment of army guys, cowboys and Indians, Civil War soldiers, Revolutionary War soldiers, Corsairs and medieval Knights. There are even some tee-pees, horses, cannon, fences(plank, sandbag, barbed wire, etc), tanks, and jeeps. Nirvana on the playtable:

Where to start?

Setting up a campaign:

The good guys are blue and green, the bad guys are the other colors(more or less):

An epic battle of mythic proportions:

Between these army guys and the legos, I have effectively given up on vacuuming the playroom floor. Henceforth, we will be using a rake!

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T19:48:00.000-05:00

The start of a new year is a fine time to take a good look at yourself and say "Hi there! Whatcha wanna do this year that's FUN?"

(I am still looking for the cord to this old camera so that I can download all of Rabbit's photos, which include many self-portraits, pictures of Bear reaching for the camera, plates of favorite foods, toys, and TV weather reports. )

flashback to September

2011-12-29T09:03:00.001-05:00

Our friend Brian just sent over a batch of photos that he took way back in September when we were all in New Hampshire for a two-family camping and hiking trip.

Photos that include both Steve and me with the boys are pretty rare, so I am especially grateful for this nifty family portrait taken at Square Ledge:

Included in the bunch of photos was this little gem of a just-turned-2-years-old Bear. Look at those chompers!

Thanks Brian, and Kristy too! Please again soon!

Happiest of Christmas Eve Nights

2011-12-24T18:36:00.000-05:00

The Arctic Marauder

2011-12-23T13:09:00.000-05:00

The Arctic Marauder by Jacques Tardi

Originally created by Jacques Tardi in 1972, this 2011 re-issue of his satirical, proto-steampunk adventure comic is a fantastic addition to any comics/graphic novel collector's library. The Edwardian-inspired scratchboard artwork and page design are exquisite and inspirational. The translation(from the French) feels a bit spotty at times, and the story is a bit wonky in the way that such period adventure tales tend to be; you sort of need to commit yourself to enjoying the ride even if it doesn't always make sense. Unfortunately for this reader, the book ends abruptly, and I am not aware of a sequel, but it was very fun read and an extraordinary feast for the eyes and imagination.

Here are a couple of purposefully blurred photos of pages from "The Arctic Marauder" to give you a sense of what the artwork looks like:

Linked here is a comprehensive list of Tardi's other works, including the much loved Adèle Blanc-Sec series, "It Was the War of the Trenches," and "The Bloody Streets of Paris."

Bear's version of a Christmas classic

2011-12-22T13:32:00.000-05:00

Upon being handed a jinglebell ring, Bear broke out in song:

What he currently lacks in enunciation he makes up for in volume and enthusiasm.

And I am re-posting this video from a bit over a year ago, because it bears repeating and is freakin' hilarious. Amazing how time passes so quickly sometimes.

Big Slides

2011-12-20T15:01:00.000-05:00

This morning we visited the newly opened Big Slides at Robbins Farm Park. It was a huge hit with the boys, who gladly ran up and slid down the hill at least 20 times each!

Here is Rabbit doing a Backwards Belly Slide; note Bear's tiger mitten waving bye-bye on the left and a peek at Boston in the background:

Both boys down the hillside slide:

The photographer was knocked over with a two-kid tackle-hug once the boys got to the bottom. Life is good.

Jingle Bell Run

2011-12-18T16:22:00.000-05:00

Today I ran my first race in a very long time: the 5K Somerville Jingle Bell Run. It was a seasonal 24° in the bright morning sun, and I had a great time running with all of the Santas, reindeer, snowflakes, Christmas Trees, driedles, giant snowballs(an Avalanche running team), and even Cookie Guys.

It was an impressive crowd of happy people(note the heavenly-lit Santa):

I was particularly impressed with a small herd of Reindeer who ran the race with a very loud Santa; I think they sang for the entire race.

At the end of my run, this was a most lovely site to see:

Cookie Guy

2011-12-18T09:41:00.000-05:00

When Bear asks for a "Cookie Guy," it is difficult to say no.

I usually give us all a Cookie Guy and chalk it up to Holiday Cheer!

Camera bug

2011-12-10T17:19:00.000-05:00

He is actually taking some great photos with this old camera!

Holiday traditions

2011-12-10T09:11:00.001-05:00

Each morning brings a new goodie to add to our Playmobil advent calendar, and the boys jostle to place it in the diorama and rearrange things around in Santa's post office. It is not always as peaceful a process as you see here, but I hope that someday it will be as fond a memory for my boys as it already is for me.

Jumpin' Jingle Bells

2011-12-08T10:18:00.000-05:00

Rabbit specifically asked that I record him singing Jingle Bells this morning, so here you go:

We are not lacking for Holiday Spirit in our household!

something interesting

2011-12-05T10:15:00.000-05:00

Seasonal recycling

2011-12-04T11:26:00.001-05:00

To better extend a sleepy Sunday morning, I broke out last year's Playmobil Advent calendar set and put the boys to work on setting it up:

Steve helped too!

It was a surprisingly smooth project, with only minimal cajoling to share(a real achievement for the sub-5 set!). The key to our success was seperating the set into two parts and giving each boy his own tub with critters, trees, food and stuff. Rabbit got the Santa and Bear got the biggest Deer, so both were happy.

The Forest critters and Santa will enjoy another season of wonder and joy.

Anyone willing to bet on on how many tiny Playmobil bits go missing between now and the new year! ;)

Paperbag Project

2011-12-03T13:52:00.000-05:00

Aside from being the purveyor of such fine holiday treats as Dark Chocolate Star cookies, Trader Joe's also does parents everywhere a great service by printing craft projects on their shopping bags. We made a lovely garland with the side panels of the bags from our last shopping trip. Cut, color, sparkle glue(let dry), cut again, roll and tape: a great two day project for Rabbit!

Playmobil Advent Calendar 2011

2011-12-01T11:18:00.000-05:00

December First brings the start of one of our holiday household traditions: the daily popping-open of doors on our Playmobil Advent Calendar:

This year we have a Christmas Post Office set, and we will be posting the photos each day(as we are able) to a new flickr set.

Please join us as we find new goodies every morning until Christmas day! The boys will be taking turns this year, which will be an adventure in-and-of itself! ;)

We did this last year, and it was great fun for everyone.

bug catcher

2011-11-28T14:20:00.000-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend, but somewhere along the way Bear caught himself a little bug that made him very sad this morning. He didn't eat a bit of oatmeal, toast or (gasp!)egg, and only wanted to be held by either Steve or me. When he finally allowed himself to be de-barnacled, he wanted to be tucked in on the couch:

Ways to go downhill

2011-11-27T20:00:00.000-05:00

This morning we played at Robbins Farm Park, which is located by a nice big Hill which boasts a sweet view of the Boston skyline:

There are endless activities for the Hill when you are a young boy, chief among them are the following:

Run down the Hill:

Roll down the Hill:

Shout at the top of your little lungs and run down the Hill:

Both boys had good naps after our Hill adventures.

Cookie Respect

2011-11-22T15:47:00.001-05:00

I have a re-affirmed, heart-shaped, sugar-sprinkled respect for bakers of cookie-cutter-shaped sugar cookies. For such a simple batter, it sure is an involved process from bowl to baking sheet. Then the post-bake decorating.....with sugar-crazed boys.

I felt a bit like the Little Red Hen, except that I had oodles of help for the mixing and the making, the rolling and the cutting and the baking. I had eager architects for the frosting and the application of colored sugar. I had ecstatic taste-testers of the final product. I had zero helpers for the clean-up, which I can assure you was epic.

I consoled myself with a Millennium Falcon* cookie.

Yum.

*Special thanks to Scott for the Millennium Falcon and Tie-Fighter cookie cutters! It wouldn't be the holidays at our house without Star Wars cookies!

Bear leaf run

2011-11-20T18:37:00.002-05:00

Mac leaf run a video by magpie bessie on Flickr.

a very brief video of a quick little run

snooze-ville

2011-11-17T10:30:00.000-05:00

8 PM, ready for tucks:

7:15 AM, time to rise and shine:

fade

2011-11-17T10:21:00.001-05:00

I like this alternate view of my pond. The shift from lush color to the bleached hues and bare branches of of late Autumn are a bit more dramatically illustrated by this corner of the pond. The following photos were taken on 14 and 19 October, and finally this morning, 17 November.

I have a photo of this scene from 14 October too, featuring some of our grander pond residents.

Playground blessings

2011-11-16T13:13:00.000-05:00

Bear, doing his best saintly blessing schtick; Rabbit in the background, in a moment of meditation.

Hassock Parkinglot

2011-11-14T20:20:00.000-05:00

The boys were well occupied parking cars while I was making dinner this evening.

See-Saw

2011-11-12T14:42:00.000-05:00

Steve was on the other end of the see-saw, making it (gently) pop up!

Moon over Spy Pond

2011-11-12T09:20:00.000-05:00

The Moon was still up at 6:30 this morning, just as the sun was breaking the horizon and lighting up Elizabeth Island and the far shore of my pond. This morning's photo marked my 134th image of Spy Pond. I am pretty happy with this little project.

This morning also marks my "nearly half-way" point in my C25K training; my run this morning was #13 of 27 training runs, in preparation for the Jingle Bell 5K. So far, so good! I am very happy to be running again!

11.11.11

2011-11-11T08:38:00.000-05:00

There are three reasons to be mindful today.

The first of the three reasons is that today is Veteran's Day. Today we honor the men and women who have served in our country's military, both in times of war and of peace. We will be going to our town's Veteran's Day Parade this morning to cheer and honor the members of our town who have served and are currently serving. We also will be remembering to love and honor peace. Honoring Veterans and loving Peace are not mutually exclusive.

Here is Rabbit in his Great-Grandfather's Army jacket.

Also, the singularity of 11.11.11 is noted and celebrated as Nigel Tufnel Day. Rest assured that we will be turning it up to eleven all day today.

Finally, 11.11.11 is a day to celebrate the king of all fabrics--Corduroy! Did you know that there is a Corduroy Appreciation Club? Indeed, there is, and they are celebrating today as well.

Brothers, 1Nov11

2011-11-01T18:53:00.000-04:00

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T18:50:00.002-04:00

We had a very fun and busy Halloween this year. I did not get as many photos as I would have liked, but here are a couple.

Rabbit was Wolverine. He was originally very excited to have the big claws that go with the costume and are iconic to the Wolverine persona, but after an hour or so, he said "No wonder he is so cranky. I can't do anything with these darned claws on my hands!" It was the sort of moment that a mother treasures.

Bear was Batman. He was not as excited to get into costume, but once in, he did not want to get out. He went out without the requisite headgear and opted for his favorite red hat instead. Here, he is chilling on the couch after a little trick-or-treating at our local businesses in town. He had a great time once he realized that we were going to be saying "Hi!" to a lot of new people!

After a quick dinner, Rabbit and I went to the best trick-or-treating street in town(just around the corner) and got busy with the business of the day(sans claws). However, Rabbit's idea of trick-or-treating was to sit and chat with as many people as possible on their porches. Topics of conversation included lightsabers(how they work, what sounds they make, who has 'em and what the colors mean, etc), Wolverine and the X-Men, Scary Things(ghosts, skeletons, spiders, creepy hands, googlie eyes, etc), cats, robots, Halloween decorations, and how to make a good hot cocoa(you MUST have marshmallows). It took us a solid hour to go half a block. The boy knows no strangers, as they say....

Snuggle puppy pile

2011-10-30T17:30:00.000-04:00

The first set is Bear and I with Charlie the Train, then Rabbit joined us for a serious snuggle...

Snowctober surprise

2011-10-30T12:44:00.000-04:00

As with much of the East Coast this weekend, we got a dose of winter weather last night and woke up to snow on the day before Halloween.

We scrambled into our snow-duds and went outside to play in the heavy slushy snow before it melted away into useless puddles. As was the case last year, Bear was not so sure how thrilled he was with the snow:

Rabbit was completely thrilled and started in on making snow angels:

His younger brother eventually joined him, but did not quite have his method down:

Bear felt a lot better about the snow when he could whack it with a bat:

Our most favorite big-boy neighbor came over and helped us build a snowman:

What an awesome October snowman!

He has wings and a propeller:

Post snow, the boys came in for a hot shower and some frothy hot cocoa with marshmallows:

Digging for the melted marshmallows is the best part!

Pumpkin heads

2011-10-29T21:08:00.001-04:00

The annual "No, you can't have that knife" Pumpkin Carving Party was a fun success! Here are the boys sizing up the pumpkins:

I had been assured that I would have plenty of help gutting the gourds, but when scoop came to shovel, my helper told me that pumpkin guts were "too ookey" and that I would have to do it all myself. So here the the pumpkins, all scooped clean

Luckily, Bear helped out a little bit:

I had the boys draw on the pumpkins prior to carving. We used washable markers, which was perfect for this endeavor...

...especially since not all of the marker made it onto the pumpkins:

Not many photos showing the actual carving of the pumpkins; my hands were full of pumpkin pulp and the boys were running around being spooky. But here are the finished jack-o-lanterns in all of their glowing glory. Happy Halloween!

Halloween crafts 2011

2011-10-26T15:21:00.000-04:00

Today we have cold sloppy weather and a sick kiddo in house(Bear), so today is the perfect day for a big art project. Today we embellished a paper mache skull and some pumpkins with decoupage.

We found the skull and pumpkins locally at an arts and crafts store, where I also bought some special decoupage glue and an assortment pack of tissue paper. First, I let the boys color on the skull and pumpkins with magic markers; this was a good way to let Bear be included, as the decoupage part was a bit much for my under-the-weather 2 year old. Some of Bear's magic marker actually did make it onto his pumpkin!

After everything had been drawn on, I brought out the glue and tissue paper and we got to work!

After a full morning of gluing tiny pieces of tissue paper to the skull and pumpkins, as well as shirts, tables, noses, milk cups and nearly cats, the finished Halloween decorations look great!

A couple of crafty noggins:

Star Wars Spaceship Schematic

2011-10-25T16:41:00.001-04:00

I think that the recent inclusion of the "Star Wars, Episode I, Incredible Cross-Sections" book to our home library is responsible for creating the boom in our household spaceship drawings. Rabbit happily "reads" this book for hours, then happily draws these amazing images of imaginary spacecraft. It is a beautiful thing.

Ammonite

2011-10-25T12:05:00.000-04:00

Rabbit with his playground chalk Ammonite drawing (and still with the purple vampire teeth).

Eternal Youth is No Picnic

2011-10-24T08:18:00.000-04:00

The Postmortal by Drew Magary

This book rocked my world for just over 300 pages, then it stopped rocking and sort of just slipped into a ho-hum formula that was fine, but forgettable. The conceits explored in this story of life everlasting were fun and horrific to noodle over. The language is snappy and modern and the story moves at a good pace, until that silly ending. The good news about the end is that the power of the ideas in the story persist beyond the last page. It is a good little page-turner and I think you will like it!

Football!

2011-10-23T21:38:00.001-04:00

Sunday afternoon, post-playground, all of the fellas clambered onto couch and watched some football...

Uncle Scott

2011-10-22T21:02:00.001-04:00

Post-playground, tuckered-out boys camped out on Scott(visiting with us this weekend) to watch some Scooby Doo and Batman videos.

Teeth

2011-10-22T20:54:00.003-04:00

Rabbit was thrilled with his creepy purple teeth; much growling and gnashing occurred while we were at the playground.

Meanwhile: Bear, not quite so assured with their application, was happy to have his own set of creepy teeth too. He doesn't really look it here, but trust me--if he did not have his own teeth, he would NOT be happy.

Kick the tree

2011-10-22T20:44:00.000-04:00

I love this image. I remember this feeling. It does not seem so very long ago.

Grave expressions

2011-10-18T15:48:00.001-04:00

I found myself with some solo time in Concord MA this morning, and found some interesting faces in my travels about town. Concord has many wonderful places to visit, and I spent my time drinking coffee, browsing bookstores, and lurking in the ancient graveyards. This first set of photos is from the Old Hill Burying Ground:

This is a little panorama from the top of Old Hill, featuring the Concord Powderhouse(built circa 1810), which was indeed used throughout the 1800's to keep their powder dry(the living folks more so then those in the ground):

And here is a small set from the 'cross town South Burying Place:

Here is a defaced gravemarker; whether by nature or chisel, I do not know, but it has a dignity despite it's dishevelment:

The Town of Concord quite rightly works hard to protect the old graveyards, and they make surveys to track the condition of the individual stones. It makes for interesting reading(especially if you scroll over to the inscriptions listed on the right of the chart).

Happy All Hallows!

eggs

2011-10-16T09:38:00.000-04:00

Bear likes eggs. He can go through as many plates full of eggs as you give him. Here, you can see him with a full plate, a nearly empty plate(tiny bites!), and pushing his empty plate towards the bowl of scramble for more:

Atmosphere

2011-10-14T12:08:00.001-04:00

I love when it is foggy and thick, and the everyday places seem wilder and more magical.

Some Canada Geese flew into my Spy Pond photo; this one was truly a lucky shot:

A bit off to the right were three Swans, heads tucked under wing and sleep-floating. Then those noisy Geese showed up, and one Swan popped up to see what the ruckus was all about:

A bit later, we drove Steve to work and found the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge and most of Boston completely socked-in:

A view that usually includes the city of Boston, taken from just over the canal at Fort Point:

All photos were taken with my iPhone and produced with Instagram, which pretty much rocks my world. It never fails to amuse me that I spent so much time, effort, and money on photo school, and today all of my best images are made with my cellphone! :)

Running partner

2011-10-12T12:57:00.002-04:00

I am trying to start a new good habit, and I've got a partner to help me keep moving on my exercise plan:

Currently, I am walking and taking "running breaks" with Bear in the stroller. It is tough work pushing him, but I am hopeful to keep up some positive momentum towards more regular exercise.

Apple Pickin'

2011-10-08T18:37:00.000-04:00

We made our yearly trek to Honey Pot Hill orchards today; it was a glorious 80 degree day, very different from last year when we were all bundled up for our orchard adventure! We had good picking for Macoun, MacIntosh, and Courtland apples, as well as Bosc pears. The trees were heavy with beautiful fruit:

Pickers tall and small, ready for work:

Cider doughnut break(still warm); fresh doughnut eating is very serious business:

Rabbit with a perfect apple:

Apple mission accomplished, Bear takes a car-snooze:

Halloween crafts

2011-10-07T11:43:00.000-04:00

A spooky little crafts diversion:

05 Oct 2011

2011-10-05T18:29:00.000-04:00

Imperial Keys

2011-10-05T10:40:00.000-04:00

My keys have joined the Dark Side of the Force:

Not only is this Darth Vader a Fearsome Tiny Menace on my key-ring, he is also quite handy and helpful: his feet light up!

Brothers, 4Oct11

2011-10-04T17:32:00.000-04:00

Halloween Face

2011-10-03T13:37:00.000-04:00

Rabbit has taken to magic-markering his face in the manner you see below. He says that it is a fierce face for Halloween.

He does this himself, without a mirror, and without an okay by me(or, in the case of today, his teachers!), but I figure October is pretty short at this point, so my Halloween-ready, fierce-faced boy may look like this for the next several blog posts(you can see another day of ferocity here)...

I have hidden our permanent markers in a safe, undisclosed location until further notice.

Moving House

2011-09-30T06:49:00.002-04:00

Moving House by Mark Siegel

Rabbit and I tore into this delightful book as soon as it crossed our threshold, and we loved it. The story of a family that is packing up and moving house, and the children --and the house-- that conspire to stay together, is a fun read and a deceptively simple story. There is a lot happening beneath the words and around the corners of the images; as author Mark Siegel explains in this snippet interview, moving house has a lot of meaning to young children, and home means more then just a place you live.

This is wonderful book that reminds us to be "at home" with ourselves and our families, and that a true home travels with us.

View all my reviews

puddlestomp and paddlesplash

2011-09-29T09:23:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, stomping a puddle with your frog boots is just not enough; sometimes you need to splash with your hands too.

Visit to the Indian

2011-09-28T10:14:00.002-04:00

Believe it or not, this morning was our first visit to the Indian this school year.

We have been here before: here and here.

friends

2011-09-26T18:48:00.001-04:00

Steve and Bear

2011-09-25T19:49:00.000-04:00

playground

2011-09-23T17:13:00.000-04:00

A pano of our playground, just before the rain.

serious Rabbit

2011-09-21T17:45:00.000-04:00

Spy Pond iPhone Panorama

2011-09-20T12:38:00.001-04:00

A friend turned me on to a nifty little app for iPhone that creates panoramas(thanks Kristy!). Not bad for a cellphone camera!

This was taken very haphazardly this morning on the way home from school. I am pretty excited about the possibilities with this fun little camera tool!

Wheezy Bear

2011-09-20T00:18:00.000-04:00

My little Bear boy is sick today after our fun camping weekend, and has pretty much spent the day as you see in these photos: on me, either facing out or in, but always ON. Never OFF.

Much as I love this kid to pieces, 35 lbs of wheezy, runny-nose, unwilling-to-move-boy makes for a long afternoon.

Radeke cabin visit

2011-09-19T23:56:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, we packed up the kids and headed up to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. We camped out with our friends B and K and their 2.5 year old daughter S, in the Radeke Cabin, which is just off the Kancamagus Highway near Conway NH.

The mountains were a heck of a lot colder then our hometown, so the boys donned sweaters, puffy jackets and hats, and Steve built a fire in the stove. The boys watched in rapt attention.

Once our friends arrived, the kids shared a moment of stillness and quiet while we set up the cabin, thanks to the ipad:

A bit later in the evening, our cozy fire and nicely lit mantle:

The boys all snug in their sleeping bags on an air-mattress with friends Radish and Puppy:

Our friends brought up some nice libations to share, and this one was pretty much the best:

Day #2, a happy hiking boy:

All three friends, who were far too busy to stand for a group portrait:

Bear and S, sharing an amiable moment:

We planned a hike up to Square Ledge with the kids, and dressed them in an extra layer; Bear's puffy vest is reversible, and neon yellow seemed like a good idea for our speedy adventurer:

My fellas take a leaning breather on a big rock, mid-trek:

Pat the big rock:

We made it roughly 3/4 of the way up to Square Ledge before the youngest of our party called it quits(which was actually quite impressive, given the elevation!). We then re-evaluated our plans and figured that a drive up Mt Washington was a good idea and would promote naps for the younger kids, after which we would be set for an early dinner at Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery.

The Auto Road up Mt. Washington is a pretty amazing experience, though very steep and perhaps not so good for folks with a fear of heights. This is a view from mid-way up from out my car window:

The summit of Mt. Washington was amazing and we were incredibly lucky to have such a clear day, as it is often socked-in with clouds. The summit was covered with rime ice, which was both beautiful and other-worldly to my eyes; it was in the mid-30's and we were very lucky that the wind was mild. Mt. Washington is famous for having the highest recorded winds on the planet: 231 MPH in 1934. Yowza!

The views were spectacular, with visibility at just over a hundred miles in every direction, but it is very hard to share that sort of grandeur in a cellphone photo. This is a view looking down towards our parking lot that gives a hint at the scale; our little Subaru(with sleeping Bear and waiting Steve and Rabbit inside) is between the white Range Rover and the White RAV4:

Back at the cabin, the boys play Battleship, separately and in their own unique ways:

Camping with small children is difficult and exhausting, but it is also fun and gratifying as parents to help the boys learn basic camping skills and gain a deeper appreciation of nature. It will be awhile before our camping trips involve less work and more relaxation for Steve and I, but we know to appreciate this time for it's own sake. We have many years of camping ahead of us, and Radeke Cabin will continue to be one of our return destinations.

Rabbit inspired

2011-09-15T21:02:00.000-04:00

Rabbit drew this after a viewing of one of his/our favorite movies, The Secret of Kells:

I can not recommend The Secret of Kells highly enough. It is beautiful and magical and strange. It has been a source of inspiration in our household ever since our first viewing of it.

from "The Secret of Kells" movie

A favorite moment from the movie, the song of Pangur Ban:

One of the key Insular Art style illustrations from the Book of Kells:

Chi Ro monogram from the Book of Kells

It should be noted that the curlicues do bear some resemblance to how Rabbit depicts my own hair in portraits. This is not a bad thing.

Rabbit

2011-09-14T09:45:00.000-04:00

peanutbutter smile

2011-09-13T12:28:00.003-04:00

First day back at pre-school

2011-09-12T13:26:00.000-04:00

We had a good morning today, meeting our new teachers and playing with new and old friends at pre-school. When it came time to sing the "good-bye" song, Rabbit cried out "But we just GOT here! I've been waiting all summer for this!" I love that attitude, and hope that he keeps it for all of the many first days in his school career.

speedy

2011-09-09T12:25:00.001-04:00

Puddlestompers

2011-09-08T10:51:00.001-04:00

One boy eager to get out into the rain, the other boy, not so much:

Ready to stomp stomp splash!

Oslo

2011-09-06T11:48:00.000-04:00

Oslo takes full advantage of the rainy-day tent as a new and novel nap spot:

A Cat and his Boy:

I spy...

2011-09-06T10:23:00.002-04:00

post-playground ride home

2011-09-04T12:07:00.001-04:00

Bear(s)

2011-09-04T12:03:00.001-04:00

Microscopic

2011-09-02T21:47:00.001-04:00

Words to remember:

While spooning a VERY small serving of dreaded veggies for Rabbit's dinner plate, I tried to soothe his frustration by saying: "Oh, don't complain sweetie. This is a microscopic amount of veggies."

Rabbit replied (quite rightly): "But I can SEE them!"

playground superhero

2011-09-02T18:03:00.000-04:00

Even mysterious caped dinosaur superhero jedi need a snack break:

Lonesome Time-out Blues

2011-09-02T08:58:00.000-04:00

Bear sat himself in the time-out spot with the ukelele, fishing for his muse to sing the Lonesome Time-out Blues.

Here he is with the same uke at this time last year:

Mama shoes

2011-09-01T18:09:00.001-04:00

It is funny that they don't look so huge from this angle... you will have to trust me that my clogs were louder on Bear then they ever are on me!

Good-night with Nana

2011-09-01T09:51:00.000-04:00

We were very lucky to have a surprise visit with Nana(Steve's Mom) to help celebrate Bear's birthday. It was a special treat for the boys to read a bedtime story with Nana:

Cupcake

2011-08-31T21:31:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday cupcake!

Happy 2nd birthday to Bear!

2011-08-31T10:04:00.001-04:00

Two years ago today, we welcomed our little Bear into this beautiful world.

It has been an especially fast two years, and that tiny burrito baby has grown to be a feisty, determined, funny, and adventurous little boy.

Here are some snaps from this morning's fun(opening presents! Some from Mom-mom and Pop-pop in Florida!)

A Sesame Street book!

What could it be?

Ernie! Hooray!

Firetruck!

Whoo-ooo, Whooo-ooo!

Rabbit takes a break with a puzzle magazine:

Ernie rides the firetruck:

A brief moment of sharing:

Hooray for birthdays! When do we have cake?

fuzzywuzzy was a cat

2011-08-30T17:20:00.000-04:00

Moose and Oslo had an appointment with the groomers this morning; both cats got a belly shave and were freed from stubborn dreadlocks. Although I am sure that both cats feel a lot better, you would never know it from this homecoming photo:

Moose(on the left) has that resigned look of an otherwise dignified cat who finds himself with a bare belly, whereas Oslo is caterwauling his protest song(usually reserved for vet visits).

Apologies in advance, but photos of the shaved bellies are probably not going to happen.

uses for a waffle

2011-08-30T08:50:00.000-04:00

This morning, over a plate of waffles, Rabbit suggested that a couple of waffles would make great bug-eyes for a snowbug. It took me a second to catch on; brilliant!

Look out impending winter snow, we've got plans for you!

Caped capers

2011-08-29T19:21:00.000-04:00

We've had a "dracula" cape in our house for a good while(see here and here); it is well-loved and has had many incarnations(Dracula, Darth Vader, Superhero, Tree Defender, Mystery Figure, Batman, Sherlock Holmes, etc). That cape is pretty much the sole property of Rabbit, much to Bear's chagrin, so we got a second cape.

The capes are exactly the same size.

Mystery hoods up, and spinning saying "whoooooooo"

It will be fun to see what characters and adventures arise from both boys having mystery capes. Both boys are beside themselves with joy to have matching cloaks!

We got our capes from "herflyinghorses" on Etsy. Natasha makes wonderful capes for kids, as well as masks and hair doodles for girls; she is a very conscientious craftswoman and a pleasure to do business with. The boys and I can attest to the very high "fun factor" for the capes she creates!

Frogs

2011-08-29T12:58:00.000-04:00