bleicherblog

yet another Saturday

2012-01-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

On Friday evening after work, we went to Five Star Burgers. It's by Whole Foods and is very popular. We grabbed a couple of stools to wait and have a microbrew and Shirley Temples for the boys. We saw our neighbors at a table, and they came over to chat when we got a table. The boys wolf down the burgers there. Jack, in fact, orders two of the kid's burgers. I've tried the bison burger the last two times. It's not as exotic as I thought it might be. It's just a very good burger. I love the people there, I love the place, the food's good, the bartender is fun and energetic, but there's always some little screwup in the service. It's almost humorous how consistent that is.

Ry has been anxious for his Lego package of missing pieces, so he can complete his vintage fire station. Jack asked to download a voice changing software, and I think I convinced him there was something suspect about the source for the free download of the program. Ry fell asleep, as he usually does, in my arms. He asks me to put his arm around him as he falls asleep.

Ry and I got up early on Saturday. He wanted to go to the skateboard park. We woke Jackson up gently after a bit, and he came around to going with us even though it was still cold.

We went first to Starbucks--the usual hot chocolates for the boys, a coffee for me, an apple fritter for Ry, a chocolate doughnut for Jack. We sat down and started to play Uno, and a fellow asked if the chair beside me was taken. We recognized each other; somebody I worked with over 20 years ago who now lives in Chicago. We were talking when Don, Nicholas and Lauren came in, and we chatted with them for a while before they took off to see their grandmother.

The boys rode their scooters around the park, then climbed the ramps without their scooters, and then we went home. Cyndi went to a body pump workout, and I did some major clearing and pruning in the backyard, while the boys played on their computer. Ry came out for a bit to dig in the sandbox. After some lunch, we then went to Brendan's basketball game. He was pretty darn good and his team won.

I wanted to go to the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, so we drove to Old Town. The museum has really changed since I last was there. Very impressive inside. The history section was closed, a two year renovation had just begun. Another exhibition is due to open next week. There was an exhibit about social commentary and satire and in another gallery pieces from their permanent collection. So I procrastinated whether we should go at all. It was inexpensive and so we went ahead. I told the boys they needed to settle down and they couldn't run around, and wondered how it would go.

There were some photographs in the halls and a few historical displays and several small drawings of Old Town. The boys took some interest in the displays. The social commentary and satire exhibit really was pretty good, and I recognized some of the artists. The permanent collections exhibit was outstanding. The guards were watching us pretty closely, but not in that oppressive way, and the boys were good and not touching things or running around. After I saw most of the works, Jack showed me his favorite. It was a New Mexico landscape I really liked, with repetitive figures for junipers and an approaching storm in the sky. I agreed that was one of my favorites, surprised that he picked it out, too. Then Ry took me to show me his favorite, another landscape with an approaching storm, that I had also liked a lot.

Here is Ry's favorite.

I could not find Jack's favorite anywhere on the web. But here's one that's close. The one at the museum had more hills and mesas in the distance, more rows of junipers in the foreground, and the approaching storm was smaller in the composition.

Anyway, I was so thankful the boys behaved well and actually liked it. I enjoyed the visit, and probably the shorter visit was better for the boys before they tired. We walked through the sculpture garden and in the back there's a small entrance to an Old Town patio of shops. We found a magic shop, which the boys loved. The owner showed us a few things and the boys were looking around. Ry found a small prank in the price range I pre-approved. Jack found something, too, and then asked the owner what he liked, and the owner took out a magic pen and showed us a good trick and then when we bought it how it worked, using magician's words to describe how it worked (misdirection and palming), taking them step by step (but only once) through the act (which involved requesting a dollar bill from the audience, promising to return it with greater value, and then allowing the audience to examine the pen), and swearing the boys to secrecy. Jack and Ry have been practicing (it even came with a DVD), and showed it to Cyndi and Brendan today.

We grabbed a pizza from Dion's on the way home.

and through the woods

2012-01-24T13:59:00.193-07:00


Jackson, Roscoe, Rylee

We drove to California in a marathon drive in Poppa's RV the day after Christmas. The boys were excited about the trip for many weeks in advance. The days leading up to Christmas and the trip were also full and exciting. First Terra and Karl and little Roscoe stopped by on their way to California. Cyndi and the boys loved Roscoe, who was so pleasant and just adorable. Roscoe signed for "more" and "enough". We would see them again in California.

Lauren, Nicholas, Brendan, Jackson, Rylee

The boys were off from school the entire week before Christmas. One morning they got together with their New Mexico cousins and exchanged gifts during a breakfast just for them.

Christmas Eve with Ariel

Ariel and Chris arrived Friday and they came over on Saturday. We exchanged some gifts. Rylee got a Lego game from them that he and Jack put together and learned to play. Jackson got a Tin Tin book, which he hasn't really discovered yet.

Christmas Eve with Chris

We drove to Las Lunas first to pick up Lola and then met Ariel and Chris in Belen for Christmas Eve. There was a ham and posole and tamales, and later we met everyone in Albuquerque's Old Town to see the luminarias and listen to the carols. It was very cold, which drained some of the fun. We mostly sat inside the church, listening we think to Handel's Messiah, and hugged and said goodbye to Ariel and Chris.

On Christmas morning the boys discovered the gifts from Santa, and we went to church.

Christmas day we visited Cyndi's family in Belen. Jackson took his new chess set and played. He brought it along everywhere and played it in California, too, as well as at the Grand Canyon. Rylee got a Lego set and we're just now trying to put it together, despite some missing pieces. Ry got excited about it once he found out from Nicholas that it was a rare set and it had over 2,000 pieces. I think we could have gotten Karl's help in building it, but we had to get home to find alternative pieces for the ones that were missing.

On the road

As I recall, now a few weeks even later than when I started this post, we hit the road about 3 in the morning and the boys stayed awake for a while until drifting off to sleep on the couch in the back. Cyndi nodded in the chair beside mine in the front while I listened to my ipod. Around Grants, there were signs of the serious blizzard the week before Christmas. We stopped at the usual place in Galllup, where the pumps were frozen and had to be reset by the attendant. In Flagstaff, we grabbed some McD breakfast and gassed up at the Little America. In Kingman, we got some Starbucks and more gas. Cyndi ran into a store for Christmas wrap.

Meanwhile, the boys played with their new Skylanders game on the Wii console Jackson hooked up to the tv in the RV. I think by the time the day ended, they reached Level 18.

We didn't stop in Needles or in the Mojave. Somewhere out there, Dad called to measure our progress. In Barstow, after some gas, we were going to look for the original Del Taco but missed it and found ourselves headed to Mojave City. Cyndi was desperate for a bathroom at this point, and I knew there was a couple of gas stations at a junction up ahead in the middle of nowhere. Amazingly, the traffic and the bathroom lines were jammed, a sign of desperation we were sharing with lots of post holiday travelers. In Tehachapi, we had our only good meal on the road and we made a reservation for a room for our return. In Bakersfield, we stopped at the Costco for gas, grapes and hot dogs and salad. The traffic was brutal now. The lanes filled with commuters and travelers, everyone going very fast. It was dark now. The country road to Paso Robles, such a pretty drive in the daylight, was scary. Our final stop for gas before heading up the Salinas Valley, and we were hanging by a thread. We limped into Mom & Dad's, some 19 hours after we began our trip that day.

Everyone was pretty much there when we arrived. I don't remember Sarah's menu schedule, but there was always plenty of good eating while we were there. On Tuesday morning, I was desperate for a big breakfast, so I took the lead, after some warning, to cook up some eggs along with the spread Mom had set out. It tasted so good and there was enough for many more as we sat around the kitchen. At some point, we borrowed Beth and Gary's car and drove into Monterrey. We stopped first at their skateboard park near the Dennis the Menace park down by the beach to tryout the new Santa skateboards, and then we headed toward the fisherman's wharf.

We needed this. I missed the smell of the ocean and the dampness. We went to a different place than usual for our clam chowder and sourdough bread. And this time the boys also split a half order of steamed dungeoness crab.

We were joined for a brief walk before heading back for dinner. Mom had her wonderful brisket, and everyone gathered around that evening for some gifts and cookies. The boys played a little on their Wii, always asking for permission first, and played some new games, as well as chess, with Eric and Terra. The next day, before pictures and his wonderful ribs, David took us out on the bay on one of the boats he built.

While the boys played with Roscoe and some cousins, Cyndi had a nice chat with Sandra, and I got caught up with Jennifer and Jacques' life in Valdez and the times they skied with Ariel and Chris up there, with Emily and her experience in South Africa, and with Sarah in her new career phase in Chico. Eric parted with his favorite baseball bat, and his girlfriend joined us for a walk around the pond below the house. I chatted a bit with David, and Beth, and Lisa, but nowhere enough. Mom acted like she didn't see the stain I made, which Sandra helped me to clean. Jackson looked for rocks. He and Ry ran up and down the hill where the lupines grow in spring.

We left around noon on Thursday. It was sad to say goodbye so soon. It was sad, too, that Ariel and Chris couldn't be there and were about to leave Albuquerque for a wedding in Jackson Hole. I'm sure they would have arranged to be in California had I planned our trip earlier. We ended up breaking up the return trip into three days, but the days still felt long. We hit all our gas stops for the most part. We found the Del Taco in Barstow. It's not the original but it's store no. 1 and it really was pretty good eats, even though not much distinctive to look at. We did our night in Tehachapi. The indoor pool was shut down but we had real beds for the night. After a decent breakfast there, we headed toward the Grand Canyon.

That day felt long again and we were a little under the gun to get into the campground before dark. It wasn't crowded at all, so we drove over to the historic district on the south rim, where we had an okay meal and played some chess, before claiming a spot for the night.

In the morning, after coffee in the RV, showers at the campground, and breakfast at the Yavapai Lodge, we drove along the south rim toward the east gate, stopping along the way and exploring the Tower.
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We searched in vain in Flagstaff for some more Skylanders, got home after dark, put our things away, and went to bed. It was New Year's Eve. The next day we went to Monroe's for some New Mexican chile.

a weekend

2012-01-24T13:06:00.005-07:00

I've still to finish a post on our holidays, with pictures of our trip, but in the meantime let's see how quickly I can write a post on our past weekend before Cyndi and I go over to the school this morning. Jackson's teacher recommended him for the gifted enrichment program, and we've filled out some questionnaires and today we meet with a committee before Jack takes an initial test to measure "intellectual ability." I think that's some form of an IQ test. We prepared by going swimming last night and Cyndi made sure the boys had a good breakfast.

The beginning of the weekend is a bit of a blur. We went to a new Italian place in the far Northeast Heights and ate pizza, with a beer, a wine and an Italian soda. Saturday was going to be a big day, with an early registration for a chess tournament and then sign-ups for baseball. Elley, Nicholas and Lauren were coming over for dinner later, and I took out a chuck roast from the freezer.

On Saturday, we had a breakfast of blackberry pancakes and bacon. Both of the boys were being rambunctious, and Rylee especially was on a whirl. He just wouldn't listen to me, and I had to get stern with him. The chess tournament had a huge turn-out, but like us most of the parents had not pre-registered. That put a crimp in the organization of the tournament that never really got better. We also learned that it was going to take the better part of the day. The children would play four rounds.

These chess tournaments, since we are so new to this, are very stressing. We had a one-game tournament during the prior week for elementary school children, which Jackson played in. We got there early and Jack set up his new set from Santa. He would play in second position for his school. I asked the director if I could grab a chair and sit along the side of the room with Ry, which is how it was done at our only prior tournament experience. He said they were going to have the parents in a separate room. I looked around the room, which was filling up with parents eager like me to watch their child in competition, and I thought to myself that wasn't going to go over well. He said the parents could walk in for a few minutes during the play. That struck me as odd. Sure enough, the parents were directed into the room. Ry and I grabbed a seat in there. Equally certain, many parents did not comply and there was no followup to enforce it.

Just before play began, I checked on Jackson. He was already a little upset because the coach from the school he was playing against had moved him up a chair because the first seed from Jack's school hadn't shown up yet. Jack wanted to move his set, instead of strangers playing on it, and he wanted to wait for the first seed, but the opposing coach belittled him for not complying with her. After play began, Ry and I went inside the room with the chess players, and the opposing coach was hovering over Jackson during play. I could see Jackson was distracted, and I wondered why coaches were allowed to do that. Even worse, the opposing player's friend was "talking trash" to Jackson and even reached over and moved pieces on the board Jack was playing on. Jack held his own on that, I thought. Then Jack made a few mistakes and he became more despondent. He even tried to retire. He was devastated when he lost. The opposing player was good but Jackson could have beaten him. It hurt to watch Jackson so demoralized.

He sat there watching the players next to him playing a game on his board. It turned out that those players had already finished their game and were playing a friendly game. Ironically, the opposing coach thought Jackson was interfering with the game and asked the director to move Jack away. When the director did, I looked at him questioningly. He told me he had a complaint. I almost lost it. I said, complaint? I said, I wasn't going to say anything but now I have a few complaints of my own. The director became apologetic. He tried to tell me the coach didn't know how to play chess. I said that really didn't matter; she was a distraction.

Well, all that recap and support lifted Jack's spirits a bit, and we told Cyndi all about it when we got home.

The Saturday tournament was just as stressful. I remember back in fall when we went to the tournament at the school and I was so impressed with the children. This time I thought many of them were obnoxious and rude. In the first round, both Jack and Ry won their game. Jackson simply overpowered his opponent. Ry was playing a kid that was really a good kid, but as I watched the kid I swore he was secretly moving pieces out of turn and poor Ry tried to call him on it. That game ended when Ry put him in check and the kid thought he was in checkmate and conceded the game. The rule is that when both players agree who won, then the game is over. I told the director that the boy just didn't see one move that would have saved him from checkmate, but the director said that was the rule. The same thing happened a few other times that day.

So the boys having won their first games, I was relieved. At least they would both have a win.

In the second game, Jackson made some mistakes and he ended up retiring. He was devastated again. I grabbed him as he tried to leave the room and asked, did you shake hands? He said he didn't. I said I would insist that he do it. He did. I followed him out and we went outside to talk and we talked about many things. He didn't come around immediately but I knew he was listening. I was glad he won the first game and I was glad his second opponent was actually a good and gracious player. I thought this was a pretty good way to learn about losing a chess game in a tournament. It was also a pretty good way to learn about winning.

We went to lunch. On the way, we signed up for baseball. Nothing remarkable there, except that they are going to have an evaluation session for Ry to see which machine pitch league he should be in and a draft session for Jackson to see what minor league team he will be on. I figured Ry, because of his age, ought to repeat the first level of machine pitch, but maybe we'll see he should move up already. Either way would be good I think. Jack has had the same coaches for several years now and they want Jackson on their team again. It's been a great group of boys. The pressure is off Jackson for the tryouts for minor league, because his coaches actually hope he does poorly so they can draft him onto their team. The boys saw some friends at the fields and played with them. The boys got out their gloves, balls and bats later that day to play at home and all three of us played catch on Sunday in the front yard under the trees.

We had a light lunch and chocolate milkshakes at Flying Star, looked at a house Cyndi and the boys like to look at, and we got back to the chess tournament by 1. The third round had already begun. One of the officials had told several parents the wrong restart time. The director moved things around and Jackson and Rylee were playing. Jackson won his. Ry played a very obnoxious little kid but he was also a very good player and Ry lost. The boys both lost their final games and we drove home to start the dinner.

Ry wasn't sure if he wanted to play in the tournament but said he was glad to get the tournament experience. He wants his own Santa chess set now. Jackson said he could move to varsity now that he had played a tournament. There's another one next month.

Speaking of Santa: I'm sure Ry is wise to the whole thing. He overheard me talk about the skateboarding shop and ordering the firehouse Lego set on Amazon. He's not saying, but he knows, I'm certain. We started unpacking and sorting the firehouse Lego pieces (there's thousands), the one Ry got from Santa, while we were in California. Karl watched us enthusiastically, anticipating Roscoe someday building one. It took a few weeks to get it started. The set comes in two stages and as Ry and I sat down to do the first stage it was apparent that were many pieces missing. We were trying to substitute, but it became more and more difficult and we finally had to stop. We hardly got off the ground. So I called Lego tech support, and they knew exactly what bag of pieces was missing and would send them from Denmark. In the meantime, we decided to start on stage two, which is the second floor and the roof.

Ry has done all of it by himself. He is so engrossed in it now. I stand around and he allows me to find the pieces from the bags we put together to help sort them all out, but he has built it himself, piece by piece, except for one roof feature that he asked Jackson to help him with. It is now nearly completed, and he loves it. He's already playing with it. He's planning to add on other buildings. He carries it up to the bedroom at night, along with the shoebox of bags of pieces, just to be able to see it when he wakes up. He devoted most of Sunday to it.

Jackson spent most of the day Sunday designing his Cool Club website. He's researching new software tools to code the page, as well as researching things like copyrights and licensing. He designed a new console, with its own unique USB ports. I told him he ought to send it off to the Patent Office. He has since put together an online employment application. He and his friend Zach talk about it on the phone. Guess they're going into business together.

First thing Sunday morning, Jackson, Rylee and I also went to the skateboard park. Right now, they are using the new scooters they bought with Christmas gift money. We stopped first at Starbucks where the boys get their Kid's Hot Chocolate with Extra Whip and our baristas put them into tall cups for lots of extra whip cream. Jackson also got a donut and Ry an apple fritter. They each gave me a piece and saved a piece for Cyndi.

Ry says he can't wait for Dixon's Apples again so he can have one of their apple fritters. Jackson wants lots of their apple cider. We're not sure of the fate of Dixon's Apples, which suffered freeze, fire and flood all in one season last year.

We stayed a few moments and played our Set card game (a traditional game from Ariel's childhood) before heading to the park. Cyndi got it out for Jack and Ry last week, and Ry and I played one night before bed. Later Sunday, we all went together, with Elley, Nicholas and Lauren, too, to see "We Bought a Zoo."

Funny, when I thought I should write about our weekend, there were so many details I wanted to share about things they said, things they did. Can't think of them now, but here's something I did remember. We've been battling over bad language. We call it cussing. Finally, I said that when they use those words they are looking like a baby. Since that discussion, both of them, particularly Jackson, has cut the words out. Now, whenever I cuss, of course, they tell me I'm acting like a baby.

They are such good boys. I love the way Ry gets so engrossed in his projects and talks about them. I love the way Jackson is growing up, getting so mature in the way he talks and thinks. And I love that he still asks permission. Ry not so much.

Meanwhile, Ariel is back at work in NYC. She's going through a pretty intensive interview process for a really great new job, making wedding plans, and being busy with everything else. Chris is the midst of graduate program applications and interviews. They are planning a honeymoon in southern France and the Alps that includes some climbing and mountaineering. Ariel is very excited for June.

eve

2011-12-23T10:08:00.001-07:00

It's Friday before Christmas Eve. We have had a few snow showers but nothing like what's fallen in the mountains around us. Lots of wind, too, and blowing snow, with very cold temperatures.

We picked up the RV in Belen for our trip the day after Christmas to California. The boys are very excited. Jack hooked up the Wii to the television inside the RV, and we figured out that we wouldn't be able to plug in the Wii console while driving.This was a bit disappointing. The boys were looking forward to getting in the RV early Monday morning in their PJs and sleeping until we were in Arizona. They are anticipating a new Wii game from Santa to play along the way, along with their other presents. Jack and I did a little research and we ended up getting an inverter so they can play on the Wii afterall as we head along the highway. As we drove around yesterday, the boys sat in the back and played. They loved it. We gassed up the RV and bought some snacks for the road.

At the moment, they are at Brendan's for a little gift exchange among the cousins and Ariel and Chris should be on their way here. I'm at work, trying to get some invoices out, and tonight the big plan is to cook the brisket. I just loaded all the gifts I ordered or bought into the RV. There's the Wii game, skateboards, a tournament chess set and clock for Jack, a vintage fire station Lego set for Ry, some books and clothes for Ariel & Chris, a big plush Angry Bird, and some other odds and ends. Saturday I'll cook the ham and prep the RV, and Ariel and Chris will join us to go to Belen. We'll pick up Lola along the way, too. And we plan to see the luminarias in Old Town that night. Santa on Sunday, church, and dinner in Belen. Then finish packing and take off early for California.

The weather ahead should be good, and I've mapped out our route, with plans to arrive at my family's at night.

Black Friday online

2011-11-25T08:33:00.001-07:00

It's the day after Thanksgiving. Cyndi left to shop at 6:30 and was back home about an hour or so later. The boys have had hot cocoa with marshmallows. It's raining lightly. We are eating scrambled eggs with a little ham and wheat toast with a little jam. We are all sitting in the dining area. The boys are still in their pajamas and bare foot. Jackson is shirtless. Ry is wearing a sleeveless sports shirt. Jackson is at the counter watching Pokemon and Skylanders on the boys' laptop. Rylee is sitting at the breakfast desk watching Lego adventures, the Gummy Bear song, and kitten videos on the old desktop computer. Cyndi is checking email on her laptop. I was looking up the radar map on my laptop to see how the morning looks for the next couple of hours. I looked around and noticed. Cyndi got a phone call.

chez nous

2011-11-22T09:22:00.002-07:00

I've talked about it before, but it's something we still continue doing. Ry and I leave the house around 7:30 in the morning every Saturday and Sunday. Our first stop is Starbucks for an Americano espresso, a hot chocolate with extra whip cream, and a maple pecan scone.

on the lip of the half pipe

After we back out to drive to the skateboard park, where he's practicing new tricks and skills, there is a restaurant called Chez Bob on our way.

Ry is in first grade now. He talks a lot about things he just learned in school, repeating what he heard his teacher say. This week it's even and odd numbers and compound words.

biking at the skateboard park

He reads everything in sight, including shop signs and road signs and billboards along the streets. And so he reads the sign for Chez Bob. He knows chez is French; he knows it's pronounced shay but he like's to say chezz instead to be funny, and he knows it means the place of Bob. So he applies the word to all manner of places, like Chez Sanchez, and wants to know how to spell other French words and also Spanish words.

Spelling tests are a breeze for Ry. Jack was missing words on his spelling tests, and his teacher wrote him a nice note, basically saying he should do better and it's just a matter of learning them. So I quiz him the night before the test. It only takes a few minutes for him to get them down cold and this week he got all of them correct. He tells me things he's learned in school, but the subjects are becoming more sophisticated and expansive: human physiology, history, political science, astronomy. His class had a field trip about a month ago or so to las Golondrinas, the living museum on the way to Santa Fe, and while we've gone a couple of times as a family I think the experience of going with his class and his teacher, along with the volunteer docents and artisans who guided the class, made a big impression.

chess tournament in school cafeteria

Jack had a chess tournament last week. It took place in the cafeteria of his school. I was quite surprised as there were easily over a 100 elementary-aged kids playing; probably a half dozen schools, both public and private, and each school had about three teams of five players each. The parents sat at the edges of the room, and there were assistant tournament directors monitoring the play. The director outlined the rules.

It was fascinating to watch the children and how their personalities were displayed during play.

another angle

One boy wore a jester's hat; a few of the older kids feigned indifference; small children displayed decisive and aggressive play beyond their apparent maturity, moving pieces quickly, slamming them down. Others wrote down the moves studiously, carefully moving. I saw one young girl "con" her even younger opponent into a draw when she was losing.

Jackson played a girl who seemed a little older. As Ry and I watched him play, Jackson took his time to move and to record the moves, and then fidgeted and swayed in his seat while waiting for his opponent, as though he were listening to some internal music. It wasn't distracting; it was just kinesthetic.

zooming in to Jack's game

Many of the games were over, and Jackson still seemed to be playing defensively. I couldn't detect an end game. Then I noticed Jackson methodically taking pieces and then he had two queens. You knew it would not be long. The girl sat patiently. She knew. Jack took his time to write down the final moves. It was excruciatingly painful. Just move your queen, Jack! He wrote some more. The girl waited. Finally, he moved his queen. Checkmate. Jackson and the girl shook hands above the chess board, an etiquette that starts and ends each game, a particularly impressive sign of sportsmanship because it requires both players to reach over the table to extend their hands.

The boys each had teacher-parent conferences Monday. The reports were good to glowing. They are both doing exceptional in mathematics. Ry has many good friends in his class. He writes wonderful stories about skateboarding. He was last week's VIP, which meant he got in front of the line, and got to bring in things to show (some Legos, a plush Angry Bird), and had a big poster with pictures of him and his family and his favorites things. Jackson's teacher wants him tested for the "gifted" program and thinks he should apply to the academy for middle school. He and his friend are part of what his teacher calls the Geek Team and she sends them off to other classrooms to set up and fix computers. Jack talks about going into business with his friend now. The boys are off this week for Thanksgiving. There will be turkey in Belen. As we drove to Belen last weekend, "Albuquerque Turkey" came on the Saturday morning children's radio show. Sung to "(Oh, My Darling) Clementine ", it goes something like this:

Albuquerque is a turkey,
and he's feathered and he's fine
and he wobbles and he gobbles
and he's absolutely mine.

He's the best pet that you can get,
better than a dog or cat
He's my Albuquerque turkey,
and I'm awfully glad of that.

Albuquerque is a turkey,
he's so happy in his bed,
'cause for our Thanksgiving dinner,
we had egg foo yung instead.

For Christmas, Jack has already put together a modest Christmas list for both him and Ry. It's some new Wii game. Ry desperately needs a new skateboard and there's Legos he's sure to want. Jack wants a tournament chess set that includes a clock. And maybe they'll get scooters, too. Ariel and Chris are coming just before Christmas and we've talked about maybe seeing the luminarias together in Old Town on Christmas Eve, after supper in Belen and before it's time for the boys to go to bed. Jackson wants to be involved in Santa this year. Ry overheard me tell someone where we got his skateboard. I told the kid the name of the store. I don't remember if that was a Santa gift, but later Ry asked me if I bought it. I think he was figuring out something. He usually says he can ask for anything from Santa because Santa doesn't buy the gifts, he "steals" them. And the boys are very excited about our newest idea of driving out to California on the day after Christmas in Poppa's small RV. I told Mom & Dad, and they were excited.

The last soccer games were this past weekend.

Ry tackling

It turned out to be such a great season for both of them. They had good coaches and, just like the baseball season in the spring, you could see their skills and knowledge rapidly rise. Ry was fast on the field, and the coach said he was the best tackler out there. Jackson scored goals in the last two games, and was making spectacular midfield headers.

last soccer Saturday this season

It really boosted his confidence. The best part of his last goal was seeing his sheer joy. It was a spectacular shot. He couldn't believe it scored. Jack had an iffy start to the season. I'm not sure he was really enjoying it, but as the season and his playing developed, you could see his enthusiasm and involvement rise. He started talking more, both calling out plays and cheering for his teammates. I think Ry was enthusiastic the entire season, because he just loves to run with other kids.

Recent fall 2011 pics

2011-10-31T12:03:00.000-06:00

some time went by

2011-10-25T09:14:00.008-06:00

It's been a while since I posted a blog about us, and there's plenty good things to say about things during that time.

Ariel is closer to setting a date for the wedding. It looks like New York, the upper Hudson River valley, New Paltz, Mohonk; perhaps the beginning of June.

I'll begin this quick catch up with Saturday a week ago. That was a long day of chess and soccer. We went to a chess tournament in the morning and the boys played a game against a young world chess master who just moved here. It was very impressive. The chess master played simultaneously against about 40 people, mostly children and a few adults. He commented on the boys' soccer uniforms, introduced himself, and shook hands before play began. Rylee hung in there, and Jackson was one of the last children to survive. The boys kept track of their moves. The chess master very graciously shook their hands after each check mate. Their coach was glad they came, so they can get familiar with a big tournament in November. I think the coach especially likes Rylee, easily the youngest there. Ry asked me a few days ago if we could go to the tournament instead of going to the skateboard park. Jack has his first inter-school match this week. I picked the boys up from chess club the other day and was surprised by how many kids were in the club. There's also a beginner session and a varsity session, in addition to the boys' Wednesday session.

We couldn't stay for the tournament because the boys had soccer games in the afternoon. Poppa and Grandma came up from Belen to see Jack play but had to return before Ry's game. I don't think Jack got to play as much as he'd like, and Ry was exhausted by the time his game came along. We went to Bravo for dinner afterward. It was so nice and sunny, we sat outdoors. Unusual for us to stop, sip some wine, enjoy a good meal, even have dessert.

The boys have been going to soccer practice twice a week. Jack was less than enthusiastic when the season began, especially because the coach has really been pushing conditioning--running laps before practice. But he has been hanging in there, and all of a sudden, beginning with last weekend's game, his skills have really improved, along with his confidence and enthusiasm. At yesterday's practice, he made a couple of spectacular goals and the coaches have really been talking him up on the field.

Ry is fun to watch. He puts his head down and pumps his arms and legs when he runs, and he often will run around the pack to get in front of the ball. At half time during Saturday's game, I told him not to hang back so much or wait for someone else to kick the ball. I told him, it's your ball; take it to the goal. He remembered that and got a kick out of it, wondering, what if it were really my ball? So in the second half he broke out of the pack and took the ball to the goal. So far, neither has made a goal but it's not long in coming.

Most weekends have been about soccer, and Ry and I consistently go first thing in the mornings for coffee, hot chocolate, and skateboarding. We go so early, we are almost always the first ones there. On recent weekends, we've been watching the balloons floating over the west side. We counted 24 in the air last Sunday. Sunday afternoon, I ran my jog up the trail through the center of the Academy fields and Ry joined me on his bicycle. It's about four miles. When we got back, Ry said he wanted to do it again next Sunday. I can't seem to get Jackson interested in these little excursions. He likes to sleep in on the weekends, and he's much more interested in making movies or watching movies or playing games on his computer. One of the balloons Ry and I watched from the skateboard park ended up landing behind our house after we got home.

A while back, we had a particularly busy weekend, which I haven't written about, even though it's been a long while now since we went. I moaned and groaned about how much the weekend cost, and I'll try to spare you with that theme as much as I can.

It started with the state fair on Friday night. We met Cyndi's friend Roxy and another family, friends of Roxy, with a girl about Jack's age. [$25 admission right off the bat; followed by another $25 for Indian tacos, etc.] It was a blast. We talked and talked. The kids got to see the animals. Ry and I ate pie a la mode. It was a delightful evening, and we kept bumping into people we knew all over the fair, from the entrance gate to the Indian Village to the petting zoo to the exhibition hall and to the food plaza.

The next day was a Lobos football game. We went mostly because Jordyn is a "spirit dancer". [Another $50 just to get in for general admission.] Now, the thing is, the Lobos have won about two games in the last three years, and once in three years is about how often we go. The head coach's head was on the chopping block. There was almost no one in the stands. They were playing some po-dunk Texas college, not even in the same division...but, still, a Texas college. We sat on the east side of the stadium, which was pretty much vacant. The boys got to roam around the stands.

Somewhere near the end of the fourth quarter, the Lobos caught up from two touchdowns behind, after a new quarterback came in, and the game was tied. We got to watch the final touchdowns in the regular time and the sudden death overtime with an unobstructed view, just off the field, along the lines of scrimmage. It was very exciting, and Jackson was jumping up and down and cheering along with me and Pete and Brendon. It was the best game we ever saw, but the Lobos lost in the overtime and the next day the coach was sacked. We got ribs that evening on the way home.

Then Sunday was the Corrales Harvest Fair, with another fee to see some arts & crafts booths and a barbecue lunch. Cyndi planned it so Ry skateboarded with some friends at the park there. Ry's friends are pretty impressed with his skateboarding skills and they are putting skateboards on their Christmas lists. Ry gets a new skateboard for Christmas, too, since his is pretty beaten up now. And both boys should get a scooter they can ride at the park.

Jack's test results from last year's big standardized test came in, and he scored in the top 4 percent in mathematics for the state and just as substantially high in the other categories. Ry is doing really well at math and reading. He's always testing himself in addition and multiplication, and reading anything in sight. He came up with this equation and wrote it out, and then figured out it applied to any number: 1 + 1 - 1 x 1 ÷ 1 = what? He's fascinated by the idea of infinity. I told him once that there's always one more number, and now he's applied that to negative numbers.

He drew a picture of a grave stone that read, RIP, with a dark moon and stars overhead and a hand reaching out from the ground. Hilarious. (He knows that the buried body is supposed to be resting in peace.) The boys are dressing for Halloween as ninjas, and today Ry is coloring his hair for crazy hair day at school. Ry was telling me about how the characters on Phineas and Ferb were half brothers, and how Ariel was his half sister. Jack beat me three times at chess a few weeks ago. When I finally won a game, he was disappointed. I told him he played so well. He said he only won before because I let him take back moves. Then a couple days later, he said that he thought the chess lesson he had in Greenwich Village made him smarter. Another stellar thing about Jack I have to say. He always asks permission, especially when it comes to what he watches or downloads on his computer or IPod. I appreciate that. Ry's not there yet. And if you watch Jackson play long enough, you will often see him do a spontaneous pirouette during a lull and, of course, there's his non-stop commentary. Ry's still at the stage where he talks loud. And the boys still rough-house together, but with less tears. Rylee, however, does know when he can milk an injury, either by Jack or one of his cousins.

Beth is recovering nicely from another surgery on her back. She sounded good when I talked with her. The relief was instantaneous.

Last Sunday, Jackson and Rylee did a magic show for everyone in Belen, with Jackson the consummate showman. He even brought along a felt bowler hat. When we returned that night, the boys were in the back seats playing their old IPod or Cyndi's new IPhone. I hardly heard them make a peep. As we approached Albuquerque from the south, a light flashed falling from the sky over the road before us. Cyndi saw it, too, and asked, was that a shooting star?

The kind of boy he is.

2011-09-20T08:38:00.000-06:00

The boys and I dropped off Cyndi at the gym for work at the child care. We went to Big 5 to get Ry some soccer cleats and shinguards. They offered several combo deals that included both, along with a soccer ball. Jackson found his cleats and shinguards from last year, and he brought his ball. We stopped off at Trader Joe's for a smoothie.

We found the park where the boys had soccer practice. Thankfully, on Mondays they go at the same time to the same park. That won't work out for the rest of the week. They both practiced with their teams, and afterward they swung and played tag together with some other kids on the playground. We went home and ate macaroni and cheese.

When we left to pick up Cyndi, the car was backing up funny. After I backed up, I saw that I had run over Ry's new soccer ball. I retrieved the ball, and I got mad at Ry for leaving it there. He said, I couldn't get it, and I tossed it in the back. It did not seem to have popped. As I drove, I waited a bit and then fumed so he would get the message that he needed to take more responsibility for his things: a pick after yourself speech. Jackson tried to interrupt, and I told him to wait until I was done. Then I said, okay, Jack, what did you want to say?

He said I shouldn't blame Ry. He said he was getting something out of the car when we were home, and the ball rolled out of the car. It wasn't Ry's fault.

I paused a minute. I said, Jackson, I admire you for saying that. First, because you told the truth. Second, because you were protecting your brother. Third, because you saw how unfair it was for Ry to take the blame. Rylee asked what admire meant. I said I was proud of Jackson. Jackson said he should be punished and even offered to use his money to buy another one. I said it was never about punishment but learning a lesson. Ry then said he didn't know about the ball.

I told the story to Cyndi when we picked her up. Jackson did his homework when we got home, and he seemed to be wiser. I'm not sure what lessons were learned, but I am very proud of my children.

more settling in

2011-09-18T13:21:00.001-06:00

Cyndi and I went to Ry's curriculum night Thursday, just after I wrote my last blog. We sat at his desk. He sits by three boys: Nader, Parker and George. It is a very diverse class. They spend most of their day on language skills and arithmetic. The teacher posted one of the children's projects in the hall, which I looked at afterward. They were supposed to complete a sentence beginning, I like to....

I studied Ry's. It was one of only a few that I could read. His printing was neat. It said, I like to Skate Bord. The accompanying drawing showed two skateboarders flying down a half-pipe slope, with big smiles on their faces, their arms outstretched to balance themselves.

We had a bunch of family over last night. Janey and her girls came, too. (Nicki's at UNM, Marleigh was in town from Portland. Even Juliette and Garrick showed up.) Don's mother came, along with Elley, Don, Nick, Lauren, Dorie, Pete and Brendon. The kids ran around the yard outside most of the time, playing tag, playing baseball, climbing the play deck we built with David, and jumping off. Everybody brought a ton of food, salads and bread, wine, dessert, chips, dip, and guacamole. Cyndi made mashed potatoes. The grill was piled with chicken thighs, sweet peppers and hot dogs. It was breezy in the evening, cool and threatened rain. (We had a small deluge earlier while Ry and I were at Costco; and the weather is starting to feel like Balloon Fiesta is just around the corner.) There was a lot of conversation, noisy in our small house. I think everyone enjoyed the get together; something about our small house and the grill and the wine makes it successful when we host everyone.

Ry skateboarded twice this weekend in the early morning, after we pick up some espresso Americano, a kid's hot chocolate with extra whip cream, and a scone. We were the first to arrive Saturday morning. There were some raindrops, but nothing came of it.

Today we may see The Lion King. Tomorrow the boys start soccer practice.

settling in

2011-09-15T11:09:00.002-06:00

We aren't really settled in for the new school year but the boys love it so far. Cyndi has been overseeing their homework, spelling lists, and reading. Even Ry has some. Jack has been pretty good about keeping up with his--the teacher gives out a week's worth--and you can tell he wants to excel. Cyndi and I went to a parent's only curriculum night for Jack's class. The teacher seemed to really like Jack. He helps her with all the computer and tech stuff in the classroom. She said the other day he was helping her, telling her, "Now, there's just two steps...." I saw Jack's old friend, Hailey, who sits by him in class, and asked about Jack. They must be good pals. I peeked in his desk, crammed with books, everything very organized and neat. Cyndi said the teacher confided in her about testing Jack for the gifted program. I'm not surprised. He just seems to be flourishing now and growing up so quickly. He's particularly enjoying mathematics, scoring very high, and he prefers books about science over fiction. He's mentioned some boys at recess being pushy about sports, I think mostly football, trying to out-bluster him on the playground, but he brings a soccer ball with him to school and joins in the games, taking a certain pride when he out-maneuvers them and deflates their bluster. Ry's curriculum night comes up next week. He's mentioned a few friends he has at school. Did I mention him recognizing fractal geometry, and being able to describe it, while I was watching a Nova program a month ago? He's definitely got arithmetic and reading down already. As I mentioned last time, his big interest right now is pet adoption centers and mastering his skateboard.

Balloon Fiesta is coming soon, and State Fair is here now. It's been trying to rain lately, and some days feel like Fall. So far no plans for the State Fair. We've talked about bicycling to the Balloon Fiesta this year, and in any case, unless the weather forecasts suggest otherwise, I'd like to avoid the first morning. I'm sure the school will have its usual pre-Fiesta, Friday morning launch on the school grounds. We talked about fall camping sometime soon, but nothing is planned at the moment. Jack has a field trip coming up soon to El Rancho de las Golondrinas, which I bet he'll be very excited about, taking a bus with his classmates out of town, up La Bajada, to La Cienega, almost to Santa Fe. We've been there a few times, most recently this summer, so it will seem familiar to him, but I imagine this will be a very memorable experience for him, to see this "living" cultural and historical museum through the guidance of teachers and docents. It comes at the end of their season when Fall should be very much here.

They finally started their chess club after school. They are both in the intermediate level, and judging from the materials they brought home it's a more sophisticated program than I thought. I played with Ry last night because he was so excited. He knows the moves and sees the traps but hasn't quite figured out how to attack yet. But I saw a few things last night that made me think he'll be playing a good game soon. Meanwhile, Jack is so steady in his strategy, planning his moves, setting up trap after trap.

They are also signed up for soccer but the season hasn't really begun yet. It will be fun when it does. After a short practice season, it's just a fun weekend outing for the games. It'll be a kick to see them play. They have religious education mid-week at the sister church, too. And soon we have to make a decision about cub scouts for both of them.

the end of summer

2011-09-11T13:30:00.004-06:00

Jackson had his 10th birthday. He said it was his best ever. The day began with balloons all over the house. Rylee and Cyndi had set up little clues to his presents, which Jackson followed from his bedroom, beginning with the staircase. One clue was to find the chair where Daddy sat, and, of course, I was sitting in it. The clues led to a big box, containing a little, but special, present.

Rylee took the initiative to plan Jack's morning. The boys do that for each other's birthday and they are developing their own rituals together. Jack orchestrated much of his birthday beforehand.

I made oatmeal for breakfast, and Cyndi made cookies for Jack's class. She arranged for Jack's friends and cousins to meet at our gym for a little pool party after school. There was lots of jumping and splashing in the water, pizza to eat, and a birthday cake. The highlight for Jackson was having three of his friends spend the night at his house. The boys played Wii game versions of Wipeout and Bass Fishing, the first based on a popular TV show of pratfalls the kids and Cyndi love to watch and share a laugh together, the second a present from one of his friends. They watched a movie on the new projector until they drifted to sleep. The camping air mattress was blown up for the occasion, but only Ry slept in it. Jack tucked him in, and the rest of the boys were scattered around the bunkbed, couch and cushions in the room. They were incredibly good, and the friends left the next morning after a breakfast of bacon and waffles.

We went to Santa Fe on the Saturday during Indian Market. This is the busiest day in Santa Fe. Before we left Albuquerque, we went to the skateboard park while Cyndi went to the gym, we went to Target for I don't remember what but the boys managed to get some small toys, and we grabbed a bite for the road. We would arrive in Santa Fe after noon, and I didn't expect we'd find an empty table or a short waiting list anywhere. We managed to find a parking spot near Santacafe and walked toward the plaza. We skipped the toy store on Marcy and looked inside J. Crew. It was a hot, sunny day as we walked up and down Lincoln, which was bustling with booths filled with pottery and clothes and paintings and people walking by, stopping. Some people had the Santa Fe look, which I joke means expensive jeans with expensive jewelry. Sometimes the jewelry is turquoise, and the jeans or skirt may be accompanied by elaborately tooled and colored boots, and usually a brimmed hat. The vendors were from all over the country, but most were Pueblo or Navajo. The craftspersons appeared to have already sold most of what they had brought. The painters looked to be much slower.

The plaza, too, was crammed with booths. We went into the Plaza Bakery for ice cream. There's a trick to that tiny shop. It looks like there is a line at the door, but it's not. We just go in and stand up to the counter, and wait until we're asked what we want: two kid's chocolates with rainbow sprinkles. As the boys ate their ice cream, we walked down to Tia Sophia but they were closing for lunch, the owner told me kindly after we peeked in the door. We walked back to the plaza and entered the Palace of the Governors through the front door under the portico, where the native vendors usually are. That door is not usually opened. It opens into the original wing of the museum, which I had not been in for many years, when I used to visit the print shop. It was wonderful, and this weekend it was free admission.

I asked where the regular vendors were and the museum attendant said they were in the little courtyard of the palace. What a wonderful place that was, shadey, uncrowded, a short line for fry bread, and small booths scattered on the lawn. Cyndi found some earrings and she tried several variations until we bought one custom made for her as we talked with the jewelry maker.

Jackson was very weary and hungry, and Rylee was just about getting over me telling him we were not going to the toy store on this trip. We put more money in the parking meter. Santacafe was also closing for lunch, the owner told me kindly, again. We walked over to the Inn of the Anasazi to see if we could have a bite on their porch outside on the street.

We were told it would be a short wait. We stood there for only a few short minutes, unsure if we should wait. But, perhaps sensing we very much wanted to eat there, the staff became exceptionally courteous and gracious, treating us as if we were guests at the hotel, a five-star one at that. After a couple of minutes, they asked us to sit on the sofas in the lobby to wait, where it was cool. The boys played, but they were unobtrusive and polite. I noticed that the staff knew all of their guests by name, as the guests came and went, and I remarked about this to the woman who was trying to help us. We struck up several conversations with her during our visit, and it turned out she was a director there.

We got a table in a short time, on this the busiest day for Santa Fe, at one of the nicest hotels and restaurants, when most restaurants were no longer serving lunch. It was a lovely lunch. The boys had a shrimp quesidilla, and Cyndi and I split a soft shelled crab dish and tuna tacos with an avocado mousse and mango salsa, with some little salady sprigs on the side. We sipped beers. I ordered a German one the man next to us was drinking. He was alone, just watching the world go by along Washington.

During the day we got many comments about the boys. Rylee was wearing a Yankees baseball cap, and Jackson a Red Sox cap. So many people in Santa Fe noticed it that day and questioned whether the boys were an equal rivalry. This must have happened a handful of times; twice during lunch. As we finished our lunch, dark clouds were looming and thunder began. The wind was gusting. The vendors began closing down. The hotel invited us inside, and we finished our beers in their library, where the boys were treated to cookies set out for the guests.

We haven't seen much rain in Albuquerque, and I was antsy to be outside in the weather. We left the hotel and drove home but somehow the rain never came.

Rylee has been going to the skateboard park now for about three weekends in a row. It's getting to the point where it's just him and me, while Cyndi and Jack do other things. Jack sometimes tags along just to see who may be there or perhaps to play chess with me. We go early in the morning, and we've started to stop off first at a Starbucks for coffee, hot chocolate, and a scone. There's only a few there; we recognize some regulars; many are very young children with their parents. Some are on bikes, some are on skates, some are on scooters. Ry skateboards mostly, but likes to bring his bike, too.

It's a kick to watch him. He has a black helmet on. He will skateboard all over the park, sometimes dragging his skateboard behind him as he climbs steep steps or tiers. He tries new ramps and pipes, taking his turn as others go before him, while others wait for him in turn. He'll test the waters of some steps. He is determined to master each new ramp and pipe, and so he does them over and over again...but not without also taking laps around in between. He looks so comfortable at what he is doing. There doesn't seem to be any danger from falls. He is probably the youngest on a skateboard, and you sense he is accepted there by the older ones. The scene on weekend mornings is different from other times we've gone.

When we left one time, he said that was fun. He said, you know what's funny? There's people who get paid to have this much fun. This weekend he mastered getting over the lip of the half pipe to skate down the slope. That slope is not a ramp, but has a quick drop, like a wave, before feathering out to the bottom. An older kid offered some help. He goes up and down the big ramps now, gliding along like a surfer. His board is getting pretty beaten up.

Ariel was in Atlanta during Hurricane Irene, working on a story assignment, so she didn't have anything much to report on the storm hitting Manhattan. Last time I talked, she and Chris were is southern California for a friend's wedding.

Meanwhile, Jackson has beaten me three times in a row at chess. He's an alert player, very clever. He and Rylee signed up for chess at school, but so far the after school club hasn't met. The boys are also signed up for soccer, and practice should begin soon. Rylee has been researching cat and dog adoptions online with Lauren. He prints out what he finds online and then puts it in a notebook he's keeping. Borders is closing, and he found a book on golden retrievers for $2, which he carries around now.

We went to a neighborhood sushi place one evening a couple of weekends ago. The boys ate some Korean shrimp teriyaki and rice. They were anxious to go the frozen yogurt shop, which was about three or four doors down. While Cyndi and I finished up, I told Jackson to take Rylee to the frozen yogurt shop. This was the first time he was left in charge to go into a store without his mom and dad. Cyndi seemed briefly uncertain, but acknowledged this was a good opportunity for Jack, who is on the cusp of growing up. I gave him some money and he and I talked quickly about what he was going to do. The boys left and we watched them go by the window together on their way. A few minutes later Jack came back with change and the two boys sat side-by-side outside our restaurant window eating their dishes of frozen yogurt and chattering away. Cyndi asked, will this moment make it into the blog? This past weekend, Rylee got the courage to ask for gum for him and Lauren at the baseball concession stand, as I stood a few yards away and Cyndi watched from the bleachers.

Here's the rest of the pics.

first day in school & a travel book

2011-08-16T08:46:00.005-06:00

The boys' first day back in school is today. It is also Jack's birthday this Friday. They've been excited about both. Rylee did his usual countdown to today, and last night he made sure to go to bed early. They were both up early this morning, and I made them breakfast before taking off to work. Cyndi ironed their clothes, packed their lunches, and filled their backpacks with the last minute school supplies. As I write this, she is taking them to school. School is starting and ending about an hour earlier this year.

For his birthday, Jackson has asked for a small projector for months, and he understood he was not likely to get it. Last week, he valiantly came up with alternative gift ideas but I don't think he had his heart set on any of them and, frankly, a few were expensive with a one-week halflife. So, against my previous best judgment, I ordered the projector. He will be thrilled, of course. I hope he understands things will be different come Christmas. Rylee, meanwhile, is excited by the prospect that he is getting Cyndi's IPod.

The boys celebrated their last day of summer, as they called it, by going swimming with Lauren last night. Last Friday, we met their new teachers. Ry has a teacher that Jack did not have, and so he was disappointed. But she seems great, her room is great (with a huge storytime projector!), and many of his friends are in the class. So he's excited. Jack feels all grown up with his new classroom in one of the buildings detached from the main school. His teacher is also new to us and seemed great, with lots of experience. We will have a curriculum night in a week or two, so we will learn more about what they're up to this year, but I noticed there were some New Mexico history books in Jack's desk already and the teacher said they have several field trips this year, including one to El Rancho de las Golondrinas.

When we went to the school on Friday, we also put down the boys' names for cub scouts. The status of Jack's den is very uncertain; Ry would be a Tiger. There's also probably soccer, and Jack and Cyndi have been talking about Chess Club.

Meanwhile, I also talked with Ariel. She's off soon to Atlanta for an interview for an article she's working on for Discover magazine, and then she and Chris go to southern California for a couple of weddings.

I earned a free book, so I put together one on our trip. It should be arriving soon, but here's a preview. You can play from the cover, and it will page through the book, or you can click on a larger view.

Click here to view this photo book larger

NYC series no.12: babes in toyland

2011-08-09T10:58:00.003-06:00

Once the boys understood that we weren't going to Legoland in California, Jackson began researching the Lego store in Manhattan and Rylee began researching what was available at the store. Legos are a big thing for the boys. They build the sets or create their own vehicles or buildings, collect and modify the minifigures, watch the videos and create their own animation. For months, they made plans on how to spend their money in the store. For the boys, shopping for toys became an important part of the trip and it took some doing to convince them that they shouldn't and couldn't spend every last dollar of theirs in the store and they'd appreciate fewer things in the long run. We planned on making the Lego store our first stop.

So on Friday morning around 10 we took the subway and walked to Rockefeller Plaza, where the big Lego sign greeted us in the window. The boys were very excited. Rylee first wandered around the entire store, looking in vain for Indiana Jones Legos. We thought this store was the only place to find them, but the line had been discontinued. Instead, the boys checked out the Hero Factory sets. They gathered around two kiosks where they could assemble their own minifigures from bins. Ry worked at one; Jack at the other. Each surrounded by other children building the minifigures. This was a destination for many young families and you could hear several languages inside. Then the boys filled two small cups with blocks from bins along a wall. They had a lot of fun there. Ariel joined us there, and we headed up 5th Avenue afterward.

After our champagne at the Plaza, we headed over to FAO Schwarz. There were many demonstrations of toys inside. The first in the door was a wax drawing tablet with a plastic cover sheet you lifted off to erase the image. About $1 at the grocery store; about $15 here. The demonstrator emphasized how it didn't make a mess. Tacky, of course, in more ways than one. A little beneath what I'd expect at FAO Schwarz, but it was the first thing through the door. Things got better.

Jackson grabbed me later. He wanted to show me something. At another point in the store, a man was demonstrating a magic kit in which lights appeared on his fingertips, which he then put in a paper sack, and in which one ball in his hand turned into three balls. Jackson loves magic tricks, so we looked at the kit. It promised 50 or 500 magic tricks, but was mostly the fingertip lights, a paper sack with a hidden light board, and four red sponge balls. We did purchase it, to be shared by both of them, and the boys had fun with that during the trip, practicing in the hotel room and often performing for whomever happened to be sitting near us in a restaurant or on the subway. The boys developed their own trick where they would act out throwing and catching the light between them, often across a table. Since we've been home, Jackson has demonstrated it to his cousins and Rylee practices the tricks with Cyndi and me, complete with all the banter and abracadabra.

Jackson must have seen the demonstration a couple of times. When we were looking at the kits, a new circle formed around the hawker as we studied the choices. The hawker repeated his performance, drawing the new boys in by asking their names and by including those on the outside of the ring, looking for the "missing" lights to put back in the paper sack. He'd say, oh, someone has been taking some, and find one on a boy on the edge of the circle. At this point, Jack, who'd been wandering back and forth within and outside the circle, made his way back inside the circle and walked up to the hawker. I confess, Jack said, I took one, too, and held out his hand. The hawker took a magic light out of Jack's hand, without missing a beat, saying, children are so honest these days, then went on with his performance as Jack exited the stage. I chuckled, this was so Jack.

The boys played on the giant piano, and Jackson found a jumbo red Angry Birds plush toy that he wanted. He kept hoping we'd go back to get it, and I told him it was possible, but sadly for him we never got the chance again. Maybe an upcoming birthday present. We did go back to the Lego store at one point when we found ourselves in Rockefeller Plaza again, and we also visited the Nintendo store next door to the Today Show studio.

Toys R Us has a giant flagship store in Times Square, with a ferris wheel inside. We walked inside it the night we saw Mary Poppins but it was crowded and I didn't see anything there that we couldn't find anywhere else. We looked for Vanns shoes for Rylee, but the skate store near our hotel did not carry children's sizes. We almost got an I [skateboard] NY shirt there but held off. My souvenir from the trip came from the Lego store: a mini-figure refrigerator magnet with, of course, I [heart] NY on the shirt.

The boys built their Legos in the hotel room and played with them when we were there. If you ask the boys what their favorite part of the trip was, they'll say they got to visit Ariel but the Lego store and FAO Schwarz are next on the top of their lists. Ry still holds out for the Lego store as his favorite, but Jack mentions both the Lego store and FAO Schwarz and admits that FAO Schwarz was the better of the two. He'll add that Toys R Us was a little lame.

chess & skateboard update

2011-08-07T12:34:00.001-06:00

Our first weekend after NYC and this morning (Sunday) we took our chairs and skates and the magnetic chess set to the skate park after waffles. We picked up some coffee and hot chocolate on the way. Ry got on his skateboard, and he seemed more confident on the little bump in the middle of the park and was attacking the small half pipe. There were other families out in the morning. Jack and Cyndi roller bladed some, and Jack and I played chess in the shade. He trounced me. That little lesson in Greenwich Village must have inspired him. He had traps set up all over the board. At the end, I thought the best I was going to do was force a stalemate but he check mated me. We high fived, and later in the car he offered me a tip.

Pete and Dorie and Brendon came over Friday night for steaks, with sweet peppers, bread, salad, and chips and guacamole. They brought dessert. While the charcoal ignited, I talked briefly with mom & dad, who had returned from their trip with David up to Alaska. On Saturday, it was back-to-school shopping for school supplies, shoes and shirts. The school sends out a list for school supplies. The list includes more pencils than one could imagine using in a decade. This year the lists include flash drives. We're all curious to learn how they intend to use those for fourth graders as well as first graders.

NYC series no.11: Central Park & more

2011-08-06T11:01:00.001-06:00

Back when Ariel first moved to NYC, we began planning a trip to see her and visit the sights. From the beginning, we wanted to spend a day that revolved around Central Park to take in its recreational opportunities--skating, biking, boating, chess, playgrounds, picnicking, concerts, plays, hiking and more--and the surrounding museums. It was my dream to jog the trails in the early mornings. When we started looking at staying on the Upper West Side, we started by planning a day in Central Park and other excursions to nearby Riverside Park, where we learned we could kayak, bicycle, and even skateboard. We found a skating store on 72nd Street between our subway station and Central Park. Jackson and Cyndi wanted to rollerblade in Central Park. Rylee and I started talking about taking his skateboard. We found out that Southwest allowed them on board, and TSA appeared to allow them, too. At the last moment, we decided to go ahead and pack the skateboard in our check-in luggage. It would only fit in the large rolling duffel and it added some significant weight. (I was able to confirm later that TSA did allow them through security, at least according to the TSA in Albuquerque...but I still wonder about LaGuardia, which seemed, well, less sophisticated and, justifiably perhaps, less accommodating.)

As it turned out, our time in Central Park was pretty limited. After a short visit on Saturday morning to the American Museum of Natural History at 77th on the western edge of Central Park we had only a short time before our reserved time at the Sony Wonder Lab at 56th and Madison. We entered the park from the museum exit and walked up the hill along the roadway used by joggers and bicyclists, and then across a path to Belvedere Castle, where we could get views of Turtle Pond, the baseball fields of the Great Lawn, and the surrounding skyline above the treetops. The theater for Shakespeare in the Park was next door. The castle is a miniature stonework building, with some staff, making it one of many visitor's centers where you can get a really good map of the park. We climbed to the small parapet on top. At this point, we elected to go toward the lake through the Ramble, a quiet, dense, hilly forest of narrow trails and rocky outcrops, where a few families strolled in the cool shade to find a bench or a patch of grass to picnic and where a group practicing a martial movement were gathered in another patch of grass. We managed to find our way down to the Loeb Boathouse, where we had a few sandwiches inside overlooking the rowboats. We walked along the lake, past a gondola and a musician, over to Bethseda Fountain, where we saw two wedding parties, and then down the mall, past artists, a performer in a small bandshell, and statues of poets and writers. As we began approaching the corner of the plaza near the corner of 59th and 5th, the crowds of pedestrians began dramatically to increase.

On Sunday morning, I did an abbreviated jog through Central Park from our hotel. I entered around 77th and joined the joggers on the West Drive, past Strawberry Fields, the Sheep Meadow, and Tavern on the Green, down toward Columbus Circle, up past the Chess House, around the Mall, and out 72nd. On the way across 72nd, I saw a meeting place for joggers to gather. I bought coffee on the corner to take back up to the room.

The skate shop on 72nd turned out to be a bit of a bust. They were friendly there, but they didn't have Vanns shoes for kids, and Rylee desperately needed new shoes, what with a new school year coming up fast. We visited the shop on Friday between subway trips. We never filled up Monday afternoon, our last afternoon, and we never managed to visit Riverside Park, so Rylee and I boarded the subway so we could go to the skateboard park at 108th.

I have to believe that there are beautiful parts of Riverside Park and this section was beautiful but it seemed a little desolate and a little unkempt, showing some signs of age. The skateboard park was a big disappointment. A chain link fence surrounded it, and the first gate we came to was locked with a chain. There were no skaters there, it was in disrepair, and many of the ramps were blocked off from use. Rylee put on his helmet, and the lone attendant waved us over. I put on Rylee's pads as I talked with the attendant. He told me this was the first day of fasting for Ramadan. Rylee skateboarded a while, having a good time on the small ramps. Several other skateboarders came by while we were there but they had to walk away because they did not have helmets and pads. After a short time, I said goodbye to the attendant, and Rylee and I returned to the subway back to our hotel. That night, Ry fell asleep at dinner. He managed to wake up a few minutes to shovel in some spaghetti and meatballs.

NYC series no.10: restaurants

2011-08-05T12:39:00.001-06:00

When I prepared a budget for the trip, I kept staring at the amounts I set aside for meals, knowing they were too low. Still, I never changed the numbers. We did, in fact, go overbudget on the meals, but my budget was padded in other ways and we managed to stay within our means overall.

Going out in NYC was almost twice as much for what I'd like to spend on family dining but it never seemed unreasonable. I had a good idea of what restaurants would be family friendly, which is taken pretty seriously on the Upper West Side, and we certainly knew that this was not going to be a trip for gastronomical indulgences. Typically, we look for entrees that might be split for the boys or sides that may serve as main courses for the boys, but in the New York restaurants it was apparent we had to rely on the children's menus they offered, and generally the prices for kid's meals were not unreasonable in the scheme of things. What I found humorous was that each restaurant we went to had its own take on the boys' favorites. You'd read the description and it would take you a moment to realize it was just basically a grilled cheese sandwich (Jack's favorite) or macaroni and cheese (Ry's favorite). Alternatively, Jack would eat hot dogs (which was on most menus, too) and Ry would eat spaghetti and meatballs. So they ate well in NYC.

We started off poorly with our first meal at Chicago Midway. I was going to save this for a separate blog on the airports but we found ourselves eating on the A concourse going to NYC at a place with pizza and pasta. It was really horrible and the prices were shocking. A bad start. There was a Ben & Jerry's in the food court that we stopped at both going and coming back. On our way back, we got a table at Harry Caray's in the food court and that turned out good. The boys played chess there, and Cyndi and I had a beer between flights. Our last indulgence.

Our first meal in NYC was with Ariel at La Bonne Soupe, where we had lunch Friday on our outing that started with the Lego store and proceeded up 5th Avenue. It was on 55th Street in Midtown. We arrived early for lunch, about 11:30, and for a brief moment we wondered if were arriving too early. It turned out perfectly. The only tables taken at that time were the two or three small tables on the balcony above the street. We were seated at a very nice table upstairs in the room just off the balcony, surrounded by colorful paintings. I had Soupe a l'Oignon, served with a salad and a glass of red wine. Cyndi and Ariel each had quiche and salad, as I recall, and this is one place where the boys had a cheeseburger (Jack) and a hamburger (Ry). We shared a chocolate mousse, a flan (creme caramel), and a chocolate gelato. When we left, the place was full.

That evening we skipped the Toys R Us flagship store in Times Square, after buying our tickets for Mary Poppins the following evening, and hurried back on the subway to meet Ariel and Chris at Isabella's. This restaurant was in our neighborhood, on Columbus Avenue at 77th Street, just across from the American Museum of Natural History. It was a pretty bistro, but not overly fancy. I made reservations sometime in the afternoon and we arrived just at the right time. I think it was after 9, and the room was busy, a popular place to dine on the Upper West Side. It had rained that afternoon and between the rain, the humidity, and our outing around Midtown, not to mention the subways and the walk to the restaurant from the station, we didn't feel very fresh. They seated us, and we stored our umbrellas in the corner. Ariel and Chris were about ten minutes away, so we ordered cocktails. With the ambiance, the cocktails, and the air conditioning, we were revived. The boys nibbled on bread and began entertaining the next table with some magic lights we purchased at FAO Schwarz that morning. It was very clear that children were welcome by both the restaurant and its patrons. Our neighboring table actually enjoyed our boys.

At some point the restaurant lights dimmed. I remember this because I couldn't read by the light of the tea candles and Cyndi loaned me her reading glasses. That was a first. The waitress brought the boys' dinners out quickly, without us asking. We ordered the least expensive bottle of an Argentinian Malbec. Ariel and Cyndi split a chopped salad and a salmon special. Chris had gnocci, which I remember because Ariel told us the story of him making the best gnocci ever. He thought the gnocci he had that night was comparable to his. And I had a tasty linguine dish. For dessert, the boys split a chocolate chip ice cream sandwich, Ariel and Chris split a brownie sundae, and Cyndi and I split a citrus vanilla creme brulee.

We caught up with Ariel and Chris. I don't think it was grilling, but I kept asking questions about what Chris was doing. It sounded fascinating, that's why I kept asking, and I was curious how their time might play out in Manhattan. As it turns out, there's some thought of going to David's school in Pullman where there is a research lab connected to the work Chris is doing now at Rockefeller University. We asked about his parents, too, who we liked and who are excited about a wedding next year. We parted at the restaurant. It might have been around 11, and we walked back to our hotel, past the brownstones on 75th.

On Saturday, we had a snack in the cafe at the American Museum of Natural History and a late snack at the theater, neither of them having any nutritional value. We also grabbed some refreshments at Trader Joe's and hot dogs at Gray's Papaya near our subway station, but due to my own failure we will not speak of those hot dogs again and consider it a do-over for our next trip to NYC. So the closest we came to a meal that day was in Central Park at the Loeb Boathouse. It's a pretty spot by the lake, with people rowing and even gondolas. We came upon it after meandering through the Ramble. It looked like a nice place for a brunch, which Ariel and Chris recommended as a very NYC thing to do. We had sandwiches overlooking the lake, behind a restaurant, at an informal cafe, before following the lake to Bethesda Fountain. The boys and I grabbed really good smoothies at a Starbucks next door to the Sony Wonder Lab later, and other than these our nourishment that day came from our refrigerator in our hotel room.

On Sunday, we had a good pizza at John's on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village. Half cheese, half sliced meatballs. We walked from the chess store, and I wondered what we would find. Would it be crowded? As we approached, there was a group of people standing outside. My heart sank. But when we got to the door, it was clear that they weren't waiting in line. They were just tourists on a walking tour of Greenwich Village. We got a booth immediately. The booth was covered with names scratched into the wood. Jack was a little turned off by the very old bathroom. The linoleum on the floor was worn. The people were great. We ordered a pizza and a pitcher of root beer. When I asked if I could add the sliced meatballs on half, I asked the man if that was good. He said, in good humor, that if I didn't think it was good they would get us one we did like. It was delicious. The crust was cracker thin. The boys struggled with the slices. I should have shown them how to fold them but wondered if they'd take me seriously.

In the evening we dined at Alma in Brooklyn, a favorite of Ariel's and Chris's. I mentioned this restaurant on my blog about views, since that was the afternoon Ariel drove us to Pier 6 for a ferry to and a bicycle ride on Governor's Island. Alma was close to their previous apartment, before they moved to Manhattan. It had a cozy neighborhood bar on the first floor where we waited for the prime tables on the covered rooftop with its view of Lower Manhattan. On the rooftop, we sat in the shade of early evening. There was a slight breeze. The food was exquisite. The company was wonderful. Cyndi and I had an anejo. I was intrigued because they offered an enchilada dish with what they said was New Mexico chile. I had to try it. It was presented exactly as how it would be prepared in New Mexico. The red chile seemed more complex than I would expect in New Mexico, perhaps more like a mole sauce. But it was delicious. I'm not sure what the others had this evening: we ordered some guacamole; the boys maybe a quesadilla; Cyndi maybe a fish taco; Chris fajitas.

(I just Skyped Ariel to ask what she had. Probably a favorite. She answered that she had the Poblano Relleno, stuffed with short ribs and gouda, served over a yellow mole sauce, topped with crispy yucca. Yum! And she reminded me that Jack fell asleep and had his half of the quesadilla when we got back to the hotel.)

On Monday, we had lunch at the cafe at MOMA. Once again we went early and beat all the crowds. We sat by a window, overlooking 53rd Street. The menu was mostly bruschetta and pannini. The kids' menu had mozarella panini (grilled cheese, although Jack couldn't eat the last bite of mozarella; it came with apple slices, too) and pasta with butter and cheese (yummy macaroni and cheese), along with a bowl of fresh berries and two cookies.

That night Ariel joined us and we walked down Broadway to Arte's Delicatessen, "a traditional retro 1930's New York delicatessen." This is where it was Rylee's turn to fall asleep during dinner, after an early morning wake up call for The Today Show and afternoon skateboarding. I'm sure I should have ordered a pastrami Rueben, but the brisket dinner sounded good to me. Cyndi had a large salad, since she was dying for something green, and Ariel had our favorite: The Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner. It was sensational--the stuffing, the turkey, the mashed potatoes, the vegetables, and the cranberry relish. Huge! Even after Cyndi and I helped Ariel, there was still plenty for Chris back at home. Ariel soon left us that night, to get back to her apartment on her bike. We would be up early the next day to head home.

NYC series no.9: Beacon Hotel

2011-08-05T09:54:00.000-06:00

We stayed at the Beacon Hotel on Broadway between 74th and 75th. I heard a lot about it after making inquiries for family friendly accommodations. There were many families staying there while we were there, and I gathered that most of those families were from other countries. We heard many languages on the elevators, in the hallways, and in the lobby. Of course, we heard many languages throughout the city.

The hotel is in the Upper West Side, two blocks from Riverside Park and the Hudson River, three blocks to Central Park, about the same distance to the American Museum of Natural History, not far from Lincoln Center, a block from a subway station, across the street from a great market, and next door to a wine store, a cafe, and the Beacon Theatre. The staff was really good, very attentive. We got to know our doorman as we walked out the front door onto the sidewalk on our way to the subway, or the market, or Starbucks, or whereever. On the day it rained, he gave us umbrellas. When we left, he haled the cab and loaded our bags.

The first impression of our room was how cool it was inside after our first taste of the heat and humidity. Jackson pushed the button in the small elevator to the 23rd floor and Rylee unlocked the door with the card key. The room's palette was a pleasant green. There was a living room with a sofa bed. Cyndi unpacked the boys' clothes and stored them in a bureau in the room. Their toys went into separate drawers, and the bags were stored in a closet near the front door, which also had a little safe. There was also a kitchenette. We used the refrigerator, the sink and the microwave, but that was all. It was pretty well stocked for four people, and at the end I discovered you could ask for wine glasses and additional utensils. (You had to ask for a sharp knife to go with the cutting board that was already there.) The bathroom was very nice but very small. Thankfully, there was a wide sill along the bathroom window for things. There was another closet in the bedroom. The bedroom also had a wonderful tall window looking toward Central Park and Midtown, its own temperature zone, and a second flat screen. I think Cyndi docked her ipod in the room, too.

We often came home to the hotel late and tired. There were a few mornings we got an early start, but it never seemed hurried until I started haranguing everyone when it was time to go. On a few mornings, I'd get some muffins or scones and coffee. We bought some milk and juice, grapes, and other things to eat in the room in the morning or late at night. We even got two bottles of wine from next door. Some days were divided so that we could come back for rest. Cyndi would lie down for a bit, the boys would play with their new Legos with the Disney channel in the background, and I'd take out my little itinerary and figure out the next subway trip or see if we were still on budget.

NYC series no.8: a short architectural tour

2011-08-05T08:49:00.002-06:00

There were a handful of places I wanted to see and that Cyndi wanted to see, and show the boys, that I thought we could visit when were out and about. One was St. Patrick's Cathedral, which we visited on our first day, between the Lego Store in Rockefeller Center and FAO Schwarz, which was further up 5th Avenue, at that corner on 59th where Central Park meets The Plaza Hotel and the two squares and, of course, 5th Avenue. Ariel was with us.

I can't describe the cathedral and give it due justice. It is extremely Gothic, with high spires, and when you enter it you are first impressed with the height of its vaulted ceiling and its cavernous immensity. There was a steady stream of tourists entering and several stopped in the vestibule, where votives could be lit. We walked down the nave toward the altar and sat in the pews close under its center, where the crosses of the building's footprint intersect. From there we could take in various details, including the stain glass rose window and grand organ over the vestibule from where we entered. We walked a little more toward a chapel behind the altar and then toward a small gift shop, where Cyndi purchased a little bookmark for her mother. I think it was for St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost things. We left a small donation in a box for the poor of the world.

On Sunday morning, we walked three blocks from our hotel to the Church of the Blessed Sacrament for 10 o'clock mass. The church is certainly not as grand as St. Patrick's but to my mind it was very grand. It was similarly Gothic, with beautiful stained glass windows, including a rose over the organ above the vestibule. Behind the altar were beautiful tapestries. It was their family mass, and there were many small children and crying babies. It did not seem particularly full but many, like us, arrived, as we tend to do, a few minutes tardy. The gospel that day was the miracle of the loaves and fishes, which I thought was appropriate enough.

For some inexplicable reason, I wanted to make a loop on Friday, before seeing Times Square, that included an arrival at Grand Central Station (entering the hall as though we were arriving by train) and the nearby New York Public Library. It was raining that afternoon, and the doorman at our hotel lent us umbrellas. The subway was particularly hot and humid, and it took a transfer from the Times Square station to get to Grand Central Station. We entered the grand hall and again its immensity was the wonder of it all. We exited by the least convenient exit and it began to rain in earnest. We ducked into a JCrew store on Madison Avenue during the hardest part of the rain. Cyndi could find no good sales. When the rain subsided a bit, we walked to the New York Public Library. I had wanted at the very least to sit in its reading room, but the doors between the lions were locked and so we turned the corner to Bryant Park, which was equally closed down due to the rain. That's when we followed our umbrellas to Times Square and the New Amsterdam theater and purchased tickets for Mary Poppins for the next evening.

NYC series no.7: chess in Greenwich Village

2011-08-05T07:42:00.001-06:00

On Sunday morning, after church, we took the subway to Washington Square. There is a corner of the park there where chess is played but that part of the park was under renovation and closed. We walked over to the arch, and the boys had strawberry popsicles on a bench nearby.

We walked over to Thompson Street, just before Bleecker Street, which is sometimes known as the chess district, where there are two chess stores on the narrow street. We went into the first. There were two rows of tables with chess sets, and a sign that said you had to pay $3 to watch and another sign that said the store was open 24 hours. There were only a few people inside. A gentleman was teaching a young boy. The boy's mother sat beside her son. The boy squirmed in his seat and didn't seem particularly absorbed in the lesson, but the teacher was very good and very patient.

The boys looked at the chess sets for sale. I didn't get the impression that they sold a lot of sets, but the selection was unique. The store showed signs that it had been around for many, many years. The boys also found some chess t-shirts. They were very reasonable in price. I waited until the lesson was over, and sometime passed before the mother was finished. They were setting up a series of regular lessons. When they finally concluded, I introduced myself to the teacher and asked if he gave drop in lessons. He said that he did, but the lesson was one hour. We were supposed to meet up with Ariel soon, so I said I didn't think we had that much time. We arranged for a short 1/2 hour lesson.

The teacher was very good with children, and he packed a lot within the half hour. I explained that Jackson knew the game pretty well but that I was his teacher and I doubted how well I could teach him beyond some rudimentary level. The teacher was also interested in Rylee, and I told him that Rylee knew the moves of the pieces and was already seeing the plays on the board.

Jackson sat opposite the teacher and Rylee sat at the end of the table. Cyndi came and went, checking out the other merchants on the street. She told me later about a meditative bowl she found. The teacher went through some opening strategies to control the center of the board and a simple end game to show what he called the "force field" and getting in the King's face. He explained how a pawn can take another pawn en passant, castling, the value of the pieces, and stalemate. I thought the teacher could move quickly, partly because he saw how readily Jackson understood and could play against him. Jackson is particularly proud of seeing traps, and the teacher had a clear description of the forms of traps.

At the end, the teacher turned his attention to Rylee with a technique he called the parachute. He'd place white pieces around the board, then drop one black piece onto a square and ask Ry which white piece or pieces could take the black piece. Ry was very quiet. The teacher watched Ry's eyes and he could see how Ry looked at the entire board until he saw the move. In a very short time, Ry would then move the white piece to take the black piece. The teacher would then put the black piece on another square and repeat the exercise. Ry never hesitated to move the correct white piece.

I was so appreciative of this short lesson. I talked with the man, and we exchanged email addresses. He even suggested we could continue lessons via Skype on the internet. A different world, I thought, considering the suggestion seriously, where the student lives in Albuquerque and the teacher lives in New York City. He told me it would be new for him, too. I told him Jackson would know how to use the internet for the lessons. Cyndi thought they could make a trade.

We walked down Bleecker Street, noting its close approximation to our name, and had a pizza at a long-established pizzeria in Greenwich Village before getting back on the subway to Canal Street, where Ariel would pick us up for a trip to Brooklyn.

We have a chess set at home, a simple wooden one in a tin box, that I bought online from FAO Schwarz for $5 years ago. I thought we could find a magnetic chess set at the store when we set out that day, but we didn't see anything there. When we got to Chicago Midway on Tuesday, we found one in a store next to where we had lunch. The boys played together in the restaurant and in the terminal and on the plane going back home.

NYC series no.6: pics

2011-08-04T20:11:00.004-06:00

NYC series no.5: in a station of the MTA

2011-08-04T17:01:00.008-06:00

In the four full days we were in NYC, I'd guess we took the subway about a dozen times. We took a cab only three times, twice to get to and from the airport and once to get from Times Square to our hotel. On Sunday afternoon, Ariel picked us up in a car to get us to Brooklyn and Chris drove us home to our hotel that evening. I was very thankful for that, as I was exhausted and it was great not to have to think about getting us around.

There was a station a block from our hotel that became familiar to us. It was a pleasant walk along Broadway, even one afternoon in the rain, past lovely residential buildings. Broadway at this point is divided with a median of trees and flowers. The sidewalks weren't nearly as crowded as Midtown. It was a pretty entrance to the station, in the center of Verdi square, where 72nd Street, Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway Boulevard converged. People sat in the park near the station entrance, many reading a book or a Kindle. It was our favorite station. Across the street was a Trader Joe's, with its escalator for shopping carts that Jackson, Rylee and Ariel tried, and a Gray's Papaya.

Cyndi helped steer us through the stations and get us to the right side of the tracks for our destination or find the cross overs for transfers and exits. Jackson quickly learned how to distinguish between uptown and downtown directions, listen to the stops over the PA system on the train, find the boards in the stations for the next arriving trains, and read the signs. Cyndi made sure always to hold hands. Rylee learned to duck under the turnstiles. Jackson always quickly found an empty seat.

On Friday morning we bought three passes for unlimited rides, good for a week. Riders under 44 inches rode free, and before we left I measured Rylee. He was about a half inch over 44, but the lady at the station booth said he was free and we never had any question as he ducked under the turnstiles. I would scan each pass for Jackson, Cyndi and myself.

I carried a laminated map with me on most outings, and the best feature of the map was a duplication of the official MTA map, showing the subway lines and stations. From our station at Verdi Square we could get direct trains to Columbus Circle (where we could transfer to a train to Washington Square) and to Times Square (where we once transferred on a shuttle subway to Grand Central Station). We could walk from Times Square to Rockefeller Center or take another line to Rockefeller Center from the station on 72nd at Central Park West. Once we got it down, it became a pretty quick way to get around.

We walked to the American Museum of Natural History and from there we walked to Central Park. On a couple of occasions we walked down 72nd, past shops, to the Dakota and down 75th, past brownstones and trees and flowerbeds, to Columbus Avenue. On Sunday we walked three blocks to the Church of the Blessed Sacrament to attend the 10 o'clock mass on 71st Street. We walked up as far as 83rd Street for markets and restaurants, not even a half mile from our hotel. Cyndi did a quick walk on Monday around the neighborhood and I'd get out in the mornings just in our immediate neighborhood.

What we noticed getting around was the stifling heat in the stations and sometimes on the trains themselves. It made you realize the importance of air conditioning and wonder how people lived and worked during the summer heat before air conditioning or how people may still do without it. We were often dehydrated and depended on Cyndi's water bottle. The worst train was an express we mistakenly took uptown to somewhere around Columbia University and Harlem before we could get off and get back on a local train to our intended station. The air conditioning seemed non-existent on that one. The worst station was probably waiting for the shuttle from Times Square to Grand Central Station. Even the overhead fans placed there didn't help the heat, which seemed to build up during the day and peak in the evening.

I have to say that the people we met and talked with were exceedingly helpful and pleasant. There were times when people even offered help when we hadn't yet asked. At Grand Central Station, I asked a man wearing the vest of someone who worked for the subway how to exit so we came up in the great hall. He led us, saying he was going that way anyway, and we talked about the Yankees (the boys were wearing their caps, which often provoked some comment), the Mets (the employee's team), and even the Brooklyn team. We never encountered a scary person or an uncomfortable situation. Once, while walking from Columbus Ave. to our hotel we passed by a man who had passed out in his own vomit. I wondered if he were alive. That scared me.

Rylee and I took the subway on Monday afternoon to 110th Street to go to the skateboard park. We passed by a music school from the station. You could hear the music from the open windows. We took the stairs down to Riverside Park at 108th. The park was quiet. When we returned, Ariel had arrived by bicycling from her apartment below Midtown through a corner of Central Park to our hotel. That was the evening Rylee, exhausted, feel asleep at dinner, waking up for a few moments to inhale his spaghetti and meatballs before falling asleep again.

NYC series no.4: The Today Show

2011-08-04T15:13:00.004-06:00

Cyndi said she wanted to see the taping of The Today Show at Rockefeller Center, and the more I thought about it the more it sounded like a fun thing to do on Monday, our last full day in NYC, and afterward going up the elevators at 30 Rock to the observation decks and then over to MOMA, all while the day is young. I think we set the alarm for 4:30 in the morning. We took showers and got the boys up at the last moment. We might have taken the subway to Columbus Circle to transfer to an orange line to Rockefeller Center, but I think that morning we walked down to the station at 72nd and Central Park West, in front of the Dakota. We arrived in the station below Rockefeller Center and I found the exit to the concourse of shops at the level between the station and the skating rink. The boys thought this was the best metro station we'd been in. There was a Starbucks there and we ordered our usuals. Besides two kids' hot chocolates, there's a triple extra room tall Americano and a grande extra hot toffee nut latte, no whip. That's not exactly how I order them, but it's as close I can get to how my orders are repeated to me.

We went up to the lobby and out to the plaza and we could see the metal barriers set up out side the studio in the alley between 48th and 49th. We were standing at a corner when a man, who looked to be an audience regular and was already at a prime location, by himself, inside the barriers (I'll call him the VIF), gestured us over to 48th Street, where sure enough a line was forming. Fortunately, it wasn't too long. About 6:30, they let you inside the outer ring of the metal barriers, but not until they check your posters (we didn't make any) for content and pass a wand over your body. Cyndi eventually found a spot at a corner next to a spot reserved for wheelchairs, which in turn is next to the pathway Matt, Ann and Natalie use to enter the inner ring. In other words, Cyndi ended up in a prime spot along the path between the celebrity entrance and the VIF.

Meanwhile I found myself facing the studio itself, with a direct line of sight into the heart of the production area. Mostly, I could view the producers, the cameramen, a makeup artist, and Tom Brokaw and the new Meet the Press guy waiting for the segment on the debt crisis analysis. I nursed my coffee and also watched a monitor above my head. The boys took turns between Cyndi and me, with Jackson sometimes drifting further out to take in the crowd, including the large crew of police on duty.

The show is on the air at 7 sharp. There's some silly stories, one about the royal family, and a fascinating interview with a woman on the U.S. ski team who had an amazing encounter with a mother bear. If you remember that story on The Today Show, you probably saw Cyndi, Jackson and Rylee on national television.

Somewhere before the first half-hour ended, about where they probably have lots of commercials and local news and weather, I saw on my monitor a spliced shot of Cyndi and the boys on camera. And then opening the next half hour, with the theme music playing and the host's voice over saying this was Monday, August 1, there was Cyndi, Jackson and Rylee waving and beaming on camera. The cameraman had picked them out of the crowd. It seemed a natural choice to me.

The celebs probably appeared in the inner ring two or three times. (During part of the on-air time, I went to get tickets for the observation decks around the corner, where I met some other really great NBC or GE or RCA or whatever employees.) I noticed how genuinely friendly The Today Show celebs and producers were. One of the producers went to greet the VIF and gave him one of those Continental kisses. Cyndi and Jackson shook hands with the celebs as they passed by.

Much of this was coordinated by constant text messaging and telephone calls to Cyndi's family and friends so that they would watch and TiVo the show. I still haven't seen any recording, but then I saw it already. I was there. I know Cyndi's dying to see it. Lisa called me after she got back from work that day. It was already late in our day, and we were exhausted. Lisa said something like, are you in New York? Did I see Cyndi on television this morning? What's the chances you'd be in New York, at The Today Show, on camera, and that I'd be watching it at that moment? A classmate of Rylee's saw him, too, that morning.

NYC series no.3: champagne

2011-08-04T13:33:00.000-06:00

On our first full day, we met Ariel at the Lego Store in Rockefeller Center and proceeded up 5th Avenue. On the way, we stepped inside the Cathedral of St. Patrick, had lunch at La Bonne Soupe, and visited Louis Vuitton. FAO Schwarz was ahead, but first we walked across the square where the Pulitzer Fountain sits to the lobby of The Plaza Hotel. At one time I considered, but rejected, eating lunch at the Plaza. It had a gourmet food court and the posh Oak Room, and in my research I heard about a champagne room. The boys know the Plaza from the Home Alone movie. It is famous to older generations for the book about Eloise, but I can't claim to have read or been read that book.

We didn't hesitate to follow guests and other tourists through the revolving doors into an entry room, where those who weren't guests stopped to take pictures. We saw a little sign pointing to its front desk and found ourselves in a sunny room with high ceilings and chandeliers and green velvety chairs in twos along the windows and smaller upholstered chairs in groups circled around tables in a second ring near the windows. Cyndi sat in one of the green velvety chairs next to a window at the corner of the hotel, and I spied a small bar in the corner of the room where we entered. I asked the woman at the small bar, "Is this the Champagne room?" Yes, it was. And were they serving Champagne, and what Champagne did they serve? It was very early in the afternoon. And she tells me some French Champagnes. I recognize "brut" and "rose", and I recently had a rose Champagne that surprised me how good it was. So I ordered one glass. She said it was their most popular Champagne. As I always find, the people were very gracious.

A man in a tuxedo brought the champagne to our table next to the green velvety chairs in the far corner of the large room where Cyndi and Ariel sat. He asked if we wanted anything else, and I confided to him that were just having the one token glass of champagne to enjoy a few brief moments sitting in the room. He smiled and said he understood, and later he brought a stand with two serving dishes, silver probably, though I didn't really notice at the time, with snacks and chocolate-covered almonds.

Cyndi, Ariel and I tasted the Champagne. I think it may have been Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin. It was very good, very dry, the bubbles seemed small and numerous. The boys played with their brand new Legos sitting on the carpet at our feet. They talked quietly for a change. A man sat near us munching on what looked like a sushi order from the gourmet food court, and two men looked like they were engaged in some sort of business a few tables away. They were not eating or drinking. Some people came and went through the room but they were very few and we didn't notice any traffic.

We didn't rush, but it couldn't have been too many minutes before we paid our bill, looked at some shops and other hallways at the hotel, and then crossed over the small street in front of the lobby and toward FAO Schwarz.

NYC series no.2: practically perfect

2011-08-04T11:43:00.002-06:00

I wasn't sure how we would see a Broadway show while we were in NYC. Cyndi thought it was one of the most important things we could show the boys, and as it turned out it was a highlight of our trip. Lion King and Spiderman I heard were either sold out or there were no discounted tickets. The War Horse, playing at Lincoln Center, was perhaps a little too old for the boys and it had just won the Tony for Best Play. Just before we left for NYC I printed a coupon from broadwaybox.com and brought it along.

On our first full day in NYC, on our second outing, in the early evening, it began to rain just as we left the lobby for the subway. The doorman gave us umbrellas to take with us. (Umbrellas developed into a bit of a leitmotif for the trip.) On this outing, we eventually found ourselves in the middle of Times Square at around 8 in the evening just as the lights were starting to shine against a darkening sky. We entered Times Square around 42nd and Broadway, near the New Amsterdam theater, and we walked to its box office. We found five seats together in the balcony for the next evening's performance of Mary Poppins, the cheapest seats in the house, and saved an additional $75 with the coupon. We took pictures of Cyndi and the boys beside the mural of Mary Poppins flying with her bonnet and frock coat and with an open umbrella in her hand.

On Saturday, Ariel met Cyndi in Midtown while the boys and I were at the Sony Wonder Lab and the five of us returned to the hotel together before the evening performance. We took the subway again to Times Square and walked over to the theater. Times Square was packed with people. We first went to the Toys R Us flagship store.

A crowd was milling around the mural of Mary Poppins next to the box office of the New Amsterdam theater for pictures, but we walked right in. At about twenty minutes or so before the performance, there was no line at all. An elevator immediately inside took us to the balcony and a small lobby of its own where we could buy candy and chocolates and souvenir mugs and even cocktails (one was called a Practically Perfect) in little plastic sippy cups to bring inside. (There went the discount.)

The balcony was small and high above the stage. Below us was a mezzanine we could not see and the large orchestra section in front of the stage. The balcony filled up before the lights flickered or an usher walked about with a small mallet and xylophone, and the entire theater looked to be sold out. In the balcony, the rows rose in tiers so you looked out above the heads of those in front of you.

I'm certain the experience from the seats below the balcony must have been different from ours, but our experience was a delight. The proscenium at the front of the stage was as wide as the the theater and as high as our seats in the balcony. The production design used the entire frame of the proscenium so that we weren't deprived of any action on the stage below us. It was like watching a large IMAX film screen, except all the action was live. The scenes dropped and changed constantly, often suspended above the stage, so that the dancing and singing was never confined to the floor of the stage but took place in the center of the frame of the proscenium. The scenes in the attic of the home or on the rooftops were appropriately staged above the stage floor. At one point, Bert, the chimney sweep, walked along the entire four edges of the proscenium frame.

From the very beginning the boys were riveted. They both sat at the edge of their seats, their eyes glued to the stage. I brought some binoculars, and Jack wore those around his neck and peered through them at the beginning. They clapped enthusiastically. They literally (one of their favorite words) squealed with delight. Jack bounced up and down in his seat through some numbers, and he looked for the wires that suspended the actors above the stage.

Cyndi loved the song and dance. Supercalifragilistic- expialidocious and Step in Time were full-out, energetic numbers, including tap, that you'd love to see on a Broadway stage. The musical had many but not all of the scenes and songs from the movie, many new scenes and songs (including one that repeated the line, "practically perfect in every way"), and I thought it must have followed the original book (or books) in ways the movie did not. Rylee crawled into my lap, twirling my hair and his own--the sign that he is tired--and fell asleep during the last half hour or so. At the end, Mary Poppins flies above the audience. For a while she disappeared from our view but then we saw her, with her opened umbrella in her hand, rising from below the balcony level, right in front of us, until she disappeared inside an enclosed catwalk at the ceiling, where she no doubt quickly unharnessed herself to get back onstage to take a bow with the rest of the cast.

Ariel left us when we exited the theater to catch a cross town bus or subway back to her apartment, and Cyndi, the boys, and I walked deep into the crowd of Times Square. After glimpsing the lights (it was now almost 11 p.m.), we haled a cab in the very heart of Times Square for a speedy exit to our hotel. I think that's when Cyndi and the boys began making jokes about being practically perfect.

NYC series no.1: the views

2011-08-04T11:42:00.003-06:00

We flew over Manhattan just before 10 p.m. Thursday. The plane circled over the Atlantic Ocean and then the city lights became visible below us as the plane first entered over the harbor and then up the Hudson River. Jackson and Cyndi were seated on the left side of the plane, and I could hear the kids behind them pointing out the features below. Rylee and I, on the right side of the plane, could see the entire island twinkling below us as the plane continued flying over the Hudson and then circled around to fly over Queens to land at LaGuardia. We could make out the bridges across the East River, the Chrysler building, the Empire State building, and the swath of Central Park. Rylee mentioned that the cars below looked like little toys. He often wondered at times like this moment how it was that the planes didn't crash into each other landing and taking off, and we talked about how the airport tower told the pilots when it was their turn to land or take off. He knew about airport towers from his Lego toys.

Having safely landed and taken a cab from the airport across, from what I figured was, the Queensboro bridge and then traversing Central Park on 79th, we arrived at our hotel on the Upper West Side. We checked in and went to our room on the 23rd floor. The windows of the living room and the bedroom faced Central Park two blocks away. It was a view unobstructed by any nearby building. We could see patches of green trees in Central Park, the Dakota, the Century, the Majestic and the San Remo, the skyline on the Upper East Side, and Midtown. Cyndi would sit on the sill of the living room window and drink her morning coffee from the Starbucks on the corner. During the day, you could look down and see the street life along Amsterdam and the corners of 74th and 75th streets. Some workers were dangling from a terrace across from us building a brick wall on the top of one building. In the evening, you could see people enjoying rooftop terraces with potted trees. There were water towers everywhere, of course. We kept the curtains open all day and night. In the middle of the night, the skyline looked like some cover of a New Yorker magazine, the buildings silhouetted, black against a night sky, with square lights from the few windows into rooms still lit. It was possible to open our windows--they cracked open from the top a few inches--to hear the constant buzz and roar of the traffic, the sirens, construction, and the air brakes of buses and trucks.

On Sunday afternoon, after visiting Washington Square, Ariel picked us up in a car near Canal Street, and we drove across the Brooklyn Bridge. We drove by her old neighborhood and traced the route she took from the subway to her apartment, which was on the second floor of a short cobble-stoned street just a block away from the bike trail that runs along the piers, just across from Governor's Island in Brooklyn. She dropped us off at Pier 6 and then parked on her old street nearby.

Pier 6 is a very new addition to the Brooklyn Bridge Park. From the pier there were views of lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. It was hot and there wasn't much shade. The boys found an abandoned umbrella on the lawn there and sat in its shade. A NY Waterway ferry docked there for a direct, free ferry ride that lasted just a matter of minutes to the dock at Governor's Island. There was a boarding line just for those taking their bicycles to the island and a small water spray park for children to cool off in. There were joggers boarding and several young families of Hassidic Jews from Brooklyn. On the water it was cooler, and the weather was practically perfect for the view of lower Manhattan.

Governor's Island was an army post for hundreds of years. The old brown stone fort is still there, with a quad in the middle and five points of earthen fortification. A larger post was established around it, including a "Colonel's Row" that still stands protected. Seeing the officer's houses reminded me of the posts in Panama and Fort Sam Houston. The island was also used as a Coast Guard base, but the island no longer serves as a military base of any kind. At one time the original island was expanded from earth removed from the construction of Manhattan subways, so that today it looks like an ice cream cone from above. The development of Governor's Island as a park is in its infancy.

We rented bicycles and circled the island several times for a total of something like ten miles. A promenade circles the entire island and along one side of the island you could see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, a short distance across the harbor, as you bicycled along the wide roadway beside the water. There were many ferries and ships and sailboats in the harbor, with helicopters flying overhead. At the end of the island opposite the dock, there was a grassy area known as Picnic Point, where we stopped for water and sodas from a vendor, found chairs and picnic tables under the shade of trees, and took a few pictures of us with the Statue of Liberty in the background.

Rylee raced ahead on his bicycle, untired, snaking his way from side-to-side, jumping any curb he could find. Ariel tried to keep an eye on him. Jackson wanted to explore the interior of the island and discover the short cuts across it. (He is at an age where he can be independent in that way, and the island would have been a perfect place to indulge in that.) The bicycles were remarkably easy to pedal and the ride was enjoyable. A breeze kept you cool when you cycled, but once you stopped you noticed the heat generated from the work-out.

We were on the island about two hours and the return to Brooklyn on the ferry was easy...but the views of lower Manhattan didn't end there. We walked to Ariel's old apartment and then to a restaurant around the corner from there called Alma. Ariel had made reservations but the rooftop dining on the third level was on a first-come basis, so we waited in the bar on the first floor for a table and for Chris to arrive. A very nice bar, it reminded me of a neighborhood bar, a long counter in a narrow room, with a pool table in the back. The bartender was very friendly. The boys and I played a game of pool. Cyndi and I had beer, a Smuttynose ale.

The rooftop was crowded with tables under the shade of a tarp stretched overhead, with a wonderful, open-air view of lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. The food was superb, a flavorful take on Mexican. The menu had a great tequilla list, so Cyndi and I ordered two anejos. The six of us chattered away. It was a lovely evening.

On Monday morning, we found ourselves again in Rockefeller Center. After Cyndi and Jackson and Rylee appeared on national television, I walked over to get tickets for the elevator ride to the Top of the Rock observation decks. When they were done we walked from the "alley" between 48th and 49th, where the audience is corralled outside the Today Show studio, across the plaza beside the ice rink and the statue of Prometheus, and around the corner at 50th. At that time of the morning, there was no wait at all. The staff couldn't be more friendly and professional. The ticket salesperson spoke three languages; the doorman was charming and helpful.

We were whisked up to the 68th floor, where we immediately had a view of Central Park. Two escalator trips took us to the 70th floor, a smaller open-air deck nestled above the 69th, where we could walk around to see Central Park, the Empire State building, Times Square and beyond. I never had the feeling of vertigo I sometimes get, due I think to the fact that the 69th floor below us was so much broader than our deck. Thankfully, the sun hadn't been out long and there were patches of shade along the center walls. We only stayed a few moments after soaking up the experience of the height and the panorama.

We left Tuesday morning. I don't remember anything remarkable about our view taking off from LaGuardia. We took a cab again from the hotel to the airport. This time the route took us along the northern, most uptown end of Central Park and through Harlem. Jackson was sitting at the window, and I wondered what he saw. This part of Manhattan looked different from what we'd seen before. Lots of churches, but few cathedrals.

Notes.

You can get reserved times for the Top of the Rock, but as early as we went you didn't really need to reserve a time. The tickets were about $23 for adults and $15 for Jackson. Rylee was free. They also offered a combo ticket with MOMA, saving adults about $10 for both. All children are free at MOMA. MOMA is nearby, and we planned to go there next on this outing.

The bicycles on Governor's Island rented for $15 per adult for two hours and $10 per child. You had to walk a bit from the dock to find the "family center." They were "coasters" with pedal back brakes, but they worked very well on the island. There were at least two adult sizes and two children's sizes. They also had family surreys and tandems. The bikes came with large front baskets or netted trays and a little bell that you could ding whenever you felt the urge.

Lego animation & plans

2011-07-25T08:09:00.001-06:00

Jackson has been downloading a bunch of apps for animation and special effects. In this short animation and many others, he's been using the camera built into his computer. We had a couple other cameras, but they've broke or no longer work and we should get him a new one.

Both Jackson and Rylee have been planning how to spend their money at the Lego store at the Rockefeller Center. After several of my little "discussions", I think they are finally convinced that there will be many opportunities to buy unique things while we are there, so they are now to the point of telling me their plans to get the unique pieces they can get at the Lego store to build their own, including mini figures, and not the sets they could find anywhere. Apparently, however, there are some sets you can only find at the Lego store. Meanwhile, we also plan to see an exhibit at MOMA on talking electronic gadgets and explore a "lab" in midtown sponsored by Sony.

Now that Cyndi's reunion passed this weekend, she is more excited about our upcoming trip. Once again I have prepared a little itinerary that gets us from our hotel to a few places so we are not lost the first few days. There's a metro station right next to our hotel, which is situated on the Upper West Side, two blocks from the river, three short blocks from Central Park, about equal distance to the natural history museum, and not far from Lincoln Center. I've gotten some good recommendations for family friendly restaurants in our immediate area.

Ariel and Chris will be joining us most of the time, I think, and can help get us around, too. I've mentioned to Jack about chess stops along our outings and Ry about skateboarding. The list goes on and on....

magic & riddles

2011-07-18T08:30:00.001-06:00

Jackson and Rylee like to try magic tricks and they love riddles. It started when Jackson got that book popular a few years ago, The Dangerous Book for Boys. He's done some nice card tricks. Brendon showed Ry a few tricks last week, and Ry showed me the trick where a coin disappears out of his fist and he retrieves it from behind your ear. (He might have learned that one from Jack.) Jack meanwhile was studying his Cub Scouts magic book and was working on rope tricks. A few weeks ago, Jackson asked everyone a riddle. It was about the time we went to Durango. He'd give them time to think about it....

Here it is, but it's more fun with Jackson telling it.

It is greater than God. It is more evil than the devil. Poor people have it. Rich people need it. And if you eat it, YOU WILL DIE.

That's how he said it. I should tell you that he prefaced it with some more information: he'd say that most kindergartners knew the answer but only a few college students knew the answer. I think he had specific numbers and maybe a specific college. He'd also say that it had seven letters. Anyway, you can leave your answer in a comment if you think you know it. And at some point, I'll leave the answer there, too.

braces, countdown, living museum

2011-07-12T18:39:00.005-06:00

Bits of news. Jackson got his braces on just this week. He's such a stalwart guy. I'm sure he's experiencing a lot of discomfort at the moment, if not pain, but he's been very positive about the whole thing. Shows them off. Today, only his second day, there's a blister in his mouth. He spends time on figuring out how to make computer apps and he continues to make stop motion animation with sound effects. Right now I'm borrowing his computer. Rylee has been taking piano lessons this summer. He traded with Brendon for a NY Yankees baseball cap, which he wears all the time now. It's now his favorite team. He's already packed and beginning the countdown to our short trip to visit Ariel in NYC. The boys constantly talk about what they want to buy in NYC. There is a Lego store, afterall, in Rockefeller Center, and Ry has some birthday money to spend. I try to advise them not to spend it all (and warn them that I won't let them), and Jackson seems to get it. He even has offered to pay some of the "bills" during our trip. Our neighbors are adopting a three-year-old boy from Uganda, and Cyndi and the boys took over some of their toys. The engine light went on in the car yesterday. It's been in the shop twice already.

The monsoon, or rainy, season is finally approaching but we still haven't had a deluge yet. On average we get 3 1/2 inches a year and we've only had about a quarter-inch in the past year. With all the fires around New Mexico before the Fourth of July, I told the boys we would not be buying fireworks this year. It just seemed the good citizen thing to do. They took it in stride. In the days before the Fourth, there was a big push to shame people from doing fireworks, and it worked. Stores removed fireworks from their floors and shelves, and the tents closed and were gone before the weekend. I would have liked to have seen the public display, but I was afraid it would be very crowded. We spent the evening as we usually do at Pete and Dorie's. We didn't do fireworks there, and looking out over the valley you could see that most people had also elected not to shoot off anything. Relatively quiet, and no local fires. The kids played with the water hose instead.

On the Sunday before the Fourth we went to Kristy's. On the Saturday before, I thawed a bunch of chicken thighs and grilled them and some veggies for a spur-of-the-moment family get-together. Cut up some watermelon. Opened a bottle of wine. We had a house full of family. Cyndi made a salad and a spinach dip. Others brought the veggies, bread, chips, mashed potatoes and gravy...I can't remember what all. It was very enjoyable, and the yard didn't look too bad after a little work before they arrived. The gym club had their annual get-together, too, with hamburgers and hotdogs, music, and children's games. The pool was packed and the small lawn was crowded. A nice weekend.

This past Sunday, we went to church and talked about a movie. In lieu of a movie, we went to El Rancho de las Golondrinas, a living museum just south of Santa Fe. We'd been there before. Originally it was a hacienda, dating back to the 1700s I believe. They've moved other buildings from around New Mexico to the site, including mills and a school house. It's next door to La Cienega, which I had learned meant swamp but which might translate better as oasis. Las Golondrinas was a stopping point, or paraje, on El Camino Real, between Mexico City and Santa Fe.

On the way from Albuquerque, I called my dad to wish him a happy birthday. That was a fun talk. Almost everyone was there for the weekend. We had a very good view of the white smoke still billowing along the ridges and canyons from the Los Conchas fire in the Jemez mountains, and there was a plume of black smoke visible from the Sangre de Cristos north of Santa Fe. We took the unmarked, shorter, back road through La Cienega. Las Golondrinas was very quiet and very hot. We hit it on the one weekend out of a string of five that there was no festival. Still there were some costumed volunteer docents, who were very helpful and also a bit aggressive about their topic. There being so few visitors, they tended to corner us. I don't blame them for that, but we only planned to spend a couple of hours there at most. It's about a 1 1/2 mile loop, but the heat made it hard on the boys and they complained about it midway. Cloud shade came late in the visit, and we even got a few drops of rain. I think the boys still enjoyed it, however, and Ry said something about going back when we got home later. And such a bargain: admission for us was $4.

We drove to Sunrise Springs next door and had a lovely lunch at the Blue Heron restaurant, sitting outside on their patio terrace overlooking the pond. We'd been there before and toured the grounds. The lunch was better this time. Jack had a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich; Ry a big cheese pizza, which looked to be made in a wood-fired stone oven and which Ry tackled enthusiastically. Cyndi had a very good enchilada plate with calabacitas and wonderful chile, and I a very tasty pasta dish. We ordered a bottle of New Mexico wine from the Ponderosa vineyard, our first Chardonnay of this summer. Someone left a Santa Fe Sunday paper and Ry read out loud the comic, The Wizard of Id, several times.

Honey, my mother's coming for a week
What?
Pop
Ping Pop
Pong
Roar
Do you always have to be so dramatic?

The boys walked down to the terraces below us (but didn't run around), Jack munching on the last of his sandwich as he circled about, the boys following two cats they discovered, and a girl from another table followed them. In all, maybe only a dozen people eating while we were there. We could hear a group rehearsing chamber music. A tranquil afternoon.

So soon we will see Ariel and Chris in their new place in NYC. Jackson says he shouldn't wear his Boston Red Sox cap there. I've only sketched our time there. One day very touristy: subways, Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue, Times Square and the Theater District. Another day hanging out near our Upper West Side hotel: markets, bagles, the natural history museum, Central Park, Riverside Park, maybe even Lincoln Center. Another day seeing Ariel's NYC: NYU, Washington Square, Brooklyn, maybe a water taxi to Governors Island to see the Statue of Liberty on bicycles. Somewhere in that mix, and with another full day besides those three, there's certain to be the Lego Store, FAO Schwarz, the Toys R Us flagship store, a bbq on the roof of Ariel's and Chris's new building, and shoes, maybe a show, probably a Today Show taping, maybe Top of the Rock and an exhibition at MOMA I thought Jack would like called "Talk to Me: Design and the Communication between People and Objects", perhaps skateboarding in Central Park, chess and pizza in Greenwich Village, and some Sony Wonder Lab that's fun for kids, perhaps even free kayaking on the weekend. A couple of lunch spots yet to be named. I want to jog one morning in Central Park. Cyndi and Ariel would love that, too, I'm sure. We want to sneak peeks at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Grand Central Station, the New York Public Library and Bryant Park, and the Brooklyn Bridge. A full plate that doesn't take into account all the activity that is sure to surround us. We shall see.

a short weekend trip

2011-06-28T10:12:00.000-06:00

We took the train Saturday to Santa Fe. The train was crowded. Jackson and Rylee played with Brendon and Lauren. The kids were remarkably good, and when we stopped at the end of the day at Tomasitas a man visiting from D.C. commented on how behaved the kids were at the table in the lounge area. Jack and Lauren got a furry "worm" at the toy store for $2. It has a thin, invisible filament that they use to make it appear that it is alive. Jack has been having fun with that ever since. Ry got a scary battling pirate figure. It was his birthday money, and he even treated for Lauren's and Jack's worms.

The plaza was crowded with tourists and we had trouble getting a table for lunch with our party, which also included Cyndi, of course, Elley and Dorie. The girls did a little shopping and we did our obligatory toy store run. We took the 6:30 evening train back, and the kids were only a bit more rambunctious. Sadly, they are going to stop the weekend trains in August.

The boys want to see the Cars sequel and Cyndi has been keeping them busy, as she also tries to get her work up and running. Lots of pool trips lately. They are being good, and it's nice to see them ask permission for things. Computer use is one example, because Jack understands that I'm very concerned about that. He's still working on animation programs and he just designed his own mouse cursor. The other day, he told me that he plans to teach for a year before he starts his career. He thinks it will be good for him, a cap in his education. Rylee thinks that they should skip a year of school. One year on, one year off.

There are fires all over New Mexico right now. The Sandias are closed, the bosque is closed except for the bike trail. We are still getting smoke sometimes from the big fire in Arizona. There's a small fire down in Belen. There was a big one at Carlsbad Caverns. One north of Santa Fe, and now a huge, scary one that started near Jemez Falls and is approaching Bandelier, Los Alamos and the Dixon's apple orchard near Cochiti. We need the monsoon rain season to begin now. But it looks still to be at least a week away.

a very special announcement

2011-06-22T18:31:00.000-06:00

Ariel and Chris went to Costa Rica this past weekend. Ariel just called me, and after a while she told me that Chris proposed on a beach. I'm never sure I get stories the right way, and it is their story afterall to tell, but Ariel did call me before they left to say Chris had arranged to fly to Costa Rica and off they were going. They stayed in some national park a few miles from the coast in what I imagine must be tropical rain forest. One night they stayed on the beach and they walked to another, more secluded beach, wading through high tide to get to it. Chris had a ring made from some Ariel had looked at before, and he proposed on the beach. I asked Ariel what she said. She said, yes. A pretty nice story, even if I only have some of it right. They're thinking a summer wedding next year, in the San Juan Islands off Washington. Congratulations. We send our love.

Durango 2011

2011-06-22T18:18:00.002-06:00

We went to Durango again for Father's Day weekend, along with many of Cyndi's family.

We began packing the day before. The boys packed their duffel bags with toys and games and a book or two. Jackson rounded up the ipad, walkie-talkies, and the DVD player for the car. Rylee selected some of his Pirates of the Caribbean Legos and put them in a plastic container so they wouldn't get lost. Cyndi washed the bedding and packed all the boys' clothes. I tried to winnow some of our gear, bought some last minute food, and started the car packing.

Janey planned to come with us. On Friday morning, I had a client meeting at 8 and then came home after getting some ice, while the boys were still at a summer bible school and Janey had just arrived. Most of the camping gear fits in the back of the Dodge Durango: our tents, camp kitchen, food bins and cooler, a water container, and bedding, along with all the duffel bags of clothes, fishing poles, pool toys, and a bag of shoes. It always looks like we'll manage to fill the back so I can look out the rear-view mirror, but inevitably last-minute bags, hats, snacks, clothes, and blankets fill up the space. I'm just thankful that the passenger areas are not filled up, too. Once the back is packed, I throw on a car-top carrier for the odd-sized items (a grill, camp chairs, baseball bats, a bicycle pump, rugs, an extra sleeping bag, and, this year, the boys' big tumbling ball). I strap the bag down and by the time I am mounting the bicycle rack off the back, the boys are piling into the car, anxious to go.

So we're off! But then there's a stop for cash at an ATM. Then filling up the gas tank at the Bien Muir station on the Sandia reservation. Then through the construction on the way north out of town and finally through the local traffic of Bernalillo, until finally we are on the highway that heads towards the Four Corners. At this point on our trip, there's miles of blue skies and mesa tops and white puffs of clouds ahead of us. The radio is playing a classical station. I have my shuffle ear phones on, the boys are watching a DVD in the back with Janey between them, Cyndi is reading a magazine and taking short cat naps, and Jackson is assembling some new flashlights. Janey brought some birthday gifts for Rylee, including a book, and they're opened and assembled and read.

Before we know it we are close to Cuba and we're thinking El Bruno's for lunch. I haven't packed a lot of food for this trip. Don and Elley and Nicholas and Lauren arrived at the campground on Thursday, and Pete and Dorie and Brendon and Jordyn stopped overnight in Farmington and may be checking into the campground about the time we arrive in Cuba. There was some thought, since we were leaving later in the day, as opposed to a pre-dawn hour that the boys prefer for these longer trips, that we might go into town for dinner after setting up the tent so that I would not have to set up the kitchen, cook, or clean up the first night, but Elley told Cyndi that they'd plan to have some hot dogs for us this first night.

We didn't plan much for the few days we'd have: probably some pool time at the campground, probably one meal downtown, maybe some fishing down by the river, maybe a hike, probably some bicycling within the campground, and maybe some baseball. Mostly, I imagined spending the day Saturday around a big breakfast and a big dinner, while the cousins played and the adults talked over coffee and wine. There was some talk about rafting after the boys, Cyndi and I went last year. Surely, the girls would want to go into town for shopping. There wasn't much talk about Thomas the Train, which had started this annual pilgrimage years ago.

El Bruno's burned down a few years ago, and then they opened across the street. Over the last few years, they've been under construction and expanding from the original drive up they moved into. It looked completed this time, and there was a nice, cool patio in the back where we had lunch. Good New Mexican, a tad over-priced for lunch. The boys had their usual whole bean burrito. As usual, Jackson ate his up. Good chips, good sopapillas, great chile.

Back on the road, heading north out of Cuba, here the sky is blue and the land rolls out in a semi-arid cover of grass and shrubs. We have left the Jemez mountains behind and entered the vast plateau of the San Juan Basin. This is also Navajoland, and along our way there's a road that leads to Chaco Canyon, the Anazasi civilization. This is a good time for Travel Bingo, and we each take a card and a pencil and look for a bus, a mailbox, a gas station, a stop sign. Our cards last for the next few hours. We search in vain for an airplane. We find small mission churches here and there. Past Nageezi, we find a water tower at the complex oasis of school and health clinic. It's not until Bloomfield that we find a bridge, a stoplight, and more flags than we can count. In Aztec, we find a bird on a wire. After entering Colorado, along the mesa top known as Florida above the Animas Canyon, just before the highway winds down to Durango, Cyndi shouts, "dog!" Almost a full-card bingo. Jackson jokes about finding a dog on a wire. It's not until we arrive downtown in Durango that we find a railroad crossing.

We grabbed a six pack of a local microbrew, a bag of ice, and a carboard box on the way to the campground. At the campground, we find everyone is already there and find our tent site under the cottonwoods between Don & Elley's pop-up and two bicyclists from the Netherlands touring the region. We put the beer on ice in the cardboard box while we set up our camp, Cyndi finds the tablecloth for the picnic table, and I begin to unload the car. Jackson helps me lay out the tent and stake it down. Once it is up, Jack pumps up the air mattresses and Cyndi readies the beds for the night. I also set up

a smaller dome tent, which we use as the boys' play area, and the boys dump their stuff inside it.

All this while, Elley is making hot dogs, Nicholas is making "hobo meals", Pete is setting up another tent, and Jackson is blowing up the big red ball. The tent sites are full, and there's lots of children eyeing the ball as Jackson inflates it. Soon the ball is rolling on the grass behind the tents, one child tumbling inside, while the other children run into it, bounce off of it, and push it in unison.

At some point a circle of chairs forms in the middle of the tents and the pop-up. The children light their glow sticks. I light the lantern. I offer a beer to our bicycling neighbors. There's juices and Capri Suns for the kids. The bota box of wine is opened. Pete orchestrates S'mores. The stars are out. It is very cool. We all go to bed about 10. Pete and Dorie go up to the little RV parked above the tracks, and Rylee sleeps with Brendon in the tent Pete put up. Jackson and Lauren sleep with Janey in her "bedroom" in the big tent.

The next day is easy. I set up the kitchen and boil water for instant Starbucks. The kids are up before most of the adults emerge from beds or showers, and I make them hot chocolate, sausages, and pancakes. I offer some to our Netherlands neighbors, who are grateful since they are living off one-burner backpacking stoves and are taking a day of rest before tackling the mountains ahead.

The girls go for walks and runs and bike rides and showers. The younger kids are playing with the big red ball in the grass or watching the trains go through or playing quietly in the small dome tent. Don is doing work on the internet, parked in a camp chair beside his pop-up. Pete and I are still drinking coffee, just sitting, while Brendon talks about rafting.

I wasn't sure but there was so much talk about rafting that I thought I should call and see what was available, how were the conditions. The spring runoff had been very gradual this season and still the river was running very high. I heard it was running at 4500 cfs, which seemed high, and indeed the Class III rapids at the south end of town were reportedly flipping rafts. The adults conferred, and it was decided we would do the one-hour "float" and take out before the Class IIIs. We had to get to the rendezvous place in about 40 minutes.

There were about a dozen of us and we got into two boats. The float was faster and higher than the year before, and once in a while the guide could steer into a wave sufficient enough for a good bounce and a cold splash for those who were sitting in the front. The children were more than happy, and the adults were glad to have no worries for their safety.

After our adventure, we went into town and ate at the Steamworks, where we had microbrews and rootbeers, pizzas, grilled cheese sandwiches, hamburgers, portobello mushroom sandwiches, and I had a wild Alaska salmon BLT. We dispersed a bit after that, the girls going on a shopping stroll with the idea of taking the trolley back to the camp. Pete and I and our kids went back to the camp to go to the pool, and Don and his kids opted for a short visit to Thomas the Train.

Cyndi and the girls returned to the camp later than expected, after getting on the wrong bus in town and taking a tour of Durango. Dinner became a free-for-all, with grills and stoves putting out potatoes and corn and sweet peppers, hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwursts, and steak. More S'mores that night as the camp chairs were circled again, the kids roasting the marshmallows over the flames of the Coleman stove. As things wound down, Jackson went to sleep with Cyndi and Rylee curled up on my lap outside the tent and fell asleep in my arms. Later, I put him with Janey and turned out the lantern.

In the morning, it was Father's Day. I called my Dad before we left and also talked to Mom, who was recovering from a dislocated hip. She seemed in remarkably good spirits, though I'm sure she's uncertain about any movement. She was just bending over to tie her shoes when it happened. I had talked with Ariel before she left to Costa Rica with Chris and she left me a message on Saturday when they arrived. Jackson and Rylee and Cyndi gave me a cool shirt that I wore that day, a nice card, and a journal.

Before anyone woke up, though, I was feeling so grubby I had to take a shower even though it was still very cool in the morning. My plan was to keep breakfast simple so I could relax and take my time tearing down the camp. I rinsed and cut some strawberries. I boiled water for the instant Starbucks. I toasted English muffins and had a schmear of cream cheese & strawberry jam. That was my plan.

Pete was next out of bed, and we drank some coffee as the sun came up over the mountains and the campgrounds began to stir. A woman walked by on her way to the showers. She stopped to talk with us, and asked jokingly what was for breakfast. She said she had watched us all weekend, preparing these great feasts. She was on a two-week drive that would take her and her daughter and her grandchild to the Grand Canyon and eventually to the Dakotas before returning to the Midwest. It didn't sound like they were having great meals on the road. She seemed glad for a muffin and schmear.

Pete left and came back with bacon and cooked some eggs at the tent site. Janey cut up kiwis and mangoes to add to the strawberries. As a special treat, one they had anticipated long before the trip, the boys got to walk up to the store to buy boxes of cereal for breakfast. By the end, it was another pot luck brunch.

While the kids played with the other kids at the campground, chased the trains, and even went swimming, I began to slowly, methodically tear down the camp. Cyndi packed the clothes and the bedding. Jackson deflated the big red ball and the mattresses and helped me fold away the tent and the footprint. Rylee packed up his Legos and toys right away. Somehow it all got done. Pete and Dorie and Brendon and Jordyn pulled out about an hour before we left; Don and Ellie and Nicholas and Lauren about 15 minutes before us.I took a last minute shower and put on my new Father's Day shirt.

We all met up again in town. There were some last minute stores to see. One, a candy store that sold Lego candy bricks. Another, a toy store, where Rylee got a toy pistol from Janey for his pirate get-up. I went down the block and ordered some espresso iced frappes and some fruit smoothies and we drove away.

We went a different route home, going through Pagosa Springs, where there's a geothermic spa of hot pools along the river and highway. We stopped. It's set up very nicely, but the boys did not like the pervasive earthy sulphur smell.

We continued on through the forests to Chama, where we grabbed a good bite at a local hamburger stand, then through "Georgia O'Keeffe country", then toward Santa Fe. There we saw another plume of smoke drifting from a fire in the Sangre de Cristos, north of Santa Fe. On the relief route around Santa Fe, looking toward Albuquerque, you could see the smoke from the Wallow Fire in Arizona. It was very windy in the Rio Grande valley.

These trips end about the same. The gear gets unloaded quickly. Jackson always helps. Cyndi put things away. There's maybe some time for a bite to eat, for taking a bath, and then an early bed. And some very tired kids and sore muscles.

2011 album so far

2011-06-13T20:53:00.004-06:00

ah, nuts! I think you'll find the slideshow if you doubleclick on this. Then hit your mute button because the music is a scramble. Maybe I'll fix. Maybe.

Ry's birthday time--pirates and smoke

2011-06-13T15:43:00.003-06:00

Ry turned 6 a week ago Friday. The night before he went to bed early so he could get presents early in the morning. The last thing he said to me the night before was, see you when I'm six. The boys did the same thing the night before their last day of class: see you in the summer, they both said. Ry gets excited when these dates come--Christmas, Easter, and his birthday. Each time he counted the days, then the hours, and went to bed early. Usually, he stays up until I go to bed.

Jackson was also excited about Ry's birthday. He loves participating in the planning, the purchases, the wrapping, and all the decorations. He left a trail of Lego things for Ry to follow in the morning. He made sure there were balloons, and he made the card.

Cyndi was busy. We got Pirates of the Caribbean invitations for his entire kindergarten class, and at least 8 children RSVPed before, along with parents and siblings. Cyndi made arrangements to use the club pool and it worked out wonderfully. She got pirate bandanas for all the children, along with some other party gifts which she and Jack wrapped up to hand out. A cake, of course. Chocolate. I picked up pizzas. Ry reveled in the attention, having his friends at the pool, and all the presents that were his own.

This season has all been about pirates. Ry got a Lego ship, called the Queen Anne's Revenge, and some other smaller sets from the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. He's got them all set up in his room. On display. Cyndi took the boys to see the new film, and I took Ry again this past weekend. Jack got the new Lego Wii game version of the movie. Ry dresses up in his pirate's hat and sword, jumps around the house, and tells us about the pirates and the story. There's Barbosa and Blackbeard, but his favorite, of course, is Jack Sparrow. Ry imitates his distinctive walk and quotes lines from the movie.

On the eve of his birthday, a thick smoke blew in all the way from a forest fire in Arizona and blanketed the city. I smelled it inside the house before 8 p.m. and walked outside. The twilight was eerie--red and yellow and gray. You could not see the sky or the mountains. It got to be like sitting next to a campfire. They started reporting the haze and said it was going to get worse and last for days. I wondered if it would affect the birthday party. I wondered if it would trigger some asthma for Jack. I shut down the swamp cooler to see if that would help. I even considered whether I should evacuate the family.

Strange. There are so many stories in recent days of natural disasters all over. Record breaking floods. Devastating tornados, even one the other day in Massachusetts. We are in a drought and in danger of fires, but I thought we might survive with the spring winds finally dying down and the promise of monsoons once the jet streams change. The cover of smoke was a reminder that we were not immune.

A week and a half later, the smoke still threatens. Only once did it blanket us like that first night. It came in about 7 last Monday night. The sun was still out. I walked by the hot tub, looking for Jack's shoes. There was a little boy with his father in the hot tub. The boy told his father, the sun is bleeding. Indeed it was. A short time later you could not make out the sun.

There's a little haze in the mornings now. Visibility is good during the day; you can't smell the smoke. You can see the mountains during the day, with only a light haze, but the smoke comes in the evening. There is no rain forecast; the winds haven't changed much. The wind blows the smoke from the southwest, 200 miles away in Arizona. After a week and a half, they say the forest fire is only 10 percent contained. It is the second largest fire in Arizona history.

We had hamburgers and hot dogs in Belen on Sunday, and this weekend we go to Durango, as we have for many years now, for Father's Day. I hear the skies are good, though the river is overruning its banks.

a week gone by

2011-05-15T17:26:00.002-06:00

We just got back from a "picnic" at the Academy. There's a soccer field we sometimes go to. We set up our chairs in the shade of some cottonwoods, and we even laid a blanket on the ground. It was about 75 degrees, sunny, with a slight breeze. The boys brought soccer gear, baseball gear, and frisbees. We brought a red ball that takes about a half hour to inflate and once it's fully inflated one of the boys can crawl inside and roll around on the grass and down the hill, tumbling inside it. While Jackson was inside it, Ry and I played catch.

An interesting week it was, because Cyndi was in Iowa for some training. She had the boys' clothes all ironed and laid out for each morning she was gone. The boys were very cooperative all week. They got dressed when I asked. Jackson brushed his teeth without me saying anything at all. Rylee picked up his Legos. Jackson has no more homework for the school year, but Ry still has his weekly vocabulary and reading tests, so we worked on that together until he had it cold. There usually was some quiet time in the evening and also about a half hour after everything was packed up and before we had to leave for school. The work days were short for me, as I took the boys to school and picked them up in the afternoon. It was wonderful to watch them. When we arrived on the school grounds, the boys would separate and place their backpacks in their class lines. Jack played soccer or met Nicholas. Rylee would run around with his classmates, playing lots of tag.

The boys kept track of the time when Cyndi would arrive. She came back Friday evening and we met her inside the airport. Cyndi borrowed Jack's carry-on bag and she had a new briefcase for her new work and to carry her laptop. The boys hugged her all night, even at the restaurant that night.

Jackson has been working on his stop motion animation. Here's the first one he put on YouTube: click. This is probably the third he's done, but he had trouble saving the first two, which were longer. The soundtrack is a favorite of his; he just recently uploaded it from iTunes. You can see how the Legos are ideal for making these kind of YouTube videos, and there's lots of kids doing it on the internet. The minifigures are especially popular and ideal for these movies. Rylee is building lots of Lego cars, planes and houses. He researches Legos constantly on the internet. We are trying to plan a trip to New York City to visit Ariel for a couple of days, and the boys have already planned on a visit to the Lego store at Rockefeller Center. Ariel is in southern France at the moment, joining her mother at the last minute. She wants to go to an international science journalism program in Dakar at the end of June. (More catchup on family whereabouts: Mom & Dad are in Hawaii. Sarah, I heard, got a new job in Chico, and Emily starts work this summer in San Francisco.)

This has been a wonderful season for little league, except for the winds and the late cold fronts we've been getting. But that kind of weather is unfortunately typical for little league season. Ry enjoys his first year on machine pitch (MMP I division). There's not much in real fielding, and frankly there's almost no field coaching once the games begin. Ry is getting many hits, and I especially love watching him run the bases. He puts his head down, pumps his arms, and charges down the baselines until he's safely on base. He's amazing at catch. Because of his age, he'll repeat MMP I next year, and I suspect it will be a stellar year for him.

I am especially so pleased with Jackson's year. I didn't know what to expect. This is probably his last year on machine pitch (MMP II division). The coach really likes him. I've talked a lot about Jackson's play in previous blogs. Typically, he starts in center field and he is all over it, backing up plays, fielding grounders to throw outs at second. He had a particularly great play this week, where he hustled to grab a ball and saved a run and a loss. Then beginning with the third inning, he plays shortstop for the rest of the game and the coach can relax then, knowing he's got his best fielders in position at that point. Jackson has made some very good 6-4 and 6-3 plays. What's also great is that the other boys are also coming along now and we're starting to see some great plays from all of them.

The bleachers behind home plate are packed with parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and grandparents, and the games are getting more exciting. When there's a good hit or a good play, the cheers go up, no matter what team is involved. This week, I was keeping score in the stands with Rylee sitting next to me. Jack's team was ahead most of the game, but the other team, the visitors, had a good penultimate inning and lead by one. In the last inning, Jackson's team scored a run to tie it up. The game went into extra innings. Jackson made a really great 6-4 play that shut down the other team and kept them from scoring. When Jack came to bat for his team in the bottom of the inning, there were two outs. Jack got a hit and was safe on first, the winning run. Jackson also has developed into a good base runner, but his team couldn't get him home and the game ended in a tie. Perhaps the best game of the season.

It's been a kick to watch the boys. When we went to our "doubleheader" on Saturday, I could see that Cyndi was glad to be back home, heading toward the stands for one or the other of the games. That is how we spend our Saturdays this time of year. Cyndi takes the coach blanket out of the car (the one I got from Sandra and David many years ago) to sit on in the bleachers. She might talk a bit on the phone during the game, or often a sister or a friend will join her in the stands to watch the game.

So we spent a little of this weekend cleaning up the yard. Ry ran around the yard and the house dressed all in black, including a black stocking cap and black cotton gloves, playing spy. The boys also found some Nerf guns, with red light beams and spongy darts, to play with. Ry's birthday is coming soon. He has a long, ever changing list of Legos he wants but Friday he told me he drew a picture in school of the "tree house" he wants for his birthday. The painting is still at school, dry by now, but I gather his idea is to enclose the bottom part of the playhouse we built with David and make it into what I would call a clubhouse, with a door and a window. Nice idea.

a few notes, late spring

2011-05-03T07:48:00.000-06:00

It's been a very windy season, cold even, and it tried to snow this weekend. It'll be back up into the 80s for Mother's Day. Jackson has been busy on the computer and making movies. Rylee is busy building his own Lego creations. They boys have been very loving recently. We are often doing back-to-back or simultaneous ball games. Jackson made a fabulous play at shortstop this weekend. A beautiful 6-3. You still don't see many of those at this level. He also had a bit of an asthma attack earlier during last week. The new aspen is quaking in the severe winds, and I'm worried if it will survive. I had a wonderful talk with Ariel, and she's been working on putting together this site: http://arielbleicher.com/

Easter

2011-04-25T14:49:00.000-06:00

Just a short update today on our weekend. Ry was so excited about Easter coming that he was counting the hours until bedtime on Saturday. Jackson was equally excited because he participated in the Easter Bunny planning. He even had a treasure hunt planned, with eggs planted with riddles and rhymes, for the morning. Jackson found some Lego t-shirts that were part of the Easter baskets, along with candies and chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks, some "Twistable" crayons and colored pencils, sketch pads, Lego sets. And the stop motion animation kit, which was delivered overnight before Friday. We went to church on Sunday and drove to Belen, where we had dinner, prepared by Cyndi and me on Saturday. We planted an aspen on Saturday, too, and cleaned some weeds in the front yard.

a little baseball update

2011-04-20T09:18:00.000-06:00

This looks to be a good year for little league baseball. We've had several games this week, including some makeup games from opening day. Rylee is catching the first inning of every game and getting hits. I love to watch him run the bases. I love seeing how Jackson is playing this year. The coach is playing him at short stop and lead-off batter. Jack made a beautiful 6-4 play the other day.

There still aren't many put-outs in Jack's division. Lots of K's on the score sheet. Yesterday's game against the Yankees (with a couple of Jack's classmates and friends on it) featured a lot of hits and runs. The other team didn't show for Monday's makeup game, so the boys had some fielding practice in their uniforms that day. They looked great. The coach and I joked before Tuesday's game how good they looked, but the game last night was pretty sloppy. Still the Red Sox won by 1, 15-14, much to the surprise of the Yankees parents sitting around me.

The garage is finished, and the car is moved back in. Jack and I made some adjustments last night to hang the baseball bags and Ry's skateboard. Cyndi cleaned up some stuff I piled up on the side of the house, sending everything off to recycling and Good Will.

On Friday, we tried a new barbecue place, and I wrote this review on TripAdvisor:
Review of The Cube

Easter is coming. The boys are getting some new clothes, some Legos and art supplies. Ry is busy constructing his own Lego vehicles and structures, all very elaborate and often very symmetrical in design. After he plays with them for a while, he takes them apart and builds new ones. He's often on the Legos website, researching all the building sets there are and describing all the mini-figures he wants. Meanwhile, Jack's builds Lego structures on the web and he wants to get some software to make movies. He's particularly interested right now in sound effects and stop motion animation. Jackson! If you're reading this:

I think that's basically what he wants to do. A little camera, Movie Maker software, and an easy manual. Knowing the boys, they'll be on YouTube figuring this all out. We talked last night that it may be time to get a new computer for the boys' room, a desk top this time, that can handle the bigger graphics needs that are likely coming. Is it also time for a Mac? (Ariel and Dad would know.)

Meanwhile, Ry wrote a three-chapter illustrated book yesterday, called "The Man Who Was Boring," the sad tale of a man who gets run over by something.

baseball opening games

2011-04-15T11:26:00.002-06:00

Spring brings vicious winds to New Mexico, making for my least favorite season here, despite the otherwise sunny skies. For many, it also brings on severe allergy symptoms. We are now in our fifth season of playing little league in the wind and the blowing dust and, sometimes, a combination of those with freakishly low temperatures that cut through our clothes as we watch the boys on the field.

Opening Day was last Saturday. The boys were very excited. Ry could hardly sleep the night before. The boys had new uniforms. We got a new bat, Jackson got a new batting helmet, Rylee got some batting gloves from Brendon and he found a shirt to go under his Cubs jersey. We got socks. We got cups. Jack's cleats fell apart, and we got him new cleats, too. Ry got a bigger glove. He didn't want a leather glove, though. Jackson was satisfied with his old glove. Maybe next year he will get a new one. We looked for a stadium seat for Cyndi, but so far we haven't found one. I got a scorekeeper's notebook.

We piled in the car Saturday morning, the boys' bags--filled with their equipment, extra balls, my glove, and water bottles--tossed in the back. Opening Day has become a big day for Altamont Little League. Pictures are scheduled throughout the day. The banners are up. The fields cleaned, facilities repaired and painted, weeks before by all of the parents. The snack bar opened, with the first smell of hot dogs, popcorn, fries, nachos, and green chile cheeseburgers. The parking lot and the little dirt roads and lots were filled with cars already at 9 am. Some games were already in process. An opening ceremony was planned, with the mayor and the AAA Isotopes mascot. There would be an adult exhibition game, along with a slate of games in all the divisions. Even local businesses came out, handing out freebies. The league had unboxed logo t-shirts and parkas for sale.

When we arrived for Ry's pictures and game, the field for his division, Minor Machine Pitch I, was filled with blow up jumpers. This was a surprise to us, as Ry was scheduled to play on that field immediately after the time scheduled to photograph his team. The wind was swirling already, the temperatures had dropped. There even seemed a threat of rain. Things were blowing down. It was hard to fill in and hold onto the picture order forms. The Cubs and their coaches got their official team photo, but we discovered that the game was moved to later that afternoon, at the same time as Jack's photos and game on the field for the Minor Machine Pitch II division.

That's when Jack pointed out that it would not be possible to share the one new bat we purchased, so that's when we got a second new bat. This made the boys very pleased, as they now each had a bat to call their own. The boys and I did some other errands, but I don't remember what they were. Maybe something to do with finishing the garage re-organization. Oh, yes, I remember now that Pete went with me to pick up a dishwasher at Sears.

[The story of the dishwasher. Our dishwasher crashed and burned months ago. Cyndi has been hand washing everything since, and the next biggest inconvenience of not having a dishwasher is that the dirty dishes pile up at the sink and can't simply be loaded into the dishwasher. So Sears had a sale, and I got the cheapest one. I spent Saturday night installing it. A slow process, but actually very simple to install, and they are remarkably light weight. Got the old one out. The only trick there was getting it out over the new floor I had added. Leveled the new one as best I could. Had the foresight to get parts before. Wiring was tricky because the cord didn't color code the hot wire, and I even called Don to check and researched a little how-to on the internet. Thought about how I may need to eventually replace the hot water valve, or a ring, under the sink. And that's more than enough about the dishwasher, which works wonderfully and quietly.]

To finish Opening Day, everything was canceled shortly after we left in the morning because of the weather. It just got worse. Jack's photos and the boys' games were re-scheduled. All of which brings me to what I really wanted to write about: their first games this week.

Ry's first was Wednesday. There was no wind that day. It was warm and pleasant. The Cubs were the home team, so they took the field first. The coach put Ry at catcher, which made Ry very happy. That's all he ever talks about. I helped him into the gear. He had to put on the small gear; otherwise the knee pads of the regular gear were up around his hips. Cyndi was in the stands with her sister. Jackson was there, too. I gave Jack a couple of bucks, thinking he'd likely go to the snack bar for a hot dog and slushee.

I watched Ry from the dugout, where I was keeping the roster and would get the batters ready later. Ry, surely one of the youngest players on the field, took his place behind home plate. He needed no one to tell him what to do. He crouched down, turned his glove toward the pitching machine, and put his right hand behind his back. He stayed in that position, perfectly balanced, his eyes looking forward through the mask on the catcher's helmet. He seemed dangerously close to the batters, but he was exactly where he needed to be to catch the balls. Plop. Plop. Plop. Ry caught the balls and then would stand to throw to the pitcher, but a batting coach told him to throw them to him. A wise instruction, but it also assumed Ry couldn't reach the pitcher with his throw. Ry wouldn't have had any trouble.

Somewhere around the second or third batter, a pitch hit him in the knee. I think the guard had come off and at first I thought he might have gotten one in the cup. He cried and I walked him to the dugout. This is a pretty common scene at this level and often discourages players from wanting to be a catcher. No surprise there. Cyndi came into the dugout, too, but Ry quickly regained his composure after the initial sting and he was the first to say that he wanted to go back in. So he did and finished his inning.

He also got two hits that day, with good runs to first and then very good base running. He's fast, direct and determined.

Jack's first game was the next evening, and the weather completely changed. I read the gusts were about 50 mph, and it was cold. What's more, we were all suffering from some kind of cold or flu bug and that day the boys actually stayed home from school. I was in the stands with Rylee, keeping score. The wind was beating us up in the stands. Eventually I gave Ry my sweatshirt because he was so cold.

Jackson did marvelous. Jack doesn't strike you at first as a kid determined to be a star athlete, but I think the coach really considers him an asset to his team for a few reasons: he's smart and alert, he knows where the play should be without hesitating, he chats it up on the field and in the dugout, he fields very well, charges the ball, he can make the throw from third or short stop to first, and he gets hits.

Jackson played shortstop for most of the game. The coach assigned him to call the defense to get in ready position for each pitch. He had several assists. At his first bat, he grounded straight to first base, but it was the first contact the team made and he ran it out all the way. On his other at-bats he hit to the left side of the field and made first base every time before the throw. I was especially pleased to see his base running. He was quick off the bags, paid attention to the third base coach, and scored at least twice. A really good day for him.

So that's our week. We went to Monroe's once with Pete and Dorie and Brendon. We had Chinese food out the other night. I talked briefly with Ariel, who has some wonderful prospects in both NYC and D.C. The cottonwood was trimmed. Oh, and Cyndi was stuck on the highway when the water pump on the Durango went out, so we called USAA, got it towed to a shop near us, and we got it back the next afternoon. It's got over 100,000 miles, otherwise in very good condition, but things like that may start to happen I'm afraid. It's a great vehicle for us, though, and I think it has more time yet. Cyndi keeps looking at smaller vehicles.

I should add that Jackson also finished three weeks of SBA (Standards Base Assessment) testing in reading comprehension, math and writing. This was a big deal for the school, since I think it grades the school on its performance, and it began with lots of pep rallies and preparation for the test taking. Jackson did very well in a similar test earlier in the school year. I think he scored highest in his class. It's one of those blacken-in-the-circle-with-a-no.-2-pencil tests that he's sure to see for many more years. So it's good that he's off to a good start. Meanwhile, Rylee continues to be a big reader, understands his phonetics, gets all his weekly spelling words, and does bonus problems on his math quizzes.

School will end sooner than we'll know it. Easter is around the corner. The boys will go to school on Good Friday, traditionally a day off, to make up for one of the many snow days this year. Soon it will be Cyndi's birthday and Mom & Dad will be off to their annual Hawaii trip. We're thinking of finding some cheap flights for a short visit sometime this summer to Ariel in NYC, and I'm looking forward to our annual Father's Day trip to Durango, as well as some more camping during the summer. I'd also like to sneak in a short trip to California, too. I'm sure Cyndi will get the boys into bible camp and maybe piano for Rylee. I'd like to see them join the club summer swim team, and I'm looking into some way to learn a little guitar and Spanish...but we shall see.

last of winter 2011

2011-03-25T08:03:00.002-06:00

spring break 2011

2011-03-21T08:45:00.002-06:00

Spring weather arrived, warmer than usual, breezy. The boys were on spring break last week, spending most of their time on a new Wii game and playing with their Legos. Ry had baseball practice on Wednesday, and it looked like we could get away for the rest of the week in Santa Fe, about an hour away. We made reservations at the Inn of the Governors for Thursday and Friday nights, planning to return Saturday morning for Jack's practice.

The Inn included a free breakfast in the mornings and a daily credit in their restaurant, which we took advantage of. We arrived Thursday afternoon. Our first stop was Target, where Cyndi found some shoes. The stop was really for some Advil; Cyndi had pulled a back muscle in her power class. The Inn was packed; lots of spring break vacationers. After settling into our room, we walked over to the plaza. Cyndi went to J. Crew but didn't find anything she liked. The boys, however, found some Legos at the toy store, and we splurged more than usual. Later that night, we walked to a sushi place we had gone to before. There was almost no one there. We sat in a tatami room, and it was enjoyable. The boys woofed their rice. We arrived to our favorite ice cream place on the plaza just minutes after it closed, but we promised we would not linger inside if they would let us in to get some ice cream. We walked back to our room with our ice creams.

After breakfast the next morning, we went up to Museum Hill. We arrived just before the museums opened. In the Milner Plaza there, there is a labyrinth made from pavers, and in the center there is strange phenomenon where you can hear your voice reverberating as if you are in an enclosed auditorium when you are standing in the open. We went to the Museum of International Folk Art. Several exhibitions were being renovated, but we saw the Girard exhibit, a permanent collection, or part of it, which is really the highlight. It includes a huge number of dolls and toys and other folk art from around the world, many of which are displayed in dioramas of Pueblo life or Mexican, Indian, or Guatemalan villages or old Americana towns. The boys' favorite was a diorama with angels and devils depicting heaven and hell.

We were probably only there for about an hour. After lunch we drove up Artist Road along the ridges through the canyons and into the forest to Ten Thousand Waves, where we parked and climbed almost 100 steps to the Japanese spa. There is a small lobby, where you check in at what looks to be the front desk of a hotel. In the lobby, the boys found some red squirting fish toys. Outside the lobby, in the interior of the spa, is a waterfall where people in robes and sandals sat, waiting for their appointments. The boys and I got Kimono robes (the boys' robes had cats on them) and changed and showered in the men's room. We waited by the waterfall for about five minutes, while the boys soaked their feet in a warm foot bath. We then went to our private hot tub, the Shoji. The Shoji was enclosed except for a fence facing the forest. To one side of the hot tub was an extremely hot sauna, and on the other a cold (they called it ambient) plunge. Jack and I tried the sauna, and we all tried the plunge. I got to the point where I rotated among the hot tub, the sauna, and the plunge, sometimes just sitting in the sunlight.

It was a beautiful spring day in the mountains. We stayed about an hour, lingered at the waterfall and the foot bath for a bit, then changed. We drove further up the mountain to Hyde Park, but it was pretty closed up. We drove a little further until we found a pull out to what I thought might be an overlook. We walked up the hill on a short trail, the boys playing in patches of snow, climbing rocks and logs, and finding sticks for imaginary battles. Then it was time to get Cyndi.

Cyndi, meanwhile, had gone to the Woman's Bath after changing and then to an 80-minute therapeutic massage. After her massage, sometime while the boys and I were off hiking, Cyndi had some time to herself to enjoy a soak, a sauna, and the Relax Room, a Zen-like hall, where you could relax on pillows and mats, listen to music on headphones, or read your Kindle.

That evening we went to another restaurant nearby, nothing really noteworthy, where Jack tried a bean and bacon soup and we all shared some cheese pizza, fettuccine and garlic bread, with a pretty impressive list of microbrews from all over.

In the morning after breakfast, we drove home in time for Jack's baseball practice. The rest of that day went by pretty quickly. On Sunday, Cyndi went to Belen to help her parents while they boys and I went to baseball practice again. I started a spring cleaning project that afternoon. I started in one corner, painting, and then installed a cabinet for bicycling, roller skating, and skateboarding gear (helmets, pads, skates and shoes), and a rack for the bicycles underneath. There's much more to do in the garage. I broke a large bathroom mirror I had stored in the garage. I actually salvaged half of the mirror, but a breeze caught the remnant later and it crashed again. I'm not convinced it will be a double dose of bad luck. We could use some good luck for a change.

spring training 2011

2011-03-14T15:05:00.001-06:00

Rylee and Jackson had their first practices this past week.

Ry's playing for the Cubs. He has practice midweek, just once a week before the games begin. I think he may be one of the youngest out there, which may show when he starts batting against the pitching machine. But his fielding-and-throwing is great! While balls are going through other players' legs or just rolling past them, Ry gets in front of the ball, scoops the ball up in his glove on the bounce off the field, and turns and throws with accuracy and distance. He and I play catch while Jackson practices and minutes go by without a dropped ball and his throws go right to me every time. He can manage to catch each overhand I throw him, no matter what direction he has to turn his glove. It's true catch, with a fun rhythm, and most boys in that league still can't catch a ball across the chest or overhead. He also got to run the bases hard during Jack's practice on Sunday, and that's a good skill in itself for his age.

Jack has two practices each week on the weekends before opening day, plus a weekly session at the batting cage. He's playing for the Red Sox, which is coached by the same two coaches he's had since he's started. Most of the same boys, too. While Jack was playing soccer in the fall, the other boys played fall ball, but I can see already that Jack is right where he needs to be. He's alert on the field, running much better this year, and I saw him this weekend playing third base with excellent fielding and accurate throws all the way to first in time to make the out. He's wearing glasses this year. He is having trouble with batting; his hand-eye coordination is good but the "bat shock" is really hurting his hands. So I've asked the coaches about that, and I may invest in a good bat for him.

I've talked to Ariel on line a few times this week. That's always fun. She's looking into a number of promising positions but no news yet.

whew

2011-03-07T10:37:00.002-07:00

It was an amazingly busy three weeks, a whirlwind. Ariel was in town but I only got to see her a brief time one evening. She spent a little more time with Cyndi and the boys one afternoon. At some point the boys, Cyndi and I had some pleasant dinners at the Chinese restaurant next to us, another sushi place also nearby, and the burger place, where the boys got chocolate shakes and new Lego minifigures from the Borders next door. We also went to the little league meeting. Ry will be a Cub this year, and Jackson a Red Sox. Practice starts this week, with games a month away. At the Cub Scout banquet, Jack got a year's worth of awards and his Bear. The latest Lego story is that they've pretty much disassembled all the sets and, Ry especially, is building things from scratch from all the little pieces. The minifigures have lots of tiny pieces, and the boys use bits from all to create new figures. This seems to be a favorite thing to do.

The trial ended at 5 on Friday, and it took me a long time to decompress. I wanted to get out of town, but the closest we got was Belen. Cyndi needed to be there Saturday night to care for her parents and do some cleaning, so the boys and I stayed at a motel there that night. We visited in the afternoon and again early evening. I cooked some steaks I got from Costco. In the morning we visited after our little breakfast, tried the Harvey House museum down by the old depot, but it wasn't open, checked out, and spent another hour visiting before heading out. The boys and I also bought a ball for $30 at Costco, which we took to the soccer fields that afternoon, inflated with a small hand pump for at least a half hour, and then the boys took turns crawling inside the ball and tumbling around the field. Cyndi even tried it.

I thought I had mentioned the boys roller skating night for school, but I see that I have not. It was a school night, and both boys got to go. Jackson brought his own roller blades and took off, often skating alongside his classmates. It was Ry's first time, and he got the hang of it pretty quick. He didn't want help. He was the fastest 5-year-old out there. Even Cyndi took some laps. Actually, a nice event and maybe a place for a birthday party. The music included teeney Justin Bieber, and every single kid was singing "Baby, Baby" when his song came on, despite the fact that, according to Jackson, no one likes his music.

Around the corner from sushi this past weekend was a new shop called Love Yogurt Bar, which was a nice discovery for us. It looks very popular, and I'd swear it was a franchise but it's not. Only one of its kind, so far.

sushi

2011-02-19T14:25:00.003-07:00

I'll try to keep this short, as I am in a crunch right now. Ariel will be here in a week, after visiting her aunts Nan and Beth in the Bay Area (on a work assignment). She and her mom are going to Ojo Caliente, her mom's graduation present for finishing her NYU program. We will have some time with her, too, and maybe that will even include attending Jack's cub scouts banquet on Friday. He's not gotten many awards this year, but he will get his bear and many awards this time. Tonight, Jackson and I are doing the overnight at Explora, while Ry and Cyndi spend time together. Tomorrow there's midday supper at Ellie's, and we'll cook a brisket for that.

We went to Sho-gun last night for our family Valentine's Day celebration. A little late, but we couldn't schedule it any sooner. It was fun.

Jackson has been wanting to go to Sho-gun for a long time. It's in Nob Hill. We called just as we drove out of our garage, and they could seat us at the sushi bar about the time we would have arrived anyway. We found a parking spot right at the front door and only waited about five minutes.

There's a river of little wooden boats that goes around the sushi bar. On some of the boats are little dishes of wasabi and ginger. At one time there would be sushi on the boats, but I think they have stopped doing that. There were a few boats with bits of paper on the them with little handwritten notes, many writing about someone or something the writer loved.

We ordered sake and a cabernet. We spied the dishes the people sitting near us were eating, and that sparked conversation with our neighbors. I asked the chef what he recommended and he made us a couple of yummy sushi rolls for us. Soon the chef was presenting us our orders. We also ordered little bowls of rice for the boys, and Jackson wanted the nigiri sushi, ebi, with shrimp. Cyndi and I had to have a little unagi. Jackson was still hungry so we ordered some California roll, which he was not much impressed with, and a crab nigiri, which he loved. I had spied tempura-fried ice cream on the menu, so I ordered one green tea and one vanilla.

As I was finishing my sake, Cyndi her wine, the boys the ice cream, we starting reading the little notes going by and Cyndi put her sake cup on a boat and we watched it disappear around the corner and then return around its circle. Then Jackson put his Lego Ninja Mini Figure in the cup and we watched that go around a few times, looking to see if anyone would notice it. Rylee put one of his figures in the cup with Jackson's, and we watched them go around together in the little cup on the little boat along the moving water. Somebody put a little piece of paper from a sugar packet on top of them, and then we watched as other people noticed the figures floating by. The boys thought that was all good fun. We finished our wines.

We did a little late night shopping in Nob Hill. Ry found a huge sticker catalogue of Lego Mini Figures, while Cyndi looked at hats and shoes and bracelets. Jackson liked all the gizmos and toys at the store we went in. Nob Hill is doing well, better than ever, with lots of shops and restaurants. The weather was finally nice, and there were many people strolling the sidewalks. A fun night out.

snow days

2011-02-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

Sure enough, the day after our ski trip a winter front moved down and covered the entire state. It snowed Tuesday and it looked like we were in for more than 24 hours of the fluff. But the wind kicked up in the afternoon and the temperatures dropped, and they dropped to historic lows. Wednesday morning it was 0 degrees at 9 am. The nights were in the negatives. Wind chills were something like negative 20 or worse. Days didn't get above the single digits.

The boys didn't go to school on Tuesday because of the snow. Then Wednesday the diesel in the school buses turned to gel, and there was no school that day. Then Thursday, it was negative degrees, the fuel was still gel, and we got our first reports that there would be a natural gas shortage state-wide and that we'd either need to conserve heating fuel or we'd be in one of the pockets with none. No school that day. Then Friday, oh, sure it had started to warm to the 30s, but the natural gas shortage was serious and water pipes were starting to burst anyway, so no school again.

I heard a national report that this time of year is good for auto mechanics, with their shops filled with cars that slid off the roads or just wouldn't start, and for wine merchants, with all those parents stocking up in anticipation of snow days. Sometime this week, the boys went to Borders and used some Christmas gift cards to purchase a Lego Star Wars Wii game. Tuesday night we went to a Chinese restaurant, the night before Chinese New Year, for the boy's favorite Egg Drop soup. The boys add a little soy and chow mein noodles.

It's hours before Super Bowl. Jackson is working on his state report on Hawaii. He has been reading books on Hawaii, drawing maps and flags and pictures. And now he is putting together a little book. I so enjoy talking with Jackson. He's becoming so mature, and he's always been so thoughtful. Ry is playing with his Legos. He's always asking me arithmetic questions. What's 56 and 56 he'll ask. I'll turn the question around, and he says 112, because 6 and 6 is 12 and 50 and 50 is 100. What's 1 minus 100 he'll ask. Negative 99 he answers. I ask him, are they teaching you this in kindergarten? Is Jackson teaching you this? I just figure it out, he says. Last night he was singing Butter Flies. Then this morning, I asked, hypothetically, what if we had more in our family, and he said, well, just make sure it comes from your side of the family. I asked, do you think you come from your mother's side?

Smart little guys.

I got a chance to talk with Ariel a couple of times this week. Once on the cell; once on Skype.

Sipapu skiing

2011-02-01T17:14:00.003-07:00

For my birthday, I wanted to treat my family to a day of skiing. Ry has never been. Jack had a day's worth of ski school in Santa Fe a few years back. Jackson remembers that Ariel came with us to Santa Fe that time. Cyndi used to ski all the time, before we met, but it's been years since the last time. In fact, we were trying to remember if we'd ever skied a run together.

Our first ski trip together was Santa Fe, the day after our wedding. We stayed at the Bishop's Lodge and joined family and friends on the slopes for the day. Cyndi had managed to get about 20 ski passes for everyone. Cyndi didn't ski that day.

When Ariel was young, she and I went to Sipapu for two days to ski. The first day, Ariel struggled to learn with a ski instructor. In the afternoon, we skied together. She had the flying wedge down and to stop herself she either just fell down, safely, gracefully, in her pink snowsuit or steered herself uphill. We stayed overnight there, in a very uncomfortable apartment, and I vowed never to stay there overnight again. The second morning, Ariel didn't want to take lessons again but she did. She ended up having a private lesson with a young guy. She progressed to taking the chair lift up to the top of the mountain. The rest of the day she led me up and down the mountain.

I remember we must have made other day trips to Sipapu, as well as to Sandia and Santa Fe. I remember stopping once with her at Rancho de Chimayo for dinner on a return, and the Zia Diner was a favorite stop on other returns. We spent those days together, riding the lifts in the sun or in the cold wind, sharing an orange or a candy bar (a Snickers or a Baby Ruth) on the chairlift, talking, and then she'd lead me down all the black diamonds she could find. I would hang back, watching her as she slithered easily through the moguls. Then it was my turn to get through them, the moguls pounding back onto my knees as I tried to thread my long skis over them. She'd just laugh at all the names of those runs.

I have mentioned this to Cyndi, knowing those moments are among the best to share with a child. She has often said how much she wants to ski with our boys until she's 90 and to watch them grow up skiing. If we could, we'd be skiing every chance we could find.

For this birthday ski trip, I pulled together some Christmas and birthday gifts. We elected Sipapu because it's about half the price of anywhere else. It would be a day trip, no overnights, and we could also use a state-wide discount program available for children during the month of January.

Sipapu is a small lodge near Tres Ritos between Taos and Mora, which is northwest of Las Vegas, New Mexico. To get there, you drive up to Santa Fe, take the relief route if you don't forget to turn off, and then take the High Road to Taos from Nambe, through Chimayo, until you reach the fork after Penasco and Vadito, where you turn right instead of left to Taos. In all, an unhurried 2 1/2 hours. Driving to the Santa Fe Ski Basin takes about two hours, by comparison: an hour to Santa Fe and another hour to get up the mountain from the plaza. The High Road is a spectacularly beautiful drive, through valleys and forests, past adobe churches, the road winding though small rural villages and towns along the way, with vast vistas of mesas and snow-capped peaks.

We left before six on Sunday morning, the car packed the night before. The day before we gathered our things, borrowed a few gloves and snow pants, found some children's goggles on clearance sale, put gas in the car, and changed the oil. Before leaving, Cyndi made turkey sandwiches and a pot of coffee. There was yogurt and other food for the trip.

The boys were very excited. I heard that Ry announced the trip to his kindergarten class the Friday before. They brought some Legos, of course. Jackson likes these trips that begin in the morning before dawn.

We went past the santuario in Chimayo as it was beginning to become light. There were almost no other cars on the road. Jack was feeling a little car sick, so we let him sit in his booster in the front seat, and I tried, unsuccessfully, to engage him in all sorts of conversation to get his mind off his troubling stomach. He still didn't feel good. We talked about Hawaii, since he's doing a school project on that state.

We arrived at Sipapu around 8:30 and parked right in front of the main door to the lodge. There was almost no one else there. It took a while to get everything situated but we managed to purchase our lift tickets, sign up for lessons, get all of our boots and skis and poles, and store the rest of our stuff back in the car before ski lessons began at 10 am. Cyndi helped the boys change into their snow clothes, while I ran back and forth for the rentals. Ry ate some sandwich before we ventured outside.

The lodge is rustic and funky. There's a general store as you enter. In the day room, there's a smokey stone fireplace, surrounded by benches and couches, where people change into their ski boots. There's an upstairs balcony inside the day room which leads to a small cafeteria and some small bathrooms. What few people were there when we arrived were eating syrupy pancakes and bacon and breakfast burritos upstairs.

The mountain itself is small, mostly beginner runs and wide intermediate slopes. An intermediate trail winds down from the top of the mountain to the base, and there are several expert chutes that fall from the trail. At the base is one triple chairlift to take you about midway up the mountain and one pommel, which must be about 50 years old, along the bunny hill. There's another double chairlift and another pommel further up the mountain, but the trails up there were narrow, rocky and bare. Cyndi knows how I didn't think those were any fun. On our first morning run together, while the boys were taking lessons, I ran into a few rocks and almost one tree. She has wondered a few times since then why I still have no sense of humor about that run.

Outside the day room are picnic tables, where we ate our second lunch. A grill was set up outside, featuring hot dogs and hamburgers (which smelled so much better than they really were) and cold bottles of beer. There were fire pits there, too, which were started as it cooled off just before the day ended. From the back of the lodge, you cross a bridge over a frozen river to the ski school bell, a chairlift, and the bunny hill. On this side of the river are half a dozen more picnic tables, where you can watch your toddlers ski and eat lunch in the sun. We camped out there a lot and had our first lunch break: the sandwiches Ry didn't eat in the morning, chocolate milk in a box, oranges, some lemonade I brought in a backpacking bottle, red vines, and fudge I bought at the general store. Later in the day, Ry took a nap on my lap as I sat on a picnic bench, while Jack was off by himself skiing the practice hill along the pommel and Cyndi was getting a few runs on her own.

Next to these picnic tables and the ski school area was a Magic Carpet, a rubberized moving sidewalk. Many toddlers, and not a few novice adults, duck-walked up to the Magic Carpet with their skis and were transported, standing on their skis, to the top of the slightest of hills. The run down couldn't have been more than 25 yards. Ry took his lesson here, where he quickly and confidently learned the snow plow and how to use the edges to turn through a slalom course of orange cones. He spent the entire day here, going up and down by himself dozens of time, while Cyndi or Jackson or I watched. Jackson, meanwhile, graduated to the pommel and the practice hill and would join Cyndi or me there on our runs. He was anxious to be with one of us on the hill and wanted to take the chairlift up with us, too. But I hesitated, thinking he needed one more day. So he'd take the pommel up, often by himself but sometimes with Cyndi or me, and then traverse over to the practice hill, where he'd do a few turns and then shoot down "like a bullet" to the bottom.

The day couldn't have been much better. It was sunny all day. Around midafternoon a slight breeze would kick up now and then to remind you to put your gloves and your hat back on. It was warm, and the boys never needed a good middle layer and quickly enough they shed their jackets and often their caps. The mountain could have used a lot more snow, and I'm sure much of what was there was man made. The slopes were icy. I got to see Cyndi take off over the lip of a side trail, where I swear I saw air between the snow and her skis. She landed on a sweet patch of ice, fell on her bottom, slid a little, and then just popped right back up. She stopped, laughed, and said, "That's going to hurt tonight!"

We were in luck, too, because it was a perfect time to go. Weather-wise, a big winter storm was forecasted to begin Monday state-wide, and sure enough it is cold and snowing today. Schedule-wise, there's Super Bowl next weekend--very important to Cyndi for snacking and also sure to be a family gathering because all of the sisters somehow married midwesterners and Green Bay is in. And the next three weekends after that are filled with little league field preparation, an Explora museum overnight, and a Cub Scouts banquet. Other stuff, I'm sure.

Cyndi got several runs by herself in the afternoon, and was happy for it. I got the last run of the day, or so I thought. I took the chairlift up, past the glittering bead necklaces and hidden undergarments hanging from the high tree branches along the way. I made a quick run down. It felt good. The turns felt good. I ventured a little speed and then pulled back before getting into traffic. Did I mention there were never any lift lines? It never was crowded. Another reason to like the place. Mostly families, mostly local, a couple of youth groups, and some young military people up from Kirtland Air Force base in Albuquerque.

I got to the bottom. Jack and Ry and Cyndi were waiting for me, but I found out both Jack and Ry snuck in another run on their hills while I was gone. We quickly turned in the gear and changed into our shoes. Cyndi and I also changed our clothes in the bathrooms outside. By four we were on our way to Rancho de Chimayo, where we ordered beers and chips and salsa, the boys wolfed down whole bean and cheese burritos, Cyndi polished off her huevos rancheros, and I ate a chicken enchilada. We finished off the sopapillas with dabs of local honey. The drive home in the twilight was magical. Ry played with his Legos; Jack watched Shrek on the DVD player. Cyndi made a quick call to her mom and then must have meditated most of the way home. By 7:30 we were home. Cyndi got Jack into a hot bath while I unloaded the car. Ry played with his Legos. Sleep came quickly.

just before Christmas 2010

2011-01-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

This video shows some of Ry's pj party at school and Jack's winter concert in the gym. Afterwards, it takes you to Old Town in the days leading up to Christmas and the moments leading up to the flash mob dance. (More of the dance is shown in the long winter slideshow posted yesterday, which ends in a clip from the dance.) From there it segues to another performance by the dancers...and Cyndi, of course.

long winter

2011-01-26T10:21:00.008-07:00

A potpourri of holiday pics, with a short video with audio the end.

The 3 R's

2011-01-12T13:51:00.001-07:00

On Monday, Ry came downstairs, smiling radiantly, with Cyndi close behind him. He had a small book, called "Sam", in his hand. For some time now, he's been sorting out words phonetically. At the same time, he's been making some sophisticated addition and subtraction, and even mathematical, calculations, inserting them into conversations, while also trying out words and phrases he has picked up. And the other day, he mentioned that he couldn't read yet but one boy in his kindergarten class already did. We've also been playing some simple games together, a version of tic-tac-toe where you can "gobble up" marks (thus changing X's into O's using bigger pieces that cover smaller pieces, like those Russian nesting dolls), another one with dogs and cats he says Ariel gave him, and "Go Fish". I don't have much interest in tic-tac-toe, for obvious reasons, but the gobble-up version involves a bit more strategy. He never minds losing, but he takes a lot of pride in winning.

So he curled up on my lap and he read his book to me. We high fived. Cyndi was ecstatic. Like everything else he does, he carried the book around for days, reading it at every opportunity. I said he was ready for "Ten Apples Up on Top."

Jackson has homework every night. A little writing exercise and arithmetic and math problems. He seems to get the concepts and readily explains the vocabulary. At cub scouts last night, he enjoyed making an electric circuit.

I picked the boys up from school the other day. Cyndi, of course, is almost always the one who does that. First, I picked up Ry at his classroom. Once we began walking on the school grounds, many other boys from other classes said hello to Ry. Jackson found us. Walking to the car, he told me about his idea to invent a "teleporter" that uses two satellites and a device, about the size of an IPod, that changes a person into digital data. The device digitizes itself, too, so it can also travel and reverse the process at the destination. There would be protection for errors and storage, and some kind of code that would prohibit thieves from transporting themselves to places they could rob. The Train With the Magical Wand again. Oh, Jackson did a pretty sophisticated magic trick using cards the other day. I was stumped until he did it again. I told him I think I figured it out and we both just sort of smiled at each other.

Because Jackson is so friendly and open and honest and good-natured, he seems to have many friends at his school, both girls and boys and adults, too. I don't think he has any problems at school. He loves to be involved in the games at recess, but I am afraid he feels a little disadvantaged when he plays with the boys who have played lots more organized sports, like soccer and football. It doesn't seem to have stopped him from playing, though.

Both boys complain that I don't like many of their new games. I try to tell them I don't mind the toys, it's the violent back story, which they usually watch on YouTube, that I don't like. So far we've avoided all of the in-home arcade games, like Super Mario Brothers. The boys say I don't like it because it's violent and try to persuade me that it's not as violent as other games that are available. The truth is that I wish they were spending more time on other things. We have cut down on some of the invasive television and internet streaming that seeped into our computers, televisions, and IPods. It always amazes me when the boys stop to watch the kind of program you might see on PBS and they are fascinated, truly fascinated, and watch without agitation. In those instances they are drawn into the program, but given the choice they would never have given it a chance. I'm afraid my argument that intellectual stimulation is the best form of entertainment still falls on deaf ears. But I see progress. All of which is why I hope we can do a trip to see Ariel in NYC and swing down for visits to Washington, D.C. and Williamsburg, which I am certain will make a huge impression on Jackson, and in turn Rylee.

But first things first. Baseball sign ups should be soon, and it's time for Jackson to get braces I think.

the holidays 2010

2011-01-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

What I take away from these holidays most is seeing the boys play on Christmas day. Their wish lists were not very long. Mostly they wanted more Beyblades, the spinning, fighting tops that have been a recent favorite, and some Legos building sets. Jackson wanted a robotic camera. There was much talk about Santa's naughty and nice lists before the night. The week before there were favorite Christmas movies to watch, and the night before we listened to Papa and Nana read "Twas the Night Before Christmas", a gift from them the year before.

We saved most of the toys for Santa and Christmas morning. Jack helped prepare for Santa's visit, putting out the cookies and milk. The boys dressed in their new pajamas. There were a few small toys for the stockings. A new Wii game for both and a Wii control for Rylee. A laser tag set to share between them. All day Christmas they played together. We went to mass midmorning, the boys wearing new clothes they got for presents. It was not crowded. In Belen, Jackson and Brendan ran around all day outside playing with the laser tag toy. Ry and Lauren ran around outside, too, playing with the neighbor's dog, Rico. For days, the boys continued playing with their new toys and eager to spend all their Christmas cash for more Beyblades and Legos.

It had gotten cold, with two small blasts of snow, mixed with rain, just before the holidays. On the new year weekend temperatures dropped below freezing, dipping to single digits at night. This morning, the furnace never shut off, and more cold weather is forecasted.

Ariel was visiting Chris's parents in Washington. She and Chris went up to Whistler to ski, and I'd expect she visited her friend, Emily, in Seattle before arriving back to NYC to find Chris's car buried in a snow bank.

Cyndi visited her parents a few times the week before to prepare for the holiday, setting up the tree and the luminarias. Cyndi and I prepared much of the meals for Christmas Eve and Christmas day: a ham on the night before to go with Grandma's posole and the tamales. There were lots of desserts and cookies, including those Cyndi had made the week before. On Christmas day, a brisket and half the remaining ham was polished off so that there was no thought of leftovers. All the family was there, Papa and Grandma, Janey and her girls and Garrick, Ron, too, Lola, Michael, Marti and Jeff and Christina, all the ABQ families, and a few extra visitors. Somehow feelings were stirred the night before, as they sometimes are, and the strange nuance of it all was that Cyndi was chastised for doing too much. But that turned out to be a blessing, maybe, because the next day there was a noticeable spirit of help to put on the Christmas feast.

On Christmas Eve, we went to Old Town to see the luminarias. I had not been there for many years. The plaza at 10 in the evening was crowded. The church grounds were packed. The shops still open. We sang some carols in the gazebo and looked for the live manger, but there was little there at the time except for a donkey tied up next to it and a few chickens and a baby goat. We walked to the country club area to avoid the traffic, but it was not as festive as I remember it once after a snowfall years ago. The luminarias glowed all around us.

I talked with my parents. Beth and Lisa and their families would be there on Christmas day. David and Sandra were visiting Jenni & Jacques in Valdez. Terra & Karl were with Roscoe. Beth had just told us of a scary health issue and there was a surgery just before the New Year. It went as well as it could, so there is much hope.

Cyndi had another flash mob performance just before Christmas and there was one day when we braved the cold so Ry could skateboard while Cyndi and Jack rollerbladed around the perimeter of the skate park. Cyndi and I went out on our anniversary, surprised somehow by celebrating 10 years.

The boys will return to school tomorrow. They will need the change. It is wonderful to see them play together, but there are times when the play escalates and turns vicious. It is strange to see that when usually they are so loving. Jackson is normally very protective, especially of his mother and his brother. He bought Cyndi a small golden crucifix for a present and Rylee a Lego set, and spent a lot of time building Ry's Christmas Legos. Jackson's slowly becoming more mature. It's a difficult time because you can see how he must come to terms with taking on more responsibility and yet will have times when he dissolves into childish tantrums. Ry has many tantrums these days over the smallest of slights. Ry is always busy explaining his internet research on Legos and Beyblades. He's up early in the morning and stays up late at night until he often curls on my lap and falls asleep. They both seem to love to draw and color. They both seem to love numbers and to try out new words. In church, all of a sudden they have become angels.

Cyndi got a Kindle e-book reader and seems very pleased with it. She got a small village piece again this year, adding another piece to the Christmas village that has grown each year since we've been married. This weekend the tree came down. It had become very brittle. But before it came down, we had one last meal for the year for family in ABQ: a seafood and pasta theme, with cake and champagne and noisemakers and poppers with strings of confetti to celebrate the new year holiday. Cyndi took out the Christmas china, and Jackson helped set the table and put out name cards at all the places.

I have promised pictures and videos, and they should be coming soon. Perhaps they will remind me of other things.

singing & dancing

2010-12-20T08:30:00.002-07:00

Another good weekend began with Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) on the kitchen computer with Cyndi and the boys and me dancing. Bacon was in a fry pan, the griddle was heating up, and I continued to make pancake batter. Cyndi continued to practice her dance steps for a "flash mob", and the boys ran around the house, playing with their legos. Ry and I set up the little outdoor train on the lawn while Jackson and Cyndi did some quick shopping.

Then it was time for the flash mob in the afternoon. The boys and I dropped Cyndi off at the Little Theater parking lot for their final practice. We left Cyndi there, with Dorie and Elley and about 50 other dancers. Maybe a little more than that. The boys and I drove to Old Town and hung around the plaza. There was a wedding party taking pictures near the gazebo in the plaza, where a tuba band was setting up for a Christmas concert. There were many tourists and shoppers on that overcast day. We talked to some Knights of Columbus volunteers building a manger in front of the church for a live nativity on Christmas Eve. We plan to come back then, to walk around the plaza and then among the homes in the old Albuquerque Country Club neighborhood to see all the luminarias at night.

We sauntered over to the small shopping plaza west across from the church, where there's a tall Christmas tree constructed from over 100 real trees. Pan pipes were playing. The flash mob began to walk over and mix among the shoppers, eventually outnumbering them. The filmmaker Cyndi met a week or two ago was there to document the street performance. After some time, All I Want for Christmas Is You came on. A singer descended the stairs, two or three couples began to twirl and then dancers broke out onto the plaza. Cyndi and her sisters were among them. The boys and I watched from the balcony, and in the second verse dancers on the balcony joined in. When the music finished, the flash mob went on their way, but a few lingered on, excited by the event.

Cyndi was quite excited. She had been practicing for days. The choreography was complicated. The company of dancers included local professionals, young and old. I think many were from the annual Nutcracker company. Afterwards we went to Church Street Cafe in Old Town.

Sunday we went to Belen to set up a tree. Ariel was scheduled to fly to Washington that day.

Next: Singing & Dancing: The Movie. (I've had a "flash mob" video posted for some time on this blog. Look for the Do-Re-Me link in some stuff under Bottom of the Scroll.)

catching up

2010-12-16T09:20:00.001-07:00

It's about a week before Christmas. We are in for over 24 hours of rain, turning to snow tonight. Temperatures are warm. The storm is moving from Flagstaff and across Gallup and looks to be centered in Santa Fe, with more precipitation moving from California. There's no snow predicted ahead for Christmas Day, and very little snow now in the northern mountains. We'd like to take the boys skiing, but I don't see how that is possible at the moment.

Ariel will leave Sunday for Washington. She's busy wrapping things up, and has a few jobs lined up to begin the new year.

We've managed to get some gifts for the boys already. It may be modest this year: a few Beyblades, some Lego building sets, a couple of things to add to the Wii, and a robotic spy camera that Jack wants. I did get Ry a Star Wars Lego set, as he wants. He'd settle for Indiana Jones, but I didn't see any around. He researches Legos on the internet constantly, so I'm not sure I got one that's high on his wish list. He's written several lists of Beyblades he wants (all of them really), and this weekend he constructed a North Pole scene out of paper and glue and color markers. Cyndi has done something very nice. I came home to find she had made bird's nest cookies, my favorite Christmas cookie. Ry says they're his favorite, too. They have walnuts, and Jackson still avoids all nuts for any possible allergic reaction. Jackson and I finished off the summer sausage over the last weekend. We also took out some chicken soup from the freezer and Rylee raved about it for two days, gobbling up bowlfuls.

We had a nice dinner at a new Chinese restaurant we go to since our previous favorite closed when their landlord increased the rent. We were gathered at the table, very talkative and boisterous. Both of the boys were kneeling on their chairs talking about this and that, joking with Cyndi and me. For once, they weren't wandering around from their seats. The boys love their egg drop soup, with a sprinkle of chow mein noodles, and a dash of soya. We get an order of sweet & sour chicken, with the sauce on the side, so that it's like chicken nuggets for the boys. And Jackson loves his rice. I know at one point we were talking about how to deal with YouTube videos that might not be appropriate to watch and we talked about kid's shows on tv, what favorites Jack watched as a toddler, what Rylee at that age watched with Jackson, what Cyndi and I watched.

From there we went to Jackson's third grade holiday concert at the school. The children stood on risers in the gymnasium, which was packed. Well done concert, the children singing with gusto, all in unison, with a few humorous Thanksgiving songs, including one about an Albuquerque Turkey, thrown in and a couple accompanied by rhythm instruments, including, of course, Jingle Bells. Jackson played a triangle and bells. One of the third grade teachers was the music teacher in the past. Jackson always loved her. Ry had a pj party during the day in his classroom. They will be off for two weeks.

Since Comcast has been transitioning to some new digital system (mandated by a law that the cable industry lobbied for, I'm sure, and which should allow them better access to monitor usage), we will be without a tv for about a week. I don't think the boys are really missing it. There's still DVDs, Netflix, internet and IPod.

Ry and I made French toast on Saturday, which was a very good day. We did a run to Costco. No one wanted to go. On the way home, we stopped at the theater to buy tickets for the matinee for Tangled, a Disney movie based on Rapunzel. We put away the milk and turned around to meet Elley and Don and Nicholas and Lauren at the theater. We brought some fruit rollups we bought at Costco, the tickets were cheap for the matinee, but we splurged on theater popcorn and kettle corn. We got there early and saved seats in the middle of the theater. It was a kick for all of us. We've never, all eight of us, gone to a movie together, and the four children sat in a row between Cyndi and me. It was more fun for me to watch their faces lit up by the screen, munching on popcorn. Ry crawled up in Cyndi's lap near the end, when the music became more emphatic. I almost dozed.

On Sunday we went to mass, the second week of advent. The boys went to the children's eulogy. Ry asked again that I not take him. I tell the boys not to sit in the back or in the corners. Ry said he sat on the carpet in front, and he even raised his hand. Finally, Jack has begun to settle into church, not so much squirming or hanging onto Cyndi, no playing, and, of course, Ry follows his lead. We even get the boys to hold hands for the Our Father. This was the first time Jackson received communion as we go up together as a family, with Rylee still crossing his hands for a blessing.

Let's see. We went to the mountain trailhead for pictures of the boys after that and a little visit to Trader Joe's, where we haven't been in a very long time. The weather was perfect, the sky blue.

I got a USAA rebate and a Costco rebate in the mail this week. We may use that to splurge on a King Crab feast with ABQ family, our Christmas gift. I'll say more as that develops.

november/december

2010-12-13T09:45:00.003-07:00

This was a new process I tried. It needs to be redone, the audio particularly is wrong, but I'll leave this for now.

Jack's First

2010-12-07T11:02:00.004-07:00

Holy Communion

2010-12-06T18:46:00.003-07:00

This weekend was busy. It started with Cyndi driving to Santa Fe on Friday to see some filming production by a company she's thinking of doing some work with. The plan was for me to pick up the boys from school and then head over to the train station and take the Rail Runner up to Santa Fe. Meanwhile, Cyndi bumped into Robert Redford. The boys and I made it okay, and it was a pleasant trip. We sat on top. It was dark outside. There's wifi on board, so Jack could text or whatever on his IPod. Ry made a book about him fishing and riding the train. I even got some work done. We were hungry, and the boys were anxious to get to Santa Fe. Cyndi met us at the station and had already checked out the wait for dinner at Tomasita's next door. There wasn't any wait. We had our usual bean burritos for the boys, huevos rancheros for Cyndi, chicken enchildas for me, and Cyndi and I split a half-liter (mostly ice) of Margaritas.

We drove over to the plaza, and mostly we just stopped to get some ice cream. The lights were on in the trees in the plaza. It wasn't too cold, and it was quiet.

On Saturday, Ry and I made bacon and waffles. We spent a large amount of the day shopping for gifts for Jackson and Nicholas (our godson, and Jack's cousin) for their First Holy Communion on Sunday, shopping for clothes for Jack, and buying food for the meal after Sunday's mass. I got up the next morning and put a brisket in the oven and hung some lights outside, and the boys and I set up the Christmas village. Cyndi made oriental chicken salad.

Jackson and Nicholas were excited about First Holy Communion, walking in the procession, with their hands clasped in prayer, Jackson smiling with his new glasses on, so handsome, so mature, so solemn. Most of Cyndi's family was there in the pews set aside at the front. The mass was at Risen Savior, where both Jack and Ry went to preschool. The priest was gentle and funny, a wonderful and exuberant speaker. The altar servers rang bells. The small choir was beautiful. One singer sang a beautiful responsorial psalm, but I'm afraid another song sounded offkey to me. The members sang and responded loudly. I thought it was particularly interesting that there were two appeals to buy free-trade products, particularly coffee.

When it was time for the eucharist, the families went up with each child. Jackson took the host and the wine and Rylee was blessed, his arms folded across his chest. Afterwards, the children's articles were blessed. We gave Nicholas and Jackson little missalettes, and each got a cross and an engraved glass ornament.

The brisket turned out great, better than I imagined, and Cyndi and I brought our food over to Elley's. Bennie was there. The day was warmer than the week before, and the boys all took their meals outside in the backyard and played.

There was some talk about the Christmas party this year in Belen with all the extended family, just as it was in all the past years. Lola wanted to contribute to the food budget but didn't want to organize it this year. Cyndi and Elley and Dorie will likely organize it. There's talk of more brisket and maybe a ham, while everyone brings desserts. Pots of everything else. Some good chile from Aunt Erlinda?

I had to call Mom later because I made the brisket as best as I could remember how she used to make it. I found out that I was only marginally close, but still it turned out very tasty. I also told her we were finally able to find our favorite summer sausage in the local supermarket, after years of never being able to find it. Jackson has been asking for it for months. Jackson polished off one in a day, while the other we froze for later. Mom recalled how Ariel loved it, too.

Lola was sitting on Elley's sofa and was talking about her family and growing up in Belen. Cyndi told her that I often try to write down what Lola talks about, so the boys will have some idea of the history of their families. A few weeks ago in a cub scouts den meeting, the boys were talking about their ancestry. Jack was very interested. We talked about how our name was German and how Cyndi's family was Hispanic. And days later, Jackson talked about how he was German and how the Spanish came to Mexico and then to New Mexico. He's still a little uncertain about the Irish and Swedish sides and how they fit into the story.

Lola was talking about the Garcia family, how it's todo el mundo. She said, We don't know where we come from. She talked about how she was the oldest of the family and her mother died when she was young. She and Ursula went to St. Mary's, the same school Cyndi went to. It was about the time of the Great Depression, and they did not know English. The nuns, she said, were very mean to them. The nuns came from the Midwest and thought her family ate beans for breakfast, she laughed. We ate oatmeal, everything, she said. There were two teachers she thanked--one very mean, one very nice--for teaching her grammar when she was in high school. Her father, she remembered, bought a Model T from his veteran's pay. She remembered how she was embarrassed years later when the family still drove the Model T. She talked again about the farm, how plentiful the food was and all the fruit trees they had.

Ry, who is so fearless on his skateboard, dropped a heavy flashlight on his toe, and cried and cried that night. He's taken to a few stuffed animals only recently, a Christmas bear and a snowman. He's been making lots of pictures, paper-and-tape guns, and Santa lists, on which he copies the names of his newest interest, some kind of battling top that's another bakugan craze for little boys.

Jackson downloaded a song onto his IPod called Fireflies, which I had never heard but later found out was one of the biggest downloads on ITunes. He describes it as meditative. (I can't remember his exact word; relaxing, perhaps.) He and Ry get on Club Penguin on the computers at home, together with Nicholas and Lauren on computers at their home, and then talk to each other on speaker phones while they play at the site. They each control their own character in the various rooms, bumping into each other. Fortunately, there's no shooting involved, as with so many of the electronic games they love but which Cyndi and I try to discourage.

There are some pics and videos to come.

a long slow weekend

2010-11-29T07:48:00.007-07:00

Thanksgiving dinner in Belen was good. Cyndi had done a lot of work in preparation. The turkey was still roasting when we arrived. Janey and her daughters were there already, and all the rest of the family from out of town arrived at about the same time, along with Michael. I brought some smoked salmon David and Sandra had sent me from Alaska that I had saved. I put it out almost as soon as we arrived, and it was a hit, along with the spinach dip Cyndi made. Garrick arrived, and later Marti and Cristina. There were chips and cheese out, the wine was opened, and then the turkey was finally ready. The dinner was very good. The kitchen was filled with pots and pans and casserole dishes. Most of it got eaten somehow, including several kinds of pies. The boys ate some turkey and croissants. As an afterthought, I had made some jello with fresh orange pieces that the kids ate. Jeff carved up the turkey. There were sweet potatoes, with a pecan sugary crunch on top, mashed potatoes with enough lumps to make you think it didn't come from a box, smooth hot gravy, Bleicher Girls green beans, corn, stuffing, red chile, rolls and croissants, salad, and cranberry sauce. (Don't think I forgot anything.) Clean up came in waves, with a final push to divvy up leftovers and put everything away so you couldn't tell anything so grand had happened.

Jack took the Wii and hooked it up to see if Papa could use it to play some golf onscreen. Some success with that, and Nicholas spent some good time with Papa helping him. We played a little touch football outside with the boys. Ry got the handoff several times and ran straight ahead, cradling the ball. He made a touchdown, and that made him very happy. It was cold, so we didn't stay out long. Still, we made two attempts at it, before and after dinner.

On weekends, the boys typically crawl into bed for a cuddle. Ry asks me if this is a work day, and when I say no then he asks if we can cook breakfast. He'll have a list that includes eggs, bacon, pancakes and waffles. And like Jackson before him, he'll get out all the ingredients and help me stir the batter. Now he pours the ingredients, too, and I let him crack the eggs into the bowl. He insists on pouring his own syrup. Jackson reminds us to put in the secret ingredient. Sometimes it's French toast, if there's some good hard artisan bread left over to soak up the egg and milk, or sometimes we make oatmeal. Jackson likes mine, he'll say, mostly because it has a pad of butter and some brown sugar on top an island of creamy oatmeal surrounded by milk. Something I learned from my childhood, I'm certain.

It was a good weekend for eating. Lots of good pears and oranges available, which Rylee requested all weekend in addition to chocolate milk. We went one evening to Five Star Burgers. During its Happy Hour, you can get sliders for $1 each and draught beer for half price. In fact, just about everything is half-priced, including an order of batter fried green chile. The boys got a chocolate shake, also in a sense half off because it was split between them. We also went to Monroe's, mostly so Cyndi could get a bowl of red and green chile to supply her with an overload of Vitamin C, and the boys had their new mainstays, whole bean burritos with cheese, and lettuce for Jackson.

Ry and I went to the skate board park again on Friday. He has fun riding around the concrete park. He shoots down a ramp, over a bump, and circles around again. He's been trying to get up a short half-pipe. It's fun to watch him. He's clearly the smallest one out there on a skateboard. He wears his black helmet, his sweatshirt often falling off of him, and carries his board over the more difficult spots and climbs. A few boys ride bikes on the course and there's several Razor scooters. We called Brendon, and he and Pete joined us there for a bit. Both Ry and Brendon made some buddies while they were there, and that was fun to see, too. After about an hour, Ry is tired and thirsty, and we go home.

I talked with Pete about possibly going to Jemez to get a Christmas tree, but heard that Costco was selling beautiful trees for $43. So the boys and I went on Saturday morning and brought one back. It's a Noble Fir, very dense and full and lush, trimmed perfectly, and stands eight feet high to the ceiling in our living room. Jackson picked it out and helped me tie it onto the truck. We trimmed a few inches off the bottom when we got it home and got it in a stand that Jack had hosed off. It drank up a lot of water. Jackson started putting the lights on. I always thought Cyndi was reluctant to have a cut tree inside, but it turns out she loves it. It smells good, and Jackson wondered if it fills our house with good oxygen. He may have a point. It must give off some water vapor, too. Cyndi and the boys decorated while I went to the office for a few hours.

We heard from Ariel, too. She was on the train after flying back from France, and when I talked to her again, she was about to have dinner with Chris.

I helped Cyndi rake a few leaves from our cottonwood and we got a couple of movies from Borders with our online discount coupons and old gift cards. Jack and I spent a lot of time trying to upgrade his IPod. That Verizon Mi-Fi turned out to be a big disappointment. Sunday I called Comcast to get our internet back. Once I found a modem, it was pretty easy and instantaneous to hook up that day. That may have been the highlight for Jackson, having full internet access again. Even Netflix worked again, which the boys watched after Jack and I reconnected the Wii. Jack got on the internet and wanted to download a program to create apps. Ry could get back on internet on our old desk top computer again to research all the Lego sets he wants for Christmas. Jack has been a bit quieter about his wish list ever since he found out the secret of Santa.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

We're already up early this morning, and the plan was to leave for Belen before mid morning. We got a light dusting of snow during the night. It is below freezing now and not likely to get above freezing until noon. And now there are reports that the roads are shut down due to ice and accidents. It may be a bit of a challenge.

I just dropped a couple of notes to Ariel, who is spending her birthday and Thanksgiving in Paris. It must be almost evening there. I've been watching a live web cam at the Eiffel Tower. The lights are already coming on, and there's dark stormy clouds covering the city. Looks cold there, too, and a chance of snow. Ariel was very busy when we traded notes earlier in the week, but she thought she'd find some time to visit places there. I think she's found a place in the Montmartre, 18th Arr., part of the city.

Cyndi has been busy this week getting the food for the Thanksgiving meal in Belen. She must have made three shopping trips at least. She's been making the sweet potatoes, a spinach dip, and a salad and passing out food for others to prepare. I hear the turkey is in the oven. Janey is there and Jeff came over, too, I just heard. There is an abundance of food. I even got a few extra items.

As I was writing this Ariel came on Skype, and we video chatted for a few minutes. She was in her small room, eating a croissant she bought earlier in the day. The room looked exactly like I saw it online. She was thinking of going out for dinner, maybe after she has a chance to talk with Chris. She has been busy, interviewing scientists and visiting the National Library. She said she managed to get away yesterday to visit the Louvre (she found a good breakfast near it), Nortre Dame, and the Basilique du Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, near where she is staying. Mixed reviews on dining. She says her French is good enough to get around the subways, ordering meals in restaurants, and asking directions, but her interviews have been in English. She did say it snowed for a minute today. It was sunny when she first arrived. She looked good. I think she was a bit overwhelmed by her writing project, and she was probably wondering how it would all come together. She also mentioned that the city was less overwhelming than it might have been had she not been living in NYC. The subways, she remarked, were similar. She leaves Saturday.

fall video I

2010-11-23T15:30:00.002-07:00

fall video II

2010-11-23T15:27:00.003-07:00

soccer & regatta

2010-11-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

a week before Thanksgiving

2010-11-21T14:20:00.001-07:00

I was watching the boys sit together on the couch. They were so quiet, sitting straight on the edge, Jackson taller than Rylee, almost touching, and then this morning it was back to fighting. The morning begins with cuddling. Then one boy rolls over on the other, and one thing leads to another. "Get off me."

Ariel should be in Paris about now. We'll be going to church this morning, then some time in Belen to deliver the turkey from Costco, and then I need to get work done before Monday morning. The boys have off all week. Thursday, the boys' school had an early Thanksgiving meal in the cafeteria, and the parents were invited to join. I went for Ry's while Cyndi went for Jack's.

Jackson got his glasses last week. According to Cyndi, the first thing he said when he put them on was, "Everything is so pretty." Jackson denies saying this word-for-word, but the gist of it was about the same as my first time seeing with glasses, when I noticed the leaves on the trees. David when he was here remarked how he first noticed the individual blades of grass. Cyndi remembers the lights no longer glowing with halos.

Friday we splurged for dinner. For months now we haven't gone out, except maybe for a pizza. Jackson has been asking for shrimp and crab for a long time. When Ariel was here last she recalled the first time she had crab. She and I went to place in Atlanta. Of course, our best crab feast was with David and Sandra, either in Maryland or when we gathered crab from the pots in the Alaskan sound off Juneau, yanked off the legs and claws on the beach as we took them off the boat, and threw the legs and claws into a big steamer, all the while being bombarded by mosquitoes and flies.

So I thought maybe we could get some crab this weekend. There's not many seafood places in Albuquerque. There's Pelican's, a local place, and just a couple of chains. Pappadeux's is popular and near us, a chain with a Cajun/Lousiana/Gulf of Mexico take on seafood. Cyndi likes it. When Cyndi came home from restorative yoga with the boys, who played in the Junior Room at the gym with their cousins, we left.

It was late for us but not late enough. The place was packed, with an hour wait. Folks were gathered outside and inside. The bar was packed, too, but we walked around it, found a place along the wall to claim a spot with a little ledge and a single chair. I ordered a martini and a beer for me and Cyndi, two root beers, and a shrimp cocktail, with pico de gallo and avocado. Yummy, but too spicey for the boys to enjoy. They ate the crackers and drank a bottle of root beer.

We could watch the numbers on the wait list on a red digital display on the wall, and our number was far away. So we ordered a round of draught beer and coconut shrimp, also a little spicey for the boys to have too much. Cyndi and I ended up with more than our share of the appetizers. We struck up a conversation with some people at the bar, and for a moment Ry lined up his toy soldiers on the edge of the bar.

When our number came, Jackson ran to claim it, we closed the bar tab, and walked to our table. Our table was next to the traffic and the wait station, so I asked if we could have the cleared one right next to it but closer into the dining room and out of the traffic. The hostess paused just long enough to say it was for the next customer and I barely said, well, before she moved us. I thanked her.

We had fun. We ordered a small platter of crab with some sides of clam chowder, pasta, onion rings, and bread. The waiter was wonderful. He brought out the hot butter and the bibs, a cracker and a little plastic implement that worked like an old can opener to cut through the shells. Jack and Ry were unsure at first but after soaking the bits in the hot butter they loved it. I ended up cutting the crab free for the boys, with a few choice pieces for Cyndi. When it was gone, everyone said they were so full, even the next morning.

Jackson had religious ed the next morning, a long Saturday session to try the host and wine before he has First Holy Communion on December 5th with his cousin, Nicholas. I took Ry to the skate park that morning. It was pretty crowded with lots of big kids, but Ry held his own out there, going up and down ramps, trying a few tricks, and he even tried to go up the half-pipe. He had to be among the very youngest. A few kids near his age rode Razor scooters, but Ry was the lone 5 year old on a big board. It won't take him long. He didn't quit until about an hour later, when it was time for Jack and Cyndi to be home.

Ry is drawing many pictures and playing intently with any toy figure, especially the little figures that come with the Lego sets. Jackson is still planning to develop his website, but I'm still trying to figure out the basic code.

I wonder how Ariel is doing in Paris.

My Day at the Balloon Fiesta

2010-11-20T10:47:00.002-07:00

By Jackson

On October 1st my dad wanted to go to the Balloon Fiesta tomorrow. We all said OK. It was a bad route to the balloon Fiesta. I think we arrived somewhere around 6:30. I was so cold, and I was freezing. My dad got the tickets and we went inside.

When my family got inside we were all hungry, so we went to get some food. My mom and dad got a burrito and my brother and I got a hot chocolate. Then we got a lot of Balloon cards. Some cards we could not get, so I took a picture with our camera.

We were about to go but my brother, Rylee, wanted one more card. We went to get it. Then we got it and went home. At home, my mom and dad got food poisoning from their burrito.

some excitement

2010-11-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

I got a call this morning from first-time great grandparents, telling me that Terra had a baby boy this very day, named Roscoe Philip. All must be well. When I told Cyndi that she was a great-aunt, she made the same joke as my dad: well, I knew I was great.... Wonderful news.

Ariel just gave me a call. I knew from a message she left me that she was in Hartford, Connecticut this weekend. For what exactly, I don't know. She called to tell me she got an assignment to report on some program at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (the National Library of France), along the Seine, in Paris. For a week. In two weeks, just before Thanksgiving. I'll have to get more information from her, but it has to do with the fact the library is the official repository of everything published (in all media) in France, a monumental undertaking. So she's looking into a place to stay in Paris and brushing up on her French.

And the week before, she travels to Georgia to report on sustainable design at the community organic farm she worked at before Fairbanks. (You may remember: Serenbe, near Palmetto, just south of Atlanta.)

These are part of her work at IEEE. I know she's also producing radio podcasts. There may be some connection to Science Friday or the National Science Foundation, or both. I'll have to get that sorted out and let you know.

In any case, Ariel is very excited. This is all very new news.

And David told me all is well with Terra and Roscoe. Sandra is there already. David won't see Roscoe until March. Everyone is excited. Both Cyndi and Ariel were delighted when I passed on the news.

quicky notes & a photoshow

2010-11-03T11:53:00.004-06:00

Below is a photoshow for the season. Do I mention the boys often enough? I've been very impressed with Jackson this week, so cooperative and mature. He can be such a delight. In the gym shower last night, after we went in the hot tub, he washed, dressed, and handed me his suit, all without the usual antics. Ry followed suit. Jack carved his own pumpkin this year and he made it doublesided. He used a pattern for one side, which took some time, hand drew a design on the other side, and he made clean cuts. On Halloween, he went out with the older boys to do a second go-round of trick or treating, and, man, did they ever score. No hard candies; mostly little bags of the good stuff. Large candy bars, one Play-Dough, one popcorn ball, and one Capri Sun midway on our route. While the other adults manned the haunted house at the cousins', I took the kids around the first time. Ry was getting desperately tired by the end and his pumpkin pail was heavy. (He added a small rock to his pail, just for a joke.) Jack usually made small talk at each house, often asking them, How's YOUR Halloween? And when he got back, he dumped his candy loot on the floor, sorted out everything with peanuts, and the trading began in earnest. He's got the attention of his soccer coach, who was trying to give him some pointers at practice this week. And he learned something a couple of weeks ago about the jolly round fella from the North Pole who dresses in red. He did say he wished he'd gotten through one more Christmas. Ry is such a sweetheart. He drew some nice pictures last night with a tree on the right and a sun on the left, the blue sky above, and the green grass below. He talks a lot about left and right. Then he read some words to me, sounding out all of the letters. He's always asking me about subtraction. We did all the jungle gyms at school while Jack was at practice. It's a very nice playground. We often cuddle at night and in the wee hours he'll ask me, Can I go to the other room? Our version of musical beds still. Jack and Cyndi often are in the other bed. When I ask Rylee a question, his favorite reply these days is, I have no clue. And he's been addressing Cyndi as "Mother." Ry always asks for a special breakfast on Saturdays, and the boys both help to make pancakes, waffles, or French toast. We've been making fried eggs, too. Last week I used my poaching method, which turned the eggs a little more done, less runny, for me. Ry ate the yolk of his; Jackson ate the white of his.

Some beautiful days this past week. Sunny, low 70s during the day, with a gentle breeze. The air is clean and crisp, and occasionally I'll catch a wift of someone's pinon log fire in the evening.

And the election is over, thank goodness. Nothing too offensive here in New Mexico, but nationwide seemed very stressful.

what a difference a week makes

2010-10-26T10:12:00.019-06:00

Unseasonably warm temperatures have suddenly dipped. The sky was wintry looking yesterday, and when I looked up the forecast it said it would approach freezing temperatures this morning. So I hurried home to close the swamp cooler, change out the duct dampers, and turn on the furnace. It started Saturday at Jack's soccer game. We noticed a blanket of snow on the mountains when the clouds cleared from the peaks. The wind came up the last few nights. The leaves turned color immediately and have begun to fall just as fast.

The boys are so sharp. Jackson helped Cyndi figure out Excel, and Rylee made "flash cards" of numbers and letters.

Ry's friend, Eddie, had a birthday party on Saturday. Ry went by himself to putt-putt, where he met Eddie and Sam, his old preschool friends, and we joined him after the soccer game at I Scream Ice Cream, a fun spot for kids. Jack played well again. He's very good. I know he wants to score a goal, and I expect it soon as he's learning fast.

Jack plays soccer often at recess, often with boys who have lots more experience in organized soccer. There's a boy who's a bit of a bully, as well as a bit of a cheat, often carrying the ball in play off the field just to irritate the other boys. It doesn't sound serious, and Jack seems to hold his own. Mostly, Jack's just trying to understand this kid's bad behavior. I did manage to take the occasion to say that bullies are often full of hot air and will [sometimes] retreat when pressed, so that Jack should stand up for himself should it ever come to that and in any case never to lash out first. Really, it was just a small comment made while we were driving in the car and not meant as a lecture on self-defense. That day may come soon enough but still seems premature now. I think Cyndi and I are just interested in monitoring the situation. Jack then told a story about a boy he had trouble with in the past. He said he asked the boy this year why we was always so mean, and the boy told him, well, I don't really remember why. Now they're buds.

I don't remember a real confrontation until I was about 5th or 6th grade. I don't know why he wanted to fight me; I hardly knew who he was. It happened fast. It was comical, as me and the other boy were soon wrestling on the school grounds and rolling down the hill in one ball of arms and legs. My third confrontation that I remember was in high school and that was comical, too, with our mutual friends holding us back, thank goodness. He was bigger and older. It was a matter of honor for him; it was over a girl. In between, I remember getting into something with a bigger kid and defending myself by yelling at him nonstop. (It always made me laugh to think about it but now I also wonder if it didn't turn out that I became the bully in place of him.) Of course, David and I had our share of fights. My favorite story is remembering pounding on his back; then only a short time later coming to the realization that he was now bigger than me and it was time to use diplomacy. A lesson learned, I guess.

Ry tells me he spends recess with a boy from another class. He knows the boy from cub scouts meetings. His brother is a scout with Jackson. They just talk, Ry says. I suspect they're sharing notes on life, like bakugans, silly bands (the new rage), and whatever. Ry does like to talk about things. Meanwhile, Jack and Ry have been playing well together. It's usually loud, but not always. They run around the house, usually shirtless, jumping on furniture. Halloween is soon. Ry wants to be a skeleton, Jack a ghost.

I received some pictures of ladles David carved. They were remarkable. The pictures were forwarded from Dad, who's back home with Mom from their trip.

amazed

2010-10-22T13:47:00.004-06:00

Ariel arrived Friday for a wedding. We saw her for a brief time on Saturday evening, stopping first to watch some of the cousins' baseball games and to say hi to some family, then getting some red and green chile enchiladas, bean burritos, and huevos rancheros at Monroe's with Janey and Jenna, who were also in town.

On the Tuesday before, Jackson had soccer practice. Rylee came along. He kicked his ball up and down the nearby vacant field, running full speed. He was drinking lots of water, too, and complained about a pain: his first stomach cramp, I told him. Then we walked from the school field to the school cafeteria for the cub scout meeting. There was a magician, and the boys learned magic tricks.

Friday night was a pleasant dinner with Cyndi's company. We haven't done that in, dare I say, years. There was wine and good food and I met some friendly folks. On Saturday, while Ariel was at the wedding and Cyndi went for a run around the Academy with Ellie, who walked, the boys and I tried Netflix again over the Wii console, which worked well for about 30 minutes and then never worked right again. (The problem is the Verizon Mi-Fi, which we just found out cannot give us the advertised speeds. Verizon is now taking the position that they can only deliver the advertised speeds streetside, and I asked them if they expected me to use my laptop and the Wii console outside on the curb this winter.) We all then went to Borders, where Ry got a bakugan, the storage unit, where we grabbed all the Halloween decorations, and then Jack's soccer game. There was some incident where Jackson reported that the assistant coach chastised Jackson for talking smack to the other team and then didn't believe Jack when Jack said that wasn't the case. There's no way Jack would do that. No way. He's much more apt to be saying hello and congratulating someone, no matter what team they're on. Anyway, that got me a little peeved. So, after the game there were team pictures, and Cyndi took Jackson back to Borders before dinner with Ariel to get a Wii version of I Spy, using a birthday gift card.

Sunday, I went for a long run around the cross country course inside the Academy. We almost didn't go to church but we did. Ry asked me not to go to the children's eulogy with him downstairs in the basement, so I asked Jack to watch out for him. Immediately afterward, we drove down to the corn maze in the Anderson fields in the valley. It was a bit warm and I was thirsty from my earlier run. We walked quite a bit, so it was a good way to spend some time together. Not spectacular, but okay. Ry beaned me with the yellow ears of corn. We ran by Home Depot to buy some mums on sale and by Costco to get some steaks, because Jackson has been asking for steak for weeks. We haven't been doing a lot of grilling, but that evening I started the charcoal. Left a message as the steaks grilled to Mom & Dad in Hawaii.

Ariel was pretty busy during her short visit. Some work to do; some friends to visit. She and I had lunch at Los Cuates near my office and later I picked her up to spend the night with us before she had to catch her plane the next morning. Jackson was thrilled that Ariel would spend an overnight with us. I had to take Jackson to a pack meeting, but we picked up a Dion's pizza on the way home.

It was so good to see Ariel. She likes her new place in Brooklyn and generally things are well. She looked happy. She talked about her and Chris' plans for Christmas. We caught up a tad on family. I remembered a few memory stories. I told her the one about our first, and only, "sex talk" when she was little. The story ends in a punch line. I'll have to tell you it someday. I started talking about it because I had just read an article in New Yorker on the subject, which also had a similar punch line. We talked about the time we stayed in the cabin in Tres Ritos. There's some nice stories there. It's when we read To Kill a Mockingbird together. (That's also one of those remarkable stories about our time together.) Ariel mentioned something about it that I hadn't thought about, at least not since we read it. She said it struck her like a "horror story." I remember that we spent a lot of time talking while we were reading it, going back and forth, because it had a lot of adult themes. So I asked her if she meant the scene with the children and the scary attack in the woods and she said, no, she was thinking of the subject of the trial itself. It was the first time she had heard of rape. I had thought the hardest part of the book was the issue of race. I distinctly remember glossing over some words when I was reading passages to her, because they were too abundant, and too horrible to say, for me.

The next morning Ariel got on her plane to JFK (with a stop in Atlanta). She took a bag of red and green chile.

A few days have gone by. There's a bank of low, gray clouds overhead today, covering the peak. It hailed yesterday, and the temperature is cooler, probably under 70.

Note that I just added a video produced by Ariel about Swarm Mentality from ScienceLine on the side bar. Try also searching her name on IEEE Spectrum for several, really good articles. I don't know where her podcasts are yet.

fall

2010-10-11T08:33:00.002-06:00

Finally, it cooled off, and Cyndi even asked if it was time to change from the cooler to the heater. She's been making apple cobblers. She and the boys went to Taos Ski Valley with Elley & the cousins for an overnight Friday. The boys had off school that day. Jackson had a great soccer game Saturday. Unfortunately, he was doing so well as the goalie, smothering the balls, not one goal made, that the (assistant) coach kept him in that position for the rest of the game. Jack was anxious to get back into the action. Ry is looking forward to Halloween. He's reading and writing more words. Jack went in last week for an eye exam and probably will get glasses soon so he can see the projection screen in his classroom. Ariel arrives this Friday for a few days. Her childhood friend, Matthew, is getting married. Mom & Dad are in Hawaii, a different time of the year from the usual. I didn't know it was planned, but they are enjoying it. They called and I saw an email this morning from them. The weather here is about perfect.

soccer & balloons

2010-10-05T08:49:00.003-06:00

Here's some pics from Jack's soccer game, balloons at the school on the Friday before the Balloon Fiesta, and the Balloon Fiesta itself. Jackson took the pictures from the Balloon Fiesta.

apple time followup

2010-09-30T14:26:00.001-06:00

I heard Dixon's Apples ran out of champagne apples by Sunday afternoon of the first weekend, and all the apples were sold out by the following Tuesday. This, despite the word that this was a bountiful crop. Our three bags are nearly gone, too. Some went to the boys' teachers. Cyndi made a cobbler, and even that disappeared quickly.

Jackson had his reconciliation sacrament this week and another soccer practice. He's not used to running laps yet. He's doing the six times table for homework. Ry played with his classmate Jack during the soccer practice and cut his head on the playground during recess. Something to do with James. The boys got some new books from school: Lego City and Club Penguin, and Ry was perusing Jack's Boy's Life last night. Wii still played, but not a lot of time spent on it. Three-on-three basketball, fencing, and 100-pin bowling are the boys' favorites. We turned in the Comcast internet modem, too, and it remains to be seen whether the Verizon Mi-Fi is really going to work out.

Balloons take off from school tomorrow morning. Temperatures have been around 90 during the day, 60s at night. Sunny and clear, but I looked ahead for forecasts and sure enough some storms and showers, even some wind, are predicted for the upcoming Balloon Fiesta.

Dixon's Apples time again

2010-09-26T10:37:00.013-06:00

Fall arrived with a big harvest moon. It's still in the mid, even high 80s during the afternoon, but it cools off at night. Balloon Fiesta is next week.

We took the boys out early from school on Friday to drive to the Dixon's apple orchard near Cochiti. When we first went to get apples years ago, it opened on a Saturday, and we'd get up early, arriving just as the gates opened so that there wasn't too long a line of cars to wait in. It was fun to arrive early. The boys would climb the trees and run around. It was still cool, and we'd get an order of apple fritters. In years when we sat in the car line, we'd watch for the first signs of people munching apples on their way out as we crept along the final stretch of road into the small canyon at the eastern base of the Jemez mountains.

It's a mecca, with a growing number of folks from Santa Fe and Albuquerque journeying to get a bushel or two of champagne apples and apple cider. The champagne, a sweet, crisp green apple that originally grew wild here, famously runs out during the first weekend, and the remaining apples are often gone by the second weekend. It's the champagne everyone wants. The orchard is the only place to get the apples. It's now a second (actually the third) generation operating the orchard, the founding couple having turned it over to a granddaughter and since passed away. Then they started opening on Fridays, and this year opening day was on Thursday. Jackson remembered that we missed last year to go to Nana & Papa's for Terra's wedding.

Saturday was going to be a busy day, so we planned on Friday afternoon, sneaking in before it closed. After we passed the dam, we made a game of seeing the first person in a passing car eating an apple. We were no worse in the car line as any time before, and no better. A half hour or more later, we parked and pulled our wagon to the next line to enter the shed.

This was our first time in the afternoon. It was warmer. There were some changes made, and that made me a bit sad. The line of people, with their wheelbarrows and wagons, no longer went down the dirt road next to the stone wall beside the orchard. They had removed three rows of apple trees for more parking, and the line went between the parked cars. There was a tent for shade near the entrance, with a Disneyesque queue weaving inside, and a ramp had been built along the side of the shed, where an old dock now served as the new entrance. Inside the shed, it was the same, except by the time we got inside the rows of bins filled with bags of apples were empty. And the cider was already gone, which is really very typical. The other change is that there was an area where you could bag your own.

Still, we were glad we came. We remarked several times while we were there and later the next day how much we enjoy the trip, even though when you describe it to others, you know you can't really give it much justice. It's like going to the balloon fiesta, Cyndi said. You have to go early and wait to get in, but it's worth it if only for the time it gives you to be together outdoors. It's a nice drive, too.

Jack and I got in another line for fritters and cold cider, and later the boys got in the line again by themselves, each clutching two dollar bills for cider. The cider ran out at the concession stand, too, and the boys bought caramel apple rings instead.

By this point, the champagne apples were arriving fresh-picked, and we waited as they washed the apples and bagged them, filling one bin at a time. We filled our wagon with three bags.

We drove to Bernalillo and stopped at the Range Cafe. We've had breakfast and lunch there before, but I can't remember having dinner there. The food was great. As usual, Jackson wolfed down the bean burrito and he loved the fried potatoes that came with it.

Saturday morning, we rushed to get Jackson some shinguards and cleats for his first game later that day. Jackson and Cyndi went to a special church preparation for Jack's First Communion, while Ry and I prepared snacks for the game. We drove straight from the church to the soccer game. Jackson got his uniform and we found a shady spot to set up chairs to watch the game.

Because of a uniform snafu, team uniforms for Spain were not available, so Jack's team is now Holland. Jack must have been the only soccer player to wear a baseball cap, not so good, maybe, for headers, but at his level, there aren't many headers. This was Jack's very first soccer game. He plays a lot of soccer at school recess, and he played well his first game. Not a lot of experience, but good intuition and lots of hustle in playing the ball. He plays the ball well, especially on defense.

Meanwhile, we enjoyed sitting on the sidelines, sitting in our camp chairs in the shade. Cyndi was happy being a soccer mom. We talked with the other parents, joining them in cheering the players. There were an even number of girls and boys on the team. One player on the other team was particularly good. The day was beautiful. Cyndi's sisters, along with Pete, Brendon and Lauren, came to watch during the second half. Ry played with his soccer ball on the side, and he commented how he wanted to play. We plan to get him in basketball later.

At half time, Jackson passed out the first snack...champagne apples, of course. The kids chomped on them, approvingly. Jackson ran off to make sure his coach got one, and he stopped on the field to chat with the coach of the other team and offer him an apple, too. I love that he thinks that way.

That's my Jack story of the weekend. I shared it with Ariel when she called back Saturday afternoon. She and Chris were on their way back from The Gunks, after a day of rock climbing, to the city. Chris got a position with a prestigious lab, and Ariel was very upbeat, even though she wasn't sure this was a good time in the journalism hiring market once she's finished with her program at the end of the year. She'll be here next month for a few days for a wedding of her childhood friend. I talked to Beth, too, and she's doing well, about what would be expected after her surgery.

Here's my Ry story of the weekend. He must have intently listened to David talking about Alaska during Dave's recent visit. His kindergarten class was talking about maps, and the teacher mentioned where Alaska fit on the US map. Ry told his class, yes, and sometimes it doesn't get dark in Alaska. He's a very good listener. Ry likes to explain things that he's learned and he's often chattering and making up songs and word play. I love to listen to him talk. We're playing some board games together at the moment, as Cyndi's working out and Jack went somewhere on his own with Don and Nicholas.

It has been a busy weekend, and more to do today, including a birthday party for Ry to go to. We came home from the soccer game and made hamburgers, ate apples, of course, and made brownies later for a treat. It's so fun to hear the boys play well together, lots of hearty laughing, especially in the mornings. They can be so loving. Jackson is a great hugger. He has a hug or a word for everyone. He's becoming the diplomat, even among his cousins. Ry will stop whatever he's doing and look around for me or Cyndi. When he sees us, he says, I love you.

They can fight, too, and Ry can get quite belligerent and hot-tempered while Jackson will amp the play level until somebody, usually Ry, cries. Ry's testing boundaries, but he can also be so quick to understand and accept things, with a "that's okay" or a "that's right", and then move on. Right now, he peppers a lot of "dang" in his speech. Jackson loves the time he spends with Cyndi one-on-one, and with me he loves the time he and I just have a talk. We just finished a talk.

Here's some shots from the apple trip, but before that there's shots from the day at the amusement park in ABQ.

...and here is some video Jackson shot...

For a comparison, try this link to a 2007 slideshow.

politico

2010-09-09T19:56:00.000-06:00

I came home to tell Jack that he's on the Spain Football Team for the fall soccer league. The boys were already taking a bath and getting into their pajamas. It looks like there are 5 boys and 5 girls, grades 3 to 5, ages 8 to 10, on the team. Cyndi says, tell him what happened today. Jack says, I'm on the student council. I beam. He beams. I say, congratulations, I'm so proud of you, and we high five.

Labor Day weekend 3: measure twice, cut once

2010-09-09T10:34:00.002-06:00

Thanks, David, for all of your help on the "treehouse". I thought it was a fun thing to do that day. The boys enjoyed it. David often guided the boys when they were nailing or Jackson was tightening the bolts. Jack and Ry were much more interested in the project than they usually are. They hung around almost all the time. David joked about the time it takes to plan these projects (usually over coffee refills) before any real work is started and the extra time for runs to get more materials (or exchange materials), and somehow we really did finish by our mid-afternoon target, when David wanted to make some calls to Sandra and Mom & Dad before relaxing for the evening. David came up with the trick that made it easy to add the deck, and he really was instrumental in the final details, whipping out the ladder and the railing, while the boys and I finished the deck, dumped more sand in the sandbox (an old shower pan) and picked up. I was exhausted in the end. Jackson said David and I were a lot alike, except I moaned more when I got in and out of a chair.

The boys climbed onto the "treehouse" as soon as there was some decking. Rylee got some kids chairs to put on the deck and made a little table out of scrap wood. He also started making a sculpture out of the scraps and rigged a balancing board. Jackson was much more involved in the actual construction and made plans for more: a flag, for one, and eventually a little room with walls and a roof and even electricity so he can use his computer out there. Maybe we'll just put a tent up there for the time being. Rylee wanted a pole to slide down.

Beth reminded me about a story that David relayed to her on the phone. Ry was trying to get down from the deck before the ladder was in place. He was trying to use some plastic chairs on the ground to step down. As David said, Ry fell and Cyndi did recover from the fall.

When it was done, it really was a nice spot. The view is surprisingly good. Jack and I sat up there the next morning, while Cyndi and Ry were at the gym, and just talked.

I talked to Beth on Tuesday. She just got home that day. She was in good spirits and everything sounded optimistic. Her friend Eileen was there. Still some recovery to deal with. I also talked to Ariel that evening. She and Chris had returned from another trip to the Gunks, another academic season was beginning, and things were good.

Looks like a busy time: school, cub scouts, soccer, catechism, state fair, Dixon apple harvest, and, soon enough, the balloons.

Labor Day weekend 2: David & the treehouse

2010-09-06T09:45:00.002-06:00

David is on his way to Juneau now, Cyndi's at the gym working, with Rylee, at the child care, Jackson is playing Wii, and Jackson and I will go over soon and we'll all go the pool this morning before the afternoon. We were all glad he came. David arrived Saturday and we all went that evening to El Pinto, where David ate a lot of hot chile with his carne adobada, as we adults shared a pitcher of Margaritas on their patio. We took a scenic drive home from the valley to the mountains and picked up the makings for root beer floats at Whole Foods. Sunday, we built the "treehouse" and the boys were very happy. Cyndi was happy.

Rylee David and Jackson hammered a lot of nails, and Jackson ratcheted the bolts and otherwise helped. David did a lot of work, but I think we all enjoyed the time together doing that, as opposed to anything else we might have done. It was pretty warm and very sunny. The early morning planning stage was not too long. We sketched several plans on a board, which is now incorporated somewhere into the "treehouse". And we managed to go to the lumber & hardware store only once, around noon, to get last-minute additional materials. We finished up midafternoon, so we could grill some tri-tip steaks. Elley & Don & Nicholas & Lauren came over for dinner. It was David's birthday, and Cyndi made brownies for him. (Sandra's chocolate suggestion.) I was exhausted in the evening. We caught up some on family news and even swapped a few Panama stories. We heard Beth was doing well, and hopefully we'll hear some news today that she is returning home.

Labor Day weekend 1

2010-09-04T09:13:00.000-06:00

David should be arriving soon. Beth is recovering. Here are two photos of the boys asleep last night. (Taken with no flash.)

the gunks

2010-08-25T08:51:00.002-06:00

I talked to Ariel briefly as she was walking from her subway station to her new apartment. It sounds like many good things are happening with her graduate program and work at IEEE Spectrum, with some possible travel, including a trip to Boston, where she'll visit Terra & Karl. She and Chris have been spending weekends around the Catskills, the Shawangunk Ridge (or Gunks) in particular, where they've been doing some technical rock climbing. There's a Minnewaska State Park Preserve there, but I haven't sorted it all out, and a village called New Paltz, where they join other climbers for eats. She said it's about an hour outside the city, but it can take another hour to get out of the city. I think they must camp out. Lots of other good news, including a mutual friend moving to the city soon.

The boys' school is in full swing. I can actually get Ry to talk some about his day. Mostly I know the names of the boys in his class and that they aren't doing math. We got him a backpack on sale, a really good one that he likes, red, without any super heroes or other commercial junk, a little big for him but it's got a secret compartment and a place for a lunch bag or box. Jack's not playing the Wii as much as I dreaded. In fact, they seem to be playing together with each other, re-discovering old toys again. Cyndi got the film version of Where the Wild Things Are, from netflix, and that seems to be a hit. We started reading The Magician's Elephant last night, and so far it's a good story for them. Ry fell asleep but woke up briefly to tell me to keep reading after I finished chapter one. Jackson, I noticed, must have been interested enough lying at my side because his hands stopped moving in the air and he settled down cuddling next to me. So a good start.

It cooled off some yesterday, thank goodness, because I didn't really tweak the swamp cooler as well as I thought.

late summer 2010

2010-08-21T09:30:00.006-06:00

Okay, the photoshow says fall. That's because the sun was shining this morning but it was several degrees cooler, the boys have started school, they're selling local sweet corn from a truck on the corner, and you can smell chile roasting. But it's still mid August and Labor Day is a couple of weeks away. We still go swimmming at Cyndi's club.

It was back to school this past week, running around for school supplies and still some (skateboard) shoes and a backpack to get. Rylee got Jackson's kindergarten teacher in the classroom that was finished the year Jack was in kindergarten. This makes Cyndi very happy and feeling secure for Ry's sake. Jackson started Wednesday for a half-day and Rylee started Friday. Thursday, Jack's birthday, he wore the birthday cake hat to school and carried in cupcakes for his classmates. Friday, Ry's first full day in school, Cyndi was sad. It was a big day for her. Ry joins Jack and his two cousins, Lauren and Nicholas, in the same school.

And it was Jack's birthday. He wanted a special breakfast, which Cyndi prepared on the morning of his first full school day. I had teased him about the Wii during the last few days, and when he got it in the morning he was very happy. That evening it was family over for dinner and cake and ice cream. He opened the many cards and gifts he received that evening.

Ariel called last night as we were eating Chinese. She and Chris were rock climbing in the Catskills and had moved into their new place before leaving. I talked to Beth on her birthday, and she and Gary told me about their Maui trip, the not-fun plane trip out, and the onset of what sounds like a serious back pain issue. We also caught up on Ariel's generation, Sarah going to Louisville, Terra and Karl moving to Missouri, Emily's last year in college, Eric's first year in college, Jennifer and Jacques moving, I thought I heard, to Valdez, and Michael's safe return. We're expecting David around Labor Day, and Beth thought she'd like to come out to visit this fall.

Jack has the Wii all hooked up. There was a bit of a scene the first night with the cousins, which we are going to avoid in the future. It's already giving me headaches. We've talked a lot about how these games affect behavior and about being very selective about what games or channels are played in our home. The console also gives online access to the internet and to netflix, for movies. Bottom line is we're making some technology switches, including dropping cable, adding a Verizon mobile "mi-fi", subscribing to netflix, and relying on internet streaming for lots of the children's entertainment. It should cut some costs, too. A good time to make changes.

The swamp cooler is on the other end of the technology spectrum. Such a simple machine. I finally learned how to tweak it, though, so we have a better flow of cool air. The keys are the pad saturation and the adjustable motor pulley. And keeping the water pump clean.

It's been a hot summer. The monsoon rains have been sporadic. Fall's close, but summer's not over.

Jackson's birthday

2010-08-21T08:11:00.002-06:00

meanwhile

2010-08-05T09:11:00.000-06:00

The big event yesterday for the boys was the return of their cousins. The boys stayed overnight in Belen and saw Brendon the next day. Jack got to hook up a computer in Belen and show Papa. When the boys got back home, Nick and Lauren came over and they all got caught up after being apart for almost two weeks. They were all so excited. The boys had to explain that there was no YouTube viewing, and they were really okay with that. Jackson renewed his request for an app upgrade, and when I said no, not now, that was the end of that. They were both so affectionate that evening. It was good to have them home.

Heard from my Dad about their trip to Juneau, with the crowd of family, and how they went out every other day on the water to the crab pots and caught a cold on the plane.

more about legos

2010-08-04T15:31:00.010-06:00

I talked with Ariel. She and Chris are in a two-week limbo after moving out of the place in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn and before moving into the place in the Cobble Hill neighborhood, south of Brooklyn Heights. The new neighborhood includes something called the Columbia Street Waterfront District, is near Red Hook, which gets mixed reviews, and together with Carroll Gardens is sometimes called South Brooklyn (I guess for being south of Brooklyn Heights). It's not far from the Brooklyn Bridge and Prospect Park. Cyndi told me Ariel might be in Albuquerque in October.

I got a call from David. He may be visiting us on his return from a "business trip" that concludes at Mesa Verde. All this should happen around Labor Day. He and Sandra hosted a bunch of people up in Juneau, including Terra (showing) & Karl, Uncle Al, Mom & Dad, Beth, and maybe even Jacques and Jenni, who may be settling in Valdez, which I remember Ariel really loved from backcountry skiing trips with Chris.

I often ask Cyndi, How's the boys? She says, Precious.

Rylee is a sweet boy. I love the way he talks with me about things. He loves to explain things to me. Lately, it's been about his Christmas list, which I explained was five months away. There's lots of legos on the list. I'm trying to steer him away from Star Wars legos, which he likes due to the influence of his older cousins and, well, they're just more popular and involve light sabers. He just got Indiana Jones legos and for now those are his favorite. If he gets a larger set for Christmas, I think it should be in the City series, much more positive for playacting. It's the minifigures he loves best, and I heard you can collect those apart from the building sets anyway. I told him how I use to play with toy soldiers, starting with the lead ones my father gave me, lining them up in battles, some were from World War II, others from the Revolutionary War, along with cowboys and Indian figures. The lead ones were probably WWI soldiers. He liked the sound of toy soldiers.

Okay, so I think this list came about because Jackson started a birthday list, and Number One on the list was a Wii electronic game player, which I adamantly opposed. I really hate the whole idea for so many reasons. Jackson hasn't mentioned it again but he hasn't mentioned anything else he wants. I saw the player at Costco, so I know it's there.

We, or is it just me, have been shutting down some of the computer and electronics entertainment. No more bakugans on YouTube. No more YouTube for the time being. There's some really horrible stuff put on YouTube by kids. Some is very inventive. Some is fun. But a lot is offensive--though, apparently, not offensive enough to the captivated kids. We've been watching some better movies and channels lately, or none at all. I see the boys entertained by things more intellectually stimulating and that is what I want to see. I made the remark to Ariel that she would not have had a Wii when she was a child. Of course, I didn't mean she was deprived of anything. She didn't respond to that remark.

Ry carts around the old DS game player, but I don't see him playing on it much. Jackson has turned more to his IPod Touch as a result of this ban that everyone assumes is temporary, and he's been bugging me about downloading new applications. He tries to sell me, saying such and such is educational, or doesn't cost much. Most times I say no on principle, and give in later on occasion. I will probably lose on the Wii, as I've talked to others and they all say the same thing. They went through it and finally gave in. But no Guitar Hero!

We applied for a free Adobe Flash Builder. Sent Jackson's second grade report card for Dennis Chavez Elementary and he was accepted for the free student download. Otherwise, it's a few hundred dollars. Our idea is that it should help us design Jackson's Cool Club web site, without having to do all the Action Script coding. We have really no idea what we're doing. I talked with Ariel about it just this week, since she's also starting to learn and use it in conjunction with internet journalism. I just heard there's a Lego Universe web site being launched this Fall. It's the sort of thing the boys would love, and it's the sort of thing Jackson wants his website to do. The key phrase seems to be "massively multiplayer online game" and I've seen the acronym before, trying to figure out where to begin. I think that's what Club Penguin is, which is the model so far for what Jackson wants to do. I think we'll be lucky to make a ball bounce on a web page. Ariel told me that was one of her first projects.

So Rylee was showing me his list, and there's also a desk, a desk lamp, a Lobo rug, a skateboarding rug, a gray Lego building board, and an IPhone on the list. I appreciated that he was asking for a desk. He needs his own special space for his things. I laughed when he said an IPhone was on his list. He has a way of laughing at himself, too, especially things he says. As Cyndi often remarks, something he says strikes him funny and then he repeats it with a laugh. For a genuinely riotous laugh, Jackson has a great one.

I got to tell you what struck Ry as funny during his annual "wellness" checkup with his pediatrician. By some definitions of the word, Ry grasped a situational irony. It made him laugh and he told me and Cyndi. He was wearing an I [heart] N Y tee shirt, with those four symbols forming a square on his chest. The pediatrician listened to his heart with her stethoscope. Ry stood still and quiet. When she finished he ran over to us, laughing. "She listened to my heart through the heart of my shirt."

He's got this lisp, a lateral lisp, that makes "Jackson" come out "Zchakshen". The boys like to repeat the line from Silence of the Lambs about fava beans and a nice Chianti, which they picked up from Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.

I have a hard time imagining the chipmunks spouting the line. I don't think the boys have the complete line, but it's been a kick to hear the phrase through the lisp of a five-year-old.

This weekend Cyndi thought we could take the Rail Runner to Santa Fe for a little trip in the afternoon. We'd only have about two hours in Santa Fe. We waited at the Journal station, pacing several times, and no train came. After about a half hour a rumor spread that there had been an accident and the line was closed. The sky was threatening great rains up and down the central valley and north central mountains. Cyndi asked the young woman sitting next to her at the station if she needed a ride to Santa Fe, and off we all went. After dropping our passenger off at her home, we went to the plaza. First thing, we went to the toy store, Toyopolis, our regular Santa Fe stop now, where we typically get a small Lego set, one for each boy.

In fact, just before we drove to the train station, the boys and I went to another toy store, Out of the Blue, in Albuquerque, which had a better selection of Lego sets. That store was next to a new candy store, selling dozens of flavors of taffy. We picked several and got a small bag at the candy store, but saved a toy purchase for later. Meanwhile, Cyndi was closing a little business at the Starbucks across the street.

After the toy store in Santa Fe (where Jackson elected to get a blue building plate, even though he really wanted a green one), and after a small on-sale purchase at J.Crew, we went to the balcony of the Ore House across from the plaza. We got good Reposado Margaritas and ordered some quesidillas, while the boys assembled the Indiana Jones minifigures and small movie props on the blue building plate. It was raining, and a man played Flameno guitar. Jackson was hungry. We thought about ordering a meal but instead we drove to Tomasitas, by the depot. Tomasitas has become so popular now. It was a 45 minute wait. We sat in the

truck, parked right across from the front door. It rained.

It was worth the wait. Another round of Margaritas, house this time. The boys whole bean burritos came right out. I had chicken enchiladas with red and green; Cyndi had huevos rancheros with red and green. Later, we drove home. Great electrical storms filled the sky.

a latest vid

2010-07-25T16:29:00.001-06:00

Some clips by Ry and Jack, some from the neighborhood 4th of July, and some from Red River. About ten minutes, but goes by faster than you'd think.

just a few pics

2010-07-25T10:51:00.001-06:00

Pics from 4th of July, Fawn Lakes in Red River, and the fish hatchery in Questa.

Red River

2010-07-19T09:55:00.002-06:00

We did go up to Red River this weekend. Packed the small RV with food and stuff and even managed to get the bicycles in. We had lunch at Michael's Kitchen in Taos, which was very yummy, some of the best chile ever, an old favorite place to stop in Toas, and arrived in Red River late afternoon, where we met Cyndi's sister, Janey, and Ron.

We stayed at the Roadrunner RV Resort Park on the opposite end of town. The lodge office is very nice and well-staffed and the entrance is gated. We drove up and we were able to get a space without a reservation next to Janey and Ron along the river, near the showers, where we hooked up everything you could possibly hook up. I started a little charcoal in a grill, and we picnicked by the river, eating hamburgers and fruit and cheese, with a little wine and Fat Tire.

It was an okay place. Once you get beyond the entrance, I don't think I'd describe the place as a resort. Lots of trees (and the river, of course) and RVers seem to flock to the place. There is no tent camping. It's close to town, and the town runs a free trolley for all visitors but we never took advantage of that. The inlaws love this place, and the boys had plenty of space to ride their bikes, meet some other children, and explore some rocks and woodpiles with their new friends. Our place was next to the only road over the river to the back part of the park and there was a constant slow traffic of diesel engines. Our Class B converted van was the tiniest there. Lots of Class A and C RVs, travel trailers and 5th Wheels, as Jackson tells me. He knows his RV classifications.

Red River itself is tucked in a narrow valley along the river, and is mostly about a two-mile stretch of shops along the main street. The architecture is a mix of western mining clapboards and Alpine A frames. There's a rather popular bike rally here at some time in the year, so the town is very Harley-friendly. In the winter there's skiing right at the edge of the main street, and in summer there's some small amusements and lots of hiking and fishing. It wasn't crowded our weekend. The town must be hurting from the state of the economy.

The boys played along the river and even did some fishing right by our spot along the bank and from the bridge. Jackson played a lot with a boy from Texas. Both boys bicycled a lot, Ry most of all since this was the first time he could manage his new, bigger bike on his own. He wore his helmet. Ry spun out on his bike and skinned his knee. He managed to keep his bike under control, however, and it was more like he laid it down, at the cost of one knee. There was also a small playground.

In the morning there was coffee and hot chocolate. (We brought our grinder and coffee maker with us.) After breakfast along the river, we went for a good but short hike in town with a group and a guide from the Community House. Along a nice trail on both sides of the river, paved on the town side and gravel on the mountain side, we got some lessons in the history and natural history of the place. It ended at a little museum. We visited a small coffee shop nearby for kolaches, smoothies, and espressos. Jackson found a necklace for Janey. After the hike, we went fishing at a pond at Fawn Lakes in the national forest and visited another pond in town but at that point it was raining and lightning so we went back to the RV park. I managed a nap, while everyone else drove in Ron's truck to Eagle Nest, and Ry took a nap along the way.

Cyndi and Janey snuck away for some good hikes, bike rides, and little tours of shops on the main street, and Ron was often upriver to find fishing holes, especially in the wee hours of the morning while the rest of us slept.

Dinner was about the same. We finally did manage to pop the Jiffy Pop just as it turned dark. In the morning, more bicycling, more fishing, more hiking, more shopping tours. The boys and I played a little on the tennis court.

The weekend was hot and dry for the most part. Even Taos was in the mid 90s. Along the way on Friday we made a small detour to check out camping at Orilla Verde, along the river near Pilar, just below the gorge. Along the way back on Sunday, we stopped at the fish hatchery outside Questa to try their pond in the mid-day sun and feed the fish at the visitor's center. Then we stopped again in Taos for shave ice (just expensive snow cones there) and in Santa Fe at Bumblebees for burritos and tacos. Of course, we stopped at Toyopolis for lego toys and there was a quick five minutes at J Crew, our usual stops in Santa Fe. But this time, we didn't visit the plaza and just headed home.

We had wifi available at the park, but we didn't use it much and didn't miss it. Jackson did figure out how he can use his IPod Touch to send text messages, even though it's not a phone, while waiting for the guided hike to begin. My phone had no service in northern New Mexico and so it wasn't until we reached Espanola that I got Ariel's message that she was seated at the theater at the Lincoln Center to see A Disappearing Number.

Brooklyn

2010-07-15T17:37:00.005-06:00

I had a terrific telephone conversation with Ariel this afternoon. She had just gotten off the phone with Chris, who's arriving this weekend. That's good news in itself. They're going to move to an apartment in the Cobble Hill area that sounds great, sort of near Prospect Heights, where she and Chris were looking, and not far from Prospect Park. A few great things: it's a one-year sublease from a math professor, the rent is very reasonable, and it's close to the water. In fact, Governor's Island looks like it's about 500 yards as the fishies swim from the waterfront district right by. It's somewhere between Brooklyn Bridge Park, where she was telling me there's all these water taxis, and Red Hook, where's there's a nice park and a free, outdoor pool. So I kept saying there should be a boat launch nearby, and sure enough right next to the Red Hook park is a little park on the water where you can see the Statue of Liberty and launch kayaks. And we got to talking about lots of other things. She's got some very good interviews coming up with very good publications and radio programs, but I'll let her tell more as those things develop, and right now she's developing podcasts for IEEE Spectrum. I had just heard this morning on NPR about a play called A Disappearing Number, about a mathematician, and the story sounded very familiar. It also sounded like a very good play, judging from some of the dialogue they played from it. Ariel had done some work on this mathematician and told me about him four or five years ago. I think it was part of her thesis. So it's playing at a festival at the Lincoln Center this weekend. And we talked about an old friend of mine, whose daughter went to school with Ariel at Valley, and Ariel and her friend just had dinner together the night before somewhere in New York City. Ariel says she likes Brooklyn. I would have liked to continue; it was so fun to talk to her. But I had to pay a few bills before the day ended. Now I'm going to run home in the heat.

going to Red River

2010-07-15T12:15:00.001-06:00

We may take a little trip to Red River this weekend in New Mexico Papa's Class B RV and stay at a so-called RV Resort. We are meeting Ron & Janey there and the boys may get some good fishing while we are there. I had other ideas in mind for a camping trip, but I definitely got out-voted. Jackson loves RVing, and Cyndi, too, and Ry has already packed. Leave maybe Friday afternoon.

There's a moment every day that I think, have I mentioned this or that about Ry or Jack? And, of course, the moment passes and I forget. Jack's been working on designs and ideas for a web site he calls Cool Club or Cool Camp. He drew some kind of creature and he's even getting Lauren and Ry to submit design ideas. It's all very elaborate, and it's related to Club Penguin. He's been at me to get a flash player on his site, which I think means something like this. Oh my. Meanwhile, the laptop he and Cyndi use is burning up again and the family is back on the PC in the kitchen, where the boys play Club Penguin or watch Youtube episdoes of Phineas and Ferb or bakugans. The latter is a big deal, has insipid scripts and vocabulary that's otherwise useless, spawns endless debates on a hugely trivial points, and provokes shouts of "Ability Activate!" and brawls in the living room with lots of kicking and jumping on furniture. Reminds me of Star Wars, with lots of minutiae and fantasy roleplaying. The little spherical bakugans themselves are clever and fun to play with, without all the other stuff and marketing backstories. The boys love it and share that with their cousin Nicholas. Phineas and Ferb, on the other hand, is a kick. It's an animated cartoon they find on Youtube, the Disney Channel,and Disney dot com.

Rylee meanwhile is coming into his own as a young boy. He is very meticulous, folds his clothes, picks out his clothes and dresses himself, lines up his toys so he can find them the next day. He loves plays on words. The other day, I had my first chess game with him without Jack. He knows the board layout and the moves. I constantly have to advise him about protecting pieces and recognizing dangers. What's fun is that he doesn't get upset when he eventually loses a piece. In fact, he gets excited and laughs at himself: "Oh, I didn't see that. Now I get it!" He plays all the games that way, and the three of us have been playing more recently.

Got a nice note from California Papa about our recent Durango trip, using his RV if we were out there,and some news about Uncle Al's and other's trips to Alaska, etc. Mom & Dad are probably beaming about a great grandchild coming soon.

more Durango

2010-07-03T18:48:00.000-06:00

These were forwarded from Don & Elley.

some photos from family

2010-07-03T18:33:00.000-06:00

Looked back at family pics forwarded to me, and this is what I found.

added some stuff

2010-07-01T17:24:00.000-06:00

We may go for another camping and fishing trip up north and I was checking out the Orilla Verde recreational area near Taos. In the research, found an interesting site and then some plans for truck camping and then found a revolutionary technology: nail on a stick. Dad & Dave, you may be interested. There's a link at the bottom under "Some Stuff". Note that some assembly is required.

Initially, what was interesting was how these people set up a menu page and I thought, Jackson would be interested in this. He's learning html code--watched an entire 17-part series about it on youtube--and then started applying it to a web page that he wants me to help him on. He's developing some game he's calling Cool Club. 'Course, most of the plans are in his head, but he has started to design a page. He's also been doing some 3D design of a bunkbed and a desk. I think he's headed in the right direction. Meanwhile, Ry folds his things in a neat pile he can find the next day and cuddles with me at night, preferably watching baseball...although, we have been watching a bit of the World Cup. And Ariel told me a whole bunch of good news that may be coming her way.

slideshow: Durango 2010

2010-06-25T18:16:00.001-06:00

There's a slideshow from our trip at www.durango.bleichers.net. Click on Photo Gallery. I plan to add the rafting pictures others took of us. Enjoy.

vid: Durango trip 2010

2010-06-24T16:13:00.001-06:00

There's a video from our trip at www.durango.bleichers.net. Click on Videos. Pictures are still to come. I hope I can add the rafting pictures others took of us. Enjoy.

vid: Ry's 5th birthday & Jack's baseball party

2010-06-24T16:09:00.005-06:00

Durango 2010 report

2010-06-22T15:45:00.001-06:00

There's a long narrative about our trip at www.durango.bleichers.net. Click on Journal and read today's entry there. Pictures and video are sure to come. I hope I can add the rafting pictures others took of us. Enjoy.

Durango trip

2010-06-16T09:38:00.001-06:00

We're off to Durango for Father's Day weekend. If you haven't discovered it already, look into our trip at www.durango.bleichers.net.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAD! and to any other dads who may also be reading.

vids

2010-06-01T11:10:00.000-06:00

end of school

2010-05-25T08:14:00.001-06:00

Rylee graduated from preschool. This is Jackson's last week as a second grader, and Ariel has begun a new semester and internship at NYU.

The weekend Durango trip may be the highlight of our summer as far as vacations go.

I'm going to prepare some photos and attach them here.

Talked to Mom & Dad yesterday. They are back from Hawaii and they sounded very happy about their trip. I told them stories about Ry, Jack and Ariel.

Ry is sleeping in the tent in the boys' room and keeps all of his baseball uniforms ready to change into. There's a photo of that. Now he's also adopted Jack's cub scout hat and bandana from his Wolf year and is collecting rollie-pollies. Jackson is now a Bear in Cub Scouts. We will miss a fishing trip with the den, as that is the same weekend as the trip to Durango.

May already

2010-05-18T09:14:00.000-06:00

School is almost out for the boys and little league ends next week, too. Ry will be able to go to kindergarten at Jack's school next year. Jackson had a very successful year at school and appears to know just about everyone there, adults and children alike. Cub Scouts has ended except for a graduation this weekend, where Jackson will move up to Bears. There's camp possibilities for the summer, and there was some talk of a trail clean-up project and a fishing trip with his den. There's also talk of Jackson on swim team this summer at the gym. (I'd love to get Rylee involved, too, but he's too young. Maybe the solution is to take both boys to the daily early morning workouts and me and Ry will swim and watch while Jackson works out and then see how that goes.) Rylee is excited about his birthday coming up and has very modest ideas about how to celebrate and what he wants. We are planning to go to Durango for Father's Day weekend (I wonder if Dad & Mom would want to join us there somehow.) And Ry thinks that's for his birthday even though it's about two weeks afterwards.

Father's Day in Durango involves camping at a very comfortable campground just north of Durango. Campsites are on grass, very cheap, and the grounds include showers and a pool. A walk to the Animas River and maybe some fishing. A short drive into town. We've done it a few times before with Elley & Don & Nicholas & Lauren, who bring their pop-up to an adjoining site. And we go into town for Thomas the Train at the old depot and a lunch usually. This year Dorie & Pete & Brendon & Jordan may join us in Papa's small RV. Maybe two nights. We have our big tent and all the camping gear, which fills up the Dodge Durango. I just pulled out the tent Ariel and I used to use for backpacking and we'll bring that along, too, for the boys and their cousins. Set up chairs under the shade to watch the narrow gauge trains go by and wave to the passengers. Set up a kitchen outside. Maybe grill something good in the evening and make big breakfasts in the morning. I'm sure we'll bring bicycles, too, and maybe some baseball stuff to play in the grass. I'm looking forward to it.

Jackson has been playing on the Rockies at the machine pitch II level. All of a sudden, the boys are looking like real ballplayers. Jackson's skills are right there and he really enjoys it. He makes the big plays under pressure, although I don't see him pressured at all. Ry wants to practice and play all the time. He's on the Dodgers, playing TBall. Even though he will only be 5 next season, he's decided he doesn't want to play TBall again and wants to move up to the machine pitch I level, which is for 6 and 7 year olds. His skills are good, though, and he probably will belong in the next level. He is amazing to watch. He is able to cross his glove in all directions. At the last game, the league double-booked the Saturday morning TBall game and we ended up playing in the "sandlot". Ry loved it. From the pitcher's position, he fielded hit after hit, turned, took the ball out of his glove and threw without hesitation directly to first base. Not wild throws, either, each was thrown to be caught. When he didn't scoop a fast-hit ball in his glove, he managed to block it, juggle it, and still make a quick play. He really wants to play catcher next year.

Jackson is so bright. He recently downloaded Sketchup so he can design 3D renderings of his ideal homes. We looked a lot at a professional architecture software program online, ran through all the tutorials, that he really really wanted, but of course we're talking about a pretty sophisticated program that's a few thousand dollars. Sketchup seems tame to him, but I don't think he's really learned how to use it yet or explore all of its possibilities. Architecture seems like a real interest for him.

Ry is learning to read and write a little on his own and spends a lot of time building things out of legos and then playing, whenever he's not playing baseball. Often he'll just throw the ball against a building so he can play catch with himself. He loves to tell jokes and he has a new friend, Anna, next door, he likes to visit.

weekend

2010-04-19T07:31:00.001-06:00

Something both boys did this weekend I wanted to report on, but this morning I don't really recall. Ry's back into wearing his baseball uniforms most of time, with frequent changes. He wore his St. Michael's crab boy shirt all weekend, too.
Ry wants to play all the time, sometimes in catcher gear (even though there's no catcher in TBall), sometimes batting, sometimes catching. He' been tossing the ball on the side of the house and catching it off the wall. One of his favorite teams is now the Cardinals, because he has a baseball card with a Cardinals player. He's also learning the names of cities (and states) who have teams.

Jackson spends time on the internet, mostly apps or Disney.com or YouTube, as I reported a few days ago. He watches for Ariel to appear on Talk or Skype, and reports she hasn't been on for a week. I enjoy playing catch with him, something he didn't do a lot of until Rylee showed an interest. They even play together. We had a great game of chess. He's a very clever player and sees the board quite well.

They both had games on Saturday, and they both did well. Jackson had some good hits and played good defense. The play is much more sophisticated this year. Ry is showing some advanced talent at TBall with fielding, throwing and hitting. Based on our recent games of catch, in which he consistently catches the ball with his glove up, I'm anxious to see how he does in the next few games. The team batting cage practices are helping Jackson, and we've got to find his "magic" batting glove. We took in an Isotopes game on Saturday night, courtesy of a friend who had extra suite tickets. Sunday was a day at the pool. It felt like summer, but less crowded. Some of Jack's friends from cub scouts were there, so that was fun, too. I made some tri tips I had marinated and froze, and we watched Home Alone 3 for the nteenth time. (One of Jack's favorites.)

It rained off and on this weekend. We spent about an hour cleaning up the playground at Ry's preschool.

I got my domain fixed up so we can share a private webpage for a shared calendar, etc. and Jackson can have a place to publish web pages. I can also create email users and addresses at the domain name, and I've begun to develop that, too. (It might have had more success a couple of years ago, but we'll see where it goes.)