singing & dancing

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

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

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

Holy Communion

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

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

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

fall video II

soccer & regatta

    

a week before Thanksgiving

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

the gunks

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

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

meanwhile

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

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

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

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

Red River

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

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

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

These were forwarded from Don & Elley.

some photos from family

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

added some stuff

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

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

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

Durango 2010 report

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

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

end of school

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.