Christmas 2012

It was in many ways a typical Christmas. There was a rush to get cards out (somewhat botched by the printer), buy gifts (most of Santa's were ordered online), put up lights, and decorate the tree. Each year something is added to Cyndi's Christmas Village; this year the boys set it up and on occasion you'd find pieces they moved, a sign that it comes alive for them. Cyndi coordinated the family meals once again, cleaned her parents' home and set up their Christmas decorations, and took care of them. (Her mother broke her wrist in a fall, and Cyndi helped her mother through that, which continues, while her dad had a scary visit to the doctor's during the week before.) We made the posole, the ham, and the brisket ahead of time. The boys kept asking to unwrap early presents. There were presents from aunts and uncles arriving by mail, toys from Ariel and Chris, and even an advent calendar of chocolates from Chris' folks. On the weekend before Christmas, the cousins got together in their PJs to open their presents and drink hot chocolate.

Christmas Eve was with family in Belen: posole, tamales, red chile, breads and ham, with several sweet desserts. Rylee played on his scooter once, and he and Lauren went round the luminarias outside, secretly snuffing a few of them out just as they were lit at an early dusk around 5. It threatened to snow, and for a couple of hours the winds blew and knocked down the luminarias. We returned to Albuquerque and strolled around Old Town to see the luminarias there, hear the carolers, and join the crowds. We sat in the church there, and visited the creche. Santa was rather exhausted by that time (we could track him on a radar app) and did not get his cookies this year. It was not an overwhelming cornucopia of gifts, but the boys were happy and so was Cyndi. They each got a really good backpack and water bottle. That was Santa's idea. Jackson must have taken to heart the discussions from his birthday when he got so many things and so he asked for very little this Christmas. An online "sandbox" game called Minecraft was all he really asked for, and he found it in his stocking. He got the professional microphone he wanted with his camera at his birthday. Rylee didn't ask for much: an electronic tablet had long been his expectation. He has always used the hand-me-downs and now he had his own (Google's Nexus 7.) He also wanted anything Hobbit or Lego, as well as a leather jacket, but that appeared late on his list. He did get some blue skinny jeans he's wanted for months, a skateboard shirt, and a cool hat from his cousin Nicholas. Of the stocking stuffers, the harmonicas seemed to be a short-lived hit that may come around again.

The boys dressed up for Christmas and looked so sharp and handsome. We made it to the mass in Belen to join the family. It was a tedious mass, lead by a young priest who methodically included every ceremonial gesture and must have gone through a complete list of saints three times. Ry kept asking me what time it was, and Jack wanted to leave right after communion. Where were the great Christmas hymns? And why does so much of the church music sound like a funeral dirge? I suspect most parishioners went to the midnight mass or the children's Christmas Eve mass, which had to be more alive. There was plenty to eat and drink for the great Christmas dinner. There was only one incident of an adult nephew getting, as I'll describe it, bent out of shape. We picked up Lola, and she joined the women in the living room, while the men huddled outside on the porch. The kids played mostly on their computers. One of the nieces played the piano, and neighbors and other family came around to say hello. A visitor from Spain remarked as she looked at all the Christmas cards how different their celebration was, with gifts exchanged on January 6, the traditional day the Magi arrive and epiphany, El Día de los Reyes.

I last heard from Ariel when she and Chris were changing planes in Miami on their way to Buenos Aires. They will be camping, hiking and climbing somewhere in Patagonia for about 20 days. Yesterday we got a beautiful calendar from them, filled with pictures from their wedding. Cyndi said she read on her social networking site that Jenni and Jacques were in Germany, while we got a phone picture of Beth, Gary, Emily and Eric in front of the Louvre on Christmas Day. Mom, Dad, Beth and Sarah were together in Monterey, David was set to come down from Juneau on the 27th, and Sandra had just returned from Massachusetts to visit the new baby girl, Gwen, who joined Terra, Karl and Roscoe just before Christmas. We may go to Ruidoso just after the 1st for some skiing and snowboarding.

A few days before Christmas, our internet finally just went out. We had suspected a bad connection. I called the Comcast techs and decided after about 24 hours without internet to get a new combination modem/router from Radio Shack. Those 24 hours were remarkable. It was, as Jackson said to Cyndi, as if the power to our house was shut down. We were off the grid. No computer. Games came out of the closet, and Jackson and Rylee spent more time playing together and roughhousing. I wished this could last longer, but I knew the boys would be disappointed come Christmas if they could not play with their new electronics and games. So we went out on Christmas Eve and activated a new modem and router. It really was a huge improvement, which thrilled Jackson, and I told him Merry Christmas.

I saw Ry in the gym just before the holiday playing basketball. He was playing with some older boys, taking turns at the basket, returning their errant shots off the rim as court etiquette dictates. He sunk most of his shots, several from the corners and the free throw line. He had a nice dribble and a good layup. He played the rebounds. When I joined him on the court, he loved to pass and take passes into the goal. He also started to read the Hobbit on Cyndi's Kindle (it's now on his tablet) and he read A Christmas Carol to the end, even reading some of his favorite passages two or three times. We must have watched three different movie versions of the book after that, and he loved talking about the story, the characters, and repeating Tiny Tim's line, "God bless us...everyone."

Fall 2012 slideshow

Thanksgiving stuff

Ariel and Chris arrived Thanksgiving day, after their connection in Houston was cancelled. They stayed overnight there, provided by the airline, but I think they were rerouted the next morning, hopping over New Mexico to Phoenix before getting to Albuquerque. Anyway, we managed to see them Friday, after they did a trail run in the foothills. We had lunch and a birthday cake for Ariel. We drove to Santa Fe, where we met Janey and Nikki, who took the train, and mostly wandered about the plaza. I tried to get reservations earlier at The Shed but the reserved block was booked through the weekend and we tried the walk-in route. The wait time seemed very foreboding but worked out well in the end. We managed to get a couple of tables in the bar area, and about the time we were into our second round of Margaritas and chips and salsa, they said they could serve us dinner there. (They made an exception, it seemed, because there was a snafu with another large party.) It worked out well and any doubts we had about the chilly day disappeared with the tequilla and food. On our way out, we walked through the plaza, which was bright with strings of lights throughout the trees.

Oh, we did stop as usual at J Crew, where both Cyndi and Ariel found some deals, while Chris and I took the boys to the toy store. Jackson found a $5 magnetic toy (Jack knew my limit, especially before Christmas) and Ry found a new play figure. Looked like the Riders of the Apocalypse, the horse and the rider sold separately. Combined, they were well above the limit. So Ry suggested just getting the horse, and getting the rider next time we are in Santa Fe. That was great. Chris was taking notes on possible Christmas gifts.  We also stopped for hot chocolate in the shop in the La Fonda, visited Cyndi's favorite shoe store, and sat in the basilica for a spell. Ariel and Chris found some New Mexico food gifts to take back.

Thanksgiving Day was pretty good. The weather was good. Ry and I got up about 5:30 to put the turkey in the oven. Cyndi had already pretty much taken care of everything else. So when it was time to take the turkey out of the oven, I first poured out the juice in one jar, the stock from the giblets into another jar, put the turkey in the back of the truck to rest, and we drove with Janey joining us. We played some travel bingo on the way, while the radio was already playing Christmas songs. This was Janey's second time playing with us.

I couldn't keep track of what the boys did. Jack was mildly disgruntled because we said no computer or other electronics on this trip. But I saw him having fun on a scooter later. Rylee loved  the turkey. It was one of the better family holiday meals. Good food, well organized and orchestrated by Cyndi. Everyone in good spirits. Ursula broke her wrist again from a fall, and Cyndi was quite concerned. In fact, she went back on Saturday to take care of her mother.

Ariel and Chris went to Ojo Caliente on Saturday and we saw them for a brief time on Sunday to get some coffee (and hot chocolates and scones for the boys) and take them to the airport, with a quick stop to buy a bag of whole red chiles.

They are planning to travel to Argentina (and Patagonia) for the Christmas holidays through New Year's.

Ry got a haircut the other day. It's very short. People comment on it all the time, but he loves it. Jackson seems very happy these days. While he knows my administrative password on the computer, he wanted to try his hand at hacking it anyway. It almost was a disaster, but we managed to repair the damage. The boys have been playing more indoors lately, lots of rambunctious running around and jumping on furniture. They came up with their own secret handshake.

Thanksgiving eve

With Thanksgiving tomorrow, plans are to spend the day cooking the turkey and then an early dinner in Belen with all the Sanchez family. Janey is coming today and will stay with us, along with Nikki. Ariel and Chris arrive today, too, and we will spend all of Friday with them. We're thinking about taking the train up to Santa Fe, have some good New Mexican, and maybe stay for the tree lighting on the plaza before heading back.

Jackson was very excited when he got home. He wanted to show me what he taught himself on the computer. Remember MS-DOS? Command prompts? Batch files? Okay, I don't remember much of that, but there he was coding commands, creating his own shortcuts, all sorts of little apps, if you will, on his computer. I told him he was now doing old school computer and getting into the guts. He was very excited, and I could understand why. He'd figured out something on his own.

Rylee, meanwhile, wanted to build a Lego flashlight, and seemed to concede to Jack's electronics expertise. But, of course, Ry just hasn't had the exposure yet.

I talked briefly with Beth. Mom, Dad, Lisa and Sarah will be there for Thanksgiving. I asked her to resend Eric's posts from Rome. I think it's okay to show his link. A very impressive tour of Europe. It sounded like the family (with Emily and Gary, too, of course...just wanted to include them here) was making holiday plans to all meet up in Europe for the holidays.

teacher conferences

Rylee has a bad cough. He woke up Wednesday morning, having trouble breathing. We stood in the hot steaming shower for a long time, and that helped. Thursday seemed better, but he woke up this morning again with troubled breathing. We did get the new Wimpy Kid book Wednesday night, and he finished it by Thursday night. He reads in the car; he reads in bed; he reads on the couch hunched over his book in his lap. Things like television don't distract him.

The boys had Thursday and today off from school. There were parent teacher conferences. Cyndi and I went this morning. Generally, good praise for both. I was glad to hear Jackson remains an active participant in class. He's been saying some of the children tease him, and I wondered how that was affecting him. I think it's a harbinger of what may be coming up in middle school. His teacher said his participation in class is very thoughtful, and he likes to help the other kids. I wish he enjoyed reading and writing more, but I don't remember doing a lot of reading and writing at that age either. He gets mathematics pretty easy. He apparently especially liked classroom projects about inventions and the Mars robot. And now they are reading about the Revolutionary War, and he seems to be getting into the book.

He's using a pretty basic laptop computer at home. Some might not even consider it a real computer. He's got it filled with coding software he's downloaded, as well as video editing software. He's been complaining about the computer speed, and I thought, oh-oh, we were headed to getting him a serious computer, maybe an Apple. Well, with persistence he figured out on his own how to use an SD card to boost the RAM on his computer. He's quite pleased; he even had to call me right away to tell me. Right now, we are actually chatting about it on our computers. So glad we don't have to get a new computer.

He had his soccer scrimmage this week. It was cold. He did great. He plays hard, skillfully, with enthusiasm. I love watching him. Afterward we went to Dion's, the pizza place, with his team and the other team and all the kids sat squished into one booth and told stories and jokes and had lots of boisterous fun, while the parents sat nearby.  Jackson was in the middle of it all. Nice kids, about even boys and girls, all around his age. Ah, nice to see him in his element.

I know Rylee is having a good year at school. He's always telling me little bits of what he's learning. You can tell that every new thing he learns makes a big impression on him. He retains the information--he must be listening--and likes to talk about it. The teacher said this is one of the best classes he's ever had. Ry tests right at the very top in mathematics, with perfect scores. The teacher is going to recommend Rylee for the enrichment program, which is what Jackson is doing now, too. I saw Ry's desk, too. It's the smallest, and sits right next to the biggest. I thought that was a bit unfair.

It's a quiet time for Rylee. No sports at the moment. Too cold this week to go out to play. Thanksgiving is next week. Ariel and Chris will be here, but probably won't be with us on Thanksgiving Day. It sounds like me and Cyndi will do most of the cooking here and then take it with us to Belen. That's okay. As Cyndi says, it mostly means all the good day-long smells won't be at Grandma's.

a weekend before Thanksgiving

Last weekend was one of those I often write about because not a lot happened. It started on Thursday, because Rylee just had to go to the bookstore to get another Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. He's reading those at a clip of finishing one every two days. He and I went next door to get a waffle iron at Sears. The two we had broke, and we found a new one on sale. Friday night we had waffles, bacon and eggs for dinner so we could try it out.

The weather changed from a string of 70s to a string of barely 50s, with freezing nights and even some wind and rain on Friday and Saturday. Saturday morning I ran two miles around the Academy track while Rylee ran up and down the football and soccer field, kicking a soccer ball. He probably ran two miles, too. We went to Whole Foods and bought some bread and sausage and juice, a honey stick and a small bottle of juice for Rylee. We cooked the sausage, sliced the bread and added some cinnamon sugar to the bread for breakfast.

Jackson had soccer after noon and for a while we weren't sure anyone was going to show up. It was very cold and blustery. We had on multiple layers, even stocking caps and mittens, and Ry wrapped up in the wool car blanket. Only six of our players showed up, just enough to field a team but with no chance of substitutions or rest. By the end, Jackson was bitterly cold and exhausted. We ended up getting hot soup and lunch at our usual Chinese restaurant. At some point, Rylee went with Cyndi to Target, for some clothes he wanted for school (skinny jeans) and yet another in the series of Wimpy Kid books. This he finished, again, in about 48 hours. I made chicken soup and we had that with the rest of the French country bread that evening. Jackson said he even loved the crust, "for some reason." Some lazy moments that day, watching movies.

It's the simple meals, waffles for Rylee, chicken soup for Jackson, that the kids really fill up on. They ate good at the Chinese restaurant, too.

Sunday, Cyndi's Aunt Lola had a memorial mass for her father, who died 30 years ago on Veteran's Day at the age of 89. She has done this from time to time, invites all the family to attend church with her and then takes everyone out for breakfast or lunch. We picked up Nikki and Cristina on our way to the Las Lunas church and then ate with the family, about 50 aunts, uncles, cousins, nephew and nieces at a nearby restaurant. Jackson was happy with a full-sized whole bean burrito with cheese and Ryee had a short stack. I'm sure Cyndi had huevos rancheros at her end of the table, while I had chicken enchiladas with potatoes and whole beans with red and green chile and a sopapilla with honey. When we were leaving, it was discovered that Elley's car had been broken into, the passenger window shattered. We cleaned that up and patched the window with a shower liner and duct tape from the supermarket across the street and we all got home safely.

Jackson gave a presentation that night, with charts and records, of his school work and test results, a self evaluation I presume in anticipation of parent-teacher conferences this week. He came home last night, very unhappy about a substitute teacher, with lots of homework. He and I spent a lot of time together, figuring out fraction and ratio and percentage problems that were new and then reading the opening chapters of a fictional account set in the time of the Revolutionary War. It was fun for both of us. He loves the chance to talk about stuff.

Have I mentioned enough how affectionate Jackson and Rylee can be? How smart they are? How they are growing up so well?

Ariel and I tried to talk on the phone but it got cut off. She and Chris will still be coming out to New Mexico for Thanksgiving, which is also the time of her birthday.

a short update on Sandy, soccer, and the wimpy kid

I talked briefly with Ariel on Sunday as she and Chris were looking for water in Manhattan. The power was off all week in New Jersey where they stayed with Chris's aunt and they returned on Friday or Saturday but the towers they live in along the East River are still without power and water and it may be a couple of days before power is restored. They may be among the last buildings on Manhattan to get their power and water back. There are no working elevators, so whatever water they found they will have to carry up many flights of stairs. I couldn't talk long, because she was saving the phone battery.

Jackson had another soccer game Saturday afternoon. He has two more before the season ends. His team, Germany, was well matched against the other, Manchester, and I overheard the coach for Manchester was suggesting the two teams play again during the week for a scrimmage. Nice idea. The coach is very excited about Jackson's play. He says he plays very aggressively and likes to play him at midfield so he plays both defense and offense. Jackson tires out after a while and likes to switch at goalie. It was Jackson's day for snacks, and he wanted what Rylee did for a recent baseball snack: a baggie of pretzels, a maple icing shortbread cookie, and a couple of ginger snaps, with bottles of gatorade. The team needed it at half time. When he's not playing soccer, he's almost always on the computer, doing some tricky stuff. One new "game" he likes is Minecraft.

Rylee often plays on Cyndi's iphone or on an ipod when he's not rollerblading outside (or in the house). On Saturday afternoon, he and I went to the bookstore because he wanted "Diary of a Wimpy Kid." He's read a couple in the series already. It's about a mid schooler, and the books are reserved for 4th and 5th graders in his school's library. By Sunday afternoon, he had finished the book.

We saw Hotel Transylvania at the movies together on Sunday. Fun movie. A beautiful weekend, by the way. Ry and I spent Saturday outside working around the yard, painting some lanterns, after we went to early voting. We went to dinner with Nikki after the soccer game and wandered around ABQ Uptown, where the boys check everything out at the Apple store and I talked to the candidate for congress, whom I knew from school. At dinner, the boys sat by each other, very well mannered, lots of talking between them, oblivious to the rest of us. Ry had a small plate of buttered pasta, which he ate between talking with Jack and reading his new book. Jackson tried the black bean soup and some meatballs, but both were mildly spicy and his palate is still not ready. The clocks changed that night.

storm surge

At this moment, Hurricane Sandy is bearing down on the northern Atlantic coast. This is the one which has been touted as the "perfect storm." Ariel and Chris live right on the East River, so they were in the zone ordered to evacuate. Ariel told me they boarded a bus yesterday and they are staying at Chris's family in New Jersey. High tides and ocean surges are threatening low-lying areas around Manhattan. There's no transportation in the city; no airlines; no trains. So far I haven't heard of any power outages. Electioneering has taken a reprieve.

Cyndi has been making many apple crisps since Mom & Dad were here and has decorated the house for fall and Halloween. They boys are gearing up for Halloween. Rylee is a werewolf, and Jackson is a "phantom." We went to a party a couple of weekends ago, so the boys could preview their costumes. Cyndi went as a "hillbilly", and I went to the closet and tried to pick out whatever clothes seemed the most comical together and ended up looking like an eccentric Scottish duffer, so I took a golf club to the party to complete the look. The hostess's house was elaborately decorated for Halloween and there was great food. Lots of kids costumed. Not a bad party; not a great one. Pete & Dorie will have a pumpkin carving get-together Tuesday night and the kids will go trick or treating on Wednesday evening.

Rylee finished his baseball season. It was a good season for him, mostly due to the opportunity to play with the big kids and some really good coaching and regular practices. He didn't get to play many key positions often during the games, as the coach played the big boys a lot to complete an undefeated season but he did play second (or third or short) during the late innings of most games, moving in from left or center fields. Ry got many walks, having the shortest strike zone in the league, but in the last game he made contact with the ball at every at-bat. That was a great accomplishment, even though he got thrown out at first and didn't have a chance to run the bases, which he loves. He is very fast on the bases. He got a chance to play in some pretty serious games, with some real baseball, and see how the game is played at a higher level. The boys grew into a great cohesive team together. They included Ry wholeheartedly and he played with them as equals. He wasn't intimidated at all.

So here's something that struck me as humorous: Ry is younger than his teammates by three or four years. They are bigger and taller. A couple are serious pitchers; several can smash the ball with that resonant ping. But the coaches and the other parents in the bleachers really liked Ry. His fielding and throwing skills always surprised them. A couple of parents mentioned club ball, which is a huge commitment and a level of playing way above the little leagues around town. I've been curious but not especially motivated to start club ball. One parent, however, approached me during the last game to tell me about a ball club that was interested in Rylee joining them. Rylee was being recruited! He's in second grade.

This past weekend, Ry's last game and Jackson's soccer game were almost at the same time. I had to get Ry to warm ups, so I didn't get to watch Jackson's. He told me he got another goal, and no one scored when he was the goalie. I'm glad to see him love the game. He's very confident about his skills this year, loves practicing his footwork, and I think he must be playing at school, too. He seems to be especially good as a tackler on defense, and is really aggressive as a forward. He's the best goalie on the team this year. I don't know what to do in the future, however, as I think he will have to move into a more competitive league next year or, certainly, the one after. He does want to play baseball in the spring. I'm hoping he develops into a pitcher next spring, as I think that would be a good position for him and he had such a great success at it during his last game. But so far, he and Ry haven't been playing much catch as pitcher and catcher together, preferring to play soccer together right now.

It's great fun when they play together. They are often wrestling each other without it coming to tears. Ry often plays with Nico, our neighbor, often on scooters. Ry loves being outside. Jackson will sometimes join them, more so lately.

Jack's first love, however, is still the computer, and he's always telling me more about some software or something else that can let him do this, that or the other thing. I almost got a sense the other day that he may be on the verge of hacking as he was talking about networks and servers and codes. It's harder to follow what he is talking about. The great thing is that Jackson loves talking about it. Part of it is he wants to keep me apprised about what he is doing on the computer. He still asks me if it's okay to download anything new.

The school school year is getting better for him. I think it's a new crop of friends; some from his soccer team, too. He seems to be getting some higher level mathematics: some geometry this month. And now we practice spelling every Thursday night so he gets a perfect score the next day. He's getting recognition again for his computer knowledge. He's proud to be a bit "weird", it's the word he uses, in his interests. The Academy had an open house on Sunday, and we checked that out. I think he was excited. I know Cyndi is. It remains to be seen whether that is an option. It is not only very competitive; it is very expensive.

Ry continues to do well at school himself. I think his reading and math are way ahead of his level. He makes up math problems for himself, so he is constantly thinking about the concepts. He's big into square roots and multiplication powers, and he breaks down operations into parts so he can do them in his head. He reads ferociously. He gets Jack to check out books from the part of the library reserved for the older grades.

Ry and I watched a lot of the playoffs and world series games--bits and pieces mostly, here and there. He was for the Tigers, once they bumped off the Yankees (his first baseball cap) but he started getting into the Giants the more we watched them.

The leaves of the cottonwood started turning a bright yellow this weekend. The chrysanthemums are blooming, and so are the roses. The grass is turning brown in spots and, with other plants, has stopped growing. The leaves of the  little aspen have been turning brown around the edges for weeks, and someone said this is a sign of a cold winter. Generally, it was a slow growth summer, with very little rain. We took a beating with our water bill. Saturday morning was so cold that we had to close the evaporative cooler ducts and turn on the furnace. We only get about two weeks in the spring and again in the fall when we aren't running one or the other. These days, however, are sunny with crisp morning temperatures and sunny skies.

in the middle of Fall

Here's some pics from Mom & Dad's visit to accompany a prior post, along with pics from Jackson's birthday in August and a recent visit one morning to the balloon park. No balloons went up that day, but the kids had the day off from school, so we went, even though it was raining just before we got there.

Rylee had a night game Friday and another evening game today. His last game will be coming up in about two weeks and the team plans to hold a celebration next to the skateboard park, where Ry can skateboard and scooter with his older teammates. Maybe surprise everyone even more.

Jackson played soccer on Saturday afternoon, a beautiful Fall day. We sat out in the sun for a change, since there was a cool breeze. Jackson played forward, midfield, and goalie. His team won 3-2. Jackson scored a goal, his first, a nice one from about five yards out, angled about 45 degrees on the right of the goal. I yelled, yeah! He jumped up and down and his teammates congratulated him.

I had a great talk with him the other day.

Hmm. Let's see if this works:

Mom & Dad and a guest blog

Mom and Dad drove out in the Sebring, doing about 250 miles each day, stopping in Tehachapi, Laughlin and Winslow for the nights. They arrived Friday afternoon at 5, which is how they regularly time that. It sounded as though they enjoyed their trip and talked about doing something similar again. The daily mileage was comfortable, but they did say that the last day was the hardest, as the time on the road caught up with them.

Rylee and I were in the back yard when they arrived. I gave them a few minutes before suggesting that Dad might want to join Jackson and me, and Rylee, too, for Jack's soccer practice. We'd be a little late, and we could skip it altogether, but it might be fun and Jackson was in a good groove and the team was rapidly getting better. So we went to the nearby church park, where the practice was being held. Jackson joined his team. Rylee played with a friend, and Dad and I walked across the park to take in the view and then found a place to sit and talk. Meanwhile, Cyndi showed Mom the B&B upstairs, with its rejuvenated balcony.

I made Mom & Cyndi some Margaritas before we left and made some more for all when we got back. Cyndi had dinner prepared: chicken enchiladas, tacitos for the boys, beans, avocado, salsa and chips. We sat around and talked. Mom brought some sugar cookies from home and we ate those, too.

I mentioned that Ry's early game the next morning meant getting to the fields at 6:30 am, before the sun was up. The response was a doubtful one, as the fatigue of the trip (and maybe the Margaritas, too) was catching up, so Ry and I got up, ate some breakfast and went by ourselves. Cyndi was up but stayed behind to be with Mom & Dad. It was a great game. Ry's team won again, and it was fun to join the parents in the stands on an early, brisk morning.

Ry and I got home to find everyone in the kitchen, drinking coffee. We made scrambled eggs with cheese and ham, toasted some bagels, poured some orange juice, and cut up a ripe, sweet pineapple. Then it was time to think about lunch...just kidding. Mom & Dad had brought seven dozen apples from home, and we spent some time researching an apple peeling and coring hand machine. More on that....

Jackson had a soccer game scheduled for 3 and we loaded the camp chairs and took off only to arrive and find out that the day's games had been cancelled because someone had driven on the field and done doughnuts on the grass.  Here's about where the guest blogger picks up the story, bits of which I stole from an email:

"Cyndi's sister Ellie joined us last night for dinner. Paul grilled steaks that he got from Costco and they were delicious.  He uses a secret basting sauce that is...a secret...but I will tell you it contains left-over mixed cocktail makings that had to be finished off before it lost its "freshness".  Paul and Cyndi will enjoy the apples we brought from our back yard.  We packed more than 7 dozen in the car trunk.  We had talked that afternoon about our apple peeler and looked it up on-line and Paul made some calls.  On our trip to Costco we stopped at a very new upscale shopping area and were able to find the peeler (last one), set it up when we got back home and Cyndi made Apple Crisp and Apple Sauce. Mother was involved in overseeing the recipe and the result was perfect.

"Today we all went to Church!  The church is unique. A semi-circular design with a good choral group and an interesting pastor.

"After Mass Paul drove out into the country to a Hyatt Tamaya Resort Inn where we all had a nice lunch in a beautiful dinning room. Then we went home for a short lay down and maybe a nap.  Now we are just 'hanging out'.  60 Minutes comes on soon."

Those were the highlights. Somewhere in that time we caught up with what the family is up to...all the children...Ariel and the grandchildren. There was a little talk of the elections and the stock market. Dad got a chance to talk with his sister Dorothy just as I was starting the charcoal and opening up some wine. Cyndi talked about her business and Lisa's salads (Cyndi made one of her signature salads to go with the steak dinner Saturday night). We showed Dad the treehouse David helped us build. The boys showed them the Wii game console, and Dad took a couple swings of the "bat." We talked about Maui and how we want to visit David and Sandra in Alaska. Ry showed Dad his Lego buildings and ships. Pete and Dorie and Brendon were at church, and we talked a bit and Mom came away with quite a different story to tell about Brendon I'm sure. Mom learned how to get into and out of the truck, as we did end up doing a few short drives. Before everyone was up on Sunday, while the balloons were launching, Ry and I picked up some things at the store and we made sausage and French toast for breakfast, with leftover pineapple and, of course, more apple sauce and apple crisp. The boys love the apple sauce, Cyndi loves her new peeler, and I'm sure will make another batch of the crisp for her parents from the many apples we still have.

Oh, I'm sure there was more, but that's a pretty good idea of their visit. Monday was a holiday for many, but the boys still had school and said their goodbyes and hugged Mom & Dad. Mom & Dad left at 9 am, as they planned, and today they are somewhere in northern Arizona.

Fall 2012

How did the time go by so fast since I last posted something here? Here's a quick update and a promise to keep posting.

Well, first, Mom & Dad should be on their way from California today to visit us. They won't be here long, just the weekend, and even though it'll be the first day of the balloon fiesta this Saturday, we probably won't see many balloons, except as we may be out and about. They expect to arrive Friday afternoon, and they are mostly planning to spend time with the boys, perhaps seeing some of their games and going to the skateboard park early Sunday morning, from where we may have a view of a mass ascension of balloons.

The boys have been in school, of course. Ry has a male teacher and appears to be doing very well. He reads a lot and is ahead of the game when it comes to mathematics. I think Jack got off to a rocky start; maybe it was a new teacher, maybe it was some re-alignment of friendships in the fifth grade. Jackson acknowledges that he is a bit different from many of his classmates, with different interests. He continues to spend lots of time on his computer; some of it is related to his interest in making movies and leaning how to program games, but a lot is also time spent watching shows. The boys don't watch much television as the computer, tablets, iPods, their Wii, and even the smart phone provide lots of entertainment. I think Jackson is turning around now. He visited with his teacher from last year, who has since retired and who is encouraging him to apply to the Academy for midschool next year.

Ry has been playing Fall Ball on a Minor League team (the Rangers) with boys who are 9, 10 and 11. Ry is by far the youngest, at 7, but it's been a great experience for him. The team is 10-0 right now. The practices (Wednesdays) are the best I've ever seen, as the coaches are very good, and Ry is learning lots of fundamentals about playing the game. I love watching Ry during warm-ups before the games, as the coaches put the boys through drills. Ry is very impressive in his fielding and throwing skills, and many of the team parents just get the biggest kick out of seeing him play. He's inexperienced at batting, and he hasn't adjusted yet to player pitching, as opposed to machine pitching. The coaches recognize his skills (and speed) and play him before others, but at this level the older boys, many of whom have been on all star teams already, get the key positions more often so Ry has to sit on the bench one or two innings. He's so excited, he doesn't complain about that, and I imagine he understands he's paying some dues now and will become a star player later. When Spring Ball comes around, I wouldn't hesitate to playing him at the Minor League level, but he's going to have to stay at the level for at least two years. He's just too young to move up.

Jackson has been playing soccer this fall in lieu of baseball. He's on the Germany team. (The teams are named after World Futball teams.) He has practices on Fridays and games on Saturdays, and next week he may start some optional Wednesday practices. The season is very short, and the first game was lackluster. But this last Saturday, it was like Jack was on fire. First, he played defense and was very aggressive tackling. Then he played forward and really took charge of bringing the ball down the field and opening up passing lanes. But the biggest surprise was playing goalie the second half. He was incredible! Smothering the ball, deflecting the ball, catching line drives to the goal, punting and kicking. The coaches were delighted, as he saved many, many goals. It was a day worth celebrating.

That weekend started with Jack's practice on Friday at 5. Ry had a night game under the lights at 7:45 and then an early morning game on Saturday morning before sunrise. Then Jack's game in the afternoon, and then even a Monday evening game for Ry. When Mom & Dad are here this weekend, Ry has another Saturday morning game starting before sunrise, even before the balloons begin to launch, and Jackson has another Saturday afternoon game. We have talked about going to the Skateboard Park on Sunday morning so Ry and Jack can skate, scooter or bicycle, and we can view the balloons from there.

I've talked here and there with Ariel as things are settling in with the new apartment, her new job, Chris's school. She joined a morning swimming workout. There was some talk of another trip, maybe Argentina and Patagonia. They went to a wedding in Pennsylvania last weekend, and it sounds like they still go often to the Gunks to climb.

The weather has been very wonderful, even in the 80s. We did not get much rainfall this year and so whenever it does rain, it is very welcomed. Sometimes a cold front blows in so that the temperatures drop for a few hours but so far nothing very cold...just cool nights. Cyndi and I have been fixing and cleaning some in anticipation of the Mom & Dad's visit, but I'm afraid there's still much on the to-do list to do.

it's still August

I'm posting some pics in a photoshow. I have not used that for some time, and I thought I should see if I still remembered how to use it. The photos start with a Sanchez family reunion; then the Fourth of July children's parade and neighborhood celebration we go to; then Ry's belly flop contest; then some pics Ry took, including our trip to Durango; then a few from Mesa Verde; and then, finally, Jack's birthday.

The boys started school last week. Jack had a nice birthday over the weekend. We prepared a grand dinner for family, and Jack had a couple of his friends come, too: Zack and Hailey. Jack got a camcorder.

During the get-together, the boys were playing pickle, and Ry jammed his left thumb. We went to his first practice yesterday, and he had to sit out most of it because of his thumb. I wondered if he should be on the team, because the boys are mostly two and three years older. But when I compared him to the Rookies playing on the next field over, I thought he really belonged in Minors. Still, there may be a time conflict between Wednesday practices and religious ed. I haven't heard when Jack's soccer season begins.

Durango and the start of school

With a new school year approaching, we did a last minute trip to Durango a couple of weekends ago. We tried a new campground, Lightner Creek, about ten minutes outside of Durango, off the road to Mesa Verde, on a quiet rural road. It was the sort of place we like, with a pool and clean showers and bathrooms. This time we packed a bit lighter, and left some things behind.

We got a nice tent site right on the stream bank under the shade of trees--cottonwoods, box elders and willows. Our only neighbors tenting were two couples using the campground as their base for bicycle rides. Across the stream were some RV spots, and here and there were some small cabins and one larger one that looked fully equipped. A woman sat outside the closest cabin, playing a guitar, with her dog.

Just as we got there it started to rain. For a while the trees kept us dry, but the rain would not stop, and even briefly hailed; no use trying to make camp, so we drove into town, strolled around the main street, had a nice lunch, and then drove back. The rain had stopped and the ground was only slightly damp. Jackson helped me set up the tent. Rylee, too. First we laid out a heavy tarp on the stoney ground; then, we laid the tent atop it. The boys pounded in the stakes, Jack inserted the roof support, and together we raised the side poles. Cyndi and Jackson set up the mattress and bedding inside, while I put on the fly, set up a cover over the picnic table and unpacked our "kitchen." Finally, the chairs were set up around our site.

The boys had fun playing in the stream. Rylee first explored the stream, stepping from stone to stone, until Jackson began building a little stone bridge across the stream. Exactly what I would have done, I thought, as I watched them from the bank. There were some other kids around, and Jackson, Rylee and Cyndi rode their bikes around the campground during the early evening, along with all the others. Cyndi made some summer sausage sandwiches, which we ate with beer and juices and some snacks. We lit the lantern for a short time in the evening, locked up the bikes to a tree, stored the food in the back of the truck, away from critters, and went to sleep early.

Saturday morning, I managed to coax them early into the truck to drive to Mesa Verde, but only after making coffee and hot chocolate on the stove. As at home, Rylee was up early with me. About 20 easy miles away was the town of Mancos, and just two blocks off the highway was a wonderful local restaurant, called Absolute Bakery, very homey inside with mismatched tables and chairs. A popular spot, as people continued to stream in as we were there. One of the best spots ever for breakfast and coffee.

From there, it was only a ten minute drive to the Mesa Verde entrance, but then there is a steady climb up for almost 15 miles until you reach the visitor's center. That's not much of a stop, as I guessed, but it's where you'd get tour tickets. I just wanted to breeze around for the morning, so we headed to the old museum and a self-guided hike to one of the cliff dwellings. In retrospect, that's probably not the way to see Mesa Verde. The more spectacular cliff dwellings, which I remember visiting as a child, must be on the tours.

We got back to the campground, and it began to rain gently again, and for a while we just huddled inside the tent, listening to it. We drove into town later. Cyndi went off on her own for a bit, while Rylee got a comic book--another Sonic--and Jackson got some headphones. We bumped into some of the boys' friends. Cyndi and I tasted some local wines and bought a bottle for later that night. That was fun. When we got back the boys went swimming, and I decided not to start the charcoal at the community grill (I didn't bring the propane grill), so we just made brauts and pinto beans on the stove, and then had another early bedtime.

Sunday was a full breakfast day, and I started to pack away the camp. The boys played in the stream again. Cyndi tried to sneak in a few minutes of quiet. Jackson helped me, while Rylee found a hill to skateboard down. The campground crew was nudging us to get out by 11 and we did manage to leave by noon (with much more room than usual inside the truck, what with the bedding bag up on top and no grill). We had another stop in Durango, this time for the boys to try the local skateboard park, while Cyndi rode the bicycle trail in town, along the Animas River, and then the boys joined her for another short ride. We promised the day before to stop at the candy store on the main street, Cyndi found some shirts for all of us, and we also got some sandwiches in town before driving home.

Jackson wants more movie making for his birthday. He especially wants a special effects software program, but it is quite expensive and now he is researching alternatives and even a student discounted price. He will get a camcorder of his own, but we've told him that he will have to be much more resourceful, save his money for any accessories (like microphones, lights, and a green screen, not to mention more software), and lower his expectations for Christmas. I also want to make sure he has some direction, and so I drafted a bunch of technical questions. At first he was very excited, then a bit overwhelmed, and now quite proud to display his knowledge.(His teacher from last year, who retired, wants to tutor him to prepare for applying to the Academy; it hardly seems like an opportunity to pass up, although I haven't seriously considered him going to the Academy.)

Rylee has been drawing a lot lately. He really has a talent for it. He draws cartoon characters and animals. He's making up some of his own. One is yellow but goes by the name of Red. And I really like his comic book phase. We've managed to find some age appropriate comic books, and it's a fun way to read. (Some are better than others. The old style comic books have complete sentences; the newer ones have that staccato, exclamatory style, usually full of references to a toy or game, that I hear the boys listening to while watching anime cartoons.) He's a big reader, however, and he enjoys it when he's not running around, or riding his scooter or his skateboard. He falls asleep next to me at night. He always asks, Will you put your arm around me? Since there will come a day when we will no longer be able to do that, I love those minutes next to him before he drifts off to sleep. We bought a crate of peaches, and Ry's pretty much devoured those.

Cyndi has kept the boys very busy this summer. Lots of playtime with friends. One friend came over the other day and he and Ry spent the afternoon on the fort deck. Cyndi took them to Cliff's last week, too, got them haircuts, and bought school supplies and new day packs and shoes. Jack's soccer should start soon, and Ry plays fall baseball.

So this morning was their first day at school. They were both excited, dreading the end of summer a bit but I think anxious to be back. Ry was especially anxious to impress his new teacher; and Jack, well, I'm having a hard time reading him. I know he loves school, but I think he worries about having friends in class. The boys took the bus with Loren in the morning of their first day, with the idea that the bus may be an afterschool alternative so they can go to their cousin's house.

Ariel and Chris moved into a new apartment. It sounds very nice. It's in a tower along the East River, a bit isolated from a bustling neighborhood, still small, but it sounds like they got a good discount through NYU, where Chris starts his doctorate program in the next week I think. I got the impression they were pretty upbeat about the move. They are planning to be here around Thanksgiving, and I just heard that Mom & Dad are thinking of an October trip to see us.

five years

With the renewal of our domain name, I see we are approaching five years of posts. It began with a picture of Ry sleeping. He must have been two. Ry was telling me all day Saturday what a great day he was having. He and I grabbed a doughnut on our way to the DIY warehouse to get some plastic cord for the weed whacker. Then Jack, Ry and I went to the Roadrunner fields to sign Ry up for fall ball and we put him in minors with the 9 and 10 year olds. That's where he wants to be, but Jackson is concerned about Ry playing minors in the Altamont league come spring. Jack was split about fall sports but decided he really wants to play soccer. Then the three of us drove to Nob Hill and got some comic books. Thankfully, there's a kids section. Ry got a Ninjago "graphic novel" and a Sonic the Hedgehog comic book, while Jack picked up a Lego minifigure. When we went home they played with Nico from next door. Nico brought out some play weapons and the three of them ran around the yards, climbing on the "treehouse" we built, hiding around corners and behind walls, with elaborate rules about spirits. Later we all picked up some movie candy, Icees, and other stuff at the Target on the way to see "Brave", an animated movie in 3D, at the big complex. The rest of the weekend was a bit of a blur. We had a meal in Nob Hill on Friday night, which is when we discovered the comic book store and also got some ice cream. That came after the bible camp show--lots of energy and singing and skits and scripture verses. We had mixed reactions to that. There also was a barbecue with some friends and a schoolmate's birthday party. Chores were completed. Jackson continued to check out his birthday wish list and run interference when Cyndi and I get cross. He does that with a good sense of humor. That's all I can remember for now. The rains have been coming. I'm afraid a roof vent is leaking. Everything is green and thriving. We got the water bill for June, however, and it was a shock.

on the Atlantic side

This post is a bit of a nostalgic indulgence from my regular posts about our family life. I just got an email that reminded me of my time in the Canal Zone during high school. Our class has maintained a good website for CHS, Class of 73, and next year will be the 40th reunion at the annual Canal Zone Reunion in Florida. There is even a link to all the yearbooks at the web site. My brother and Sandra have attended one or two, but I haven't been and I'm afraid I haven't been in much contact with my fellow Canal Zone brats, most of whom scattered all over after graduation.

Sadly, the Canal Zone is gone in some important sense and Cristobal now warehouses shipping containers.

This video, which I think is brilliant, captures where I lived in high school and the people I knew. I can't tell if the people who made it or who are pictured in it came just before or just after my time there, but otherwise it feels contemporaneous with my time there. Every time I watch it, I feel the tug for Panama and, especially, for the Atlantic side. It stirs my memories and invokes wonderful feelings about where I came from.

I once found this image of my home there. My home is nestled on the hill in the foreground, overlooking Gatun Lake, where we had a dock. The picture comes from a few years ago, long after we lived there.

The images and the words of the song in the video could hardly be more perfect. One of the things I recall was how we knew so many people there. It was never confined to our class in school. That was hardly ever recognized as much of a distinction. That may explain why the reunion in Florida is an annual event and attracts everyone who ever lived there.

plushies

There were bakugans and beyblades; there's still Legos; now the boys are into plushies, little stuffed animals, often of electronic game characters.

First, there was a large Angry Bird from our NYC trip.

Then Jackson got a Kirby.

Rylee got a Sonic.

Yesterday, Ry just got a Happy Om Nom from Cut the Rope.

These go in backpacks, they sleep with them, they play with them like puppets, and even make movies with them. Jackson is writing a movie script with plushies.

We just talked to Ariel (we were on the way to take the boys to our neighbors' church for Bible Camp), and she just returned from a trip to Brussels and Berlin. Chris was also on a work-related trip to Barcelona.

We finally had our neighbors over Saturday night with the Sanchez girl families for hamburgers and hot dogs. Eight kids running around outside and inside.

Brendon

Nicholas

Jackson

Lauren

Rylee

Anna

Leah

Nico

 .

A beautiful evening to sit outside until late. Rylee tried out Brendon's new skateboard and scraped up his forehead and nose. Jackson played the new Kirby Wii game and monitored his cousins. The next morning, Jackson, Rylee and I went to the skateboard park. The new park is growing, and you can see the grass coming in for the new soccer fields while the activity center is being enlarged. Parking lots are roughed out, but no groundbreaking for the pool, library, tennis courts, and basketball courts.

chores

Jackson approached me Friday afternoon with a proposal. It was apparent he had researched and thought it out, and I told him I was impressed. He and Rylee wanted to sign up to rent electronic games through the mail. It costs $16 each month, and there was a 30-day free trial. I was pretty sure that meant signing up with a credit card and we're on the hook in advance in 30 days unless we cancel. It's like Netflix for games.

He and Ry said they would do chores to pay for it and they'd split the cost between them. They figured they each needed to contribute $2 each week. They had all sorts of ideas for what they could do around the house. Jack wanted to sit down with me and discuss it. On Saturday, they both asked again and I said I was considering their proposal. We'd have to figure out what chores they would do. They wrote some down in a journal book Ry is keeping with songs he's writing. We made a final list. It includes kitchen chores, some bedroom and bathroom chores, and some outside chores. They were hoping to make a little extra money, so when I proposed $4 each a week, of which they'd get $2 each every Saturday, they were thrilled and spent the rest of the day figuring out how much they'd have in a year and how much they'd have by the end of this year. They also wanted to be sure that now that they were getting an allowance that we wouldn't stop buying them things. Since we do buy them things, I wasn't embarrassed how low their allowance is for these days. And they were thrilled.

The next day we wrote the chores up and put them on the refrigerator. We devised a plan for days and keeping track of them. Jackson began immediately doing his chores and together we signed up online for the games. They've been checking the mail already for their first game.

Some good rains this weekend. I worked outside finishing some projects of my own, sanding, priming, painting, repairing, adjusting, wiring, cleaning, mowing, trimming, pruning, weeding, and sweeping. Sunday evening we went to an Isotopes game with Don, Elley, Nicholas and Lauren. Low 80s, a very slight breeze, no threat of rain. The kids took off to get cotton candy and ice cream, and later they ran around the grassy berm beyond right field. I wished they were around for the Seventh Inning Stretch. The Isotopes kept scoring until they lead 12-5 at the bottom of the eighth. The visitors hit a series of home runs in their last at-bat, and got within two before the final out. All of the kids ran the bases afterwards and we drove home.

the fourth

Strange to have the Fourth fall midweek. Ry and I started the day by getting doughnuts, and then we went to the annual neighborhood parade. It's not our neighborhood, but we've gone several years now and we see all the cousins and Sanchez girl families. This year there was an early run for the first time. The parade starts after some patriotic songs are sung. This year there was even a prayer. Usually, the parade is headed by a firetruck, but this year, probably since they were all on fire alert, the parade was led by a patrol car. The kids followed on their bicycles as it drove around the neighborhood. Parents, strollers and dogs followed the children. Then there was a the small block party in the cul de sac, with games, face painting, a jumper, and a dunk tank, along with goodies to eat and a sno-cone machine.

Ry was excited for the Fourth and said he wanted to do two things: the dunk tank and the belly flop contest at the club. So he wore his bathing suit under his shorts and, sure enough, sat on the seat to be dunked as other children threw balls at the target which would unhitch his perch above the water. The boys had red and blue mouths from the sno-cones, and thankfully it was not a hot morning.

We went to the club before noon and found some lounge chairs in the shade, as the cousins and Sanchez girl families arrived to join us. Hamburgers and hot dogs, watermelon and sodas, appeared about 1, after I'd already swam some laps and even ran the cross country course inside the Academy, next door. There were some games along the pool deck and then the belly flop contest. Rylee almost missed it. He got in line with the younger kids. When it was his turn, he got up on the starting platform, jumped off, spreading his arms and legs wide, and landed with a big splash and lots of cheers. The judges pulled him over for the finals, but a bigger kid won the final flop.

For the evening, we went to Pete and Dorie's house for more hamburgers and hot dogs and chicken on the grill, while the kids played all over the backyard, some pickle with the baseball (Rylee got beaned in the noggin' and the seams left a red mark), some skateboarding with Brendon, maybe even some video recording (Jack's favorite creative activity; he talks about it all the time and wants some better equipment and editing software for his birthday). A big storm threatened, bringing a strong refreshing breeze and a drop in the temperature, but the storm cell moved further west. Because of the serious drought and fires, no one got any fireworks this year. After we drove home, Cyndi and the boys sat on the balcony and watched the show from the balloon park.

The monsoon season seems to have arrived. Big cumulus clouds gathering in the afternoons this week. Some heavy showers here and there. Lots of humidity and a bit cooler during the day and at night.

first rain

We've been around 100, humidity in the single digits, and not a cloud in the sky, and the whole time wondering when the monsoon would come, if it comes at all, to give us some relief. There have been some devastating fires around New Mexico and up in Colorado.

On Sunday afternoon, we took the train up to Santa Fe for $20 round trip for the family, watching the land from the top in airconditioning while the boys played with some new "plushies" on the train. They even filmed their play.

There's no shuttle between the depot and the plaza on Sundays, and many of our favorite New Mexican restaurants are closed on Sundays. We did a lot of walking. We skipped REI, since it was so late in the day already and went to the plaza. The plaza seemed so lackluster. It was hot and humid. There just wasn't the usual bustle around the plaza. Jackson took us into a bead shop. Cyndi did her JCrew, which seemed vacant of merchandise, and the boys and I went to our favorite toy store nearby, only to find it had closed and combined with a children's clothes store. When we found the new location, there was nothing in the budget range I had set and the boys were very disappointed. We ducked into the new history museum, free to residents on Sundays. We had seen one of the exhibits before and were very impressed, but this time the other exhibits just weren't interesting at all. We strolled into other shops. Jackson decided he wanted an obsidian arrow point, which we could not find, and Rylee wanted to find a superhero comic book. He and I finally found where our favorite bookstore had moved to, but there were no comic books. (A nice new location, however.) Meanwhile, Cyndi and Jack found a really nice clothing boutique with colorful dresses from Nepal just when the rain started.

You could smell the rain first. When it began to fall we ducked under awnings, or stayed along the edges of the shops, and even watched it sitting under the covered porch of the Hotel St. Francis. People cheered when the rain began and stood in the streets to feel the rain. We went to Del Charro just a bit down the street for a meal in the covered patio. We've been there before and stayed at the hotel. Then we went to get ice cream on the plaza before heading back to the depot. Jackson got served a mix of chocolate and peanut butter instead of chocolate, and we freaked out about that. Jackson was very concerned, and will never go back, but he was fine.

The boys and I started swimming during lunch time. We've only done a few, but it's worked out well. I get some laps in; the boys play. It breaks up their day. This was an unusual weekend because we ended up packing a lot in. On Friday, the boys and I went to 5 Star Burgers on Friday. Later that evening, Ry and I went swimming. He loved that. Saturday, Ry and I went to the skateboard park. He's working on landing on top of the half pipe. I worked on the lawn and garden, fixed some posts along the porch, repainted them and a patch of the porch ceiling, hung some outdoor lights Cyndi got a long time ago, repaired a slat on the bench, and the boys and I went to Whole Hog on Saturday while Cyndi went to a friend's birthday. When Ry and I went to get apple fritters and donuts Sunday morning, that's when we first thought to look for comic books. He loves to read, he loves all the superheroes, and it just seemed like a good idea. After the skateboard park, we stopped to get some lawn sprinklers and looked in vain again for comic books next door to the DIY. Cyndi had breakfast ready for us when we got back. After she went to body pump at the gym and I installed the new sprinklers, that's when we thought about going to Santa Fe for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, Jackson is having a series of little computer problems and he really wants to get more equipment and software to make his videos. He knows exactly what software he wants, what camera he wants, and he's desperate for a "green screen." (He's thinking ahead for his birthday and being very diplomatic and reasonable about it.) The computer problems may be related to the amount of memory his videos are taking up on his computer. We tried to get a flash drive to help, but now we are having problems with that, too.

On Monday after work I went to the Barnes and Noble, about the only bookstore left, and found a big selection of comic books. The ones I'm sure Ry wanted were rated for teens, but I found two--Sonic and Scooby Doo--that I thought were more age appropriate. He loved them. He read them both when I brought them home and wants more. He fell asleep as I read The Secret Garden to him. He stopped reading it himself a week ago as the chapters became longer and one of the new characters had a strong Yorkshire dialect.

Before he fell asleep, we got our first rain. We opened our doors. The high humidity made our swamp cooler ineffective. The weather pundits say the monsoon season is starting, the highs should drop as more moisture flows from the south and we get the late afternoon thunderstorms for the next month or so. Slim chances for local rains the next couple of days, maybe even Fourth of July on Wednesday, and maybe some serious rain next week.

next time you're in a bookstore or at the gym

Ariel started back at IEEE Spectrum full time a month or two ago, but looks to have had a piece just published in Scientific American, titled Perils of Newborn Screening. I had not seen it yet, but Cyndi was at the gym last night and saw a copy of the magazine there, leafed through it, and found Ariel's article. She brought it home. I read it, and once again was amazed by Ariel's talent.

Cyndi's extended family had their reunion this weekend. Bennie had 11 brothers and sisters, and he was was of the youngest. The cousins are spread throughout southern California, central New Mexico, southeastern Arizona, and I thought I heard maybe even around Austin, Texas. There was a time to meet on Thursday, a picnic on Friday, and a restaurant on Saturday. Otherwise, a work on the home weekend and hamburgers on the grill last night, even though it was in the high 90s and brutally hot.

Mama Tried at wedding, pretty sure

Yes, I'm certain it is. You can find more of their tunes, and while I'm at it, I'm also certain Mama Tried played the waltz, Ashokan Farewell, which sounds like it could have been from this part of the country and, indeed, it appears it is. When I heard it, I asked Ariel to dance. Here's a version by the composer:

the boys' backpacks

Jackson carries around a bag filled with his computer, his charger, and his headphones. Ry got a new sling backpack, and I watched him unload it last night. It had two baseball gloves, six baseballs, a light, and his book.

Chatted with Dad and Mom on Father's Day, and also had a good talk with Ariel. She had just returned from France, and it sounded like it went very well. I didn't get many details about the trip; we mostly talked about the wedding. She and Chris did get a couple of climbs in that weekend before going back to NYC.

Temperature is heading toward high 90s, no rain in sight, danger of fires. We've managed to bring the lawn and garden back to life since we were gone.

brother baseball 1-2 combination

Jackson got some good pitching tips from his cousin, Brendan, who pitches in the little league majors, so the other evening after work he asked me to play catch so he could show me some, try them out, and practice some throws. Rylee joined us and we threw the ball "around the horn." Ry then geared up in his catcher's pads & helmet, got into the squat, and began catching Jack's pitches, while I quietly bowed out, watering the garden and sitting on the bench to watch them play.

Jackson pitched some (four-seam) fastballs, a change up, I think, and a knuckleball. He'd tell Rylee what he was pitching and get his grip. As he pitched, I'd say, "stance, balance, power," thinking, with almost no pitching experience of my own, that it made sense to break it down that way. Ry would catch the ball, and when it was right down the middle, shout, "NIIIICE!"

I just watched them play catch. They say that's all that pitching is. One brother, pitching; the other, catching. I imagined how it would be if they ever got on the same team together and could use that combination in a game. What a treat to see that.

mid June

While we were gone, the grass died a bit. It's been in the 90s, no rain, 3 percent humidity. There are some fires in the state.

I posted an outline of our trip to Ariel's wedding below, and then posted some pictures from a trip Cyndi and the boys took during spring break and another post of pictures from our trip. I hope to get more pictures of the wedding from others to post.

Talked to Ariel on Friday as she and Chris were on their way to France. She sounded happy, but it was a brief conversation as they were about to get off the train to the airport.

Jackson finished his baseball tournament Saturday. He had a very good last three games. His team had a pool, potluck and trophy party Friday afternoon, just as Cyndi was getting back from Kansas City. Rylee selected The Secret Garden as a birthday gift, and he has finished two chapters already. He's anxious to play more baseball, and he and Jack and Brendon play pickle a lot together whenever they can these days.

Our trip to Ariel's wedding

There is a narrative of our trip below. These pictures show our overnight in NYC, dinner with Ariel and Chris, the train ride up the Hudson Valley, the bridal shower, the rehearsal dinner and some of Ariel's wedding before the camera lost its charge. There were so many people taking pictures that I'm sure we will get more to assemble a proper montage once they send me some. It concludes with a couple more pics when we had a bit more time in NYC on our way back.

Disney pics

Pictures from Cyndi and the boys' trip during spring break.

a June wedding in the Shawangunks

Ariel and Chris got married on the first Saturday of June. It could not have been more perfect.

The setting was an open-air pavilion on the Mohonk Preserve, just a few miles from New Paltz in the Hudson Valley of New York. The ceremony took place on a lawn just below the pavilion, with a backdrop of the Catskill Mountains. Ariel and Chris picked this place because they often drive here from Manhattan to climb the Gunks, as the Shawangunk Ridge, a part of the Appalachian Mountains, is known. A perfect place to begin a lifetime of adventure together.

The ceremony took place in the middle of the afternoon. A light rain fell most of the morning, but the rain stopped by noon and the sun came out from behind the clouds just as the procession began and continued to shine without any threat of rain for the rest of the day, the clouds just adding to the panoramic backdrop above the mountains, along with a spectacular sunset at the end. All weekend, there was a gentle breeze.

Chairs were arranged below the pavilion on the lawn before the Catskill range in the distance. The moms were escorted to their seats. Chris and the best man, John, were standing before the guests, along with Naomi, the minister. A blue grass band played nearby. (It was Pachelbel's Canon in D Major, as I remember.) Jackson and Rylee and Emily made their procession, and I accompanied Ariel to join Chris.

Ariel wore a beautiful dress that rolled at the hem, which she purchased in France, and carried a bouquet of flowers. She was radiant. Chris was handsome, and I noticed his eyes were focused only on Ariel.

The reception took place under the pavilion. Ariel had made most of the arrangements, and everything was perfect. Even the Preserve director thought it was the best ever. The food had a New Mexico theme, from the appetizers to the buffet, with plenty of wine and beer on tap. The blue grass band played an eclectic blend of Appalachian music and popular songs. Everyone commented on how perfect it all was. Everyone just seemed to be beaming.

There was some dancing, lots of picture taking, and even some frisbee thrown on the lawn below the pavilion. When the band took a break, the fathers of the bride and groom were asked beforehand to give toasts, followed by John, the best man, and Emily, the maid of honor. The fathers talked about Ariel and Chris as children, while John, with wonderful humor, and Emily, with wonderful grace, brought the story of Ariel and Chris up to date. I got a chance to dance with Ariel when the band played a waltz. I fumbled a few steps but we ended with a gentle twirl. Ariel was all smiles and took time to go among all the guests to chat with each. When it was time to cut the cake, Chris delicately fed Ariel a piece on a fork. Ariel followed by delicately smearing cake on Chris. Then Chris introduced Rylee as his brother-in-law and they brought out a cake for Ry, who was turning 7 the next day, and the guests sang happy birthday.

There were plenty of guests. So many of Ariel and Chris's friends were there: childhood friends, college friends, friends from New Mexico, from Alaska, from New York, from California and the Pacific Northwest, even Hawaii. There were plenty of Bleichers and Orcutts and all the new relatives to meet on the Wilson side. Uncles and aunts and cousins. The grandparents got a special mention to honor them during the ceremony. Some parents of friends came; a couple of babies. All terrific people; all equally delighted to be part of the occasion.

For many, the special weekend began with a bridal shower at midday on Friday at a tea room in an historic shop in New Paltz that Cyndi and Emily hosted. Cyndi did quite a bit to make this happen, and made turquoise bracelets for the guests. A rehearsal took place later that day, followed by a wonderful rehearsal dinner at the Elmrock Inn, a four-course dinner in a lovely dining room of the inn, preceded by a cheese platter and bread basket on the patio outside, overlooking a large lawn, where the boys played soccer. Chris's parents, David and Tricia, hosted this event, and it was a good time to meet some people for the first time or catch up with family not seen for a long time.

Chris's parents also treated Ariel and Chris with a stay at the Mohonk Mountain House, a very Conde Nast sort of resort, and on Sunday morning they were joined by others at a brunch there. There was also talk of a climbing expedition with friends. I thought I heard rain cancelled that but Ariel told me they got some climbs in Sunday and Monday. There was some partying among Ariel and Chris's friends the night before the wedding and again after the wedding itself, but I only had the slightest inkling of that. As one of their friends told me, tongue in cheek, they'd be partying in honor of the older parents and guests.

I am told that Ariel and Chris had to return to NYC for a few days of work and then would head for their honeymoon trip to France by the following Friday. You can get a sense of their trip from this registry: http://www.honeyfund.com/wedding/arielandchris.  In case the link is no longer up, it includes the Mediterranean and Provence and such adventures as canoeing in Perigord and rock climbing in the Verdon Gorge.

For us the trip began on Wednesday, and it became quite a travel adventure. We caught a 6 am flight from Albuquerque, with four bags that we checked in. The boys each had a rolling carry-on, and so did Cyndi. My bag swung from a shoulder strap. Each of the boys and Cyndi had a backpack. The boys' were filled with a computer, toys and books. I carried my suit and our wedding gift (a setting of dishes set aside for Ariel and a frame and scrapbook a friend of Cyndi's made). We changed planes in Chicago and ate hot dogs and ice cream between the flights. We arrived in Newark (which we now think beats La Guardia in so many ways), retrieved our bags, bought tickets for the train to (NY) Penn Station, and found the monorail from the airport.

You must imagine that every move we made meant lugging all of our backpacks and carry-ons around, up and down escalators, elevators and even some stairs, along moving and concrete sidewalks, over curbs, and around people, with me often in the lead, Ry and Jack pulling their bags behind them, and Cyndi making sure she never lost eye contact on the boys. The hotel we stayed at in NYC, which Beth and Gary arranged for us, was only about 5 blocks from Penn Station, so we walked down 7th to 28th and found our hotel in the Flower District. Jackson noticed how friendly the hotel staff were. We had a nice room on the 22nd floor and enjoyed two cold beers and some chips, which Cyndi found next to the front desk, when we arrived. We called Ariel and arranged to meet her and Chris about 6:30 at an Indian restaurant near their apartment, less than a mile from our hotel. We hadn't made any plans, so we walked to the Empire State Building and then back down to Madison Square, where we stopped at a toddler park and then in the median in front of the Flat Iron building, before meeting Ariel and Chris for dinner. The food was delicious; I'm a convert. Jackson fell asleep, but Rylee shoveled in the rice and bread.

I made sure to make it a point to the boys that they should take advantage of the hotel breakfasts, and we had a great one that first morning. We walked to Rockefeller Plaza, after first going through Times Square, so the boys could go to the Lego store, where Rylee got his birthday present and Jackson found something for himself, too. We walked back to Times Square and took the subway back to the hotel.

After packing up, we came down into the lobby with all our gear again (plus additional bags from Lego and Anthropologie), headed for Grand Central Station. The doorman loaded up a cart and led us to 6th, where he could quickly hail a cab for us. The traffic was heavy at midday but it was a perfect way to go. We went up 6th to 42nd and drove by Bryant Park and the Public Library. We entered Grand Central from the street into the grand concourse, where we bought our train tickets to Poughkeepsie. The next train did not leave for a while, so we found a table in the lower level and Cyndi found thick turkey sandwiches and I found a piece of cheesecake.

We found the track for our train and rode up the Hudson Valley for the next 1 1/2 hours. The track goes along the bank of the river, with wonderful views of the boats and hills and towns. We went past West Point. At Poughkeepsie, the end of the line, we took a taxi to our hotel. We bumped into Caroline and Bud at the hotel. Ry and I scoped out the area and played some catch in the parking lot. We ordered pizza.

The next day was busy as everyone came in. The boys and I were just on our way to play catch in some grass in the front when all the Bleichers arrived. As they checked in, I saw Chris's parents and Caroline's sister, Nan. Cyndi and the women then went to the bridal shower, while David, Dad, Gary, Eric and I chatted in the dining room off the lobby. Some later headed to the FDR Presidential Library while Cyndi, the boys and I headed off to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, following Chris's parents. Saturday morning went by fast. Cyndi and I went for a walk. The boys, especially Ry, played catch with Eric. Jackson was loving his independent time in the hotel room. More family arrived and more people to meet at the hotel. Before two, we boarded a bus to the wedding. We returned by the bus that evening, after dropping off some of Ariel and Chris's friends and the keg at a New Paltz motel.

Sunday was fun. We walked the bridge over the Hudson, ate at a very good nearby diner (which was about the time the rain started up again), and then drove to West Point, just in time for the canon to boom at five, a bugle playing retreat, as the flag was lowered on the campus. That night we ended up all eating at a Chile's near the hotel.

Monday was an all-day travel day but not hurried. After breakfast and goodbyes, David took us to the train station and we returned to Grand Central. With some time on our hands, Rylee got a frisbee from the sports store next door to Grand Central and we walked over to Rockefeller Center again for the Lego and Nintendo stores, bathroom breaks, and a Starbucks in the subway station. We walked to 7th and grabbed a taxi to Penn Station, got tickets for Newark airport, hopped on the next train, transferred to the monorail, checked our bags in and easily got through security. The plane was delayed for departure. We had a nice dinner in the terminal while waiting, and saw some friends on their way back home, too. With the delayed departure, we ended up with about two minutes in Denver to get across the terminal to our gate. We arrived in Albuquerque, along with all of our bags, about 11 p.m., grabbed the shuttle to the parking lot and got home close to midnight. I went to bed. The boys stayed up to play with their new Legos, and games, and the new skateboard Wii game Ry got from Ariel and Chris. It was a perfect birthday gift slash wedding gift. Ry and Jack each carried a ring during the wedding procession and presented them when it was time to exchange rings during the ceremony.

Then back to work. Cyndi is off on a business trip today. I hope I get some pictures to publish here.

Bleicher boys baseball day

We are all very excited to be going to New York for Ariel & Chris's wedding. After much coordination with Beth and Ariel, we are flying into Newark before the wedding and taking the train into Manhattan for one night. We hope to have dinner with Ariel and Chris and visit the Lego store before taking the Hudson Line from Grand Central Station up to Poughkeepsie, where the next day we should be joined by Mom, Dad, Beth, Gary, David, Sandra, Eric, Sarah, Terra, Karl and Roscoe. Cyndi's been planning the bridal shower for Friday at a tea room in an historic New Paltz building. The wedding is Saturday at the Mohonk Preserve a short distance from New Paltz.

The boys' baseball season is ending. In fact, Jackson had his final regular season game before tournaments, and Rylee has just one more game. It was a fabulous day Saturday. Ry, Jack and Cyndi took a long walk in the morning, while I cleaned up the yard a bit and watered.  By mid-afternoon, it was in the low 80s, sunny, with the slightest of a breeze to keep it all manageable. (Low, low humidity, of course.) The games were at 1 and 2 in the afternoon, with a pool party afterward.

Jackson has not been excited this year. At bat, he gets ahead of the ball and that's thwarted his confidence. But he still manages more times than not to get on base. Saturday, however, was a terrific game. He pitched. He was great. He looked good. He loved it.

He threw a lot of strikes, both swinging and called, and none of the wild pitches that the regular pitchers throw and that have cost runs all season long. He almost got a hard line drive right back at him and his adrenaline was pumping when he threw the ball to second. Oh, it was so fun to watch him play again. It was like last year when he was so into the game. He'd get into his stance on the mound and take a deep breath. His throws were right over the plate and into the catcher's glove. The fans were loving it, and they shouted enthusiastically and gave him glowing praise afterwards. So did his teammates.

Some of this enthusiasm and confidence has been building just in the past two weeks. Rylee always wants to play catch with me in the front yard, but only in the last weeks has Jackson asked or joined us, and the two of them play catch together a lot now. Sometimes Ry dons on his catcher gear and Jackson pitches to him. Rylee has been equally supportive of Jackson's pitching and I think he is very proud of him. The boys also had a good game of pickle with their cousin Brendan all afternoon on Mother's Day in Belen. It was fun, yet competitive, for all of them and it quickly honed some new skills and confidence.

Rylee started catching regularly behind the plate a couple of weeks ago. He catches about three innings a game now. At first, he seemed uncertain. He could catch okay but did not seem especially alert to what happened once someone hit. Now the catching is just second nature, hardly a thought, he's so nonchalant and easy behind the plate. The fun part is watching him throw off the helmet and make outs from the plate or guard the plate and tag players trying to come home. That's been exciting to see.

So this last game, I had just seen Jackson pitching at his game. I was so proud of him and delighted in his happiness. Then I watched Rylee play. He was on third base when he was not catching. Third base is where they put kids with strong arms. (Short stop is routinely reserved for the coach's son this year; last year at this level, Jackson played short stop.) Rylee, who is the smallest and, still 6, the youngest on the team, earned it when he made the first 5-3 out of the season a couple of weeks ago by running laterally and scooping up a hard grounder on the hop and rifling it over to first. He repeated something like that this weekend but he made another spectacular catch that ignited the stands. It was a high pop up. I watched his eyes intently on the ball, his glove above his head, as he kept peddling his feet backwards. To reach the ball, he had to dive almost backwards, and he got it and threw to second. He got the game ball that afternoon, and he's very proud of that. The other funny thing is, is that his fielding glove is falling apart and he needs a new one. He's breaking in a glove he uses for catching.

When we got home, Jackson got on his computer that evening and helped Ry build a new Lego set. Rylee played outside in the early evening, climbing on the fort David helped us build. I fixed a rickety bench and decided to paint it. I sanded it and found some old blue paint in the garage. Ry helped me paint it and then went on another walk with Cyndi.

80 on Sunday, snow today

The baseball season began this past weekend. The boys had back-to-back games on Saturday. They are both Cardinals. Ry is machine pitch II, and while I think he is the equal of anyone on his team when it comes to fielding and throwing, he needs some more batting experience and I think he's the youngest. He chipped a tooth the other day when a ball popped out of his glove and hit him in the face. He insists on wearing a mouth guard now. Jackson is playing minor league player pitch. He finally got a new glove. We saw Brendan play as catcher for his majors team. He made a spectacular throw from the plate to second to make an out on a steal.

The weather during the weekend was perfect, and it's been very nice for some time now. In addition to sunny skies and warm temperatures, we've been blessed with no spring winds. The young aspen has new growth, trees were blossoming, I see many shoots coming out of the ground, the roses look vigorous, even the lawn has greened up. Last night and this morning, however, it snowed.

It's been a tough month but good things are happening. Jackson should have started his gifted program today. We worked on a biography of the Wright brothers, and his report was perfect. Ry is discovering some of the things he missed when he was younger, like Winnie the Pooh. We read about the Cyclops in the Odyssey and he wants to go to the library and get another in the series. Still, there is Sponge Bob on Netflix and plants versus zombies on the DS. He still loves to cuddle at night, but is working on claiming the top bunk as his own.

Cyndi took the boys to Disneyland on the train during spring break. I'll post some pics from that trip. They barely fit into an overnight sleeping compartment. The boys had lots of stories about Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, Soarin' Over California, and the dreaded Space Mountain.

congrats to Ariel and Chris

I talked with Ariel yesterday. She got hired by IEEE Spectrum as an associate editor. She will start in a couple of weeks. Her area will be telecommunications. She is thrilled for so many reasons, not the least of which is the compensation and some good travel for assignments and conferences. She will remain in Manhattan. Chris was accepted at NYU, although I think he is still considering other options.

spring winds

We know spring is approaching because the winds have begun.

The boys are signed up for little league. Ry had an "evaluation" to determine if he should be in either machine pitch I or II. It consisted of some very little toss and catch and some batting. One of the fathers was tossing the balls into the kid's gloves, and when it was Rylee's turn I told the father Ry could handle an overhand throw. I asked the evaluator later when we would know the results. He looked Ry up and said he had already marked him for the second level. He'll be young for that. His fielding and throwing is great for his age, but I wondered about batting. The guy said the batting didn't matter because they were both machine pitch leagues. Jackson had to tryout for the minor league teams. The coaches actually draft the players. There were almost 50 other boys the day we went for the tryouts. Jackson did so well. He surprises me. He's very competitive, skillful, and he hustles. I found out that he did get drafted by the coaches he's played with for all of these years, and so we are very happy about that. It's a good group of boys, and the coaches are great and appreciate how well Jackson plays. In fact, I saw one of the coaches last night at the gym, and he remarked how everything changes this season with the players pitching. Lots of walks and therefore less defense. A transitional season for the young players. Last weekend, the boys and I went to the field for the annual cleanup. The fields have gotten so much better. In past years, there was lots of weeding and field maintenance to do. This year there was lots of painting, a lot of Altamont Blue I call it.

I went to Albertson's grocery store this weekend and found a copy of Scientific American Mind, and there's a story by Ariel in this month's newest issue. I gave it to Cyndi and said, page 46. Ariel? she asked. Cyndi loved Ariel's article and loved the entire issue. Ariel and Chris are excited about the wedding. Lots of work to do. She mentioned they went out of town last weekend to do some bicycle touring in the countryside.

Jackson stayed home from school yesterday. I came home early, while Rylee and Cyndi went to the day care at the gym. Jack is such a charming lad. He was supposed to take another test today for the gifted program at school. We found out he did meet the initial screening criteria from an earlier IQ-like test he did a couple of weeks back. I think he is very excited about it. Jackson and I went to the gym later. He and Rylee had a swim lesson with Jordan, a teacher there. Jackson is really getting the hang of the swim strokes. Ry is struggling a little, but Jordan thinks he's improving and Ry is developing a good backstroke. I really want to get them into the summer swim team season at the gym. It would make a huge difference in their swimming skills. I think they have practices every morning, and of course there will be a few weekend meets. I'd be happy with three sports seasons of baseball in the spring, swimming in the summer, and soccer in the fall. Ry would like to add basketball. We haven't been doing scouts this year, and we haven't gone skiing despite some great snow falls in the New Mexico mountains early in the season. Ry is doing a hip-hop class on Wednesday evening that he apparently loves. There's a small group of boys his age from his class doing it, too.

We are going to try a new homework and dinner schedule this week. It's time for the boys to have a bit more regimen, and it wouldn't hurt me any, too. We'll incorporate some chores, too, including kitchen clean up. I'm looking forward to it, and I'm sure Cyndi is, too.

Jackson continues to go to chess tournaments. Ry is losing heart in the chess club. I'm afraid he's not really ready for it. Ry and I continue our weekend mornings routine of apple fritters and donuts from Smith's, espresso and hot chocolate from the Starbucks next door, and the skateboard park at the new Domingo Baca park being developed a block down the road from the Starbucks. (That's a pretty exciting development well

underway, with a multi- generational center with an abundance of community classrooms and meeting rooms, a cafe, computers, a gym, an indoor track, and a workout room, a separate outdoor pool complex,  library, a playground, a dog park, several soccer fields, a natural habitat area, picnic areas, tennis courts, basketball courts, and the skateboard park.) Jackson has been joining us more and more, and the boys mostly use their scooters. Sometimes, there's one or two other families there at that early time. Often, we will see hot-air balloons, as many as twenty or more, over the valley below us.

This past weekend was pretty nice. I asked Jack what we should grill on Sunday, our first outdoor cooking of the year. I knew what he would say before he said it. Ribs. So I made two racks of ribs on Sunday. They loved the sauce. I cheated a bit by baking them first. I was afraid of charring them too much on the grill. I managed to work around the outside of the house the last three weekends, cleaning out beds, pruning bushes and cutting back ivy, even a little re-planting, and filling, sanding and priming the posts. I'm so glad the winter is nearly over, but I'm not looking forward to three months of wind.