The other day we were at the dinner table, finishing up a nice family dinner. The kids had carrots and hummus, one of their favorite veggie choices. Amanda and I had finished up and were just kind of chatting while the kids continued eating. My one son, Andrew, is world’s messiest eater… food finds a way from his plate to his lap, his face, the table, his clothes, everywhere… it drives us crazy. Of course, I’m in one of my moods where I don’t have a lot of patience for watching the food migration from his plate to the rest of the house.
As we sit I watch Andrew eat his carrots. He dips the carrot in the hummus, swiping it back and forth, twirling it, wiping hummus on the sides.
“Andrew,” I exclaim, all you need to do is scoop a little on to the carrot and take a bite. You don’t need to play with it.
He doesn’t get it; I’m not sure he even tried. Exasperated, I grab the carrot and show him how to neatly scoop just the right amount of hummus on the carrot for a well-proportioned bite of carrot and hummus. I’m not sure he appreciated the nuances of proper form I was demonstrating, even though I made him say to me he understood.
Two minutes later I’m watching the hummus tornado carrot dipping occur again… he did not understand the lesson I had imparted. I’m frustrated and exclaim again to him, “Andrew, just scoop it up and eat it. Don’t twirl it around… make it easy!”
Andrew looks down, then looks up at me. “Dad, I’ll make you a deal… you let me eat my hummus the way I want to, and I won’t bother you the rest of the night. Or, you can tell me how to eat my hummus but then I get to bother you the rest of the night.”
He’s a turkey! Lucky for me, my kids don’t take me too seriously. Amanda and I had a great laugh over it, I lightened up, and he continued eating his hummus the way he wanted.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Europe Wine Adventures: Closing out
Well, the last few days got a little busier and so I didn’t get a chance to update the blog. Now that we’re back, fully in the swing of life, I figured it was a good idea to get a close-out written out.
We stayed in another cute hotel in Keyersburg. Unfortunately, it didn’t have air conditioning. But, the town was cute and both mornings Amanda and I went out for a nice walk or run along a nice path. Our hotel room had a balcony and we enjoyed sitting out on that and drinking wine or eating a snack. We did go into Colmar one day, visiting little Venice and walking around. We also went to some nice tasting rooms. One was a large cooperative and we bought several of their wines; the other was a very small husband/wife shop where the young husband made some really good wines and we had fun trying to speak English/French with him.
Our last night was back in Frankfurt. On a side note, on the drive back I got the car up to 180 km/hr! Luckily, in Frankfurt, we were able to upgrade to a room with A/C as the temp was well over 100 degrees! Amanda and I caught the trams and trains around Frankfurt a bit but in the end went back to our hotel for dinner and cooling off in our room.
Some conclusions from this trip:
1. A week wasn’t too short… it worked out well. The costs are reduced since you’re not there as long; we were able to quickly adjust to the time zone change; and, we got a good dose of the culture. I could have stayed longer, but really enjoyed the week.
2. I could live there… I think. The people were very friendly and I love the small towns.
3. I love how close everything is in Europe. Coming from Alaska that is no surprise, but I’m ready to drive, train, whatever all around there.
We stayed in another cute hotel in Keyersburg. Unfortunately, it didn’t have air conditioning. But, the town was cute and both mornings Amanda and I went out for a nice walk or run along a nice path. Our hotel room had a balcony and we enjoyed sitting out on that and drinking wine or eating a snack. We did go into Colmar one day, visiting little Venice and walking around. We also went to some nice tasting rooms. One was a large cooperative and we bought several of their wines; the other was a very small husband/wife shop where the young husband made some really good wines and we had fun trying to speak English/French with him.
Our last night was back in Frankfurt. On a side note, on the drive back I got the car up to 180 km/hr! Luckily, in Frankfurt, we were able to upgrade to a room with A/C as the temp was well over 100 degrees! Amanda and I caught the trams and trains around Frankfurt a bit but in the end went back to our hotel for dinner and cooling off in our room.
Some conclusions from this trip:
1. A week wasn’t too short… it worked out well. The costs are reduced since you’re not there as long; we were able to quickly adjust to the time zone change; and, we got a good dose of the culture. I could have stayed longer, but really enjoyed the week.
2. I could live there… I think. The people were very friendly and I love the small towns.
3. I love how close everything is in Europe. Coming from Alaska that is no surprise, but I’m ready to drive, train, whatever all around there.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Europe Wine Adventures: More day 4
A couple footnotes to our adventure yesterday. As Amanda and I were driving along the route, we spied a castle up in the hills and, feeling adventurous, we took a diversion in search of the castle. As we wound our way up the hill we saw multiple parking spots and signs for a birding area. Turns out that was an eagle rehabilitation center. We finally arrived at a T with signs – to the right, Monkey Mountain; to the left, Haut Koenigsbourg. All my life I’ve been infatuated with monkeys, so we headed right, not knowing what to expect.
Monkey Mountain turns out to be a chimpanzee sanctuary. They have a large wooded area, surrounded by a fence, where multiple chimp families live and thrive. They eventually reintroduce these into the wilds of Africa and also use the area for behavioral research. Upon entry, they provide you with a small handful of popcorn and instruct you how to feed them and not to touch them… they take it as a sign of aggression.
Unfortunately, I can’t download the pictures I took until I get home. But, needless to say, it was very cool. The monkey’s are completely uninterested in humans – sometimes they’d eat, other times they’d care less. But, they were all over and we were able to observe babies, teenagers playing, moms and dads protecting their family… it was a very neat experience.
Then, upon departing, we went to the castle. The castle had originally been built in the 12th century but was in ruins. In 1900, the Germans commissioned a massive restoration project that took 8 years and completely restored it so that now it is a museum. We got some incredible views and it is impressive to be able to walk through living history. I took some good pictures of the armory to show my boys, as well.
Here are a couple pics of the castle and the cute little town we're staying in.
Monkey Mountain turns out to be a chimpanzee sanctuary. They have a large wooded area, surrounded by a fence, where multiple chimp families live and thrive. They eventually reintroduce these into the wilds of Africa and also use the area for behavioral research. Upon entry, they provide you with a small handful of popcorn and instruct you how to feed them and not to touch them… they take it as a sign of aggression.
Unfortunately, I can’t download the pictures I took until I get home. But, needless to say, it was very cool. The monkey’s are completely uninterested in humans – sometimes they’d eat, other times they’d care less. But, they were all over and we were able to observe babies, teenagers playing, moms and dads protecting their family… it was a very neat experience.
Then, upon departing, we went to the castle. The castle had originally been built in the 12th century but was in ruins. In 1900, the Germans commissioned a massive restoration project that took 8 years and completely restored it so that now it is a museum. We got some incredible views and it is impressive to be able to walk through living history. I took some good pictures of the armory to show my boys, as well.
Here are a couple pics of the castle and the cute little town we're staying in.
Europe Wine Adventures: Alsace Day 3 and 4
If you’re reading this, I appreciate it. But, mostly it is for me so it may get a bit boring. Here I am, cataloging 2 days of activities, and it is amazing what I’ve already forgotten from yesterday. Hence the reason for the blog… I want to get as much mileage as I can from these trips and writing down the memories so I can relive them is one of the ways to do that.
First, let me complain a bit… France is in the middle of a heatwave. Today it was between 90-95 Fahrenheit most of the day. 80 is nice, and would make Amanda happy, but 90 is hot. And, of course, none of our hotels have A/C. The room is bearable, but warm. On the flip side, I’m sitting on our little balcony, surrounded by flowers, looking ahead at the remains of a castle, surrounded by Alsatian hills and cute little houses on a quiet street. So, enough complaining.
Yesterday we decided to head into Strasbourg, the biggest city in the Alsace region. It has about a million people, I believe, but the main downtown area is pretty contained and surrounded by canals. We had directions to a place we could park and take the tram into the city; and, with our new found confidence in reading street signs, we were off.
Parking was a little challenging, as we drove through the city a bit looking for our pre-determined spot. Although we saw hints of it (on signs), we never found it; we were finally able to find a spot within walking distance of the city for only a few Euro more than we’d have paid for the other spot.
First stop was the cathedral, an amazing structure with beautiful flying buttresses, ornate gothic type artwork and inscribing around the outside, and tall spires. Amanda and I climbed up to the top of the observatory and got a birds-eye view of the city. From there we made our way over to Place Kleber, the shopping district, and then Le Petit France for lunch. We ate at a nice outdoor café complete with music from a couple street entertainers; followed by a showdown between the head hostess and the entertainers when they went to ask for donations from the patrons.
After most of the day in Strasbourg, and the sun, we felt a bit wasted. We went back to Obernai and our hotel and rested a bit. Then, we took a drive up the hills above Obernai; it was gorgeous. On the way home the Obernai Tourism office was putting on a little town square party. There was beer, wine, food, dancing, a polka band; so, of course we had dinner and stayed for a bit. By the end of that the FIFA semifinal game had started and we returned to our hotel room to watch it. Unfortunately there aren’t any sports bars or pubs to watch these kind of events. We found one place, but it was a restaurant with a TV and it was already full.
This morning we got up and headed out for a run. On our drive yesterday we had found some trails and so we headed there to explore… what we found was a beautiful trail system designed for horses, bikes, and people. The trails meandered through wonderfully green wooded (and shaded areas) with little bridges crossing back and forth across a creek. It was nourishing for the body and soul as it was quiet and squirrels and birds flitted around us the whole time.
Obernai has a weekly market so before checking out we went up to that. Calling this thing a market does not do it justice; it is more like a travelling supermarket and tradeshow. People have these big trucks they drive in, full of clothes, and the open them up. The market filled many streets and had everything from clothing to kitchen gadgets to all the good food you’d want to buy for dinner that night. It was packed with people all over and I think we were on stimulus overload after going through half of it.
After checking out we headed back out on the wine route to Keyserberg, our next hotel location. The drive was surreal – cruising along narrow French roads surrounded by fields and fields of vines draped across rolling hills; about every 5-10 km there is another adorable little town with cobblestone streets that you navigate through, only to burst out of it back on the main road. Amanda says I went full French because I can’t help but cycle through the gears quickly to reach top speeds… the narrow roads only accentuate the feeling of speed and it is exhilarating. I can only imagine that’s what they French are thinking, also… otherwise, they wouldn’t tail me so closely if I drop below 100 km/hr!
We tasted some wines and had a classic Alsatian dinner, but I’ll have to write about that more later. Also, along the way, we found Monkey Mountain and a massive restored castle. But alas, the temperature has cooled a bit and I believe I’m ready to go to bed. More to come…
First, let me complain a bit… France is in the middle of a heatwave. Today it was between 90-95 Fahrenheit most of the day. 80 is nice, and would make Amanda happy, but 90 is hot. And, of course, none of our hotels have A/C. The room is bearable, but warm. On the flip side, I’m sitting on our little balcony, surrounded by flowers, looking ahead at the remains of a castle, surrounded by Alsatian hills and cute little houses on a quiet street. So, enough complaining.
Yesterday we decided to head into Strasbourg, the biggest city in the Alsace region. It has about a million people, I believe, but the main downtown area is pretty contained and surrounded by canals. We had directions to a place we could park and take the tram into the city; and, with our new found confidence in reading street signs, we were off.
Parking was a little challenging, as we drove through the city a bit looking for our pre-determined spot. Although we saw hints of it (on signs), we never found it; we were finally able to find a spot within walking distance of the city for only a few Euro more than we’d have paid for the other spot.
First stop was the cathedral, an amazing structure with beautiful flying buttresses, ornate gothic type artwork and inscribing around the outside, and tall spires. Amanda and I climbed up to the top of the observatory and got a birds-eye view of the city. From there we made our way over to Place Kleber, the shopping district, and then Le Petit France for lunch. We ate at a nice outdoor café complete with music from a couple street entertainers; followed by a showdown between the head hostess and the entertainers when they went to ask for donations from the patrons.
After most of the day in Strasbourg, and the sun, we felt a bit wasted. We went back to Obernai and our hotel and rested a bit. Then, we took a drive up the hills above Obernai; it was gorgeous. On the way home the Obernai Tourism office was putting on a little town square party. There was beer, wine, food, dancing, a polka band; so, of course we had dinner and stayed for a bit. By the end of that the FIFA semifinal game had started and we returned to our hotel room to watch it. Unfortunately there aren’t any sports bars or pubs to watch these kind of events. We found one place, but it was a restaurant with a TV and it was already full.
This morning we got up and headed out for a run. On our drive yesterday we had found some trails and so we headed there to explore… what we found was a beautiful trail system designed for horses, bikes, and people. The trails meandered through wonderfully green wooded (and shaded areas) with little bridges crossing back and forth across a creek. It was nourishing for the body and soul as it was quiet and squirrels and birds flitted around us the whole time.
Obernai has a weekly market so before checking out we went up to that. Calling this thing a market does not do it justice; it is more like a travelling supermarket and tradeshow. People have these big trucks they drive in, full of clothes, and the open them up. The market filled many streets and had everything from clothing to kitchen gadgets to all the good food you’d want to buy for dinner that night. It was packed with people all over and I think we were on stimulus overload after going through half of it.
After checking out we headed back out on the wine route to Keyserberg, our next hotel location. The drive was surreal – cruising along narrow French roads surrounded by fields and fields of vines draped across rolling hills; about every 5-10 km there is another adorable little town with cobblestone streets that you navigate through, only to burst out of it back on the main road. Amanda says I went full French because I can’t help but cycle through the gears quickly to reach top speeds… the narrow roads only accentuate the feeling of speed and it is exhilarating. I can only imagine that’s what they French are thinking, also… otherwise, they wouldn’t tail me so closely if I drop below 100 km/hr!
We tasted some wines and had a classic Alsatian dinner, but I’ll have to write about that more later. Also, along the way, we found Monkey Mountain and a massive restored castle. But alas, the temperature has cooled a bit and I believe I’m ready to go to bed. More to come…
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Europe Wine Adventures: Alsace Day 2
We spent the day, for the most part, kicking around Obernai and figuring out the wine route. First the wine route, or Alsace Wine Route (Vins d’Alsace). This road winds through the French countryside from Strasbourg to Colmar, dotted with small towns filled with winemakers. We set off south, from Obernai, and made it through about 4 towns.
The roads between the towns are nice, winding through vineyards and hillsides. Small towns are visible along the way, nestled in a sea of green patchwork fields. Up on the mountainside you can make out a castle, standing proudly at the highest point. Upon entering a town, the road becomes incredibly narrow and keeps me, as the driver, on my toes. Eerily, most of the towns we went through were very quiet and didn’t have a lot of cars or people.
Amanda and I stopped at a few towns and wandered around a bit, though. Tasting rooms are open, but not necessarily manned, so it takes a little bravery to wander in and see if it is a tasting room (especially since we don’t read French that well) and then find a host. I’m sure over the next couple days we’ll get a bit more comfortable with it, but initially we’re a bit tentative.
One winery we stopped at we tried the Pinot Gris and the Pinot Gris Barrique (which saw 5 months in smaller barrels). It was a great contrast. The regular Pinot Gris had a bit of residual sugar and full, soft fruits in the mouth; a lush feel and a little sweetness to carry the finish. The barrique-ed version had wood on the nose and in the taste. The fruit was definitely muted, but still present. Amanda likes the wood-presence and preferred the latter; and, maybe in the right setting I would, also. But as a nice summer white wine, the classical Pinot Gris was more my preference.
After a few other stops for tasting and pictures we went back to Obernai to find some food. We had lunch at a nice little café – some salads and a glass of wine. Then Amanda and I walked the ramparts, a wall around the city built in the 12th century. It didn’t take long to walk, but it was interesting. There are several places where the old wall has been incorporated into the structures of newer buildings; even some of the towers remain and have been used.
Tomorrow we’ll head in to Strasbourg to visit the cathedral, Le Petit France (for lunch) and probably a canal tour. Then, of course, we’ll have to figure out where to watch the Germany match… being so close to the German border, there are a lot of fans here.
The roads between the towns are nice, winding through vineyards and hillsides. Small towns are visible along the way, nestled in a sea of green patchwork fields. Up on the mountainside you can make out a castle, standing proudly at the highest point. Upon entering a town, the road becomes incredibly narrow and keeps me, as the driver, on my toes. Eerily, most of the towns we went through were very quiet and didn’t have a lot of cars or people.
Amanda and I stopped at a few towns and wandered around a bit, though. Tasting rooms are open, but not necessarily manned, so it takes a little bravery to wander in and see if it is a tasting room (especially since we don’t read French that well) and then find a host. I’m sure over the next couple days we’ll get a bit more comfortable with it, but initially we’re a bit tentative.
One winery we stopped at we tried the Pinot Gris and the Pinot Gris Barrique (which saw 5 months in smaller barrels). It was a great contrast. The regular Pinot Gris had a bit of residual sugar and full, soft fruits in the mouth; a lush feel and a little sweetness to carry the finish. The barrique-ed version had wood on the nose and in the taste. The fruit was definitely muted, but still present. Amanda likes the wood-presence and preferred the latter; and, maybe in the right setting I would, also. But as a nice summer white wine, the classical Pinot Gris was more my preference.
After a few other stops for tasting and pictures we went back to Obernai to find some food. We had lunch at a nice little café – some salads and a glass of wine. Then Amanda and I walked the ramparts, a wall around the city built in the 12th century. It didn’t take long to walk, but it was interesting. There are several places where the old wall has been incorporated into the structures of newer buildings; even some of the towers remain and have been used.
Tomorrow we’ll head in to Strasbourg to visit the cathedral, Le Petit France (for lunch) and probably a canal tour. Then, of course, we’ll have to figure out where to watch the Germany match… being so close to the German border, there are a lot of fans here.
Europe Wine Adventures: Alsace Day 1
A few months ago Amanda and I had a leisurely Saturday and, as customary in Europe, had a glass of wine with our lunch. Having our common sense dulled and our romantic idealism enhanced, we booked a flight on Condor Air from Anchorage to Frankfurt. My Mom and Dad graciously agreed to take the kids for the week and we were set.
When we visited Luxembourg several years ago we saw campgrounds along the Mosel and so our initial idea for this trip was to rent a Eurovan and camp. However, as we started researching more (after we’d already committed, of course) we found out we were going at the high season and campers were only rented for a 14 day minimum. Oh well, we booked a few quaint hotels, rented a car, and called it good.
July 4th - we departed Anchorage around 2pm. It was a great 9 ½ hour flight over Greenland to Frankfurt, Germany. While flying Amanda could see giant ice sheets breaking up down below; there was minimal turbulence and since we had an exit row, plenty of leg room. A friend of Amanda’s, travelling to Russia, was also on the flight and sat right in front of us.
Upon arriving we had to wait a bit for our car but eventually hit the road. Making our way out of Frankfurt was easy enough and the Autobahn was nice. Our top speed was 160 km/hr (almost 100 mph!) but the speed we could go fluctuated wildly – no need for cruise control! Although it only took us a bit over 2 hours to get to Strasbourg, it took us almost another 2 hours to find Obernai, the small town we are staying in for 3 days. We were beat – we got checked in and slept for a couple hours before heading out to dinner.
Our hotel is incredibly cute – there is an open-air courtyard with tables (where I sit as I write this) surrounded by all the rooms. Beautiful red and purple flours hang from all the windows and balconies and sweet Thyme plants are on every table. The village is a classic cobblestone street French village that has quite a bit of tourism. Lots of people come with their bikes and take day trips; Amanda and I followed one of the routes on our job this morning as we ran to Nidernai, the neighboring town. We ran through corn fields and the backside of houses with lovely French gardens.
When we visited Luxembourg several years ago we saw campgrounds along the Mosel and so our initial idea for this trip was to rent a Eurovan and camp. However, as we started researching more (after we’d already committed, of course) we found out we were going at the high season and campers were only rented for a 14 day minimum. Oh well, we booked a few quaint hotels, rented a car, and called it good.
July 4th - we departed Anchorage around 2pm. It was a great 9 ½ hour flight over Greenland to Frankfurt, Germany. While flying Amanda could see giant ice sheets breaking up down below; there was minimal turbulence and since we had an exit row, plenty of leg room. A friend of Amanda’s, travelling to Russia, was also on the flight and sat right in front of us.
Upon arriving we had to wait a bit for our car but eventually hit the road. Making our way out of Frankfurt was easy enough and the Autobahn was nice. Our top speed was 160 km/hr (almost 100 mph!) but the speed we could go fluctuated wildly – no need for cruise control! Although it only took us a bit over 2 hours to get to Strasbourg, it took us almost another 2 hours to find Obernai, the small town we are staying in for 3 days. We were beat – we got checked in and slept for a couple hours before heading out to dinner.
Our hotel is incredibly cute – there is an open-air courtyard with tables (where I sit as I write this) surrounded by all the rooms. Beautiful red and purple flours hang from all the windows and balconies and sweet Thyme plants are on every table. The village is a classic cobblestone street French village that has quite a bit of tourism. Lots of people come with their bikes and take day trips; Amanda and I followed one of the routes on our job this morning as we ran to Nidernai, the neighboring town. We ran through corn fields and the backside of houses with lovely French gardens.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Funny... and back
Holy Cow! It has been almost a year since I've posted here. I've been thinking a lot about it since I enjoy writing. Then, a funny story happened and I figured that was a good excuse to post on the blog.
Ok, so my one funny story… it just happened. I was tucking the girls in to bed… well, they went down to bed and as I came down they were telling me there was a spider. There was a small spider on the wall close to where Jenna’s head is at (she's on the top bunk). I told Jenna to go get a paper towel. “ohhh”, she says, cuz you know, it makes her nervous. She came back and I told her she had to get it, but get it fast otherwise he’ll get away.
“Ok, but will you throw it away?” she says as she’s climbing back up. I agree and she goes right after it and gets it quickly and wads it up and hands it to me. She starts crawling in bed as I’m squishing it up tight.
Then, I exclaim, “ah, it got out! It’s on your pillow, Jenna!”
She bolts! She scurries down her bed, puts two hands on either side of the ladder, swings her feet through, and launches herself off the bed, landing on the floor! I didn’t even have time to say “wait!” It would be like me jumping from 14 feet up! Of course she was fine and was laughing; I was cracking up… I couldn’t believe it. She's our natural gymnast.
Ok, so my one funny story… it just happened. I was tucking the girls in to bed… well, they went down to bed and as I came down they were telling me there was a spider. There was a small spider on the wall close to where Jenna’s head is at (she's on the top bunk). I told Jenna to go get a paper towel. “ohhh”, she says, cuz you know, it makes her nervous. She came back and I told her she had to get it, but get it fast otherwise he’ll get away.
“Ok, but will you throw it away?” she says as she’s climbing back up. I agree and she goes right after it and gets it quickly and wads it up and hands it to me. She starts crawling in bed as I’m squishing it up tight.
Then, I exclaim, “ah, it got out! It’s on your pillow, Jenna!”
She bolts! She scurries down her bed, puts two hands on either side of the ladder, swings her feet through, and launches herself off the bed, landing on the floor! I didn’t even have time to say “wait!” It would be like me jumping from 14 feet up! Of course she was fine and was laughing; I was cracking up… I couldn’t believe it. She's our natural gymnast.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Summer fun
This has been an epic Alaska summer - warm sunny days, relaxing evenings, and overworked days. Yes, nothing ever works out perfectly. For work, I've taken on some additional responsibilities which has required me to travel to Fairbanks on a regular basis. It isn't a bad commute, but of course responsibilities bring some pressure.
But, onto the more fun things. We planted a garden, a first for us. Although like everything I wish I had more time for it, I love the therapuetic aspect of weeding and taking care of it. And, it is amazing watching the things grow - green beans, carrots, lettuce. Yum! Stay tuned... we're focusing on the Northwest (wine and food).
We also took a great long weekend trip with our girls. Amanda, Jenna, Carli and me went to Portland, OR for a trip. Our girls are excellent travellers - no complaining, eat anything, go along with anything, entertain themselves endlessly and jump right in to new activities. In Portland we went to the Chinese Garden (peaceful and serene); Washington Park and with the roses (intoxicating); the Japanese Gardens (a connection to nature); and, Multonomah Falls (exhilirating). The girls climbed all the way to the top of the falls with us, showing their true spirit with cruising to the top.
We spent one day in the wine country, a full report which can be found on my sister blog (alaskagrapenuts.blogspot.com). I really (really) enjoy experiencing wine country and seeing the location the grapes are grown, meeting the wine makers, and tasting terroir.
Recently, we went dipnetting. This will turn out to be a bit of a lean year for us as far as reds go. I just had our last boat trip cancelled, so it looks like we'll have what we have. I'm hoping to get a bunch of Silvers between Valdez and some runs up some rivers or something, we'll see.
The kids have had a full summer. The boys went to Cub Scout camp and basketball camp. All the kids went to a church camp. Now, the raspberries are ripening and so a nightly activity is going to pick those.
This is a bit abrupt and quick of a report, but better than nothing. Summer in Alaska is light, full, and fun. I hope summer is treating you all well, also.
But, onto the more fun things. We planted a garden, a first for us. Although like everything I wish I had more time for it, I love the therapuetic aspect of weeding and taking care of it. And, it is amazing watching the things grow - green beans, carrots, lettuce. Yum! Stay tuned... we're focusing on the Northwest (wine and food).
We also took a great long weekend trip with our girls. Amanda, Jenna, Carli and me went to Portland, OR for a trip. Our girls are excellent travellers - no complaining, eat anything, go along with anything, entertain themselves endlessly and jump right in to new activities. In Portland we went to the Chinese Garden (peaceful and serene); Washington Park and with the roses (intoxicating); the Japanese Gardens (a connection to nature); and, Multonomah Falls (exhilirating). The girls climbed all the way to the top of the falls with us, showing their true spirit with cruising to the top.
We spent one day in the wine country, a full report which can be found on my sister blog (alaskagrapenuts.blogspot.com). I really (really) enjoy experiencing wine country and seeing the location the grapes are grown, meeting the wine makers, and tasting terroir.
Recently, we went dipnetting. This will turn out to be a bit of a lean year for us as far as reds go. I just had our last boat trip cancelled, so it looks like we'll have what we have. I'm hoping to get a bunch of Silvers between Valdez and some runs up some rivers or something, we'll see.
The kids have had a full summer. The boys went to Cub Scout camp and basketball camp. All the kids went to a church camp. Now, the raspberries are ripening and so a nightly activity is going to pick those.
This is a bit abrupt and quick of a report, but better than nothing. Summer in Alaska is light, full, and fun. I hope summer is treating you all well, also.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Miracle Kidney Kitty
A quick update on our cat, our resilient Chunk. He seemed to be on the way down and after the vet checked lab values, she said his only real hope was IV fluids. Given the emotional and financial cost of that prospect, we declined and took him home. At her insistence we took some fluids to put under his skin to ease the discomfort associated with kidney failure. Chunk, however, figured that was all he needed and since starting fluid therapy has bounced back nicely.
He definitely isn’t all they way cured and we know it is now a matter of time. But, that time could be days or years… and we should all appreciate the extra time we get with loved ones. He is very affectionate but with the same sense of attitude, especially after getting his fluids.
So, for the time being he’s doing well and we are grateful and happy to have our friend still with us.
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