Sweet Corn

Tua's first sweet corn...well, sort of. We told her the best sweet corn is back in Illinois AND she doesn't have any teeth yet, but she wouldn't wait.

Bears

The Bugeci in June

The Bucharest-Budapest Line

At Pelsior Palace (Hapsburgs Castle in the Bugeci)

About a year ago, Bug and I took two weeks and travelled to Eastern Europe. We met up with good friends of ours in Hungary. After three days of touring the city, the four of us boarded a train at Kerlegy station in Budapest bound for the Carpathian mountains in Romania. We spent one great day hiking around the vast conifiered peaks of the Bugeci range and then departed after having made the mistake of assuming that Bucharest, our next port of call, would hold far greater excitment.

I was scrolling the headlines tonight and was pulled in by the story of a bear attack in a section of the Bugeci range.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/06/24/international/i141546D38.DTL

This particular collection of peaks and valleys is indeed vast and I will not presume that the incident took place near where our steps had traced. Though from my recollection, the only wildlife I can remember coming into contact with were the stray dogs that followed us from the train station up into the hills.

Swim Lessons

Yesterday I went swimming with Tua. I brought down all the provisions except the bottom of her swimsuit, which is coming in the mail soon. Actually, we could have stuck any baby in the picture as you can't really tell her identity with all her sun protection. In the first picture, Seth's youngest brother Jim is testing out Tua's swim toy since she wasn't quite ready for it. She really liked the water and started kicking her feet, as seen in the picture. I'm sure this isn't the only posting of swimming we will do for the summer!

The Crib Sessions

There are several points in the life of your child during which it is important to recognize that the gradual changes in their personality have culminated into a new chapter. Over the last week, Tua has begun to enjoy among other things, our company. She hasn't said as much, but we can see it her persistant wakeful energy, her warm smile as she catches our attention, and her definitive dismay if we fall away from view. All these facets are as new to Tua as they are to us. This collection of shots were taken just before bed tonight. She loves to lean against the sides of her crib and animate a dialogue with whoever might be standing in reach.

Mission Accomplished

I finally got Tua laughing repetitively today. I will hopefully post a video of our game "Drop the Ball" to prove it. She was practicing sitting up on her own when I showed her the ball and she really liked it. I laid her down on her back and would drop the ball (very soft) from about 2 feet and catch it right before it would land on her tummy. For some reason, she giggled then came peels of laughter with screeching and everything. Quite fun. I had no idea how entertaining a baby could be.

Family Shots

Seth's grandparents were up last week. Here are some photos from the visit. Tua's cousin Pascal is nearly walking these days.

Pictures for Great-Grandpa Van Orman

Seth's mom gladly came up for a photo shoot with Tua yesterday. She also helped me fix our printer so I could send some pictures of Tua and the house to my grandparents. My Grandpa Van Orman shipped a child's rocking chair to us that belonged to his family in the early 1900's. You will see Tua enjoying its comfort in the first picture. I'm not sure what she is doing in the second picture.

Laughter and the Elephant

Today amongst the usual trickle of mail in our post box was a small, brown-papered envelope with a return address of Kampala. It had Tua's name on it so we let her open it. We let her open most of our mail these days. She loves ripping paper from paper. Inside the envelope was a colorful elephant, a gift from her dear friends in Uganda. Tua took to this with great amusement. It even ushered some laughter, which is a new thing for her, though to the untrained ear, it sounds more like a tiger screeching, not that I have ever heard a tiger screech, if that is indeed what tigers do. Below is Tua and the elephant, whom we have (all) named 'Trunkus'.

Dear Joshua and Zara,

Thank you for the gift of the elephant. He is a real treat to carry around from place to place and is much fun to play with. Trunkus will have a good home here. Hope to meet you face to face soon.

Love --- Tua

Sounds of Summer

As soon as the snow melts here, things begin to turn green. It usually takes the better part of May and June before the gray yeilds to the verdant. In that respect, the line between winter and Spring is easily identified. A different story is the line between Spring and Summer. The signs that summer is on its way are not as clear. A few indicators: an eiry absence of school buses, late evening light, higher gas prices, heat. Today, another sign of the season roared into town. The season of Harley Davidson is upon us. I managed to get one of the proprietors of these monsters to allow me to get close enough for a photo.

Sick Day

Well, the big day at the city took its toll on Tua. She has a cold...stuffy, red nose (which you can see in the picture) and a slight cough. It hasn't affected her temperament, though. She has been full of smiles and still enjoys watching All Creatures Great and Small. We watched it the other night when she was under the weather.

Bearing Gifts from A-Far

Tua's Grandparents just returned from Europe where they spent some time with our cousins in Italy. The town of Renazza, just outside of Bologna, is the headquarters of Tua's Italian fan base. It was here that my parents stayed for a portion of their visit and it was from here that they departed bearing gifts for Tua and for Tua's cousin, Pascal. Last night, Tua got to open her gifts. As with any toddler, the wrapping paper was of more interest to her than the contents, but we did get a few pictures of her during the activity.




Caro Maura, Francesco e famiglia Alberghini,
Grazie per dono asciugamano. Ippopotomo e uccello divertente. Io piacere infinite.

Con Affetto,
Tua


The travellers returned.

Birthday. Baby. Burlington

Bug turned thirty on Sunday. We all celebrated on Church Street in Burlington where the annual jazz festival was just getting underway. We saw a few street acts but Tua's attentions were focused elsewhere, mainly the colorful palates on the Ben and Jerry's wall menu and the pleasant canine greeters in front of the Outdoor Gear Exchange. Below, Tua and Bug at RiRa.

In the dwindling hours of a busy urban marketplace, mother and daughter cut a chic image.

Home again.

Tua Greets Phare

The rhubarb is up and Bug and I have been making pies with the fifty or so stalks that have found their way to our kitchen. The arrival of the rhubarb season is synonomous with many things here, particularly the beginning of June and Bug's birthday, two events which would lack a certain element, if indeed there was no such thing as rhubarb pie. This afternoon, we shared our spoils with like minded rhubarb fans who have recently welcomed a new life into their own. Phare Margaret was born on the 28th of May. Tua put on her best dress for the event and was in good spirits as she posed with her new friend.