Last night, we thought we'd take Tua to the spa, so to speak. So we gave her a steam bath with baby-safe lavender scented carbonium bath salts, scrubbed her scalp with balsam oils and pampered her with a thorough, deep muscle massage. She seemed to relish it all and afterward was only too eager to pose for a few shots. The one above is one of her after the spa, still in her robe. Below, she and I prepare for an evening stroll. The carrier is a 'maya wrap'. We have found it to be one of the best ways to carry her through the day.
The last picture is from April's visit to the land of Lincoln.... Tua and the latest eye fashions.

Family Time

The month of May has been a tradition of travelling for Seth and me. A couple weeks ago Seth posted some pictures of Scotland and I've found some pictures of our trip to San Francisco we took in 2005. The last picture is of our current journey...

New Shoes

Sorry it has been a while since we have posted. Seth has been busy now that Spring as arrived in Vermont and is busy with outdoor tasks. This is a shot of Tua that Seth's mother took yesterday. Seth's parents are visiting family in Italy and wanted to bring some pictures of their first granddaughter. She is sporting her new socks that have shoes "painted" on them. Very clever. Someone asked me if they make them for adults. We should look into that.

Mayday

Chapter One (in which Tua meets Tigger)
Sunday, Tua's fourth month birthday.
Two Step

Even the chair is boring..........

Anyone who has had the pleasure of raising childen is aware of the speed at which they grow and how if one is not careful, time will attempt to sneak past without notice turning what could have been rich tangible experience into the dust of memory. Not so with Tua. She refuses to allow time of any measure to creep by her un-checked. So far her sleeping patterns seem to be governed by the sun. She wakes upon its rise and begins her steady descent into sleep upon its disappearance over the horizon. Her wakeful personality takes in every moment and we are finding that whatever it is that we are doing at any given moment of the day, she is at attention. Last night, I peeled, washed and diced four pounds of potatoes and then set them to boil. To my audience, I might as well have been dancing barefooted on hot coals. She was completely transfixed. The downside to this is the end of the day. She approaches each seven o'clock hour with all the disappointment of a deal gone sour. I can't say I blame her. Who wouldn't want to stay up with mom and dad doing all the exciting things that grownups usually do after the kiddies are in bed? Now that I'm in that position, I'm the one who's disappointed. An hour or two after she'd asleep, I myself find my eyes getting to their heaviest and I know I'm not too long for this world.

where my dreams take me

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of the best journey I have ever found myself on. On the 26th of April 2004, Bug and I took two weeks and went to Scotland. Bug thinks I'm a bit nuts to be chaulking this up to National Holiday status, and she is probably right. In celebration of the event, I took out the film from that trip and have posted some of the pictures....this first one is a test for our friend Pam. Pam, if you can name the loaction of where I am standing in this picture, I owe you a dollar.
Bug and I on top of Ben Nevis
Beautiful Glen Nevis.

This shot was not staged. There really was a sheep grazing two feet from a Saint Andrews cross.
Our ride from Glasgow to Fort William. The best way is always by train.

On the list of recommended destinations on the left, you'll find a few of the fine places we hung our hats along the way.

Turtle

Today, Tua received one of her finest gifts.
The turtle quilt from her favorite Peace Core alums, Arlyce and Brian was delivered to her just before bed tonight.

Nice fit. The colors match, too.

This was Arlyce's first quilting venture. Tua was thrilled to be named sole benefactor of this fine piece.
What to name the Turtle.
Say Uncle.

Proof Of Life

We are, in fact, getting all of the snow you have seen forecast for the Northeast. When you see the blotch of white on the screen covering most of New England, think of us. On Friday of last week, my friend Brandon Bergey and I took advantage of the five feet of new snow on the slopes of Pico. The mountain has been closed since April first in the assumption that Spring was pending so we had the hill to ourselves. The visibility was minimal at best and the wind roared. However, the quality of the snow was unmatched and the conversation en route to the summit was engaging. We bantered about the topics of life, occupation, faith, and ski technique on the hours hike. The pictures below were taken at the top. Brandon took the one of the dogs and I as we approached the summit. The dogs did sleep well that night.
Footage of the desent can be found below as well.