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.