Sunday, January 31, 2010

Snowshoe in Johnson Pass Trail

We took a lovely little stroll near Johnson Pass Trail in the sunshine. We saw one rabbit and signs of more everywhere. By the time we got to the meadow the girls were ready to be rabbits.



The sunshine was so nice. We had a picnic and then the rabbits took off for the trees.


Can you find any bunnies hiding in the tree hollows?

This little bunny INSISTED on climbing out "all by myself!" As she crawled out of the trees and up to the trail she said, " I am doing a good job. I see rabbit poop. I am doing a good job."

Just a month ago, Sadie would look outside at the snow and say, "Snow yucky." Today our little outdoor girl hiked on the snowy trail after pretending to be a snowshoe hare in the deep snow. As we hiked back to the car we heard her say, " This is fun, Dad."








Dinosaurs & Dragons

Sadie, Jude and I made a "baby dragon hatching from an egg" (Sadie's idea) and a T-Rex for Jude. The kids painted them and then played with them in the living room.






Thursday, January 28, 2010

Tassajarra Bread

I made two loaves of whole wheat bread from The Tassajarra Bread book. A long, but enjoyable process and the bread was OUT OF THIS WORLD! Wondering if I can go homemade in the bread department and stop buying crappy bread. I know exactly what is in this bread and I'd say I got a mild workout making it.

Rock and water
wind and tree
bread dough rising
Vastly all
are patient with me.
-from the Dedication in The Tassajarra Bread Book
by Edward Espe Brown


Tuesday, January 26, 2010

You Never Know Who Your Going To Meet...

...in the dark, running on a frozen river in Alaska. Last night, while running with friends on the Eagle River, I met a woman named Gail. We ran together and shared bits about our children, why we came to Alaska and why we run. Gail, a former army nurse arrived in AK in 2005, the same year as we returned. She grew up just across the sound from me in Long Island. I can still hear it in her voice. Her two boys are grown and attend college. Her husband just took command of the 6th Battalion and will be deployed (again) to Iraq or Afganistan in October. Three years ago he lost his left arm to an IED in Iraq. He is now an ultra-biker completing 100 mile rides with one arm. She completed the 50K Little Su on her bike last year- I may have run alongside her at some point. She runs barefoot at the indoor track after reading Born to Run. We finished our run and hugged and told each other how much we enjoyed the run and the conversation. When I told her I hoped I'd see her again on a run, she told me that she and her husband were leaving in a few weeks for Africa- to climb Kilimanjaro. I hugged her again and told her "Good for you!" I can't wait to catch up with her in March. You never know who you'll meet on a frozen river!


Farmer

I put on these hand-me-down overalls from Maren. Sadie looked down at her outfit, scowled, and said, " Hey, I'm a farmer!" Then she ran down the hallway yelling, "I need my farmer hat" and returned ready to plow the fields.

False Alarm

We thought she was interested, but she reverted to hard-core, two-year oldness-
"I don't like it!" And she ran away with her pants around her ankles.

Family Visit in Connecticut

Thanks to Mom and Dad for a lovely visit in CT. We enjoyed spending time with you and making oursleves at home in your home. The girls are still talking about the things they did and the treasures you shared with them. We love you!












Climb On!

I told Maren about the cliffs ( loose term) I used to climb and play on when I was a kid. We climbed up for the neighborhood view the first day we were there.

She just wanted to climb everything- trees at Taylor Farm...

and rocks in Central Park.



We HEART New York!

Our annual NYC trip with my folks...arriving in Grand Central Station.

Posing at Rockefeller Center

Running through FAO Schwartz...

and finally leaving what seemed like HOURS later.

Exploring Central Park

Absolutely wiped out at the end of the day.






Fun in the Sun

Compo Beach at 45 degrees and sunny!








We love Sneakers!

We love Sneakers, my folks black lab puppy. She is loving and full of excitement and already a member of the family. I enjoyed her boundless energy on my runs and the girls vascillated between loving her cuteness and struggling with her constant motion. It made me want a lovely lab ( how smart and curious and communicative they are!) and helped me realize that our life may not have room for such activity. She is such a good girl and I am glad she has found her way into my parent's life.








Sunday, January 10, 2010

Winter Smoking

Smoked salmon yesterday to bring home to CT.
My lovely assistant was quite helpful.


David "winterized" the smokers to keep the heat in and we smoked in record time!



Finger Puppets

Maren & Jonah create creatures and dress them.
They never cease to amaze me.

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Tiger Cage

Since Sadie moved into the big girl bed and we took the crib apart, the girls have had some interesting ideas about how to best use the crib walls. Yesterday it was an animal shelter and today a tiger cage.




Applesauce

For some strange reason (this is a first), Sadie decided to spread her applesauce all over her face and hair during dinner last night. She found it very entertaining and hoped we would too. I bit my lip and turned my head to laugh. It was hard not to, she was very intent on spreading the applesauce all over her head. We are having roast chicken, gravy and mashed potatoes tonight so I hope she doesn't have the same idea!