Spring

A quick micropost tonight.  I don't know much (okay, next to nothing) about plants; but I'm grateful that the owners of our house took the time to plant a wide range of perennials that have been absolutely beautiful for us to look at.  As I was cooking on the grill I couldn't help but notice these flowers and began to think about the cycle of the past 12 months.  I posted last year about this same thing - my god, has it really been (almost) 12 months??  So much has happened since the last time I thought about spring, flowers, seasons marching to the light and warmth.  So a quick few pics for you tonight.  (Side note: I definitely need a macro lens....)

On a different note, here are a few of one of our resident eagles, trying to eat his meal in peace.  The brave blackbirds you see were trying their hardest to harass Mr. Eagle and steal his food.  He ultimately left for more peace and quiet.  The nerve.... 

Still Working...

I need more and more time to do fewer and fewer things.  Alas, the joy of fatherhood has totally put a crimp in my blogging, though I still hold onto the dream of actually posting trip reports from our time in Europe.  Our good friend Lucia is much better at this than I will ever be - but she provides great inspiration for what I hope to complete one day.

I'm still planning a big Venice post, now 6 months late.  6 months.  I blame my perfectionist streak in going through my 'perfect' photos and tweaking them a bit.  I can't help it, though I'm beginning to recognize it's a losing battle.  Oh well, at least it provides me with my therapy.

The photo here is one of my favorites. I actually went to Venice by myself for 2 days while Kathy was back in the States, doing nothing but getting (stupendously) lost and taking it all in with my trusty Nikon.  And I'm positive I have absolutely no idea where I had lunch on this particular day.  I started with a fresh frutti di mare antipasto plate, moved on to a simple penne primi dish, and finished with the ever-delicious panna cotta.  The quarto of wine completed the trifecta (quarto litro, not American quarto).  The quiet gondoliers rowing past my table help make it one of the most memorable meals I will ever have; being by myself with my own thoughts only made it more unique.  

I'm already thinking about 3 posts ahead - I know, I know, I can't even finish the one in front of me.  That's what 20,000 pictures from Europe does to you - I can't wait to show them all.

One of my future posts will be about Magna Grecia, or greater Greece.  Before the Romans took over the Italian peninsula, Greece was in control of all things Mediterranean.  Many colonies were founded throughout Italy and Sicily, including this one, now known as Paestum (Roman name) but once known as Poseidonia.  It lies about 2 hours south of Naples and had always been on my list of places to see, after many hours of study in multiple art history classes I'd taken over the years.  More on that later.

Well, this will have to do for now.  As we get closer and closer to our move to San Diego this summer, no doubt these will be harder for me to do.  But I'm determined to get to this as often as I can.  In the meantime, one more pic for you.  I figure he's a good enough reason why I can't post as often as I could....

Thanks a lot, Vancouver

A while ago, I posted my thoughts on the unjust distribution of Vancouver 2010 Olympics tickets.  Turns out I wasn't crazy.  It's made plenty of news here in the Seattle how many tickets have been made unavailable for average folks like you and me.  What? Whole blocks going to VIP's and uber-expensive hospitality packages?  Say it isn't so, Joe.  

Well, that's the way it goes.  We knew back in April we'd scored 2 tickets, so I probably ought not to complain.  We cracked the 2% end of the bell curve of fans who got any tickets at all.  Wow, I feel lucky.  Unfortunately, 2 tickets to one event wasn't going to be enough to justify the thousands (yes) of dollars in lodging we'd have to shell out just to even attend one day of competition.  Even if it is biathlon.  Yes, biathlon.  If you don't watch it, you probably won't appreciate it.  It's not your fault - it doesn't make TV here in the USA.  3 years living in Europe turned us on to all kinds of winter sports.  



But, alas, it is not meant to be.  I'd made my peace with it a long time ago.  That is, until the tickets showed up a few weeks ago.  

Yep, one big flat envelope.  Inside, the form letter starts with 'Dear Valued Customer.'  It basically says 'Don't lose them, or you're SOL.'  

Drumroll, please.... Official Olympics tickets:

Well, here they are.  So close, and yet so far.  But some good can come of this.  At least the Organizing Committee has developed a sell-back program for family members of the athletes looking for a few more tickets.  So it looks like the photos above will be our only keepsakes of the Vancouver 2010 games.  


And completely unrelated, I'm still working through some Venice pics, and plan a large entry (like my Naples one) at some point in the future.   Here's a sneak peek:

 

TTFN.

Happy Alex

A happy Alex, too cute to pass up.

Alex's First Christmas

Hi all!  I had hoped to post Venice today, but I'm woefully behind.  Instead, and certainly much better, are some quick pics of Alex and his first Christmas.  

Here is Alex in his Bumbo chair.  What's that, you say?  Think of molded foam 70's furniture for kids.  Babies who can't even roll over can get plopped into one of these, making it look like they can sit upright.  Which, of course, they can't, but I won't tell him if you won't.  

And now that it's cold outside, Alex has asked that we suit him up in his favorite hoodie sweatshirt.  He generally likes it, but only as far as I'm not taking pictures of him too often.

And finally, on to the Christmas tree and presents!  It was pretty difficult to make it come out, but I caught a decent pic of Alex staring down the tree.  Ooooh, lights......  

 This has been a great year.  Santa brought us baby Alex.

And he also brought a lot of loud, bright toys for him to play with when he's old enough.  I wonder if he also brought mom and dad some motrin.

 Peace to you, your family, and your friends this Holiday season.