Category Family
Progress at the little house: Yard work!
With all that’s been happening with construction inside the house, the yard has been sorely neglected. Spring snowstorms brought down big branches of the trees in back, and the front yard had achieved peak hay-field look. So this weekend’s project was to bring it al back from the brink of nature. I asked if I […]
Graduation!
Twenty-four years after Heather and I donned the mortar board and crossed the stage, Heather’s eldest, Brynn, has now gone the same. She’s officially graduated and out into the world! And credit where credit is due: I went into the event dreading what would surely be a tedious slog as we worked through a list […]
Progress at the little house
Quick overnight trip to Boise this weekend to check on the renovation project. The house has been gutted, reframed, and newly outfitted with HVAC and natural gas. It’s ready for drywall, floors, and the rest—and since the historic district approval came through on Friday, we’ll be able to get started in earnest on the next […]
A merry Christmas and a snowy Boxing Day
Christmas was as delightful as could be. We rose late, brunched on quiche, and once Bryce joined us, sat cozily in the living room opening gifts and enjoying each other’s company. In early afternoon Amy and Carol arrived, completing the party for the day. We pulled together a tasty raclette dinner followed by games, pie […]
The Met, grilled cauliflower, and a jagged little pill
How better to start the first day in New York than with an uncle/niece breakfast date at Le Pain Quotidien. Thus did Brynn encounter the glory that is Belgian hot chocolate. Then off to the Metropolitan Museum of art, with a brief pause at Grand central Station to marvel at the stars. In the best […]
Senior trip to New York!
Not my senior trip—Brynn’s. Can you believe she’s that old already?! I’m beyond delighted to be here in New York with her and Heather and Jordan. Some of my favourite people in one of my favourite places doing some of my favourite things together. Tonight’s activity: Bryant Park and Times Square. I ate: six pork […]
Fourth of July!
This might have been the best weather I’ve had in Seattle for the 4th of July. The morning was chilly and cloudy, but then the clouds cleared and it warmed right up and it was just about perfect. Justin and I hosted a small family barbecue with his parents and brother on the roof, and […]
Exploring the north coast
Let’s see, we had done the western beaches, the southern coast, and the eastern volcanoes—time to explore the north coast! The weather was overcast and chilly, so we didn’t even bother looking for beaches; instead we wanted to take in the lush jungly terrain, the famous waterfalls, and explore the town of Hilo. We didn’t […]
Then we watched the sun set
We stayed in the west side of the island, which made for perfect sunset-watching. We just walked down to the edge of the golf course next to the Hilton and enjoyed the colours and breeze at the end of the day. And we weren’t the only ones. Slowly a number of other families and couples […]
History and sea turtles and long talks on a rocky beach
After our beach day we drove south along the western coast of the big island to see what we could see. We started at the bottom at a site that was a sacred site where Hawaiians who broke one of the many strict cultural taboos could seek refuge in order to avoid dire consequences. The […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 