Eva and Dan

Bagel faces and baby faces

2011-05-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

Fun family activity/dinner: Toast a bagel, cover with cream cheese, and top with green pepper smile, alfalfa sprouts for hair, and olives/carrots/cucumber for eyes/nose/ears etc. Then eat! (as demonstrated by Orion above.)

Dan imitates his bagel face.

Tuckered out after a long car trip.

March photos

2011-05-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

Eva asked Orion to put his hands in his pockets, for a "J Crew" shot.

Sylvia showing off her mohawk.

Such a smiley happy baby (most of the time).

Lucky boy! (or as Orion says, 'ucky boy!)

Utah trip, and a wedding!

2011-02-25T17:40:00.001-08:00

Sylvia in her butterfly outfit.

Sylvia is Very Interested in what her big brother is doing.

Here we are the the Salt Lake City Mormon temple, where Grandma Sue is getting married to Grandpa Wynn.

Sylvia wore a cute pink dress to the wedding. (Thanks, Sid, Laura, and Madeleine!)

Here is Eva with Nana, her grandmother.

Some of the spectacular Utah mountains.

And Nana with her great-granddaughter.

After Salt Lake City we drove to eastern Utah and hiked a bit in Arches National Park. Here is the Delicate Arch.

Orion and the Snow Rodents

2011-02-25T17:16:00.000-08:00

Sylvia is steadily growing, and becoming a lively conversationalist. If only we knew what she was saying!

She falls asleep in unlikely poses.

Orion's drawing of an elephant. Better than I could do, I think.

A "ainbow"!
Trapped inside by the weather, Eva and Orion brought in some snow, and sculpted small figurines with it. The result...

... Snow rodents!

Sylvia again. Ain't she sweet?

January - most snow ever in Connecticut

2011-02-25T17:04:00.000-08:00

Sylvia, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Orion has taken to calling himself a prince, wearing his white blanket as a cape, running around the house with a styrofoam sword, and telling us how he is going to "slew a dragon".

Our house after one of the bigger snowfalls. In January, we got more snow in New Haven than in any month in recorded history.

And here is the birthday boy - a very proud three years old. Orion had a pajama-themed birthday party with three friends: Miriam, Holly, and Cecilia. Eva entertained all with a finger-puppet staging of "The Frog Prince".

Smiley baby for Christmas

2011-01-02T08:40:00.000-08:00

November

2011-01-02T07:46:00.001-08:00

New baby girl, and Orion the Ghost

2011-01-02T06:52:00.001-08:00

New Baby Sylvia!

2010-10-23T08:02:00.001-07:00

Trains and blocks

2010-10-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

Good entertainment for Orion, at our local used book store.

Our friends Bruce & Jeanne visited with their little boy Beckett, and we took a trip on the Essex steam train, up the Connecticut river valley.

Not long now for baby #2.

Our fascinated little boy.

A block structure built by Orion, stable but top-heavy.

An action shot of Orion attempting to lay the next block. You can imagine what happens next.

Languedoc and Provence

2010-10-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

Here we are in Montpellier, where Dan had a dark matter conference. Montpellier is an elegant city, with lots of students and nightlife.

The central square in Montpellier, Place de la Comedie, also the location of Orion's favorite carousel.
In Provence, at l'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, where Gabe and Dan went to a terrific outdoors antiques market. Gabe is chillin' his feet.

Artichoke flowers at the l'Ilse sur la Sorgue market

A lovely monastery near the house we rented in Provence. A bit earlier and we would have seen the fields of lavender, harvested a few days before we arrived.

Le pont d'Avignon (Sur le pont d'Avignon, l'on y danse, l'on y danse...)

Orion has persuaded Uncle Gabe to take him on the carousel.

A magnificent Roman Aqueduct, le Pont du Garde

Cliffs of ochre near the town of Roussillon

A view of Roussillon
Sunset from the back porch of our rental house, 2 km from the nearest town and surrounded by vineyards and orchards.

Orion and I climbed to the nearest village, Venasque, a quaint and pleasant town.

A few houses in Roussillon

On the way back to Barcelona, Orion and I stopped in Collioure, a spectacularly beautiful town near the Spanish border.

Orion had great fun at the pebble beach, throwing rocks into the water.

Carcassonne and Dordogne

2010-08-29T09:32:00.001-07:00

After driving up from Spain, we spent the night in Carcassonne. We arrived at around 9 PM, then headed into the castle walls for dinner. We had some yummy cassoulet, and Orion fell asleep in his car seat, which we had thought to bring with us. Gabe and I traded off watching Orion until 1 AM, exploring the medieval town's outdoor restaurants, ice cream vendors, cobblestone streets, and fairy-tale atmosphere.

The next morning we hopped in the car and explored the French countryside, filled with fields of sunflowers. Here we stopped to take some pictures.

Soon we arrived in Dordogne, where we had rented a house east of Bergerac, and met up with Orion's Grandma Karen, Grandpa Joe, Aunt Mary, and Uncle Rich. The quaint and very pleasant rental house dated from the 17th century, and slept us all very comfortably. The French countryside surrounded us, though there was a bakery 1 km away. The house also had a fabulous pool. The inside of the roof, however, was a popular nightlife spot for a number of least weasels (belettes) who sometimes made a ruckus while we were trying to sleep.

Above is a castle that Orion, Joe, and Dan explored one day, zipping off in Joe's new red sports car.

The outdoor dining table at the Dordogne house, where we passed many a pleasant evening. At night the stars were tremendously bright, and we could see the Milky Way.

Orion still in his pajamas, playing with his bus from Barcelona.

Orion, looking smashing in Grandpa Joe's cap.

One day we explored a garden and neighboring chateau, and finished with ice cream.

We also explored the very impressive castle of Castelnau, complete with a collection of trebuchets.

A visit to Dordogne is not complete without seeing the Paleolithic cave paintings. We couldn't take pictures inside, but here is a shot of the entrance to the Font de Gaume cave, which is filled inside with 15,000-year-old bison paintings. Seeing these was a unique and powerful experience.

One day Orion, Gabe, and Dan spent the day in the tremendously pleasant town of Sarlat, full of cafes and shopping. Orion liked climbing on the sculptures of geese.

Gabe making friends with a local canine.

On our drive back to southern France, Orion, Gabe, and Dan visited Rocamadour, a visually impressive medieval town clinging to the side of a cliff.

Driving North Through the Pyrenees

2010-08-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

After a few days in Barcelona, Gabe, Orion, and Dan drove north, through the Pyrenees, into southern France. Here is a photo of Montserrat, the "serrated mountain" outside Barcelona, which is also the site of a Benedictine abbey.

We drove to La Seu D'Urgell, a beautiful town in the isolated Segre valley of the Catalan Pyrenees. Here are photos of the 13th century cloisters, next to the 12th century cathedral of Santa Maria d'Urgell, one of the oldest in Catalonia.

A closeup of the fancifully carved Romanesque pillars of the cloisters.

Driving over a mountain on the border of Andorra and France, we came across a herd of wild horses. It was quite a sight to see them emerge from on one side of the road, then to disappear into the fog on the other side.

A baby horse and his pregnant mama, who is watching us with suspicion.

Dan and O go to Barcelona; Eva goes to the hospital

2010-08-28T06:34:00.001-07:00

On the day we were all planning to fly to Europe, Eva was sent to the hospital for monitoring. It was a total surprise; luckily she was not in pain, and the baby was totally fine the whole time. Many friends came to visit, bringing novels, movies, magazines, lunch and treats, and even her lute (It was possible to play until they switched the IV to the other arm. The violin, not to mention the harp, would have been nigh impossible to play there.) France will have to wait another year. 2012, anyone? Mark it on your calendars.

Dan and Orion continued on the planned trip to Catalonia and southern France, and met up with Orion's Uncle Gabe (Dan's brother). Here we are in Barcelona, on the Ramblas. Orion is giving a tip to a "human statue" performer.

Here Orion is playing in a fountain at the end of the Ramblas.

We didn't bring many toys for Orion, so Dan let Orion pick one out from a Barcelona toy store. Here the shopkeeper patiently watches as Orion tries out all the toys. The winner: a yellow and white toy city bus.

Barcelona has a terrific beach, easily accessible by the subway. One evening we visited there with Adam, Maggie, and Silas. Orion delighted in carrying sand from the beach with a small shovel, and throwing it into the water, over and over and over. He also liked to run down the beach, dodging sunbathers and towels, yelling "I don't know this place!"

Zoos: perfect for a 2 year-old

2010-08-28T05:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the Bronx zoo. Here is a "geen shake" according to Orion. As I write this, Orion comments "Owion see a geen shake at dat zoo!"

Rich, Orion, and I had a lot of fun at the Bronx zoo. Orion mostly got around by traveling on our shoulders. Here is Orion steering his Uncle Rich, a la Ratatouille.

Here we are being regarded out by a rather bored gorilla.

Good thing there is a wire fence between us and this Siberian tiger!

A picture from the Detroit zoo, a rhinoceros seen during our visit to Grandpa Mike and Grandma Pammy.

Grandma Pammy gave Orion an ice cream cone. Happy boy!

And here are Grandma Pammy and Orion, picking raspberries in the backyard of the house where I grew up.

And here we are at a Detroit Tigers baseball game, with Orion checking out the field for the first time. Orion got to ride on a carousel full of tigers, too.

Joys of summer: fire trucks, the zoo, and popsicles

2010-06-05T17:39:00.000-07:00

Dan here again. Here's our firstborn child, a little monkey having fun in the neighborhood park.

Orion was a very lucky boy. There was a fire engine parked outside the grocery store, and he got to go inside! Here he is in the front seat of the fire truck, pleased as punch.

Here he is photographed with one of the firemen (Orion wants to go back in the fire truck). Thank you Hamden firefighters!
We had a picnic at the top of East Rock park (where you can get a great view of New Haven and the sea). At the end, Orion got to eat a red popsicle, creating a great photo opportunity.

Here we are at the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, CT. Especially memorable were the tiger, prairie dogs, and carousel. In these pictures, Orion stares down a peacock and a turkey.

Finally, see below an exquisite example of unintentional spaghetti art.

The official announcement

2010-06-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

Orion's going to have a new baby sister! She'll arrive sometime around October 24-5.

More Edinburgh Adventures

2010-05-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

We all four hiked up Arthur's Seat, a small mountain right within Edinburgh. I began by carrying Orion in the pack but quickly became out of breath (as I often do these days) and he wanted to get down anyway. So he hiked all the way up, on the rock stairs, admiring and stepping in small puddles, feeling the temperature of the rocks, and only had to be carried the last 50 steps or so at the top. He kept saying "up, upa mountain!" and "Seeping Gint!" because we had hiked our local Sleeping Giant mountain here in CT a few weeks previous. He finally got to saying "Artha's Eat." After some fortifying crackers we headed back down the other, grassy side, followed a respectful distance by a crow.

He really remembers seeing the boats in the harbor from the top.

A different day Teru took us to the Royal Botanical Gardens and an amazing mind-boggling sausage shop. A few pictures of the former. Orion loved to escape from the path and wander through the plants...
Rhododendrons were especially welcoming as hiding places. They had 700 species of Rhododendron, of the thousand; many were in bloom for us.

Other climates and conservatories

And finally, Orion's own pictures of S and T's flat.

Edinburgh with Orion

2010-05-26T07:06:00.001-07:00

Orion and I traveled together to visit friends in Edinburgh, Scotland, a beautiful town with lots of grey stone. Orion was most enthusiastic about seeing castles; we officially saw two, but he also called ordinary apartment buildings castles. Below, some pictures of our visit to Craigmillar Castle, and Orion's first ride on a double-decker ("bubadeta") bus.

Orion sayings and creative outlet

2010-05-25T06:35:00.000-07:00

Crashing a party at a Master's house at Yale, and providing some entertainment...
One of his favorite tricks: "A-pane! A-pane!" Airplane, flying on the floor.
Orion's vocabulary and sentence-forming have exploded in the last two weeks. I went to get him up from his nap yesterday, and he fully said, "Mama, please can I get up now?" Which is cute and unusual both because it was a full polite sentence and the fact that we've converted his crib to a toddler bed, so he can get up whenever he likes. No one has enlightened him of this fact, and that is fine with me. We also made fresh lemonade for the first time this week, and he calls it "mamanade", which is appropriate, since I did the bulk of the lemon squeezing. It was worth it, though; a perfect taste of summer. Orion has also been singing more songs, such as O my darling Clementine (chorus), Doggydog Dover, Rainbow Connection/Somewhere Over the Rainbow (his favorite requests for bedtime songs: "ainbow shjong? Oder ainbow schong?" I have to sing them both).

He also loves taking pictures with the camera. Here are a few of the many examples, which I have titled.
"Afternoon Light, Ghost-Bride Curtain"

"Waiting for Dinner"

"Untitled: Chandelier"

"Red Clock"

"Daddy Prepares Dinner"

"Mama"

"Study in Yellow, Blue, White: Tipsy Yellow Galosh"

Spring photos

2010-05-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

Hi, Dan here. I'm adding a number of photos of Orion from this spring. Here are a couple of him going down a favorite slide, near the Whitehall apartments in New Haven. Ain't he handsome?

Here is one of Orion posing with Eva's flowers in our back yard.

He really loved a butterfly garden that we visited in central Massachusetts.

"BubbaFyes! BubbaFyes!" Here he is with Mama among the butterflies. There were lizards and birds and tortoises too!

He is a child of the 21st century, already learning how to work an iPhone.
A favorite phrase right now is a very clear "That's so amazing!"

And nothing is more fun than spraying water on a hot day. Here he is being useful, watering some new grass seed.

And a ride on Daddy's shoulders, following a windy picnic at the beach.

Boats in Venice

2010-04-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

Orion loves large vehicles of all types. His love of "gucks", as those of you with small boys in your life may know, is completely and strongly self-motivated--a fact that I did not believe was possible to this extant before having my own son.
One wonders to what extant trucks and the like fascinate Venetian toddlers, as there is no way to drive any cars or trucks through the streets of Venice. Instead, Venice has the equivalent in boats, that must travel through the canals to assist and transport the citizens of the Serenissima. (This post is mostly for Orion, for now, although Italo Calvino is not far from my mind.)

Instead of fire trucks, you have fire boats (luckily still red):Instead of taxis with wheels, water taxis:
Here's the police station, with blue police boats:
This was far away, but there is a barge with a cement truck and another construction truck traveling through the Giudecca canal (leaving no doubt as to how high construction costs are in Venice):
Here is a shipyard, with gondolas on the mend:
An ambulance:
A water bus, or vaporetto:
And, my favorite, the produce boat, with particularly good fruits and veggies:

This boat has always been there during my visits, near Campo Santa Margarita and a wonderful gelateria (try Cherry and Tiramisu mousse--always order two flavors--at least--at a time).

Venezia

2010-04-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

View from the Rialto, my first day in Venice in April.

Dan and I always take our picture together by the Tetrarchs when we're in Venice together....although I was by myself, I thought I'd keep up the tradition. (None of these pictures are very good--I only had my phone camera with me. But many more before me have given Venice her due in photographs, so I show here only a minimum of my trip.)
Even more than the few months I spent in Venice, living on the Giudecca, I tried to live like a local, shopping at the Rialto (above; I forgot to take a picture of the fruit stands and my fish and cheese stand pictures are even worse), commuting via traghetto, or a gondola shuttle across Canal Grande (below; one stands during the ride), patronizing gelaterie and pasticcerie, and visiting friends.

I just can't get enough of Venetian Renaissance facades of colored marble, as in S Maria dei Miracoli (below) and the Scuola San Marco, still a working hospital.
Venetian Gothic, too, is lovely, as in Tintoretto's parish church, S Maria dell'Orto (below) and Ss. Zanipolo, just to the right above (where the Bellini family was buried).
He's buried in the church; here's his memorial. I saw plenty of wonderful Tintoretto paintings and Bellini paintings and scuplture and prints and drawings and altarpieces; that's why I was there, and why I love my job.
I also visited San Michele, the island cemetery. I'd wanted to go for a decade, but never had the chance. It is really beautiful, an extended garden, with graves of veneziani and a few famous people. I said hello to Stravinsky and Diaghilev.

A few more pictures, from Ca d'Oro, with its funny collection but the last Mantegna; the university, where I spoke for a conference (the Renaissance Society of America), my primary reason for the journey; my apartment was just behind Goldoni's house; this apt gave me access to a Grand Canal door and view; watching the boats from my slippery little platform eating a gelato was a pretty amazing experience.

And finally, a hint for you, dear reader, on what else preoccupied yours truly in Venice. (And no, it is not that Italians spend a fortune on their kids' clothes, although that is true.)

(For another hint, see my trench in the photo above, and for the last hint, see my posts for the last time I was in Venice, Sept. 2007.) Any guesses?

Orion Pictures, Easter and Silly ("obe")

2010-04-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

I took pictures of Orion for Easter but then forgot to bring the camera to the Egg Hunt. Oh well. Doesn't he look smashing?! What a charmer.

And some silly pictures of Orion wearing his lion towel, which he calls his robe ("O-adan's obe").

I know you're actually waiting for pictures from Venice....

La Serenissima

2010-03-30T07:59:00.000-07:00

I know it has been forever, but I have some really good excuses...like three conference talks in as many months.... (Two were supposed to have been the same, but that will not be happening.) I will be leaving for perhaps my favorite city tomorrow. I'll be looking for an Orion-sized mask, with bells (per request), and yet another keychain-sized screw--mine always falls out right before another trip--maybe this is fate telling me I need another dose of Venice. I'll be living in a studio apt for almost two weeks, near San Toma, Scuola Grande di San Rocco, and the Frari (halleluiah); this is a part of town I don't know well at all. My talk will be on a work published in Venice, so that's cool; and I'll also do some library and perhaps archive work. I'm a little scattered (where IS that library card I procured last time!?) and I do not look forward to being tutto da sola for such a long time. Sure, I can attend Easter Mass in San Marco, but I'll miss Orion.

A little update--he has become quite poetic and musical. He can find "C" on the piano--"two b(l)ack (n)otes e down!" and has expanded his "thoughtful singing moments" from his one-hit-wonder, Tinko Tinko Itto Sa, to include snatches of Hot Cross Buns, Oh my darling Clementine, I've been working on the Railroad, Down by the Station, the Mulberry Bush, Hi Ho it's off to work we go, BaaBaa Black Sheep and the alphabet song, and probably others that I can't remember right now. He continues to drop the first letter off of many words; he has infinite-seeming homonyms; and a huge vocabulary. He is a terrific potty master (still in diapers at night), and still can't really jump, although it is cute when he tries.

His imagination is super right now, but the combination pretending to do something and many homonyms makes it sometimes hard to know what he's doing. He did, in a moment of poetic genius, pick up the rind of the orange-eighth (the "astronaut", in our family's terms), hold it upside down, and say Rainbow! "Ain-bow!" Yes indeed! Then he held it up high and tilted and said "Moon!" Why yes, it does look like the orange crescent moon.

Another favorite is tearing around the house saying Get the Monster! Get the Monster! (Getta Mossa! Getta Mossa!). After a recent hearing of Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique, in which I narrated the story (somewhat censored--I didn't stress the beheading....) of the Witches' Sabbath, he replaced it with Getta Itch! but I think he's back to the monsters now. One of his funniest recent sayings is "Ucky Boy!" that is, Lucky, especially after eating the chocolate found during a neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt.

orion is saying right now: airplane up, up in the sky with clouds!

2010-02-24T16:34:00.000-08:00

"Ah-pane up up ina schy couds! voom voom!"

Earlier this evening, inside an empty box:

It's not a box, its an oil truck [delivering] oil to the house!

"not-a-dots, azha guck azha a 'ouse!"

(zh is the j in bonjour) (he also says "wow" "hzow" it is pretty cute. Ws are definitely difficult to say/hear for him, as well as Ls. He says "mamas Nute! Pay NUTE!" When I take out my lute to play. The best part is the imagination--and I can get him to eat anything if his baby tiger (badey Giga) "tastes" it first.

Fun at Grandparents House, with a Train Theme

2010-02-01T17:06:00.000-08:00

Hi, this is Dan this time, publishing a few photos from my brand spanking new iPhone. These photos are mostly from our recent visit to Dearborn Heights MI and my parents (Orion's paternal grandparents). Much fun was had by all, especially in visiting the Henry Ford Museum with all of its prime Orion-entertaining subjects (trains, planes, and automobiles). The above photo was caught just as Orion's Grandpa Mike pointed out the DC-3 hanging from the ceiling.

And above is Grandpa Mike entertaining Orion by reading a book ("Eeda Boop!")

Here is Orion posing by an old-time airplane in the Henry Ford Museum. He had a great time, especially when he...

... got to sound the whistle in the truly enormous Allegheny locomotive. Here he is with Grandma Pam, looking out the window in between whistle blows.

And here he is doing a detailed inspection, chased by Grandpa Mike.

Here you can an idea of the size of the locomotive. The rest of the afternoon, Orion begged to go back and blow the whistle of the "Too Too Tain".

Here is Orion with Grandma Pam, sitting in her lap and playing with the Too Too Tain from my childhood, with terrific animals: a giraffes, two elephants, two lions, a bear, and a monkey, all with movable arms and legs (and movable tail for the monkey). This kept him captivated for hours.

Fast forward to Orion's birthday... Jan 31. From his paternal grandparents, Orion got a spaceship, which has been a hit. It comes complete with astronauts, astro-dog, moon rover, and three-eyed alien.

Orion definitely knows the purpose of space ships. This one goes "Voom Voom ah Moon" (which he illustrates by holding the spaceship up as high as he can).

Another cute picture below. This one is from a visit to a local mall, where he had good fun climbing on a x30 scale frog.

Finishing Up

2010-01-26T06:07:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve we went to the Oregon Aquarium. The pouring rain precluded photos of the cool outdoor exhibits, of sea lions, sea otters (Orion's fave), and auks (mine) but we had a great time. Thanks to the undersea diver Joe for playing host and tourguide. We had a wonderful visit with friends from New Haven and family from Oregon.
(Here I am, happily about to be eaten by a shark jaw...)
Diver Joe and Diver O"Dory!"

"Dedjy-dish!" Thanks to Finding Nemo, several ocean books, and at least three aquarium visits, Orion loves the undersea world, especially "snuggling like sea lions/otters" ( ike Zee Azzazz)
Too soon, we were back at home, with Orion returning to his favorite things, like talking on multiple phones, and playing "unveil the bride" with the dining room curtains.
A major hit were the vehicles he received for Christmas. Here's the little indoor push-wagon ("GUCK!") in action.

More to come, stay tuned: The red outdoor vehicle, assembled by moi et Orion; Eva's new "Toye" with help from Grandpa Joe and Jane Pickering; pictures of a visit to the McKinsey Grand-mere et pere, uploaded by our own DAN; and...later in the week....the event of the year...ORION'S SECOND BIRTHDAY!!! but first I have to finish my conference talk presentation. A plus tard.

Santa's Trolley

2010-01-11T18:18:00.001-08:00

As part of the quest to rediscover New Haven as parents, Dan and I took Orion to the East Haven Trolley Museum (early Dec). While most Yalies have never heard of the trolley system that used to connect New Haven and the near surroundings, open trolleys used to take the crowds from the University to the Yale/Harvard game--this ended in 1949! But the golden era of the trolleys the first quarter of the 20th century. Above, note an advertisement for Dan's experiment way back in the day, circa 1910! And although these days it uses Xenon instead of water, it still won't turn silks yellow!
Here's our first ride. Orion was fascinated, more with the "Choo choo chain! Choo choo chain!" than meeting Santa for the first time. He took off. And when coaxed, he went back to Santa and sat next to him. I respect that, and so did Santa, who gave him a coloring book. (Note real beard.)

All the trolleys were decorated--maybe 17 of them--and many were open for visitors.

Christmas pictures

2010-01-11T12:11:00.001-08:00

A stack of presents was our Christmas tree this year. Dan was away the week before Christmas, so to add more light into the dark days of Solstice, I celebrated Hanukah as well (along with Senator Hatch).
On the 21st we opened presents; Orion is at a wonderful age for this, since he played with everything as we opened them. The Potato Pets were the most engrossing, keeping his attention all morning (thanks, Becca!). Next year he may have developed a sense of anticipation.
We flew to Utah on the 22nd, meeting up with my beautiful and cute Niece, Ariadne.....
the enthusiastic Grandma Susie....
(who went with me on a short hike up Rock Canyon, reminding me of Utah's appeal)

Then on actual Christmas morning, we took pictures of the four generations gathered.

Here we all watch as Nana opens her presents. Thanks for hosting a very Merry Christmas, Nana! It was as it should be, gingerbread, a large caroling group, a slightly cheesy but dear Christmas program, and lots of small children running and playing.

(I could barely keep my eyes open. I've collapsed on the couch.)

NY Botanical Gardens train show

2010-01-10T15:58:00.001-08:00

Uncle Rich treated us to a day in the city. Orion loved the trains in the Botanical Gardens, and didn't care at all about the NY buildings made out of twigs, which I'm sure he had in common with 98% of the visitors. (pics are backwards, sorry.)

Hardly any pictures at Thanksgiving

2010-01-10T15:49:00.000-08:00

Oh well. At least I captured some of the dessert course--best pumpkin pie I've ever made; Orion helps Uncle Rich.

In November

2010-01-10T06:25:00.000-08:00

Grandpa Joe and Grandma Karen came to visit for Angela's birthday. She loves her favorite nephew enough to feast upon him.

On a walk to the Swedish Bakery in our neighborhood, Orion shows off his new (to us; it was actually being thrown out) wheelz--from the makers of the best-selling car in America. He obv chooses his own car over a ride in the new stroller.

What a heartbreaker!

A mini vacation back to September

2010-01-08T08:03:00.000-08:00

Orion and Dan are at Grandma and Grandpa McKinsey's while I'm home to work (sniff). Lest you imagine that I am getting too much done, and not thinking about my first weeklong separation from my darling son (and husband, but I'm more used to his being away), I will periodically post pictures as a break from crafting my upcoming talk and chapter.

We visited Grandpa Joe and Grandma Karen at the Oregon coasts most perfect time--early September. Above, me rescuing two starfishes from Zoe the dog at low tide, and showing it to Orion, below. I enjoy remembering this warmer time as it has been snowing, beautiful and cold, all day this good January 7.

Nothing like relaxing with the lawn mower on the hammock!

The Truck Museum and other good times

2009-11-15T16:13:00.000-08:00

Orion and I spent an afternoon at the Golden Age of Trucking Museum in Middlefield, CT. It was pretty terrific for a guy who likes trucks; Orion didn't hold still for a second. Cars and trucks and fire engines and antique cars and even boats-- this place had about an airplane-hangar full of gleaming vehicles, with one that was built for climbing around, and a play area and snack area. I'd recommend it for a rainy afternoon with a toddler.

My favorite was this milk truck and the red fire engines below.

Because we had the place to ourselves, we ignored the under100lb/3yearsandup rules on the wiggle cars. These were really a treat for both of us.

And, back at the ranch--Orion likes to help cook ("mama/daddy/Orion kooking?"

Playing with my old Duplos also a major activity around the house. He's named the Duplo people Sam, Anna, Lucy, and Ruff (the dog). Lots of fun.

To the Catskills

2009-11-05T07:34:00.000-08:00

We spent two days at Octobers end leef-peeping and exploring the Catskills area of NY. It was a beautiful region, with a concentration higher than normal of artist colonies and monasteries. Seriously, you couldn't turn around without seeing a "spiritual retreat." Also, they seem to call creeks or streams "kills" (maybe from the Dutch?), as in "Fish Kill" or "Saw Kill." We stayed at a superlatively tranquil bed and breakfast, Onteora Mountain House, which was lovely; we had the place to ourselves, because it was mid-week, and thus they made an exception to their no-kids-allowed rule. Orion's newly-potty-trained presence along with the oriental rugs and antique pottery made it not quite a relaxing locale, but sans bebe it would be quite zen.

A theme emerged--we would be told something was open only to find it closed. We tried to look on the bright side. For example, we went to a Buddhist monastery to unreverently gawk at a huge statue of the Buddha; although it was closed, a satisfactorily large front-loader on the grounds proved to be quite as attractive.

We went to a "petting zoo" which also included non-pettable creatures such as emus, bison, and a tiger; Orion enjoyed seeing the animals, especially the rabbits; but the place seemed to my mind completely unsanitary and inhumane, and thus quite uncomfortable to me. (Avoid the Bailiwick Ranch.)

Sadly, the Thomas Cole House was closed for the season, so we wandered about the grounds and admired the view.

We hiked to the highest waterfall in NY, the Kaaterskill Falls. They were sublime.

Also closed for the season was the Old Rheinbeck Aerodome, but the old mechanics working on the old airplanes let us look into the hangars. They give airshows, with the real antique aircraft, just as they did in the 1920s and 30s...we'll have to go back for a real show in June. It was completely fascinating and transporting...they also had old cars and a little red caboose, that apparently is their dressing room. It was unlocked, so we snooped around the vintage clothes in a self-guided behind-the-scenes tour.

young Tigers' fan, autumn leaves, and "Tall!"

2009-11-05T07:17:00.000-08:00

The Reluctant Dinosaur

2009-11-03T09:55:00.001-08:00

Although never habituated, Orion had been fascinated by his borrowed dinosaur costume (dazaza Apuhm) for nearly a month. He refused to put it on, until I rigged up a costume (also of borrowed parts), incidentally of Queen Elizabeth II in the 1950's. Then he wanted a costume, too, but screamed or complained the entire time it was donned.Even the presence of beloved neighbor children in costume didn't convince him.
You see, he prefers (demands) all extremities to be free from encumberances.
The new-to-us car (from another n.c.) was his only solace.

He really would rather wear a flower or leaf behind his ear; he just wants to be like his Mama.

Mamu Azazah

2009-11-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

...is Orion's way of saying Nemo Underwear. We're not at %100 yet, but Orion is doing pretty darn good at potty use. It took one day of intense training (with "Toilet Training in Less Than a Day" as my guide) and he got the motions down, another week for a successful #2, and an IKEA potty for both floors and the car. Orion is proud of himself, and I'm proud of him. He still needs several reminders a day, sometimes insistent reminders, but we're down to a diaper for nap and bedtime and that's it. He loves his Pixar underwear, proudly proclaiming "Mamu Azazah DAH!" when asked if it's dry.
He also loves his dinosaur boots (Dazazah boof), wearing his parents' shoes as well, and treats many objects as phones. Here a kaleidoscope branches to another sense.

Way to go, kiddo!

IN THE MIDST OF POTTY TRAINING

2009-10-17T09:10:00.001-07:00

I didn't sign up for this much toilet talk. Orion initiated it and is doing really well for such a little guy. We're doing nothing but practicing....no blog updates for awhile.

The best water game

2009-10-14T23:20:00.000-07:00

still can't figure out how to post videos...go to http://www.youtube.com/v/Vq2_Cb-G3ao&hl=en&fs=1
for the next internet baby laughing Youtube phenomenon. Or at least to see Orion cracking up (and groaning with laughter) by throwing rocks in the water while I say "Kerplunk" or "wejuwejuwejuweju"

He was getting all wet, so eventually all the clothes came off....(viewer advisory: bebe au natural)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjwtSt9XqcY

Thanks, Samantha!

farewell summer/lake compounce

2009-10-05T07:16:00.001-07:00

in late August we visited the oldest amusement part in America, Lake Compounce. Although we didn't get to ride the wooden roller coasters, we all had a great time on the kiddie rides with Orion. Goodbye Summer!

19 months

2009-09-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

Orion on his 19-month-old birthday, coming outside to get some chalk action. This kid gets cuter all the time.

He makes "O" and "Z". (He can recognize his name now, but he only actually says the vowels.) He's generally a happy guy, especially out of doors.
Although he loves a good book. (This one's "Jacques et l'haricot magique.")

A pic of him "fake-complaining". (Imagine he's saying 1 in french over and over. He's not.)
"Basta with the pictures Mama!"
But I just had to capture his jaunty pose in pajamas. Tres adorable.

August

2009-08-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

Dan, Orion and I have been away or hosting (one week) eight weeks in a row! We've been to NY twice, for research and a friend's birthday party; to Missouri to visit Dan's grandmother for her 90th birthday; to Boston area twice, to visit my NEW NIECE! and visiting friend from England; and to a wedding of a college friend in Rochester, NY. We've: visited a truck stop on the highway, and the Strong children's museum, gone to the beach, picked blueberries twice, visited the Peabody--aka Dizazazz!--with both Grandma Susie and Grandpa Joe and Grandma Karen. Lots of fun, sadly unrecorded photographically. Oh, and I made a positively blue-ribbon peach pie with local orchard peaches, which was out-of-this-world ambrosial...if I do say so myself (I have witnesses). The blueberry cobbler was just averagely good. (a few pictures, not complete, of a handful of these occurrences, including Orion admiring my earrings.)

Best Wishes, Erin and Matt!
Finally, Orion chasing around one of the flower dogs.

The Story of Orion and Pinocchio

2009-07-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

On Dan's recent trip to Rome he bought a wooden Pinocchio toy for Orion, which was an instant hit.

His investigation of the toy let to a complete disregard for patient Calamity's personal space. (Orion likes to treat furry animals as armchairs.)Calamity eventually tired of this breach of protocol.

Orion really loved this toy. I say loved, because Pinocchio turned into a real, albeit miniature, boy with long nose, pointy hat, and kneeless limbs that walked off during our quick trip to Manhattan. We miss him, but hope that he enjoys his big city adventure, where he may not lead a gentler life than the one we gave him.

Orion drives the truck

2009-07-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

Orion got to sit in the driver's seat of a repairman's truck today. It inspired his longest intelligible phrase to date: gih, gih, gih, gih GUCK! (Big, big, big, big truck!).

Strawberry Picking (mid-June)

2009-06-30T06:38:00.001-07:00

As promised--cute pictures of Orion at Echo Lake Beach

2009-06-30T06:29:00.000-07:00

...and from our hike later that day

Acadia Pictures!!

2009-06-29T08:29:00.001-07:00

found it.misty, cloudy, silvery
lupines were in full bloom everywhere
Dan holding a horseshoe crab under the supervision of a young marine biologist
On a hike, Aaron, Joni and "shrimpy"

Us
see above
A group of us at the top of Cadillac "mountain" engulfed in thick fog and wind.
bad visibility in the fog--but we did it!
On Sand Beach, rainy and beautiful

more from the Flying Mountain hike
see ya later

Back from Acadia

2009-06-28T18:13:00.000-07:00

Last week we found ourselves in Acadia Maine with Grandma Susie, Grandma Pam, Grandpa Mike, (Great-)Aunt Laurie, Uncle Rich, Ashley, Auntie Joni, Cousin Shrimpy, Uncle Aaron, Uncle Gabe, and am I missing anybody? Gabe's girlfriend visited via Skype, and we all seemed to talk to Angela (particularly during awkward busy/driving moments) as well. It was misty and moisty but we had a great time hiking wading eating biking kayaking movie-watching marshmallow-roasting baking reading talking and generally relaxing. It was green and leafy ("foliage overload" said Ashley, tho' I like it that way.) I brought work (ha!...well OK I accomplished some writing, but never as much as planned) for a "writing getaway" and Orion had babysitters galore to read"The Cat in the Hat" to him. Or play with trucks or rocks. Dan and I achieved two dates, one of them double. I for one am lobstered out (but can always eat more blueberries). Anyway, we're unpacking and looking for our camera...I hope we didn't leave it on Echo beach, because of all the cute pictures of Orion digging in sand and wading au natural...anyone know where it is?...

Reach for the Stars--and the Star-nosed Mole

2009-06-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

I wish I could have visited Nantucket in 1900...we went on our 1st anniversary and luckily there was a cancellation and so we could afford the hotel. Anyway, it was too early in the season so the Mariah Mitchell house was closed, and she's one of my childhood heroes, so I'll just have to go back someday...maybe when we're millionaires...

Now go check out Angela's blog. Just call her Shelly Silverstein. That's MY little sister.

Yosemite

2009-06-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

Dan just got back from a long trip that included a trip to Yosemite National Park with his brother ("Uncle Gabe") and friends. I remain envious, since Orion and I stayed home, but at least Grandpa Joe and Grandma Karen came to entertain us while Dan was away. Since he had the camera, I was unable to capture and post such moments as Orion trying out a cosmetic blueberry mask; making his first fort; hailing his first taxi; and taming his first lion cub while declaiming passages from Edmund Burke, not to mention the improvements made to house and garden while the folks were here (thanks Dad and Karen!!!). Anyway, here's a sampling from Dan's experiences on the beautiful and the sublime.

A Tribute

2009-05-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

To Gretchen, our wonderful friend and helper. She played with Orion and Carter so I could get some writing/research done on the days my other sitter had class. The boys were like kittens crawling over each other at first, and by the end they could babble coherently to each other and steal and give toys and share snacks. Good times. We'll miss them. Sad.

What we've been up-do lately

2009-05-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

One morning Orion woke up with a faux-hawk of sorts.
Developments: First drawing action
Dan: "stick 'em up!" Orion: "Be a tree!"
Madrigal-singing with old friends--something I wish I did more of...
Playing with a bouncy ball
Self-feeding (he wields a fork as well):
Begging to go outside, which he does all the time unless he's hungry:
My fellas cooking me dinner:
Orion engages in pretend play, warning us that what he's cooking is "hot."
Next post: either the "before" pictures of the garden or our midway aborted anniversary getaway...

A new incarnation of Linus

2009-05-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

Orion loves his blankie. We'll see if these photos embarrass him when he's twelve.

Which would you rather hear about for 20 minutes?

2009-05-18T08:06:00.001-07:00

Hi friends and family. Here's what I've been working on lately. Both of my abstracts were accepted for the Renaissance Society of America's conference this year! I can only present one paper, though, so I'll have to choose. Vote for your favorite in the comments!

A Violent Intellectual Allegory: Jacopo de' Barbari's Battle of Men and Satyrs

The ironies of Pollaiuolo’s seminal Battle of the Nudes—colorless violence on paper, bloodless despite exposed skin, mythological tone yet mysterious subject—were taken up in a woodcut by the Venetian painter and printmaker Jacopo de' Barbari. His Battle of Men and Satyrs (1495-7) stages a classicizing battle in monumental scale and showcases a complex, multi-figure composition with the nude male in dramatic action. Perhaps responding to Venice’s wars against mainland enemies in the 1490s, yet set in remotest antiquity, the Battle must have appealed to Jacopo’s humanist audience. Analysis of the Battle alongside Jacopo's subsequent woodcut, The Triumph of Men Over Satyrs (1495-7), the first three-block print, reveals the Battle to be a Renaissance humanist allegory of the struggle between Reason and Lust, Apollonian and Dionysian values, and civilization over barbarity. This fantastic battle, and its resolution in triumph, allegorizes the scholar’s Apollonian ideals verses baser instincts through violence.

ABSTRACT: A Printed Journey to Ottoman Rome: Pieter Coecke van Aelst's Manners and Customs of the Turk

While Western Europeans increasingly traveled to Istanbul during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent (r. 1520-1566), Pieter Coecke van Aelst’s (1502-1550) ten-block woodcut The Manners and Customs of the Turk (1553) visually documents his own trip in a novel way that shows a sympathetic and multivalent understanding of the Ottoman peoples. Prepared for publication by his widow, the artist Mayken Verhulst, the seven scenes of the print stretch four and a half meters--leading the viewer on a parallel journey--from a rough, treacherous landscape to the civilized grandeur of Constantinople. Moreover, the print offers an early ethnographic study of the daily life of Ottoman peddlers and soldiers, women and children, musicians and dancers, even a triumph-like procession of Suleyman himself, by an artist who had traveled intimately among them. By depicting Constantinople as a new Rome, this work complicates any simplistic broadsheet-influenced view of the Turk as a monolithic barbaric threat.

2009-05-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

Mom, don't you think Orion looks like I did when I was his age? At least in this pic?

We dug up the garden for planting today. My friend and next door neighbor will be my garden-partner this year--she has a shady yard and I am so glad to share. I should have had my camera out to take a picture of Orion covered with dirt. He was a good helper, too.

Fifteen Months, or 1 1/4 years

2009-05-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

Orion likes exploring--he especially requests to touch things "touch, touch"--and he especially loves to touch dogs.
And spaghetti is a big hit. Note that the blueberry fetish continua. (It was hot, and spaghetti is messy.)

Some clues as to his activities recently--he can carry books, and wayward shoes...
..kitchen utensils and other toys...
...nesting pots inside each other tenderly...
...and other kitchen flotsam...
These are the tracks of the wondrous one-and-a-quarter-year-old! Happy 1/4 birthday, little O!
We celebrated with pizza, too exhausted at the end of the week to cook. Orion loved the olives of the pizza especially.

Yay! = Be a tree! This is my exuberant little boy!

Dinos and Dogwoods

2009-04-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

Orion's first visit to the Peabody Museum--I thought he would be too young, but we read our dinosaur books (That's not my dinosaur/Questo non e' il mio dinosauro/Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs) before we went; and Orion loved it--he kept pointing and toddling away toward the huge skeletons, and squealing, Dinosaurs! (DAIH-zazas!!) Thanks Whit for the photos!
Ah, spring, when a young man's fancy turns to dinosaurs. (And when the weather lets us walk to the museum!! Finalmente!)
The dogwoods from Grandpa Joe are beginning to bloom! Orion looooooves dogs, so they are an appropriate choice.
He's been helping me water them...and drinks from the hose when we're done. If you think this is unsanitary, well, he's probably washing down the dirt he ate right before this. At least Dan rescued the earthworm from his terrible toddler mandibles.

Terremoto, L'Aquila

2009-04-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

I can't let another week go by without bringing your thoughts to the earthquake in L'Aquila, the city where I researched my master's thesis, where Dan worked on an experiment as a post-doc, and where we effectively became engaged. This is a view of the fountain, begun in 1272, on which I wrote, and which had been destroyed several times by earthquakes and mudslides in its long history. Part of my thesis equated the many heads of the spouts with the solidarity of the citizens of L'Aquila coming together after the young city was ransacked by Manfred to rebuild it; thus, after this most recent destruction, I am confident that the city will see another resurrection. Nevertheless, the sight of tiny white coffins placed on top of the larger brown parent coffins, the cracking of church transepts and bell towers, and the rubble of collapsed buildings on the street on which I lived has brought me to tears several times as I watch the slideshows published online in American and Italian newspapers. I have yet to see whether "my" fountain survived.

(One good thing--it brought be back in touch with an old Italian friend.)

Our View in Trieste

2009-04-02T13:49:00.000-07:00

In Trieste, Dan had meetings all day, so Orion and I were buddies as we explored the city. Thank goodness for the Ergo carrier, which ably held Orion for nearly 3 days straight walking around. Our hotel was about 4 miles outside of the city, near a lovely harbor and the gardens of the Castello Massimiliano. We (I, carrying him) always ended up walking much of this way because the bus didn't run often enough. Here's the view, from the park near our hotel, and a fountain in the formal gardens.

The castle, 19th-century and home to the Emperor Max that was shot in Mexico (think Goya). Part of it was redecorated in the 1930s, but much was heavily pre-Victorian. It had a lovely docking area with double staircases, to get down to the imperial rowboats.

Here's the view from and then of a little cafe in the garden. It was not as good as Viennese ones, since all they served were cream-filled croissants, but then one hardly enjoys cream-filled croissants with a view of the adriatic in a formal garden with one's little boy eating the gravel and wanting to dive into the fountain every day.

Each evening our tired selves were rewarded with clear, peaceful sunsets.
The next day I tried to dedicate to Orion's pleasure, as he had been such a good traveler. Unfortunately, the one baby swing was mobbed with Italian babies, and he got about 30 seconds on it. Luckily there were many dogs and other babies being walked on the cement-walk near the sea, which is how the Triestese seem to spend their time.

There was excellent, if dirty, architecture all over the city. I thought most of it went underappreciated, so I took a few photos.
It has some nice Roman as well as Hapsburgian ruins--this arena, surrounded by modern buildings, was discovered during construction.
A Roman basilica next to the old cathedral on the top of the hill.
The earliest signs of spring, and a painted house, near the castello.
The early Christians were always reusing Roman sculpture in their own construction.
A neoclassical church near the town center, which has about two gelaterie total. At least one gelato that I had was superlative--tiramisu (with real bits of ladyfinger cake) and amarena (with real cherries). Orion liked it too, but he could always be distracted by a passing cane (DAda! Dada!!)

And finally, a tribute to my friends, the Lloyds.

Tiergarten!

2009-03-30T05:16:00.000-07:00

So, here we are at perhaps the oldest zoological garden. We had a great time admiring the animals and architecture, both of which included baroque and modern examples. These pictures are out of order--Orion was not tired after the sight of one (baroque) rhinocerous, but after a long time and many fantastic creatures.
I think of the elephant as somewhat neo-classical.
This cheetah was looking for a snack, and prowling quite close to us. I think he was eyeing a certain cute, plump 14-month-old.
Another example of fashionable camouflage adaptation (and the baroque cafe in the middle of the zoo. Yes, elegant cafes were everywhere! It was wonderful!):
A not-wary cassowary and his observers:
The humans could wander through the birds' space--a Viennese Mädchen for scale:
Aminals!!

AND, after the zoo and a jaunt through the woods we wandered up to the Gloriette, a magnificent Empress Marie-Therese hangout and delicate baroque structure at the top of the hill overlooking the Schloss. I hear you ask, was there a cafe in there as well? Mais oui, perche no, aber ja! And I had a quite lovely Schwarzenwald torte there, to relive my Berlin example, after a large lunch.
Here is the Empress-worthy view (of her own cherished domain):

And then we went back to Cafe Central. I loved the hot chocolate with amaretto--it took me back to my childhood and I was 12 in a blizzard again. Here is Orion choosing his dessert, and ordering from the menu (books in all forms are his favorite things).

Vienna, oder Orion mit Schlag

2009-03-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

Followers of this humble blog will be rewarded for their patience--here are a bazillion pictures of our recent (business and pleasure, but mostly the later) trip to Vienna and Trieste....here's St. Stephen's, with Dan and Orion.
Vienna was almost everything I'd imagined it to be, though it turned out to be another pleasant, mid-sized European city comparable to others I've seen. Had we arrived pre-Lent, it might have even matched my expectations, which included waltzing at evening balls and opera-length gloves. Nevertheless, Vienna does some of my favorite things extremely well: Cafes, Concert-halls, and Crystal Chandeliers. Not to mention Chocolate, to keep the alliteration semi-alive, or Baroque Palaces, to kill it entirely. The Schonnbrun Palace even includes among its pleasure-gardens a Baroque Zoo, ostensibly the first zoo ever, which we enjoyed so much we returned, to bookend our stay in Vienna between seeing Koala and Polar bears. If this sounds snuggly, it was indeed a comfortable trip, and we loved our hotel, Pension Pertschy, with a long bathtub, feather beds and multiple pillows, to the obligatory three-tiered crystal chandelier. Here's Orion watching the planes in preparation for departure (not on Lufthansa).
And if the picture of Schonbrunn palace is wonky, that's because we went almost as soon as we landed, pushing ourselves in the cold and wind to stay awake until local bedtime.
Orion enjoying the ducks at one of the palace garden fountains. It was a bit wintry--it will be lovely once the flowers bloom (note: don't come during Lent.)

A rare picture including all of us, outside the lovely magnificent greenhouse (Palmenhaus) also on the palace grounds, near the Tiergarten entrance. (Reminded me of those in London, though they were giving out tropical fruit salad to all visitors that day--so we incongruously but happily experienced eating bananas, pineapple and papaya in a steamy hot jungle on palace grounds in Vienna.)
Orion, using his newly accomplised pointing action to admire tree azaleas in bloom.

My still-smiling boys (miracolo dei miracoli) at the end of our first very long day in Vienna.
But this is not really a diary of the trip. A few more wonders: the Library in the court, complete with bookcase doors and ladders on wheels, as well as ceiling frescos and ancient globes as tall as yours truly.
The Schmetterlinghaus, in a Palmenhaus (which I could see from the Studiensaal in the Albertina, where I was looking at stunning Durer drawings); upon entry into another jungle clime, one feasts the eyes on splendid butterflies as they feast on nectar-dipped silk orchids, and dip over trees and under built waterfalls.The operahouse interior, where I had furchtbar seats, but the minimalist ice-cube set of Eugene Onegin wasn't much to my taste, so it was OK that I couldn't see the stage from my seat.
The Oper knows how to make a grand entrance--the wondrous foyer:
The chocolatier Demel's display; here I enjoyed the richest hot chocolate I will probably ever have. I bought small chocolate easter-bunnies here (don't tell Orion!) but wish I could have filled a large basket.
The Hof gate, near the Spanish Riding school, which we didn't see. Lovely baroque stable for the white horses though.
The Pestsaule and the trucks that Orion enjoyed watching as they repaved the street on the Graben, which was near our hotel. He also really loved the many dogs on leashes, shouting DAda! Dada! and pointing enthusiastically.
I went to a concert in the Musikverein, a performance by a small chamber orchestra, in the Brahms saal, which unbelievably was one of the less elaborate rooms in the building. See what I mean about the chandeliers?
A stolen photo of the grand saal of the Musikverein.
The cafe culture in Vienna was wonderful; everyone welcomed the baby, though they often tried to give him china plates or cups, which we had to decline; he was happiest when in a booth or bench seat with us, though most places had Kinderstuhls.
A tickle-session before a wurst.
The Belvedere palace, next to which I am very small.
Hence the name.
The grand staircase, which called out for a dress with a long train.
(Orion liked the radiators)
Nevertheless, we did get some waltzing in.
Another major hit for babies: the many horsedrawn carriages. He quickly said "horse," most accurately.
The columns and grand ceiling of a cathedral of cafes, Cafe Central.

A hat-shop display, making me think of "Caps for Sale"--look how many colors they have of berets alone!!

Though if I had money to burn, I'd look for antiques in Vienna. Wow. I was looking for a gold-framed mirror recently, without success--if only I could get one here! We took advantage and tried to frame ourselves in a photo.

I'll have to post later about the superlative Zoo--here's a Giant Anteater as teaser. (It's bigger than me! Really!)

Blueberry face

2009-03-02T07:49:00.001-08:00

We're snowed in, and Orion will eat nothing but blueberries...(photo courtesy of his babysitter, Becca)

Crash, Bang, Read, Smile

2009-02-15T11:58:00.000-08:00

Reading, Banging, Emptying, Banging, Emptying. And sometimes saying "Formaggio" for the camera. It's great that Orion loves books, and that he finds the most satisfyingly noisy metal pans to crash together. He also likes to drop them to hear them swivel to the floor. Also, I wanted to post pictures proving Orion's love for his present from Great-grandma Sears. Thank you!

Snow Angels: a Semiotic Musing

2009-02-12T17:18:00.000-08:00

A taste of spring we've been given, but snow flurries are expected tonight. So here is a post inspired by the only snow activity in which Orion can truly participate, and arguably the only effective snow activity with the non-sticky, powdery fluff lately: the Snow Angel. I think his tiny snow angels (one pictured next to one of my own, for scale) are so charming--they're really wintry cupids--putti di neve, diciamo. But the real question: are they a symbol, an index, or an icon?

For those who've forgotten: a review lesson in semiotics, the study of signs and meaning. There are (at least) three basic signs which can represent something. (The sign is the signifier, the something represented is the signified.) A symbol does not bear any resemblance to its signified.
The thing I always think of is a flag.
The American flag can be a symbol for many things--liberty, freedom, the USA, etc. For others it means gun rights, freedom of speech, or even kindling. The point here, however, is that it actually DOES NOT LOOK LIKE any of those things. How can one represent the abstract idea of freedom of speech anyway? That's why symbols are so useful.

Now this example, for an icon, is problematic and complicated among my art historian friends, but it is always what comes to my mind as an example: a Byzantine Icon. An icon is a sign that does resemble its signified. What is represented here is a mother and child, specifically the divine beings of Mary and baby Jesus, making an absent, divine body present in the image--it DOES LOOK LIKE THEM (that's how St. Luke painted them, of course). (Major bonus points for naming the cheek to cheek icon type in the comments. Orion's been really into facepressing/owl-eyes lately, fyi.)

Finally--the index signifies its signifier as a PHYSICAL TRACE, something that was physically left--footprints are a classic example, as an index of the person or animal that walked through the mud or sand. The saying "where there's smoke there's fire" comes to my mind when I think of an index.

So finally: are Snow Angels index, symbol, or icon?

Well, symbol seems to me the weakest case. Angels can symbolize a divine message, qualities such as goodness or peace, even the holiday season. But a snow angel? Maybe it's just silly children waving their arms lying down in the snow, making the image of an angel. Ah ha--it must be an icon! It shares the same shape and ghostly outline of an angel, albeit overly symmetrical, stereotypically winged and female Christmas-tree-topper angel. But we can't really tell if it looks like one, since people don't seem to be in agreement about their appearance. (Male and wingless, female with poofy dresses, harp players, giants breathing fire, etc. etc.)

The sign we can really be sure of here is an index. The shape of a body or two in the snow, the smooth, striated arc where the arms swept up and down, the unwitting churned untidiness where the person had to get up again, even the unseemly shape of snow in the negative space between two legs. And a story unfolds--a mama and her cooperating, puzzled baby boy, getting bundled up, seeing an untouched expanse of white, lie and are laid down, to form angelic indexical indentations in the powdery white.

French Revolution Birthdays Honor Nature

2009-02-11T06:40:00.000-08:00

Bonjour, mes amis! The calendar of the republic during the French Revolution may be the single worst use of the usually superior decimal system. Who wants a 10-day work week? But I find charming the name-days which replaced saints with things of the earth--the idea was to completely secularize even the calendar. Thus, I was born in Fructidor, the month of fruit--but my birthday falls on the day of Watermelon. Not my very favorite fruit--why not framboise?--, but then Orion would have been born in Pluviose, on Broccoli day! (He does like broccoli at least.) Here's the list, chez wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_revolution_calendar

Here's the little guy, because I haven't taken a picture of him eating broccoli, eating something crunchy and delicious, namely "kra-ka."

Orion's First Birthday!!!

2009-02-03T06:15:00.001-08:00

Unbelievable, but our little guy just turned 1! Orion just gets happier and cuter and smarter all the time. He's almost walking, almost talking (latest words: juice and fish), and almost everybody's favorite one-year-old!

Following family tradition, we opened his presents first thing in the morning (well, as soon as everyone was awake). Here are two pictures of presents--the carrellino, which he can use already push along quite well, even though he can't yet walk alone. And the wondrous tunnel, a replacement of the cardboard-box one that has provided endless hours of laughter. He also received several classic toys, pop-up box and animals and blocks and even a tent, from doting grandparents, and even a peel trident shirt from a very with-it, rockin' uncle. An important sponsor of the day: IKEA.

We invited the neighborhood kids over for a very brief ice-cream party. Orion was politely silent and a bit mystified when we all sang to him. He's lucky to live on a block with several kids almost his age!

And in another family tradition: Orion's first ice-cream cone. It was Neapolitan (nothing to do with Napoli, I'm sure, but it has the classic three flavors), and he got mostly chocolate. Here's the first taste:
And then he was off, holding it expertly, doing some tactile experimentation, testing its cold, creamy, delectable, etc qualities. Thanks Edy's.

He also used it as a drum-stick at some point. Bang bang bang.

Here's to our wonderful little boy, and to us. We made it through a first year as parents!!

Love Your Literature. Books are Important.

2009-01-19T16:45:00.000-08:00

Books--scripture, fiction, poetry, history. They're coming to the White House.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and Happy Inauguration Eve!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/books/19read.html?ref=us

And here are some pic's, taken on the first of the year I think, of Orion at 11 months!!! (in reverse order--I had to get him to hold still by exploring a drawer.)

Pictures from Auntie Joni and Uncle Aaron's visit. (and who knew that Orion was a Bronco's fan...?)

Christmas Joy

2009-01-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, Everyone! Orion happily opened presents, then took a 3 hour nap. His favorite: a stuffed rat he stole from Uncle Gabe's stocking, runner up, a dog squeak toy in his. (thus worth the exorbitant $6.99.) Mine: watching the joy of Christmas through the eyes of my own little son.

Fish-eaters For Healthy Oceans

2009-01-02T17:18:00.000-08:00

Dan made a now-traditional Saffron-Leek Fish-Melange Soup for Christmas Eve. Wow, is it good! It's from Sally Schneider's New Way to Cook. I hope (and think) we used sustainable fish. If you're still looking for a New Year's Resolution (now that you faithfully lug your reusable totes to the grocery store)--how about adding this to the list: EAT SUSTAINABLE FISH, RESTORE OUR FINE FISHERIES. Find your very own POCKET GUIDE here:

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx

How I wish I'd taken pictures of his soup.

Orion, Ham in the Tub

2008-12-22T07:34:00.001-08:00

Orion likes baths and smiling for Grandpa Joe's camera.

Free-Range or Not, He's Dead

2008-12-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

A late Thanksgiving post

Dan insisted that I post the poem I wrote for Thanksgiving. Read it with veiled eyes and for the silly parody that it is.

Free-Range or Not, He's Dead
a sonnet (in Shakespearean form)

O thou organic bird of local charm,
With praise we braise thee for tradition's taste.
We cannot say we meant to do thee harm,
Although your free-range days are shortly past.
Thou ruest the morn that bent thy wattled head
(Under the nutmeg farmer's axey blade)
And long for the fresh wind, and grassy bed
Where memories of turkey-hens were made.
Consider now our Thanks, and simple hymn
Of ritual harvest in autumnal days
Because they fathers died for ancient whim.
Gravy ablutions now to thee we raise.
And pardon our strange ways--for us 'tis meet
In giving thanks, to have too much to eat.

notes:
1 it is now considered the moral choice to eat a turkey that led a presumably happy life and was purchased at the local store (Whitneyville Food Center) which procures such birds from farms within the state and run by families whose grandfathers fed the Pilgrims
6 we live in the Nutmeg State
12 A reference to a traditional thanksgiving hymn

A Letter from Dan

2008-12-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

Welcome Home DAN! Dan was gone for two weeks, so boy did Orion and I miss him. Here's a letter he wrote home during his travels:

After catching up on email, I spent yesterday walking around
Vancouver. It's a beautiful city, surrounded by mountains and the
ocean. The cloud cover changes constantly, and it rains frequently.
It's not too cold (light jacket weather), a nice change from
Homestake, where I was last week [and at home there was snow! see previous post]. There is a large variety of languages being spoken all around, and every kind of restaurant you
can think of.

The famous anthropology museum was closed for renovation, so instead I
visited the aquarium, located in a large park just north of the
harbor. The aquarium is one of the best I have seen, rivaling Chicago
and Monterrey. Some highlights: a big exhibit on frogs, lots of
jellyfish, humungous fish from the Amazon, a big but surprisingly
lively tortoise, an enormous sea turtle who shared his (her?) tank
with sharks, four white-sided dolphins who did lots of tricks, and 3
beluga whales. As usual, the belugas were my favorite, especially
since one of them was a 6-month-old baby beluga who followed its mama
all around the tank. It was grey instead of white and already knew how
to beg for fish. Adorable. [Of course, he must have been missing us as well. I would have liked the frogs and jellyfish and sea horses, myself.]

Then I walked a couple of miles back to the hotel, did some online
research on local restaurants, and walked down to the Gastown
neighborhood (the oldest part of town). I saw the statue of Gassy
Jack, a portly fellow standing on a whiskey keg, known as the founder
of Vancouver. The story is that he showed up at a mill where
Vancouver is today, with a minimum of belongings and a large keg of
whiskey. He offered the mill workers as much whiskey as they could
drink, if they would help build him a tavern. The town then grew
around the tavern, later spurred in growth when the Canadian Pacific
railroad was completed. I also saw a steam-powered water clock, which
played a tune when the clock struck 7, spewing lots of steam in the
process. I ended up eating at a nouveau-cuisine Latin American place,
called Cobre. I had cornbread, fish tacos, and a set of three tamales
(pork, clam, and cheese), all gussied up with various sophisticated
ingredients.

Today I spent the morning in phone meetings, and the conference has
begun, with first a few talks on the cosmic microwave background. I
don't know many people in this crowd, since it is a real astrophysics
meeting. Two of my Yale colleagues are here, so perhaps they can
introduce me around; one of my main goals is to meet people and
network. My talk on dark matter detection isn't until Friday, but I
better get writing it!

[the talk was widely acclaimed I'm sure! Dan can write talks faster than anyone in my field for sure.]

Snow Day for Orion

2008-12-12T17:01:00.000-08:00

Orion experiencing a winter wonderland.

10 months!

2008-12-11T09:17:00.000-08:00

At ten months, Orion is on the move. He gets a little glint in his eye when he sees the cat, to put it into "super-turbo-crawl-mode". He also would rather be exploring than posing for his 10 month documentary picture.

Orion takes after his parents in his love of books. Seriously, books are his favorite toys and he definitely has preferences...right now Grün und Blau and Doggies and Moo, Baa, La La La and Dov'e' lo Spot? and Orso, orso, che cosa vedi? and Kitten's First Full Moon and a puppy-puppet book. He also enjoys pulling them off the shelf, no matter what their content.

Things I say that make Orion laugh

2008-12-10T18:06:00.000-08:00

For Dan, and anyone else who is amused by my antics as a Mama. (I'm the tickle monster in this house, just like my daddy was.)

"blah, blah, blah" (Dan started this one, months ago.)
"blue, blue, blue,
"smelly, smelly, smelly"
"zzzzzzzzzip!" (when zipping up p.j.s)
"Mooooooo"
"Moo, Moo, MooMooMOOOMOOMOOMOOO"
"I don't know, do I? PIU PIU PIU PIU" (me imitating Tina Fey imitating Sarah Palin. I don't think he gets the satire, just the funny ending. For that matter, I don't know if I get it...)
The eensy weensy spider and animal sounds are HUGE right now; peekaboo is a bit passe' but still fun
"aaaaaiiii pow! pow! pow!" (me being a boxer)
"gallopagallopagallopa gallop!"
"loco mama! loco mama! loco mama!"

I think that last one just about sums it up.

Orion's first Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

Grandma Susie came for Thanksgiving, along with my brother and sisters. Orion was happy to see Grandma, until she picked him up--that was suddenly way too familiar for him. (Don't worry, mom, he fears the immersion blender much much more. A new and fearsome development--I don't know if I can make potato-leek soup for a while. He also fears "what does a lion say?" I think those are all the frightening things for our li'l O.) Aforementioned siblings, some of whom are captured incriminatingly:

And le fam. Thanks for coming out to visit, and cooking and entertaining!

Now, who's that handsome guitar-pickin' devil? Orion remains fascinated by the guitar, climbing all over the case, where he especially likes the buckles and clasps.
He also loves piggyback rides. Here I am a-ridin' too close to the camera--it's an action shot. Yee-haw! Gallop-a-gallop-a-gallop!
Grandma Susie solidifying the initially uneasy friendship.
And in a break from tradition, I made a cherry pie for Thanksgiving. No pie I make is the same, but I think this is the first floral. (Plaid, of course, is most common, but maybe the concord grape pie was moire, and maybe I'll try houndstooth next, or perhaps toile de joie.)

Before, above, and after oven and dinner:

A November Musing

2008-11-22T10:26:00.000-08:00

Life is good, this mild New England autumn (no, Connecticut is not a mid-atlantic state!). Squirrels have filled their leafy larders, Obama gathers his cabinet, and Superman came to visit our neighborhood this Halloween. The neighborhood children grow older, more skeptical (isn't that just your Dad?), and more doting on the (third-)youngest neighborhood baby. (yes, there are many babies in our neighborhood among my friends. Congratulations, if this applies to you, my readers.) Yes, the weather and the economy are getting chilly, but Orion's apple cheeks, newfound skills (he was caught on camera eating our (old, dead) camera), and "Signor Dentini" smile keep us happy these days.

The day after Halloween we went to NY to visit friends; here's Orion too asleep to appreciate the starry sky and his alter alias in Grand Central. Below that he's playing pretty genially with his "cousin" Henry.

Caught eating the camera on camera! Sneaky little mangiatutto.
Another favorite pasttime: raiding kitchen cabinets.

And finally, a tribute to the pie-maker who succeeded in making a Bridget Riley Concord Grape pie. Only in November in New England! Cheers to Nana! Happy Thanksgiving, doting readers!

Halloween Costume and Endorsement

2008-10-31T17:24:00.000-07:00

Superman and Obama Mama. Together we can be a force for good! Orion is voting for Superman (a.k.a. Grandpa Joe) we think, and I am voting for Obama. With that, I'll stop being political on this family blog, but if you want to know my many (many) reasons why I think Obama'll be a really terrific president, call me. A large factor (besides the fact that I agree with his political philosophies): his humility. No more hubris in the WH for me.

Orion's First Autumn, and Family Visits

2008-10-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

We've all been enjoying the autumnal season, which has brought mild weather, arboreal color, and family visits. Auntie Joni was the first to arrive, as a peripatetic musician, and we liked hearing her play with the NHSO as well as watching her play with Orion. This latter saw many firsts this month, such as eating leaves, saying MaMa (MaMaMaMa--so probably not referring to moi, but I display much positive reinforcement when it occurs), crawling (front-front, back-back), and pulling his wee wobbily self up. Like so (one of the first occurances):

He now has many barred surfaces to raise himself, since besides the crib and banister we now have baby gates installed (thanks Dad!!). Here's the little O with his fascinating friend, Calamity Jane. She's remarkably patient with him, particularly since his favorite form of affection for her is a loving head-butt.

Another first is the discovery that Orion can entertain himself and his neighbors at restaurants with rice. Notice the floor--it's like there was a wedding at Bankok Gardens!

As parenthetically mentioned previously, my dad came to town, and tried to introduce Orion to the pleasures of coffee. (Just kidding, mom! the mug's empty.)
While on a hike, Orion and I discovered an unusual but very fetching species of tree sloth.
Aforesaid sloth, with unslothlike alacrity, was kind enough to take our picture amid foliage.
And here's my other sister, amid other foliage, during a truly gorgeous sunset excursion to a local CT orchard, where we picked a few piefulls of apples.
Here's them good ol' apple-pickers now, say howdy.
Ah, New England Autumns! We salute thee. Just breathe in that crisp-apple air.

Pardon our (star) dust

2008-10-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

as I wrestle with blogger. And don't hold your breath. Construction takes time--consider the egg broken, and the omelette not yet assembled.

Eight Month Pictures!

2008-10-05T16:08:00.001-07:00

Now a short interlude, before we return to Orion, the main attraction. Here is our garden in late late summer; thanks to our garden partner family, we've been able to grow many delicious veggies. I just threw the last tomato salad together yesterday; and butternut squashes wait for their turn in a soup later this week. The corn, perhaps you can see, was not a success.

But this volunteer pumpkin was! (It climbed over the fence--now we have a jack-o-lantern possibility from our own yard--and we'll carve it with the neighborhood kids.)

OK, back to the li'l O. He has mastered pulling himself by his arms, and recognizes that there is a more efficient way to get around--probably he'll coordinate his arms and legs before we have a chance to babyproof. I am TRYING to post a video...

Mid-September Wedding

2008-09-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

last weekend Orion experienced his first wedding. A lovely service and reception it was, celebrating my friends Sarah and Ben from my program. After a few shrieks and toppling over among the pews, Orion slept during the vows, and then was much admired and passed around during the brunch. Nevertheless, he took care not to upstage the bride.

Morning weddings have the advantage of allowing the evening to be reserved for travel to nearby friends' houses, in this case the idyllic home of Twig, Carole (quiltmaestra), Teddy-the-dog, and Baxter. And Orion already takes after his mama in her love of swings.

Seven-Month Activities

2008-09-22T07:53:00.001-07:00

We've been building Orion's first fort...

Exploring Gillette's "Castle" with Angela and Jon...(a more eccentric fort)

Eating our feeting...

Growing chubbier...(well, just Orion, not the rest of us)

Sitting up like a professional sitter-upper...

...and just being darling and contemplative.

For Heidi

2008-09-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

While I was in D.C. I took a picture of my favorite house; I like its proportions, its clean lines. Enjoy, oh friend who drools over pre-war houses! This one was built 1920. All houses should have the building date posted on a plaque on the outside--we could all be better at architectural history.