La Serenissima

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!

"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

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

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

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

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

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.)