Saturday, December 20, 2008
a good first impression
Tonight I found out that just three weeks from today marks the beginning of the 13th Annual Oatmeal Festival in Lafayette, Colorado. Until now, an event dedicated to my favorite breakfast treat was beyond my wildest dreams. I'm beginning to like this place.
safe and sound
After a long two days and nearly 1700 miles of driving, the cats and I finally arrived in Denver last night. Along the way we passed the Dairy Queen in Bland, Virginia that marked the end of the Garden Mountain run back in June. I saw the Gateway Arch for the first time as I passed through St. Louis, although the fog prevented me from seeing the top; instead of an arch it just looked like two leaning towers reaching into the heavens. In Kansas, we nearly ran out of gas because the gas stations are spaced 75 miles apart, and I also saw rows of massive windmills that looked like robot soldiers from science-fictionland. Dusk also settled in while I passed through Kansas, and I managed to snap these photos while moving at 75mph...
Sunday, December 7, 2008
here comes wool e. claus
Last night, Adrienne and Abby went out to dinner and a movie while Lance and I took care of the kids. We took June and Henry downtown for the lighting of the Christmas tree. There was music, lots of kids, and most importantly for June, Wool E. Bull dressed up as Wool E. Claus...
It was a decidedly small-town event for sure, which made it all the better. Afterward we went to our house for dinner and continued silliness. We'll miss the Kimbrough clan dearly, but it sounds like a visit from them out in Denver isn't out of the question; we'll keep our fingers crossed.
Lance and Henry in front of the unlit tree...
and voilà...
It was a decidedly small-town event for sure, which made it all the better. Afterward we went to our house for dinner and continued silliness. We'll miss the Kimbrough clan dearly, but it sounds like a visit from them out in Denver isn't out of the question; we'll keep our fingers crossed.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
therapy
This morning I went on possibly my last long run before we skip town. I met up with Rob and several other folks from the Carolina Godiva Track Club (the same running club that coordinates the Tuesday night run on East Campus). I've run through Umstead before but never with the Godiva crew. The car thermometer said 27 when I left this morning, but it heated up to 30 by the time we started running at 8:30. We traveled through the woods via single-track and bridle trails, and much of the route was new to me. It turned out to be a beautiful day, and by the time we finished, two and half hours later, it was a balmy 43 degrees. During most of the run I talked with Rob about this or that. I gave him a hard time, as I always do, for his gadget purchasing problem; he's a sucker for any running, biking, or swimming product that is either on sale or promises better results (except for EPO and The Clear, of course). We also talked about the therapeutic effects of a long run, like today's, and agreed that all the stresses of life get washed away, at least momentarily. People often ask what's appealing about running around for hours on end; it's hard to put into words, but if they had mornings like this one, they'd understand.
Rob and me after today's run
Rob and me after today's run
Thursday, December 4, 2008
construction paper picasso
Each week at PMO (Parents' Morning Out), the kids are read a story and a book-themed art project follows. Here's a selection of Junie's best; she has a way with glue and sparkles...
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
along the way
This afternoon at 5:45 I decided it was time to take Junie out for a run. I quickly changed into my running gear, put dinner in the oven, topped off June's sippy cup with juice, and then loaded her into the jogging stroller. We started running at 6:02, and by 6:06, we were at Duke's East Campus. Thirty seconds later my Tuesday night running crew came strolling along, so we joined them for the two-and-a-half mile journey to Duke Chapel and back. Tonight as we ran through the "tunnel" a train passed noisily overhead. Then the sound of the carillon and the luminarias dotting the Chapel's lawn welcomed us to the halfway point of our run. Despite temperatures in the low 40's, June was happy as a clam. After a short water break, we started back towards East Campus. Along the way I gave Rob some tips for his first 50k and updated Anne on my family's adventures. Back on East Campus, June and I left the group and headed towards home. The lasagna needed to cool, so we took a shower. Junie put on her pajamas, we ate dinner together, we read some books, we sang some songs, and Junie sailed off into dreamland.
Nothing extraordinary about that story. It was just the run-of-the-mill Tuesday night here in Durham, but it illustrates what I like most about living here. In a matter of minutes and with virtually no planning whatsoever, we went from sitting in our living room to enjoying a picturesque run with some of the nicest people I've ever met. That's what I call easy living.
In case you don't already know, we're moving to Colorado by month's end. Please pardon the sudden drop off in blog posts, but trying to tie-up a million loose ends is a rather time consuming endeavor. We didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into when we moved here five years ago, but it has been a wonderful place to live. The barbecue, the Durham Bulls, the trails, the Museum of Life and Science, the YMCA, the parks, and the friends are second to none; we'll miss Durham dearly.
Nothing extraordinary about that story. It was just the run-of-the-mill Tuesday night here in Durham, but it illustrates what I like most about living here. In a matter of minutes and with virtually no planning whatsoever, we went from sitting in our living room to enjoying a picturesque run with some of the nicest people I've ever met. That's what I call easy living.
In case you don't already know, we're moving to Colorado by month's end. Please pardon the sudden drop off in blog posts, but trying to tie-up a million loose ends is a rather time consuming endeavor. We didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into when we moved here five years ago, but it has been a wonderful place to live. The barbecue, the Durham Bulls, the trails, the Museum of Life and Science, the YMCA, the parks, and the friends are second to none; we'll miss Durham dearly.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
junie's song
Almost every evening, June asks to hear "Junie's Song." Her song, according to her, is Hey Sah-Lo-Ney by Mickey Lee Lane -- the same song I used for this video. As soon as the song starts, she instructs Adrienne and me to "run fast!" Then we all run and dance frantically around the living room; it must be quite a scene from the street. Last night, June literally ran around our couch about 50 times. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I already get teary-eyed knowing that years from now we'll look back at these days with such fondness. The giggling, the running, the dancing, and the unfettered joy she exudes are almost too much to handle. I know she'll tire of these nightly dance parties before we do, but hopefully that won't happen anytime soon.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
State Fair Affair 2008
I love state fairs! I always have. So many fond memories of the Michigan State Fair, where so little seems to change year to year. I especially always loved the huge refrigerated display box which entombed huge butter statues of cow and calf. There's no equivalent of that particular attraction at the North Carolina State Fair.
Nor is there a Miracle of Life tent here in NC, which allows one to hold a squirmy-squealy baby pig or a just-hatched chick. Or, to wait in vain for the eggs in the incubator to finally hatch a chick. The main attraction, though, is always a huge, wild-eyed cow in labor in a large ring with bleachers set around. Even having experienced labor myself, it never occurred to me that a cow might prefer to calve in private, perhaps in a hot tub or the comfort of a straw bed (a gal working at the state farmer's market in Raleigh made this point to me recently and described how the animals on her farm sneak off to mat down a grass bed to welcome their offspring). After some reflection, maybe it is better that North Carolina sees fit to allow its livestock to labor away from prying public eyes.
But the state fair! We hoped Junie would appreciate it as much as we do, and she really did seem to have a ball. Our game plan: skip the midway, head straight for the animals, take a brief tour of the prize-winning produce, and maybe scarf down a few unwholesome, inappropriately fried foods along the way. All I managed to eat was a roasted ear of corn smothered in butter this year, but the animals and June's reaction made the trip totally worthwhile.
First, a horse show:
Then rabbits, all different sizes and degrees of fluffiness.
Nor is there a Miracle of Life tent here in NC, which allows one to hold a squirmy-squealy baby pig or a just-hatched chick. Or, to wait in vain for the eggs in the incubator to finally hatch a chick. The main attraction, though, is always a huge, wild-eyed cow in labor in a large ring with bleachers set around. Even having experienced labor myself, it never occurred to me that a cow might prefer to calve in private, perhaps in a hot tub or the comfort of a straw bed (a gal working at the state farmer's market in Raleigh made this point to me recently and described how the animals on her farm sneak off to mat down a grass bed to welcome their offspring). After some reflection, maybe it is better that North Carolina sees fit to allow its livestock to labor away from prying public eyes.
But the state fair! We hoped Junie would appreciate it as much as we do, and she really did seem to have a ball. Our game plan: skip the midway, head straight for the animals, take a brief tour of the prize-winning produce, and maybe scarf down a few unwholesome, inappropriately fried foods along the way. All I managed to eat was a roasted ear of corn smothered in butter this year, but the animals and June's reaction made the trip totally worthwhile.
First, a horse show:
Then rabbits, all different sizes and degrees of fluffiness.
Cute but vicious domestic animals emerged as a theme this fall.....
....as we also received this warning at Ganyard Farms pumpkin patch we visited earlier in the month.
But back to the fair--the wienermobile was there.
Here they are, the prize-winning pumpkins, very large indeed. But I think I heard the national prize-winner this year tipped the scales at about 1600 lbs. This guy here was a real peewee by comparison at I think about 600 lbs.
The produce just doesn't photograph well; believe me, this was more impressive live. A very large watermelon. I also took pictures of the 9 pound sweet potato, but that proved even less photogenic than the melons.
Mama pig and a whole mess of babies, all sleeping in a heap.
As always, though, the goats steal my heart. It's true that my dream is to have chickens and bees, but as long as I'm just daydreaming, goats are a close third. Here, June generously tried to feed these goats in a trailer some hay from the ground. They declined, but June seemed unfazed by the rejection.
She greeted each goat in the building with a cheery "hi, goat!". The goats allowed themselves to be petted and were very gentle. I love their intelligent eyes.
This cow got a haircut in this scaffolding thing. They buzzed the hide quite close and she did look quite radiant. Another highlight: a young man meticulously trimming the hair at the back of the spine of another cow, then using a brush and hairspray to carefully sculpt just the right tufts back there. I love to see the 4H kids and think about what their lives must be like with their closeness to these animals and their life cycles.
This gal here is due to calve in December, so I felt some solidarity with her, as I am due myself to calve in February. I asked the young man from North Carolina A&T how long cows gestate and he said 9 months. I was skeptical so I looked it up at home, but he spoke the truth. However, he left out the part where their babies are 80 to 100 pounds.
June's first taste of chocolate milk, milk provided by the cows of NC A&T and sold for $1 at the concession. Who doesn't love chocolate milk? I wish I had a huge glass of it in front of me right now.
June developed an instant and, in my opinion, excessive attachment to Smokey the Bear....
...as the only tears of the day were shed when he moved on from us to other fair-goers. Lloyd displayed some serious quick-on-his-feet thinking and told Junie that Smokey was tired and needed a nap. And at that, we decided there was one in our midst who really did need a nap. So we bid farewell to another year's state fair. And we hope to find it essentially unchanged one year from now.
....as we also received this warning at Ganyard Farms pumpkin patch we visited earlier in the month.
But back to the fair--the wienermobile was there.
Here they are, the prize-winning pumpkins, very large indeed. But I think I heard the national prize-winner this year tipped the scales at about 1600 lbs. This guy here was a real peewee by comparison at I think about 600 lbs.
The produce just doesn't photograph well; believe me, this was more impressive live. A very large watermelon. I also took pictures of the 9 pound sweet potato, but that proved even less photogenic than the melons.
Mama pig and a whole mess of babies, all sleeping in a heap.
As always, though, the goats steal my heart. It's true that my dream is to have chickens and bees, but as long as I'm just daydreaming, goats are a close third. Here, June generously tried to feed these goats in a trailer some hay from the ground. They declined, but June seemed unfazed by the rejection.
She greeted each goat in the building with a cheery "hi, goat!". The goats allowed themselves to be petted and were very gentle. I love their intelligent eyes.
This cow got a haircut in this scaffolding thing. They buzzed the hide quite close and she did look quite radiant. Another highlight: a young man meticulously trimming the hair at the back of the spine of another cow, then using a brush and hairspray to carefully sculpt just the right tufts back there. I love to see the 4H kids and think about what their lives must be like with their closeness to these animals and their life cycles.
This gal here is due to calve in December, so I felt some solidarity with her, as I am due myself to calve in February. I asked the young man from North Carolina A&T how long cows gestate and he said 9 months. I was skeptical so I looked it up at home, but he spoke the truth. However, he left out the part where their babies are 80 to 100 pounds.
June's first taste of chocolate milk, milk provided by the cows of NC A&T and sold for $1 at the concession. Who doesn't love chocolate milk? I wish I had a huge glass of it in front of me right now.
June developed an instant and, in my opinion, excessive attachment to Smokey the Bear....
...as the only tears of the day were shed when he moved on from us to other fair-goers. Lloyd displayed some serious quick-on-his-feet thinking and told Junie that Smokey was tired and needed a nap. And at that, we decided there was one in our midst who really did need a nap. So we bid farewell to another year's state fair. And we hope to find it essentially unchanged one year from now.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
sweet victory
No matter who you voted for, America has reason to celebrate. The final count is in, and.... I did it. 108 beautiful push-ups.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
shut-in
I had quite a time in Asheville yesterday. I left Durham first thing in the morning and made my way to the North Carolina Arboretum, the starting line of the Shut-In Ridge Run. The run travels on 18 miles of single-track trails from the arboretum up to the trailhead for the Mt. Pisgah summit. For the most part, the course runs parallel to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Shut-In is considered one of the "must-do" races in the Southeast, and it attracts many incredibly fast, elite-level runners. With 5000 feet of climb, and 2000 feet of descent, it's not easy. And the veteran runners that told me the final two miles are "horrible" were on the mark. The vast majority of the race was runnable, albeit slowly, and the terrain was great-- not especially rocky or rooty. There were plenty of beautiful views and many of the trees were showing their fall colors.
My friend Joel told me that if I finished within 15 minutes of my standard marathon time, I had done well. I haven't run a marathon in a long time, but I'd guess I'm good for a 3:25. Sure enough, I finished Shut-In in 3:38.
My 3:38 finishing time was solid, but I didn't feel my perkiest along the way. For those looking for excuses, I'll oblige: (1) I registered for this race as an afterthought following September's GEER 100K, so I wasn't well focused for the challenging course (2) I've been training sporadically, at best, since GEER (3) Because of my sporadic training, I've put on five pounds. Five pounds is a lot when you're going up mountains (4) It wasn't a hot day, but I think I suffered from some electrolyte depletion. My quadriceps were twitching in the latter miles but, fortunately, never progressed to full-fledged cramps.
Their kids are adorable. Norah has quite an opinion about her wardrobe. She was wearing pink pants under a pair of pajama shorts and a snazzy pair of pink cowboy boots. While we sat on the deck, Gus pedaled a toy Jeep around with Norah standing and waving on the back; as Abby pointed out, Norah looked like the queen in a homecoming parade.
Before I knew it, it was time to hit the road back to Durham. Asheville, as it always does, treated me well.
As I drove home, I heard "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" on the radio. Is Christmas music really necessary on November 1st?
My friend Joel told me that if I finished within 15 minutes of my standard marathon time, I had done well. I haven't run a marathon in a long time, but I'd guess I'm good for a 3:25. Sure enough, I finished Shut-In in 3:38.
Some views from the finish:
When I reached the finishing line, I learned that the winner, Shiloh Mielke, had crossed the tape in 2:17, a minute slower than the record he set in 2007. I was floored. I could not believe that someone could cross that terrain in such a short time. I did a little research when I returned home, and my findings made me feel a little better. VO2 Max is an index of physical fitness and a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen that the body can utilize during exercise. I've never had my own VO2 Max tested, but the average young male's is 45 ml/min/kg, while a well-trained club athlete's is typically around 70. Lance Armstrong's is a ridiculous 85. Shiloh, a member of the US World Mountain Running Team (who knew there was such a thing), has a 91.8. Only a few humans have readings that high. That's not fair. I'm putting this race under protest.
After the race, I caught up with a friend from high school. Austin and his wife, Abby, along with their four-year-old son, Gus, and their two-year-old daughter, Norah, live about ten minutes from the Arboretum. It was great spending time with them and getting a glimpse of their lives in Asheville. They have a beautiful house, and Adrienne would have been green with envy because in their backyard lies a community garden, bees, and chickens; in case you didn't know, having a vegetable garden, an apiary, and laying hens, is the trifecta for Adrienne.
Their kids are adorable. Norah has quite an opinion about her wardrobe. She was wearing pink pants under a pair of pajama shorts and a snazzy pair of pink cowboy boots. While we sat on the deck, Gus pedaled a toy Jeep around with Norah standing and waving on the back; as Abby pointed out, Norah looked like the queen in a homecoming parade.
Before I knew it, it was time to hit the road back to Durham. Asheville, as it always does, treated me well.
As I drove home, I heard "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" on the radio. Is Christmas music really necessary on November 1st?
Friday, October 31, 2008
boo...2008 edition
bzzzzzzzzzzzz...
(note: concept & 99% of costume by Adrienne, wings by Lloyd.
pink bracelet was a June-added accessory)
hangers and plastic wrap...
listening to spooky stories at the Trinity Park Halloween celebration...
Junie was all over the playground...
having a blast with Rachel...
on the hunt for candy...
her very first trick-or-treat transaction. ever.
savoring the spoils of childhood...
her very first trick-or-treat transaction. ever.
savoring the spoils of childhood...
gourd bonanza
helping Mom draw the design...
testing the texture and temperature with her tootsies...
climbing, summiting, jumping...
digging...
making progress...
jackpot!
staring deep into the jack-o'-lantern's soul...
the artist with her handiwork,
including the smaller pumpkin she painted earlier in the day...
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
warning... boring stuff... seriously
Be careful what you wish for. Since June was born, we've used the Diaper Genie for our diaper disposal needs. It has some drawbacks; it requires expensive inserts that get hung up occasionally, and its design is a little less slick than the Diaper Champ. Oh, how I cursed the Diaper Genie, and how I lusted for the Champ. Well, when the last Genie insert ran out, we put the Diaper Champ into the game. Dear God that thing smells. It's barely better at controlling odors than a trash bag hung on a door handle. After three days of use, we're going back to the Diaper Genie. We'll use the Diaper Champ for a newborn, but once they reach a certain age and odoriferousness, it'll be put aside.
It takes a certain level of nerd to get excited about Consumer Reports, but I'm raising the bar; I'm ecstatic about their oatmeal reviews in the November 2008 issue. They rated steel cut oats best (takes a tad too long for me to prepare regularly), followed by old-fashioned (my daily standard), then quick, and Quaker Original Instant rounded out the top four. The flavored, instant varieties didn't score as well. Their conclusion:
Combining my already established theme of today's post, running and mundane things I like, here are a few of my favorite running related items:
Jogging Stroller: BOB SUS Deluxe. At $350, it's not cheap, but if you do a lot of road or groomed-trail running, it's well worth it. And if you keep your eyes on Craig's List, I'm sure you can get a used one at a deep discount. It literally folds up in ten seconds and fits easily into a trunk. It's not especially bulky and has totally replaced our regular stroller. If you're running on bumpier trails most of the time, e.g., Duke Forest, the Baby Jogger Performance might be a better bet with its 20" wheels, but it's strictly a jogging stroller and requires removing the wheels to fit into most vehicles.
Running socks: If you like a thin sock, I swear by Wrightsox's Coolmesh Double-Layer variety. I've worn them for years, and I've had very few problems with blisters, and none stemming from the sock itself. No matter what your preference, I highly recommend avoiding cotton socks altogether; wool and synthetics are superior for wicking, drying, and blister prevention.
Trail shoes: I love my Montrail Streaks. They're lightweight, comfortable, and provide ample bruise protection from sharp rocks. The other day, I found some for $52 on Amazon.
Clothes: The performance shirts I've found at Target and TJ Maxx are as good as any. I don't, however, experiment with shorts. Brooks Revelation Pacers are comfortable, don't ride up, are well constructed, and are relatively cheap (about $25).
Where to buy shoes: Assuming you've already been properly fit for shoes, I highly recommend RoadRunnerSports.com. If you go through a lot of shoes, their VIP club is hard to beat. For $40 a year, you get 10% off (you can usually find a coupon for even more savings), free shipping, a free pair for every five pairs your family orders in a 12 month period, and most importantly to me, you can run in the shoes for up to 60 days and return them if you're not satisfied. I can't tell you how many times a shoe felt good in the store or on a short run but then caused problems at longer distances. They sell casual shoes as well, which also count towards your five pairs get one free offer.
If you're still awake, congratulations.
And finally, best of luck to my buddy Rob. He's competing this weekend in the Beach 2 Battleship iron distance triathlon in Wilmington, NC. Iron distance events are old hat for him, but he's been training especially hard for this one. I'm sure he'll have a great race.
It takes a certain level of nerd to get excited about Consumer Reports, but I'm raising the bar; I'm ecstatic about their oatmeal reviews in the November 2008 issue. They rated steel cut oats best (takes a tad too long for me to prepare regularly), followed by old-fashioned (my daily standard), then quick, and Quaker Original Instant rounded out the top four. The flavored, instant varieties didn't score as well. Their conclusion:
The longest cooking oatmeals tasted best, and you can leave out salt and sugar to keep them especially healthful. If you're hooked on flavored instant oatmeal, consider Market Pantry from Target, the best-tasting flavored instant by a narrow margin and just 17 cents per serving. For a flavored instant that's especially low in sodium and high in fiber, consider Kashi.On a strange note, today while I was running around the Al Beuhler Trail, I passed a female runner wearing socks, a leather Merrell Moc (or something similar) on her left foot, and a flip-flop on her right. She just smiled and acted as if nothing was amiss. Must be some sort of sophisticated training protocol... or maybe she's just nuts.
Combining my already established theme of today's post, running and mundane things I like, here are a few of my favorite running related items:
Jogging Stroller: BOB SUS Deluxe. At $350, it's not cheap, but if you do a lot of road or groomed-trail running, it's well worth it. And if you keep your eyes on Craig's List, I'm sure you can get a used one at a deep discount. It literally folds up in ten seconds and fits easily into a trunk. It's not especially bulky and has totally replaced our regular stroller. If you're running on bumpier trails most of the time, e.g., Duke Forest, the Baby Jogger Performance might be a better bet with its 20" wheels, but it's strictly a jogging stroller and requires removing the wheels to fit into most vehicles.
Running socks: If you like a thin sock, I swear by Wrightsox's Coolmesh Double-Layer variety. I've worn them for years, and I've had very few problems with blisters, and none stemming from the sock itself. No matter what your preference, I highly recommend avoiding cotton socks altogether; wool and synthetics are superior for wicking, drying, and blister prevention.
Trail shoes: I love my Montrail Streaks. They're lightweight, comfortable, and provide ample bruise protection from sharp rocks. The other day, I found some for $52 on Amazon.
Clothes: The performance shirts I've found at Target and TJ Maxx are as good as any. I don't, however, experiment with shorts. Brooks Revelation Pacers are comfortable, don't ride up, are well constructed, and are relatively cheap (about $25).
Where to buy shoes: Assuming you've already been properly fit for shoes, I highly recommend RoadRunnerSports.com. If you go through a lot of shoes, their VIP club is hard to beat. For $40 a year, you get 10% off (you can usually find a coupon for even more savings), free shipping, a free pair for every five pairs your family orders in a 12 month period, and most importantly to me, you can run in the shoes for up to 60 days and return them if you're not satisfied. I can't tell you how many times a shoe felt good in the store or on a short run but then caused problems at longer distances. They sell casual shoes as well, which also count towards your five pairs get one free offer.
If you're still awake, congratulations.
And finally, best of luck to my buddy Rob. He's competing this weekend in the Beach 2 Battleship iron distance triathlon in Wilmington, NC. Iron distance events are old hat for him, but he's been training especially hard for this one. I'm sure he'll have a great race.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
pushin' on
86 today. a drill sergeant probably would have disallowed half of them... but that's okay. next tuesday is the finale.
camping... kinda
We had a week full of fun. Here's installment #1.
On Monday night we took June on her first camping trip... to our backyard. We were planning on taking her to a local wilderness area, but we got cold feet. It would have required a mile and a half hike to the campsite, and we had no idea how she'd react to sleeping in a tent; the idea of hiking with a screaming toddler for a mile and half in the middle of the night back to our car made our decision easy.
We're not ready for one of those monster 3000 square foot tents, but the three- or four-person variety probably would have worked better. We were quite cozy.
Here's June enjoying some grapes around the campfire. For dinner, we enjoyed grilled cheese sandwiches and canned baked beans prepared pseudo-outdoorsily: on a gas grill.
June loved the campfire, her headlamp, the glow sticks, and playing around in the dark. She wasn't too fond of the tent, especially having it zipped closed-- she just wouldn't have it. It took her awhile to get to sleep, and an hour or two later, Adrienne and I joined her in the tent. We slept rather comfortably until, at 2:30 am, June woke up and seemed totally wired-- perhaps weirded out to find her parents sleeping next to her. Our efforts to coax her back to sleep proved futile, so we headed in for the night. She immediately fell asleep in her crib. Overall, it was a fun night and good first step towards more outdoor adventures. With one or two more backyard test-runs, she'll be ready for the real thing.
On Monday night we took June on her first camping trip... to our backyard. We were planning on taking her to a local wilderness area, but we got cold feet. It would have required a mile and a half hike to the campsite, and we had no idea how she'd react to sleeping in a tent; the idea of hiking with a screaming toddler for a mile and half in the middle of the night back to our car made our decision easy.
Here's Junie stabbing at the smoke with her skewer. If you squint your eyes you can see our happy little two-person tent in the background.
We're not ready for one of those monster 3000 square foot tents, but the three- or four-person variety probably would have worked better. We were quite cozy.
Here's June enjoying some grapes around the campfire. For dinner, we enjoyed grilled cheese sandwiches and canned baked beans prepared pseudo-outdoorsily: on a gas grill.
It was always such a thrill to play with glow sticks when I was little, so I picked up a few at Home Depot earlier in the afternoon. Like a lot of things, e.g., building forts, Matchbox cars, I purchased them for her, but they were every bit as entertaining for me. We played catch, spun 'em around, and threw 'em high in the air. Good, cheap fun.
Given that it was our own backyard, some of our activities were decidedly un-outdoorsy...
June loved the campfire, her headlamp, the glow sticks, and playing around in the dark. She wasn't too fond of the tent, especially having it zipped closed-- she just wouldn't have it. It took her awhile to get to sleep, and an hour or two later, Adrienne and I joined her in the tent. We slept rather comfortably until, at 2:30 am, June woke up and seemed totally wired-- perhaps weirded out to find her parents sleeping next to her. Our efforts to coax her back to sleep proved futile, so we headed in for the night. She immediately fell asleep in her crib. Overall, it was a fun night and good first step towards more outdoor adventures. With one or two more backyard test-runs, she'll be ready for the real thing.
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