Alaska Basin and Death Canyon
Here are just a few of the many wildflowers we saw. Forget-me-nots, columbines, monument plant, etc... I'm not sure what this nodding purple flower is, or the yellow one below it. Any ideas?
I can't seem to find a credible source, but I will go with the explanation our taste buds are transformed every 5-7 years (not that I am losing taste buds with age and becoming less discriminating). I distinctly recall the first inkling of liking watermelon. It was another sweltering day in the Galapagos Islands. I was in my fifth month of pregnancy with Finn and was was resting in a patch of shade at the edge of Biological station's organic garden. We had just completed the morning's physical labor. In addition to helping lug buckets of water to plants down the long rows, my individual job was to fill several larger buckets with tomatoes I harvested from the vine. Tired and thirsty I watched the coordinator pull a watermelon from a tangle of leaves, raise a machete and whack it into multiple pieces for us to savor. The high water content was what I was craving so I gave it a shot. Much to my surprise it actually tasted good. I thought that would just be an isolated instance but that was not the case. I've given watermelon another shot out of politeness when it was offered after a dinner with friends and it seems to be growing on me. The ironic thing is that Chris's taste buds have transformed right along with mine. On a hot summer day in Salt Lake, I'll take a sweet, fresh watermelon right along side Chris and Finn.
In concert with Chris's recent post, Experiment 1-a, stating a propensity to commit before figuring out all the details of how to do something, he bought himself a road bike to commute to work. This is something that he has wanted for a number of years for exercise as well as commuting. After the bike came all the other unplanned accessories: helmet, shoes for clipless pedals, a light, reflective clothing, water bottle, bike pump, tire repair kit, etc. In addition to accessories there were the logistics of extra toiletries to shower and clean clothes to change into once he got to work, plus all the extra food required to replace approximately 600 extra calories burned biking 6.8 miles each way. Next there was the experimentation of route finding with considerations such as what is the most direct route with roads that are the best in terms of least traffic, lowest number of traffic lights and won't have a passing train obstructing the path.
Entering the High Uinta Wilderness
Ostler Fork of the Bear River - runnin' mad
Maiden of the Mist
Hayden Peak in the background...maybe Experiment 1-b?
E and Finn kicking back after 7 miles of bliss
"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you,
Finn started the cake eating by feeding me. What a polite boy! I don't think I even got this much cake shoved in my face at our wedding :)
It wasn't too long before he started digging in himself
Looks like he's starting to get full here
Oooh, finger paints, these will be fun!
Hudson enjoyed helping open the gifts too
It is crazy to reflect upon the fact that at this moment a year ago Chris stood by my side, full of encouragement as the final hours of Finn's complicated birth unfolded. Although some specific details have become fuzzier with the passing of time, I have a vivid, encompassing memory of the powerful experience we shared that day/night which finally brought Finn into our lives.
Tonight we had a low-key birthday evening, but this weekend the birthday festivities will get under way with, cake and friends, etc...
Hey, your hair's not even wet! Finn starting to get his sea legs at the local pool. Eventually we were doing laps around the lazy river. It was crazy (so many hyper kids), but fun. Next time we'll go back on a weekday afternoon.
Thousand-yard stare. We were all pretty pooped by the end. He slept like a log that afternoon.
I love this photo - shows his adventurous side and independence....gingerly going for the ball that's getting nailed by the sprinkler. He didn't even notice that I had walked away.
Chris has started on another project. We need to strip the old paint and select a new color for our shed. But first, he's ripped off the old dilapidated doors and is entertaining different options for replacing them. My only request is that they still have windows of some sort. It does look odd to have a big gaping hole in the shed but sure does make access easy. I don't miss opening the huge, sagging doors.
Ah, there's nothing quite like being cozied up in a fuzzy towel after a bath! I love how his feet are poking out. Below, Finn is reveling in one of his new joys - bouncing on the bed. It is so funny how he bounces around on his knees and then flops backwards, although it is also a little scary that he has no concept of the edge of the bed being a giant precipice.
Finn has quite the developing pitcher arm. He's gotten so interested in throwing the ball for Hudson. Now he claps for himself after he throws the ball. Yeah Finn!!!! (clap, clap, clap)
We were pretty surprised to see Chris on the front page of the Salt Lake Tribune this week. Co-workers put several copies of the paper in my mailbox at school and continued to express excitement of also seeing him on TV. He's famous :)
Posts
All Comments
www.flickr.com
|
