spinning-jennie: Photo Archives

spinning-jennie: Photo archives

Round and Round
Hey, look! A post! Because you deserve it. And also because D. keeps making fun of me.

Earlier we were bored. So I used up an entire stick of sidewalk chalk to make a labyrinth, posted on Kiddley a few months ago, in the driveway. Totally worth it! The neighbors are envious -- I could tell when I was (most inadvisably) up on the garage roof getting more photos (which, now mastered, opens up whole new UNIVERSES of Halloween decorating options).

07/06/08 05:58 PM in Fun , Link , Photo | Comments

Hop Hop Hippity Hop
I hope you had a nice Easter day! We spent our third fine, sunny year ushering in a new spring (fittingly) up at Spring Lake. The bub loves it.

03/23/08 08:22 PM in Photo | Comments

Photo Week
I'm bored, so I'm thinking this will be a week of photoblogging. I started yesterday.

03/18/08 10:42 AM in Photo | Comments

Sac Stuff
Some photos here, and a teeny video clip here.

02/20/08 10:56 PM in Photo , Video | Comments

Happy
Hearts Day!

02/14/08 08:53 PM in Photo | Comments

Eleventh Hour Much?
My homework and quizzes are due each week at midnight Sunday, so guess what I just finished. Yup. Normally I'm better about not procrastinating, but this week didn't involve creating anything, so it naturally bored me to tears, and I avoided it.

But my butt needs prying from this chair right now, so I'll leave you with the letterboxing photos from yesterday. Maybe tomorrow I'll actually log it on our official page. That would be novel!

02/10/08 10:38 PM in Photo | Comments

Rewind
We've had a digital camera since 1999, a big, chunky HP Photosmart (which the bub now uses). So that's a long stretch of time before I went Pro on Flickr and put up more than cell phone photos. And I was nuts with the film, too, from about 1988 on.

I've been looking through some of that stuff lately, and thought I might stick a few up randomly in a Flickr set. It's fun to talk about some of it again!

01/30/08 05:53 PM in Photo | Comments

Muddin'
Yesterday was gorgeous, sunny and 60's, so we decided to break in the bub's cute little new hiking boots up at Crane Creek. Of course we weren't thinking about what a couple weeks of rain had done to the trails, so we got a little more adventure than we bargained for. Still a nice trip, though. And none of us fell into anything liquid, which is always good.

Photos here. Or, at least they will be, when Flickr decides to return (again); I was of course halfway through uploading when it went kaput.

01/13/08 01:04 PM in Photo | Comments

McFly's Ghost
The woman who lives directly across the street from us has an outdoor cat, a cat that has always rather reminded us of the departed McFly. Kind of spooky.

Lately, the cat has taken a liking to our patio. The first time I saw him out there (sometime last week, I guess) it was mid-stalk, and the visit ended with a juicy mouse dangling from his mouth. Maybe rodent hunting is why we've always been so popular with the local felines? If they take care of the scritchy-scratchy noises beneath the floorboards and behind the fireplace, they're all more than welcome to take up permanent residence!

10/16/07 08:53 PM in Cats , Photo | Comments

Oompa Loompa
That's what we've been calling Olompali State Historic Park, just south of us, because of the letterbox that lives there. And, you know, it's more fun to say.

We never did find the box, but we did get to see some great old buildings and ruins, a re-created Miwok village, and signs warning us about mountain lions. And no weekend jaunt would be complete without a handful of photos, a healthy dose of trail misbehavior and bickering, and contracting some kind of woodland flea (now apparently banished to all but D's vehicle, and hopefully deprived of blood long enough to have extinguished there).

There are "kitchen rocks," large, deeply-pitted slabs once used by Native Americans to grind grains, that we'll have to catch another time. Maybe.

08/07/07 03:16 PM in Photo | Comments

Muir Woods
We finally made it down to Muir Woods yesterday. I'm not happy with the photos that were even viewable, but I doubt any attempt, more skilled or no, at capturing that level of awe-inspiring loftiness would approach any real interpretation, anyhow.

Plus it was really dark in there.

07/29/07 02:51 PM in Photo | Comments

Highly Illogical
The logic of Flickr Explore eludes me. If the one (horrible, kind of pointless) photo of mine that actually made it there was ever in the 500 most "interesting" photos of the day... well, it must've been a stellar day for photography.

04/12/07 04:41 PM in Photo | Comments

Sheesh.
Has it really been a week since I last posted? Goodness, I'm slipping.

Last weekend we took the bub to an Easter egg "hunt" (punctuation here indicating the maximum looseness that word allows), and today, we had our annual Easter picnic, up at Spring Lake. Same table as last year, with the same great view. And lizards. All the photos are in my Flickr Easter set. Except the ones of our eggs (we didn't buy them at the store this year! imagine that!), I haven't uploaded those from my phonecam yet.

I apologize for that last April Fool's post. Sort of. Except to Lindsay. Hee.

04/08/07 08:47 PM in Photo | Comments

If You Want to Understand...
...really, really understand why, every now and again, I can barely contain my wistfulness for the U.P. here, you should take a look at this photoset. Look, you can even see my dorm. The other sets are great, as well.

The peninsula is a study in stark contrast -- blistering chill and mosquito-misery swelter, wild but genteel, unique, yet typical small-town American.

I've been spending a lot of time on Flickr lately; as it grows it definitely becomes an invaluable resource for memory-jogging.

01/25/07 04:16 PM in Photo | Comments

Flickritis
Now that I've gone Pro on Flickr, I've regained a bit of interest in the whole idea. And I think there'll be a change or two in the works.

I've never been particularly squeamy about sharing photos online (noticed?). Some folks say my lack of compulsion to hide might be irresponsible, and others say that's bullpuckey. I've never much cared to debate the point.

Lately, though, I've taken a couple that I want to share, but not share, if you know what I mean. But I have to do some Flickr housekeeping, first. When I began using Flickr, I was knee-deep in sleepless zombieness and baby poop, and made everyone I added a Contact. Even D. is a Contact. I never thought I'd want it otherwise, and the thought of even that much sorting/labelling hurt my battered head. So.

In other non-news, still feeling a bit floppy. Yesterday I napped, fell asleep drooling on the couch in the evening, and slept in this morning. Might be the January blahs.

01/09/07 02:49 PM in Photo | Comments

18.5 Hours
Suze invited me to a Come as You Are party, so I thought I'd really do it right and show my up-since-6 am self.

Frankly, I'm surprised I can still hold the camera that straight and hit the button at the same time.

Oh, and you can play too, if you like!

12/20/06 12:39 AM in Meme , Photo | Comments

Thankee.
What a nice Thanksgiving dinner we had.

The Hilltop was exactly that -- at the end of an upward-winding road, in a grove of old oaks (the photos they use on the site don't do the exterior justice at all). The views were nice, though my photos didn't do that justice. I made reservations for just before dusk, so it was a treat to watch the changes over the hills while eating.

Such a friendly, homey place. Candlelit tables, lighted swags on the walls, and fabric ceiling lamps cast just the right amount of warm light. No rushing -- it took us over two hours to get through dinner, which is really how the holiday should be, even when you're out, no? It was the best Thanksgiving experience out that we've had, in my opinion, and we've had a few. The bub would agree on the basis of getting a balloon alone.

He and I had traditional turkey dinners (turkey, stuffing, cranberries, mashed potatoes, yams, and green beans), and D. had the prime rib with baked potato and beans. All simple, all very, very good. Even the salad was the best I've had in some time. And dessert. Oh my thighs, the dessert. D. and the bub split a chocolate mousse, and I had pumpkin bread pudding, with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. It was indescribably good, warm and cold and sweet and savory and... ummmm.

Of course we had our Thanksgiving shark along. For the benefit of those who are relatively new around here, I'll tell the story. D, my sister and I went to a big old Thanksgiving buffet in White Lake, Michigan many years ago (1999, to be exact). We were greeted by this shark in the entryway, and proceeded to make fun of it. After that, it just didn't seem like Thanksgiving without one, so we picked up a Ty "Crunch," and dragged it with us to our feasts forevermore. It certainly made the bub happy today!

We did take some photos, mostly of the bub. He was very good and charming the whole time.

I know I spend a lot of time here wringing my hands and/or complaining -- that's just the nature of this beast, and what I need it for, sometimes -- but don't think for a moment that I'm not aware of exactly how much I have to be thankful for. One of those things is all of you, who've been faithfully visiting and keeping me company here these long years. Thank you!

11/23/06 09:16 PM in Photo | Comments

Mommy's Little Candy-Scoring Monkey Pie
I don't usually pine for gadgetry, but I admit -- I'm aching for a few more megapixels. Perhaps, though, what I really need is a digital photography class. Aherm.

In any case. Here's the zookeeper and monkey (why do we persist taking photos indoors? and why aren't 1.5 semesters worth of PS tricks helping past a certain point?), a petite, particularly pensive primate, and monkey twins, unite! Mad props again to The Sister for loan of her spare zoo duds.

Videos tomorrow, I think, because I just had my midterm project and exam this weekend, and I'm all edited out. No soundtrack on these, his voice is just too cute to cover.

11/01/06 03:08 PM in Photo | Comments

Burninating the Peasants
Trogdor!

Took on quite a task with that design (from here, embellished with my own flames and text), but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

10/29/06 08:56 PM in Fun , Photo | Comments

So This is 35.
I'm super tired today (finally asleep at two, up at six, my eyeballs feel like boulders, ugh), but I thought I should get some kind of photo to mark it, anyhow. My daemon helped.

The bub and I were messing around in the living room earlier, when I heard tiny ripping noises behind me. I believe he has mastered the concept of opening presents, though not so much which ones are his to open! ;-)

09/14/06 06:32 PM in Photo | Comments

Apple Hill '06
Teensy gallery here.

09/06/06 09:36 PM in Photo | Comments

That Time of Year Again
Nothing like a hot, frightened bub on portrait day. Add two heat-cranky adults (one internalizing, the other not so much), and that's a fun day out, right there! Luckily, judging by the few poses that turned out well, you wouldn't guess it. Much. The scans aren't perfect, but it's miserable* where my Photoshop lives, and promises to be the same for several days out yet, so they'll do.

In any case, we won't be returning to that particular Picture People. The photographer -- who is around small children all day, and plenty of skittish ones, I'm certain -- was really aggressive and impatient with Daniel when he wouldn't warm up to her in, oh, two minutes flat. And there wasn't anyone else in the store (she'd in fact been standing outside when we arrived, trying to lure customers in with free prints), so it wasn't a matter of available time. I thought he'd eventually unwind, like he did last year, but it didn't happen. Should've walked out, in retrospect.

I fear, sometimes, that the degree of introversion he exhibits is inherited. I mean, we're out in public, every day almost, and he sees me [forcing myself to] interact positively with other adults. But my mom was the superduperhyperWOWextrovert... so did I just inherit my dad's introversion? It's something I think about a lot.

*as doublemotherf**king HADES, if you're curious

07/23/06 08:36 PM in Bub , Photo | Comments

July is All About Kiddie Pools and Cable Drama
Gah, this heat is getting me all depressed and crabby. How I miss central air! I still feel we were handed a gross lie when told we wouldn't need it here.

But the kiddie pool is up out back, and we've had a few nice soaks now. The very best being today, when Daniel only tried to drink the pool water once (it usually ends our fun abruptly, even though he's had a perfectly good sippy of ice water sitting at the ready each time). Right after four is ideal, when our little trees offer the most shade of the day.

Here he is, all dapper in his diaper.

If I had to pick one C-list celebrity that I thought he would look most like when he grows up (humor me, my brain is fried on triple digits and The Most Boring Class in the World), it'd have to be Patrick Flueger (Shawn from The 4400). No?

07/17/06 09:10 PM in Photo | Comments

Zoo
We went to the San Francisco Zoo today. Really couldn't have asked for better zoo-tromping weather -- cloudy and about 60°F. Hoorah!

The bub is getting a little more interested in the animals, though only the more exuberant ones. And of course the petting zoo (though we'll just forget that little dive Mommy had to take to keep him from picking up those fun little balls of "brown Kix.").

My favorite moment wasn't part of an exhibit, even -- it was a mating pair of hummingbirds. They were close enough to touch, in a tree just above our heads. The male flashed his ruby throat, and sang, and danced, and it was really such a rare treat to even see the wee things not zipping away. I came home and made sugar water for the pretty new glass feeder that, strangely enough, we just bought yesterday.

Here are a few photos. And here's a wallpaper of the meerkat, for those of you who enjoy charming, stylish rodents as I do.

06/11/06 05:21 PM in Fun , Photo | Comments

Mission San Rafael Arcangel
Today we drove down to see the Mission San Rafael Arcangel. It was our second California mission; this one wasn't nearly as visit-friendly as Carmel, disappointingly.

It's no accident that the small mission bears the name of Raphael, a healing saint -- it was a satellite (asistencia) to Mission Dolores (San Francisco de Asis), and served as a respite for its sick.

Church Tower
Chapel/Museum (closed indefinitely!)

San Rafael the town was a lot more pleasant than I'd previously given it credit for, however, having only seen the crummier Highway 101 bits before today.

06/04/06 08:23 PM in Photo | Comments

The Hugginator
I never thought Elmo could get tired of attention. But, as his days are filled with nearly identical scenes, he's been the one to break up the hugfest more often than not.

06/03/06 12:44 PM in Bub , Cats , Photo | Comments

Community Chest
What makes the photo oh-so-unique is that I'm LYING on a SCRABBLE BOARD. And it's vintage, to boot.

Alfred Butts would be so proud.

06/01/06 08:19 PM in Photo | Comments

Butter!
And Egg! Parade. Or, at least us, at it.

04/29/06 10:16 PM in Photo | Comments

He Aspires to Become the New Houdini
How I found him after a nap the other day.

04/18/06 02:05 PM in Photo | Comments

Happy Easter!

04/16/06 10:52 AM in Photo | Comments

Little Kids Only
This weekend we drove down to Berkeley (barely making it back with our lives, eep) to visit Habitot, a "museum" just for babies thru preschoolers. While a little disappointing to the grownups, the bub seemed to like it well enough.

03/28/06 09:04 AM in Photo | Comments

And, Yes, He Did Get to Spin
Somebody sure was happy to sit in Daddy's chair...

01/27/06 09:11 PM in Photo | Comments

See?
Foam pit. I think the adults were having as much fun as the toddlers.

01/23/06 08:28 AM in Photo | Comments

I Married into the Mob
Or so it would appear (apologies for the scanned in-the-dark shot - perhaps next semester I'll be one step closer to ameliorating such things).

12/20/05 10:39 AM in Photo | Comments

Soaked
Happy post-bath bub burrito.

11/20/05 02:45 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

Sometimes, When Things Get Quiet...
it doesn't always mean trouble.

11/19/05 03:09 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

You Don't Want to Miss...
...D's phone photos. I wish I could get mine to ever turn out that clear.

10/25/05 04:32 AM in Photo | Comments

Arr.
Daniel just broke the eighth tooth we've been expecting for about five months now. Since yesterday, things have been a little... well, screamy. And bitey. Ow. Today was the first time ever he flat-out refused to eat food.

He was, though, momentarily happy at Michael's yesterday, as this pic that D. snapped proves.

08/21/05 04:05 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

Do Your Worst
Mayhaps it's time to get out the parrot hat and a pair of my old glasses. But then, that just might be too much for my gentle readers.

07/28/05 11:35 AM in Photo | Comments

Little Monkeys...
...can be serious about their swinging.

07/10/05 11:01 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

It's Been Awhile...
...since I made a submission to the Mirror Project (that fourth one's not me, FYI).

So here's a new one, wet hair and all.

06/16/05 04:46 PM in Photo | Comments

You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown
Went to the Charles M. Schulz Museum yesterday. Photography wasn't allowed inside (too bad, it was cool), but we did get a few shots of the grounds and Snoopy's Home Ice.

06/05/05 10:03 AM in Photo | Comments

Afternoon in Old Town
Yesterday we went to check out the Farmer's Market in the historic district. Not too much in the way of produce. I only bought a basket of strawberries for shortcake - and it turns out many were bad. Maybe we'll just stick to the quaint roadside Palace of Fruit in Penngrove from now on.

While over that way, we decided to grab a few letterboxes. Turns out that one great spot took up all of our two-hour parking. There was a rather unkempt labyrinth, which I thought was maybe built in Victorian times, but after some Googling, I found its birthdate to be a rather disappointing 1999.

D. took a few pics while Daniel and I hung out.

On our way back to the car, we passed the beautiful and long-vacant Philip Sweed elementary school. The grafitti, busted-out windows, and rotting ceilings made me sad. However, a little more Googling had me smiling again.

I love how letterboxing gets us walking in neighborhoods we might not otherwise, finding hidden treasures. At curbside in front of many of the grandest of the old gingerbreads, we saw patterned concrete blocks rising from the sidewalk. It took me a few minutes to realize we were seeing our first carriage steps.

05/22/05 09:56 PM in Fun , Photo | Comments

Miscellaneous Shots
Downtown, from across the river in the evening rain
Road to Napa, drive-by style
Daniel, beneath D's desk, with mouse

05/21/05 09:11 AM in Photo | Comments

My Little Kewpie...
...had quite a case of bedhead today!

05/04/05 08:04 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

I Love A Parade
Butter and Egg Days here in Petaluma, to celebrate the city's udderly eggcellent history (boo, me). Two of my favorite things, besides parades. Today's was tall on quantity and a little short on quality, but Daniel (who wore cows in honor of the occasion) still enjoyed it, and that's all that matters. He did some dancing to the marching bands, hung out with Dad, and got some shiny-shiny beads to finger.

04/23/05 04:32 PM in Photo | Comments

One Leetle Wish
Flickr is great for moblogs. I'd be hard pressed to reach my monthly upload limit with the cell.

But one thing drives me batty. Why, when uploading photos, can't they go to some kind of purgatory, first? It may be silly, but I hate it when they sit there publicly for the few minutes it takes to title/describe/tag/annotate them. Am I the only one? Is it different for Pro users, I wonder?

04/21/05 10:56 AM in Photo | Comments

That's Why They Call Him The Streak
Eight months old yesterday, yikes. Here's a small Snapfish gallery; only a couple have been posted here on the site.

04/14/05 03:04 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

In Lurve
This guy surely outshines the great majority of attempts at photographically documenting new motherhood (warning: not all for nudeophobes/the prudish). Luckily he's been fairly productive, because I find myself always wanting more.

04/13/05 11:28 AM in Photo | Comments

Down in the Valley
Yesterday we went letterboxing again, in Sonoma. Definitely be returning lots - so much charm, and Traintown (!!!), and tons of historical sites. Lachryma Montis was a beautiful spot, I'll post a gallery soon. For now, here's my favorite shot from the trip.

04/10/05 03:16 PM in Link , Photo | Comments

Meme of One
I couldn't really participate in the whole What's in your bag? meme, because I don't carry one anymore. Unless you want to see the diaper bag. I'd wager not.

So I've done What's in your garage? Because we've got one, and there's stuff in it. When the door is open, people driving past peer inside. Now lucky you can too.

04/06/05 11:11 AM in Photo | Comments

...and Suckry.
Well, both drives in my PC went kaput. And in the data transfer to the new drives from the better one, something went wacko. Hear tell I may have to reinstall. Never, ever fails. Just when I get things the way I like 'em, it's time to start over from scratch. Pfft.

Well, here's a new pic, anyhow. I'm honestly quite surprised that Daniel hasn't gotten scratched yet, the way he plays a little rough with Elmo's tail and hind legs. Elmo seems to realize that he just doesn't know any better, and continues to take it like a champ.

03/30/05 09:59 AM in Baby , Moaning , Photo | Comments

Just Checking In
So, suddenly, my PC has decided that it won't accept photos from my phone. And that's no fun for anyone. Friggin' Motorola. Here's a cute little AVI clip to tide you over, though. From last weekend, before the screaming began in earnest. And also, by popular demand, a "before" shot. Blurry, but I think his high-frequency emanations may have damaged the Canon.

Harold and Kumar was funnier than I thought it'd be, and I wasn't drunk. Or stoned. Not even a little bit! You do have to be in a silly mood, though. Today I can't help but wonder if WC appreciates their name being "officially" endorsed as a purveyor of post-high munchies. Maybe it's just a matter of "can't beat 'em, join 'em" at this point.

I can see the second pointy upper cuspid lurking just beneath the surface of Daniel's gum, eruption imminent. If you're keeping track, that'd be tooth number four. Far too early, says me.

03/19/05 09:52 PM in Baby , Movies , Photo | Comments

Screaming Is Only Fun if You're the One Doing It.
More teething. I'm feeling incredibly frazzled and frustrated, yet exruciatingly bored at the same time. Is that possible?

Anyhoo. Here's a short reprieve brought to you by the fine folks that make infant painkillers. Now if you'll excuse me - I'm off to drown myself in the nearest toilet bowl.

03/16/05 01:46 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

Downtown
A few shots from our stroll downtown today:

My favorite building
Once library, now museum
Trio
First time wearing shorts!

03/11/05 09:36 PM in Photo | Comments

Deep Thoughts?
Such a serious face for a little guy with a fuzzy blue elephant.

03/08/05 01:11 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

We Only Meant to Go to the Library...
...but ended up driving over to Bodega Bay, too. So nice that the ocean is now reachable on a whim! Gorgeous clear day, unlike any I've seen here yet. The fresh salt air was fantastic. Daniel took the waves and wind and crowds very seriously.

And here's an unrelated bonus photo of pre-crawling hijinks.

03/05/05 07:41 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

Monkey in a Frog Pond
Sometimes I can't believe how big he is already.

Rachel, those shoes were such an appropriate choice, since he's Mister Monkeytoes!

02/24/05 08:27 AM in Baby , Photo | Comments

Crapshoot
Set up a moblog, of sorts, at Flickr (see right). The quality may be awful, but the likelihood of getting a picture is about fifty times greater with the mobile than with the Canon. Still doing the Visiblog. Eventually. Once I can a) find time to finagle MT into the format I want, or b) find a decent gallery program that lives on our server and doesn't require PHP (hahahahaha, I keel me).

02/22/05 10:14 PM in Photo | Comments

Rice Rice Baby
You know it's time to bring on the Real Food when you're at IHoP, and the bub keeps trying to grab stuff off your fork and plate. We'd planned to start him on cereal anyhow, when things settled down a bit. So last night he got his first solid. If you can call it that - it was more like Cream of Rice Puree Soup, but he loved it regardless. Ended up wearing most of it on his bib, but he couldn't have been more enthusiastic (D had to hold down his hands so he wouldn't grab the spoon and try to ram it into his mouth). Wish we could've clicked a few messy photos, but here's a happy After, at least.

02/20/05 08:28 AM in Baby , Photo | Comments

Friends
Elmo is the only cat that will, on occasion, actively seek out Daniel's abuses. It looks like he's being nice here, but seconds later the ear-pulling will begin.

02/15/05 08:49 AM in Baby , Cats , Photo | Comments

Six Months!
Somebody turned six months old today. No, we can't believe it, either.

02/13/05 01:17 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

Can You Dig It?
D. and a friend drove my car out to Petaluma this weekend, and came back with some measurements and pictures. There are lots of mirrors. We'll be covering up this panel in the great room with long drapes. The mirrors over the fireplace (WTF?) will stay as-is, unless you have any ideas. And I suppose the mirrors in the corner of the master bedroom can stay, if they prove flattering enough (mind out of the gutter, folks) - a good real full-length mirror is a handy thing for dressing.

I hate the fact that I'm moving back into a smaller kitchen, but I do adore the double oven. I can be all Martha with it - prep one batch of something, while another is ready to eat!

Oh, yeah. Here are those crazy lamps.

01/25/05 03:15 PM in Photo | Comments

This Little Piggie
He really found his toes a few days ago.

01/20/05 08:55 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

Latex Kills
Augh.

01/19/05 08:42 AM in Photo | Comments

Location, Location, Location
It's colder in Petaluma than it is here. Don't know why I didn't think it would be. But that bodes very well for summer. As in, fewer eyeball-melting days.

It only took one day of driving around to find a good condo/townhouse (what's the difference? really?) to rent in a nice Petaluma neighborhood, and only minutes from where D. will work! Private owners, super friendly retired folks who live on a tiny farm. The place is definitely 80's - mirrors everywhere, those weird ornate gold-glass lanterns hanging above the stairs. D. digs that. Lots of room, with three bedrooms, a double garage, 2.5 baths, and tons of storage (my favorite is the closet right off the living room, awesome for toys?). It'll take some getting used to, having neighbors living on either side again, when the neighbors we have on only one side now are often gone for days at a time.

It'll also certainly take some getting used to, living in a town without Target or Raley's (oh, the hardships, huh?). The hills are pretty, there's Whole Foods and Borders, and the library looks interesting enough. The town is a big antique center, so that may be what everyone gets for gifts from now on. It could take weeks to explore all the shops. And it sounds like there'll be no end to fresh local produce - can't wait to get my hands on some nice brown eggs.

Daniel did okay on his first overnight trip away - only one real screaming incident when he'd seen just one too many rentals on Saturday. And we're not allowed to eat in sit-down restaurants anymore, hrmpfh. We left town in such a hurry on Friday that he missed his bath night, so I ended up sponging him off with our room ice bucket, of all things, which he seemed to find as humorous as I did. Luckily we didn't seem to screw up his sleep schedule too badly.

Daniel and I took a little nap when we got home, awaking to find that D. had been out on an aggressive box-scouting mission. Guess there's no excuse not to pack something or other tonight now.

01/16/05 02:54 PM in Babble , Baby , Photo | Comments

Hot Like Wasabe When I Bust Rhymes
Dear Megan,

I got lots of clothes for Christmas. But none of them came close to my Hot Green Peas tee for coolness. You are definitely among the small number of people worthy of sharing my drooly fist. Maybe someday I can eat your hair!

Hugs and gummy grins,
Daniel

12/30/04 01:16 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

Awwwwed
Sometimes, we're awed. How did we make such an adorable being?

12/28/04 10:33 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

Merry Christmas!
Santa Mini wants to wish you all a Very Merry!

12/24/04 08:24 AM in Photo | Comments

...and a Ho Ho Ho
Jumperoo: $65.
Santa hat: 99 cents.
Jaunty jumpin' bub: priceless.

12/03/04 01:59 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

All Over But the Crying
We drove to the coast while my mom and sister were here last week. Daniel doesn't like roadtrips, and, while he was surprisingly good on the way out - even in really bad traffic - by the time we headed back from Stinson Beach and were stuck in a Vallejo outskirts jam, he'd had MORE THAN ENOUGH.

Yessiree. Lesson learned: when mother's instinct tells you something is a bad idea above and beyond any you've had yet... you'd best damn well listen.

But we did get a few pics at the north head of the Golden Gate:

Daniel, me, Mom, and Becky
"Yes, I'm cute in the hat, I know."
"Yes, I'm CUTE in the HAT, I KNOW!"
"I am now going to eat San Francisco."

11/27/04 03:51 PM in Baby , Photo , Travel | Comments

Little Boy Blue
Dear Ellen,

Thanks again for the lovely warm hat! I enjoy it so much I could eat my mittens!

Hugs and drool,
Daniel

P.S. Still growing into the booties!

11/22/04 12:26 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

Jump Around
My mom and sister arrived from Michigan on Saturday, so things'll probably be even sparser than usual around here this week. Yesterday Danny got a new toy, so I'll leave you with this.

11/15/04 07:51 AM in Baby , Photo | Comments

Do We Have to Go For a Walk?
Really?

Oh-kay.

11/10/04 10:28 AM in Baby , Photo | Comments

And the Froggies Jumped for Joy
"Look what I can do!"

11/01/04 09:15 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

Happy Halloween
We went to a little party yesterday. D. took a few pics beforehand. We would've taken more, but Daniel spent most of the afternoon playing his costume (his tail is beneath his butt in the photo).

10/31/04 04:29 PM in Photo | Comments

Do Your Teeth Ache Yet?
Sleepy fuzzy puppy .

10/30/04 12:04 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

Mellow Morn
I still don't believe it. Little Mister Move Me NOW Or I Will Gnash and Wail played with his Gymini for almost a half an hour today. He really was much happier than this, but it seems camera reticence strikes yet again.

10/29/04 10:51 PM in Baby , Photo | Comments

Happy Hunting
One day, we will capture the elusive giant gummy grin for posterity. Until then, this will have to do.

10/25/04 10:00 AM in Baby , Photo | Comments