Monday, September 10, 2007

A Quick Catch-Up

Hi, everybody! It's me, Helen. Chris is grocery shopping while I take a "day off" and watch Clara and Rosemary. I figured since he hadn't taken his laptop I might be able to squeeze in a quick post while the girls nap.
School's back in session and Chris has been doing so much writing, and I've been doing so much working, it's been hard to coordinate a time for blogging. So let's get started!

First are some pictures of a vegetable cart. This co-op farm is about a country block from our place. You can walk by anytime and pick out fresh, local, organic vegetables, and drop your money into the safe. If you actually buy shares of the farm and put in four hours of work per season, you can walk through and pick out your own veggies straight from the vine. We've had a wonderful variety of foods we had never tried before, like leeks, and green zebra striped tomatoes, different kinds of potatoes and squash.

Chris loves to prepare creative dinners, or "experiments," as he calls them. He is the family chef. I would get a picture of him cooking, but he doesn't like me in the kitchen while he's working. He says, "I want to surprise you. It's all about presentation!" I think he just gets annoyed by my constant "tasting." But the man is making us dinner, so I won't argue!



Clara has just devoured an entire sunflower butter and jelly sandwich. She has sticky cheeks and a satisfied smile.


My Rosemary. She had fallen the day before and cut her lip on the asphault. She did bleed a bit, but she just never stops smiling. That adorable smart alec smile.


A lazy New England garden. Gorgeous. This is on our way to the veggie cart.


Sunflowers!


The bees are different here. But doesn't that look a little like a golden poppy? Home sweet home.


The girls playing in their room. They like to play behind the bed because I can't see them from the door. Sneaky Monkeys.


Rosemary's new ride. Beep beep, beep beep, yeah!


Thank you, Uncle Mark, for my birthday present! Clara tried vaulting the gate the first couple of days it was up, then we taught her how to open it herself. Children should be kept in a cage. Unless they have to poopy.


Rain drops on every needle of pine. What a beautiful day for a walk! (It's raining as I type this, but the weather is a bit colder now.)


The lobby of Starbucks, Amherst. After seeing a picture of the outside (earlier post) my mom commented that it looks more like an old house than a coffee shop. Yup. In the basement there is a tattoo parlor on one side and a bistro/bar on the other. Upstairs... somebody's apartment. Oh yeah. Someone *lives* upstairs from Starbucks. I wonder how much the rent is? And the place next door in this picture is a mortuary.


Roses and Mommy at the bus stop. It's a lovely summer evening, and we've just done our grocery shopping. (Notice the backpack strap on my shoulder?) Having a car will make shopping much easier, but we love walking, being outside, and what great shape we're in now!


Clara & Roses blow kisses and throw hearts! These are two loving girls.


And to close this wonderful post, most likely the best picture ever taken of me. Mommy gets home from work and snuggles her babies :) :) :)

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

I'M BACK!!! WITH A MIXED BAG OF PICS.

We've been very busy and haven't had time to work on the blog. Don't think for a minute that we don't miss you all. We thin and talk about home often. This post is really a mixed bag of pics we've collected over the past two months that we needed to get up. I didn't post all of them, as I wanted to save some for Helen. But I've tried to put a lot. Unfortunately, there are not a whole lot of the girls in this one. That's the sort of stuff I wanted to leave for Helen. Basically, I've tried to fill the holes here. Helen has been very busy working and trying to help get the house together.


The skies above our house. I love the skies here. They have a personality - show emotion.


This is someone's yard. It is on a street we often walk.


Nice house, also on that street.


This house was for sale until last week. It was so hard to walk past it - obviously empty, FOR SALE sign swinging in the breeze. We both love this place. I hope the people who bought it do too.



THE HELEN SECTION
The next section is a collection of pics from my favorite person. I've been grabbing them where I can. I hope she leaves these on here. I think they are great. Let her know what you think.


At Bueno y Sano, "Good and Healthy," one of our favorite restaurants






Rolling her eyes, as I'm sure she is doing now. I wonder where Clara gets it.


This is my HAROLD FUND. I put all my extra change in it so that I can fly my best bud out to see me. So far: 78 cents. It may be a while, Harold. Love ya bro

SOME TOWN PICS
Two from Starbucks...






Helen liked this one.


This guy was a revolutionary war hero. I took it because it seemed to say much more about the present America than it does about the past.


Nice place to be buried, I'd say.

THE CHURCHES
Okay, there are two churches across from one another on North Pleasant Street in downtown. Which one seems to better echo the message of humility and service?


The Universal Unitarian Church. (Note: The flag out front is flown on several of the Churches in town. It is a gay marriage state after all).


Saint Brigid's Catholic Church. Okay, this is a joke. But still, look at the next pic...




Here's the real pic, without the doom and gloom. Sure, it's pretty and all, but...where's the flag? Where's the humility? It's hard not to think this when you're between them.


Clara doing number 2!
A local guy taught Clara this and it's so cute!
She says, "Roses, number-two-peace means, please-be-quiet!"


Clara on the Bus


This is a pic w a closeup right next to it. We saw this at Starbucks. It is the biggest Mosquito I've ever seen! It had to be nearly two inches long!!

A NICE SUMMER RAIN!!!









THE PARK


Near the park


The jungle behind the park


Daddy and Roses


Daddy and Roses again.


The see-saw


Helen take the most beautiful pictures!





UMASS!
The other day I was looking at the blog and I noticed that we hadn't posted any pictures of the sole reason for out 3,000 mile trek. So, Here's UMASS...my new school.










Uh oh! They have gangs here too!


I think we're trespassing on their turf.


Looks like that East Coast/West Coast rivalry is 4 real!


They better watch out. They don't know who they're messing with.


AAAAHHHRRRRRR!!!!! Roses and Daddy are ready to rumble!


Mommy and Roses are gonna take 'em out!


"Chickens!" Clara yells from behind Mommy, as the gang's leader, The Goose, charges down the path to settle things.

"Okay, time to leave, Mommy!" Clara says.


Ah! The skies!


Meanwhile, Mommy and the kids head for the hills.

MORE SCHOOL PICS...Enjoy the tour. I'm taking a break from typing
























Okay everyone, this is it. We miss youall terribly. We love you. We wish you were all here to experience this with us. What a wonderful adventure it's been so far! Please stay in touch. We're busy, but we're never too busy. Call us. Write us. Leave us messages and posts. We really need them. Having a home has helped, but for the most part, we all feel like we are floating. We don't feel grounded because we don't know where anything is more than four miles away and we don't have any close friends - though we have met a few people.

Anyway, later. And remember...


"EEEEEEEE-YAH!!"