Going Back to Cali

Fresh from our trip to Denver, we headed further West, to visit the westernmost cousin, Sophie!

Margy kept us in tip-top shape by leading us on two climbs of Runyon Canyon. No other children were to be seen. Is this what the Ladies of the Canyon was about?

Sophie and the Easterners had a blast at Griffith Park, riding horses, horsing around, riding trains, and being loco on locomotives.

John, playing catch with Oscar when his father does not fulfill his parental duties.

He's strong enough to be our man.

Hope some of that Lucky 7 good luck will rub off on me.

We had an awesome lunch at the Farmers' Market (followed by ridiculously rich ice cream, of course).

On our way through the Grove, we walked through Nordstrom, and the kids were inspired.

Paradise found.

Of course, no trip to L.A. is complete without a ride on the Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel.

And carousel.

The kids also had time to play at the beach (it was 90 degrees) . . .

. . . although there were suspicious shadows lurking.

The lovely stuffed animals "won" at Santa Monica Pier got to sleep with the veteran stuffed animals.

Outside of La Brea Bakery, John showed Margy a thing or two.

Oh, the Ohs! John, Taylor, and Sophie.

Taylor causing trouble.

Another loaf-carrying member of the Anti-Atkins Society.

Here We Are in Denver

The family headed West in November, visiting the cousins in Colorado. We spent lots of time outdoors (almost as much time as we did in the car). A highlight was Estes Park.



It's hard to see in this picture, but we came upon a hundred or so elks lounging in this meadow in Rocky Mountain National Park.



We then made it up to Bear Lake, where we were greeted with a winter wonderland . . .




. . . which got Margy to thinking of the elusive Christmas photo.



Some of the many contenders:

Another day, we went to Boulder and caught up with Olivia's old school friend, Olivia A.

We spent a fun afternoon watching Rose -- she is quite the equestrian.

The kids did what they like best, getting dirty in the creek behing the cousins' house.

Here they are, so close to the front seat. Why didn't we rent a mini-van, again?

We were on top of the world after taking this cog railroad car up to the summit of Pike's Peak.

A short hop from Pike's Peak was Garden of the Gods, which was spectacular.

Curious as to what occurs in the Convention Center in Denver? So is this bear.

The perfect restaurant for our Pi Day child.

California, here we come.

Raise A Glass

Black Ankle Vineyards' Tasting Room had its grand opening in October. Nearly 500 people helped celebrate this momentous occasion for Sarah and Ed and enjoyed their award-winning wines.



Someone had a big pair of scissors so that Ed could cut the ribbon.



This was early on. Afterwards, it was three-deep at the bar until the very end.

Spooky Little Girls and Boys

Although the weather was not consistently any season, Fall did seem to be here as Halloween approached. We got into the mood with some fun with gourds.

Oscar (ignoring his sister's suggestion that he go as The Boy Who Cut His Hair at School) was a swimmer for Halloween. He was wearing Gabe's old swim team warm up suit from his glory days with the Miami Hurricanes.

Olivia was a witch, one who loves candy.

Chloe went as a pumpkin, or one of the Fruit of the Loom guys, you decide. Our friend Katie the Ghost was visiting from New York.

Because of reports of suspicious individuals in the neighborhood, we made these goblins form a line-up.

Beware, scary girls carving up orange things.

Our own little Siouxsie Sioux.

Summer Catch-Up

The theme of the summer was definitely "swimming." Olivia (a.k.a. Dara Torres) developed some wonderful form and practiced a lot on her diving. Here she is at her last meet:

Chloe and her partner in crime, Lucy, had fun at a Frederick Keys game.

Oscar was on the junior swim team, the Mini-Gators, and really improved. It's great to see a smile on a swimming face.

Oscar got his ribbon, with his swim time, after the Mini-Gator meet.

Oscar and his cousins, Sean and Timmy, show off their ribcages.

July 4th brought us to the Takoma Park parade, where it did drizzle a bit, but we did not need our umbrella, ella, ella, ella . . .

Chloe turned four, this summer, and had breakfast in bed.

Chloe had her birthday party at the pool.

We also had our annual "pick the bloody hottest day of the year to play miniature golf" outing.

More pleasant was our trip to the National Arboretum with the Premysler girls.

Things that make Olivia happy: swimming . . .


. . . and cherry pie.

Later in the summer, we headed for Chicago, for Uncle Danny's wedding. The kids loved the Bean.

And the beaches of Lake Michigan were great (and a surprise).

On the big day, Oscar suited up.

The cousins looked sharp just before Danny and Meli tied the knot.

Oscar and Myles are good buddies.

After the wedding, the festivities moved to Wrigley Field.

A group of street performers was nearby, and, soon enough, the party had started.




The reception soon followed, with lots of dancing until the wee hours. Olivia clocked out at about 1:30, making herself a makeshift bed.

Just before school started back up, we went to Longwood Gardens, outside of Philly.

Olivia debuted her new, short 'do. She donated her long locks to make a wig for cancer patients.

The summer ended with Margy and her sisters, Felicity and Sarah, and their bud, Tamara, joining 2,000 other IronGirls at a triathlon. Way to go!

That's all for now. Schools back in session, so we have to start going to bed early now.

Swim Video

The Heat Is On

Spring is here, or, it was for a few days. Now, we are in the midst of a brutal heat wave. Fortunately for Olivia, she joined the swim team, so she can cool off every afternoon. It also gives us a reason to go to the pool everyday. All in all, swimming is good.

Olivia participated in her first time trials, this past weekend. These things start at 7:30 A.M., which is good for early bird Olivia, but not so good for night owl Daddy.





Over Memorial Day, we were lucky to get up to Trout Lake. The weather was in our favor, although the water was not as warm as these photographs might make you believe. Our dear friends Laura, Julian, Katie, and Simon joined us for the long weekend. Lots of smores were eaten. And, Oscar and Olivia both learned how to row the row boat by themselves.

It was very cold the first day and a half at Trout Lake, so Chloe made good use of Daddy's hat.

It's always fun to see Chloe wearing clothes that we remember Olivia wearing. This dress was featured in a Sears photo of ours.

Oscar Knievel was thrilled to get a skateboarding set at Value Village.

Baseball time is here, of course. We took in a high school baseball game at the new Washington Nationals stadium. The stadium is great from the inside, disappointing from the outside. And, be sure to visit your vault at Gringott's Bank before buying anything to eat there!

Chloe's pre-school had their traditional May Day celebration, with all the beauty that entails.

The kindergarten class had their Spring Musical, and Oscar was a tomato, or a radish, or anything else that is red and grows in a garden.

Finally, because he is so unbelievably cute, here is a photo of our nephew, Denny!