After putting in grass last week, today was spent on the fire pit area. Nothing fancy--less than $125 dollars for the chairs and fire bowl, but already the backyard is a gathering space for the kids after homework. Once they can play on the grass that will only increase.
For nearly eight years, the backyard has been a challenge, a trial, and a source of contention between Summer and me. Here are the basics: the backyard is small (15'x50'), with a pretty nasty slope (roughly 2' in drop from the neighbors behind us to our back patio). We've tried several quick fixes, but after a few years, it became obvious that we needed to do full-throttle, cutting into the slope, building a retaining wall, and leveling the yard into two terraces.
So, after years of work, last March we finished the wall and started leveling below it. Today we reached the promised land by putting in ~225' of sod--not a lot, but enough for the kids to run around. Here, then, are some pictures:
From above the wall looking southeast
From the patio looking west--that's one of the two apple trees we planted last spring
From the patio looking south--below the wall are two lilac bushes we planted last month, and above the wall by the fence are hollyhocks
Behind the house looking northwest--that's the other apple tree, and Summer's garden gnome
At the north end of the yard is a sandbox we put in this spring, complete in this photo with Ryan and Evan
And here we get a broader view of the yard looking north, complete with Allyson, who here sniffs a marigold--the dirt area behind her will be home to either another tree or a small patio and fire pitOn Saturday we took the Rail Runner up to Santa Fe again, a trip that we find both fun and relaxing--fun because we get to do cool Santa Fe things and relaxing because we don't have to drive in Santa Fe, one of the worst cities for cars in the nation. Here are some photographic highlights from the trip.
First, Allyson at the ABQ station:
Next, Isaac waiting to board the train:
Here the older kids pass the time on the way north:
The main attraction of the trip was the New Mexico Museum of Art, where a spunky docent took us on a brief tour. We ended at the courtyard, where Summer took a few pictures:
Outside we found plaques commemorating famous artists who have been part of the Santa Few milieu, including on Willa Cather, which made Allyson excited, since she's read Death Comes for the Archbishop:
And finally, outside the door to the museum's St. Francis chapel, the kids enjoy the early-Spring wind (walking back to the trains station, the wind was much less enjoyable):
Summer and I have a getaway planned for mid-May, and we're looking at taking the train to Sana Fe for one day for the two of us. That promises to be loads of fun as well.
Today we decided two things: that we would extend our vacation in Utah by a day, and that we would make a trip to Salt Lake. The former was brought on by what has turned out to be a pretty meager storm, while the latter allowed us to eat dinner at Cafe Rio, so all in all it was a good day.
We began by going to This is the Place Monument. As t turns out, their Christmas lights celebration made a daytime visit a bit lame, so we strolled for a bit and took a few pictures, including this one:
We then killed some time by going to Temple Square, where we visited the Church Museum of Art and History, with a stop at the pioneer cabin just west of Temple Square:
After watching the Joseph Smith movie in the Legacy theater and eating at the aforementioned Cafe Rio, we went back to TITP. Since Christmas was last week, the Santa theme has been replaced by a New Years one, and Father Christmas with Frosty the Snowman, as seen here:
We visited a dozen or so buildings, made some crafts, did some dancing, and rode the train to the main entrance, where I got one final picture of the crew for the year 2010:
Now to return home and ring in 2011. May it be as fun and memorable as 2010.
Here are some winter-themed pictures from the past week. First, the boys and I played in the snow we got in ABQ last Friday--nearly half an inch, and enough for a two-hour delay.
Next, the kids at Temple Square earlier this week.
And, finally, Summer and me (pre-hair cut) at Temple Square.
I'll probably post some Christmas-morning pictures this weekend. Until then, Merry Christmas.
Some weeks ago Summer and I had a lively discussion regarding our living room, which had long suffered from a sort of schizophrenia, split between a living room and a home office. The basic problem--the basic problem we encounter throughout our house--is a lack of space. The simple fact is that we have doubled the number of children in our household since we moved here over seven years ago, and the children we had back then have gotten a lot bigger.
But, I digress. The point of contention was how we could rearrange the room to better make use of the space we have available to us. Thursday night we revisited the idea, coming up with a plan. The essence of the scheme was simple: move the bookcase in the entry way to the corner of the living room, move to the entry way a set of dressers we had converted to storage, put the piano in the dining room, move the desk to the corner where the piano has stood since we bought it, pull the couch to the far wall, and move the chair and ottoman to opposite sides of the coffee table.
The new, wide-open living room, perfect for playing games
Or Legos
The desk is much less obtrusive in the corner, and the couch up against the back wall opens up the room nicely
The piano makes a nice addition to the dining room
Next, with his homemade gift, an apron sewn by Summer:
Being our kids, he also got some books:
And my favorite, a marble race set with interchangeable pieces for building all sorts of fun ramps, loops, and towers (I've played with this every evening since his birthday after the kids have gone to bed):
And here he blows out the candles. The cake is chocolate with a chocolate ganache between the two layers and a caramel frosting (super decadent):
I spent much of this past week--with Summer and the kids out of town visiting my in-laws--painting the boy's bedroom. We chose a sort of sand-yellow color, and I think it turned out well. I also moved the furniture around, which may be subject to change if Summer decides it's not a good layout.
Anyhow, here are some pictures of the room.
Too cool!
You MUST try doing this sometime!!
Pour a glass about half full of white vinegar. Put in a raw egg. Leave for a couple of days. (Ours worked in about 24 hours.)
When you take the egg out it feels like rubber!
Here are some before and after shots.
Before (the bubbles are just starting!)
After (notice how it looks swollen, and yellowish-that would be the yoke)
See the difference?!
Ryan borrowed an “I Spy” book from the library recently. And like most things that strike his fancy, he is obsessed with it now. Subsequently he has taken to making his own “I spy” scenes. Here is the first.
I spy a red flag, a brown reindeer, a potato in a car, and one bunny ear.
I spy a dragon, a seal, a knight and two cheetahs in a cheetah fight.
A few years ago we made a trip to Sandia Crest, overlooking Albuquerque at 10.,867 feet, vowing that we would do this again regularly. Well, we haven't done that, but today we decided it was time to go back to the top of the Sandias. The drive there was faster than I thought it would be, and before long we were parking near the ranger station. After a quick picnic lunch, we started some hiking. We first went along the crest, and then we took to the La Luz trail, which connects the crest with the foothills below as part of an intricate network of mountain trails, along which one may spend an entire day and traverse the length of the Sandias. This I plan to do when my sons are older.
We eventually hiked a mile or so down and then back up, and, while the kids (and the adults, truth be told) were tired by the end, everyone did a great job along the way. In spots, the trail is maybe one foot wide, with a pretty steep dropoff down the mountain at your side. And it's amazingly lush and green. In fact, at the crest it was almost chilly with the thin air and the breeze.
Here are two pictures from the trip. First, Summer and Evan walking to the car after lunch:
And second, the kids at the crest, with the city behind them:
On Monday, Allyson had a field trip to an afternoon Isotopes game, and as Summer picked me up outside my office, I commented that I was proud of my little girl had her priorities straight--skipping class for baseball. Well, today was another such day--playing hooky as a family.
To be fair, the kids weren't missing much. Today was the annual play day at their school, a day that last year we celebrated by skipping school for fun in ABQ. This year we decided to up the ante and get out of town.
Our plan was simple--catch the Rail Runner from downtown ABQ to Santa Fe, walk to the plaza and go to a museum or two. We figured we'd eat lunch in the City Different and make a day of it. So after a lazy morning at home, we drove downtown for the 10:35 northbound train.
The kids, as you can imagine, were excited to ride the train. I had taken the Rail Runner once before, and I thought it was great. But riding an evening train down to a stake priesthood meeting by yourself is nowhere near as fun as taking four kids on a trip. And that it cost all of $17 for the tickets (the boys all rode free) made it even better.
The station in ABQ is adjacent to the bus depot, and it's nice, although there are not nearly enough benches. Apparently a lot of old people ride the Rail Runner, and they show up 45 minutes before the train leaves the station, claiming every available bench. This would be even more pronounced coming home later in the day.
The trip itself was uneventful, which is how train rides should be. The kids read the comics (I had wisely picked up a newspaper at the station) and enjoyed watching the mesas and mountains fly by.
We disembarked at the Santa Fe Depot stop, the end of the line. The railyard area is undergoing some exciting development, and in a year or two it will be a rather hopping place (by Santa Fe standards, at least). We, however, were thinking of but one thing: food. So we ran across the parking lot to Tomasita's, a pretty standard New Mexican eatery, of which more in a few days at Table for Six. The Cliff Notes version: fast, filling, unimpressive.
Then the fun began in earnest. We walked the 3/4 mile to the plaza, eschewing the shuttle. It's a fine walk, and the day was nice--not hot, a gentle breeze. Along the way we spotted some nicer dining options for the next time we make this trip, along with a frozen yogurt establishment that we would patronize later in the day.
We strolled past the New Mexico Museum of Art, a swell place that we've been to before, on the way to the plaza and our true destination: the new New Mexico History Museum, which was completed a few years ago, adding a marvelous jewel of a museum to the already-great Palace of the Governors.
The museum was great--well organized, just interactive enough, educational and fun. And we were smart about our museuming, not trying to do too much, focusing and making the experience meaningful.
It was now a shade before 3:00, so we starting making our way back to the depot, stopping to pick up some kettle corn from a vendor on the plaza and getting frozen yogurt at the aforementioned place. Then we got the station and caught our ride home. We meandered home happy with the day and vowing to do it all again--both the hooky and the train to Santa Fe.
And now, a few pictures from the trip:
Summer and Allyson at the ABQ downtown station
Scenes from the train--Allyson and Ryan doing a crossword puzzle, Isaac with his Kool-aid mustache
Summer and the kids resting in the musuem
Eating frozen yogurt, hobo-style (in the parking lot)
Waiting for our train home
Evan on his way homeA few weeks ago some friends asked if Isaac would be interested in joining a soccer league, and he jumped at the idea. I was a bit less enthusiastic; I've never had a great relationship with organized sports, and I was a bit hesitant to add more obligations to our family's life. But after two practices, Isaac was so happy to be involved that I had to drop my concerns. Today was the first game of the season, and it was a lot of fun.
Summer and the older kids had to be elsewhere, so Evan and I took Isaac to the game, which was held at a park on the north edge of town, not far from the foothills. A half-dozen or so games were going on at the same time, and the atmosphere was fun. Isaac's team, the Tigers, includes two other kids from the ward, one boy whose family moved to the other side of town from our ward last year, and three other boys.
Here are some pictures from the warm-ups and game:
Isaac in the game for the first time
Shooting and scoring during warm-ups
Lining up for practice before the game
