Of Birthdays and Bread

Rose turns four on Tuesday, so her party was today. Huge crowd. Here are some pics.

Cutting the cake to very eager onlookers. This is Rose's first official birthday cake. Last year it was muffins. Reena made the cake, and we made the frosting and decorated it together. Rose enjoyed it.

Also, Reuben has started to fuss extremely at meals. It turns out he wants to hold the food and take bites. He still takes too big bites, but understanding will come in time.

The Kids

We are wearing sun hats these days because we are going out in the sun!

Cider inside

In this time of paying for checked bags, Reena and I deal by carrying on everything needed to support a family of four. This time, our flight is much of tomorrow, and we will arrive in BOS on New Year's Eve. Gwen gave me a bottle of berry cider that unfortunately can't be taken on board our flights (to San Fran and then to Boston). As much as I would like to consume a bottle of cider on these flights, it ain't gonna happen. The cost of an equivalent amount of alcohol in flight would be about the same as another ticket, so I am sitting here in the evening sipping a glass of very nice berry cider before tomorrow's adventure.

At the Round Table

Rose and Reuben eating at the table at 750 Harvard. We bought this table unfinished, and one of my childhood memories is when it replaced the blue, Formica-topped, wobbly one.

Where the woods are free

With Drumlin Farm closed on Mondays, looked for a place to take Reuben. Walden pond was near, but it cost money that I did not have to park there. I found the Minuteman National Historic Park which is where the Lexington Concord battle happened.

Roots, Rootlets, Rooting

The cornerstone of the Delmar Building of Delmar-Harvard Elementary school. It will be shut down next year.

Grandma and Rose sweep up sweetgum balls, an activity that Rose eagerly repeated.

Rose rides the carousel at the zoo.
Grandma burps Reuben.
Rose washes play dishes, ones that Daddy used in his childhood, at the sink.
Rose and Daddy pet animals at the zoo.

Just got back from taking the kids to St. Louis for a week. There it was balmy, hot even, and all the flowers were blooming. Magnificent magnolias colored the treeline with white and purple while the ground was dominated by golden daffodils and accented by the purple of late crocuses and reds of early tulips. A few redbuds, my personal harbinger of spring in the Midwest, bloomed next to the library. And I wore shorts!

As I look out the window, I see a few flakes of snow drifting by. It is springtime in Boston, too.

Last week, I took my usual pilgrimage to the U. City Loop. Much has changed there since my childhood including that it has its own website. It is also greatly upscaled (or even gentrified) which has its positives and drawbacks. I am no longer afraid to walk there at night, but many of the family friendly features are gone.

At the U. City Library, I talked with a childrens' librarian as I walked around the room in which a great deal of my childhood unfolded. The same tables and benches are there, the books have been reorganized, but the place has the same great welcoming feeling. It turns out that the librarian reads a storytime for the children of one of my elementary school friends. My roots still run pretty deep in that place.

On that walk, however, I happened to be in the right place at the right time (or perhaps it was all wrong) to see a feature of my memory's landscape pulled down and removed from reality forever. The circular entrance to Cricket Walk was a place that drummers gathered, children romped, and I was even once approached by a drug dealer (I ran away).


It was fun to take my children in the stroller around the neighborhood and to the main park of my childhood. My little rootlets loved the flowers, and they loved being with my parents. Rose improved her potty training, and Reuben moved into 3-6 month clothes.

I can't think of St. Louis without a nod to the Cardinals. Spring Training is underway, and a bad one for them this one has been. I managed to catch most of a game on the day of my return, so my season of rooting has begun.

San Diego and Back

Rose eating crackers
Serena who Rose led around the house and yard for quite a while.
Cousin Jenny, Serena and Tyler's mom.
Dad (Granddad) and Tyler
Uncle Dave
Aunt Judy
Uncle Roger

Missing due to Rose's love of the delete button are Grandma Linda, and Toby dog.

There is nothing like leaving the New England area on a plane and touching down where rows of palm trees and cacti declare unequivocally that you have left home. This last week we visited family in San Diego where my aunt lives. Rose was a great hit and spread the love with her cheery personality. One of the presents she received was her very own camera. After some trips to get batteries, a memory card, and a small screw driver, we were able to put the thing together. Rose loves the sounds it makes when turning on and off, when moving through the pictures she has taken, and unfortunately when she deletes them. She also loved the pictures of the various folks visiting and living in San Diego.

of snow and shoulders

Snow on the tree in front.
The new deli is finally open. Guess why I've been waiting for this one!
Maya hangs with Rose.
Mom and Rose share a laugh.

I guess if you put the two together, snow and shoulders, you get a cold shoulder. In my case, it is just winter in New England and shoulder surgery. A torn rotator cuff was the diagnosis for my pain, and surgery was the answer. I am now going to PT in order to regain range of motion and strength in the arm. Mom came for a little over two weeks to help out with Rose while I was recovering, and she has just left.

I got a new camera in order to aid my taking photos. My old one, a Canon S80, was a bit too bulky to carry around easily in a pocket. My new one, a Canon SD780 IS, is sleek and easy to slide in a pocket. It doesn't have as good a lens or feature set, but I think being able to carry it will lead to more photos. We'll see.

The Year Ends as the Year Begins

In the ongoing attempt to reclaim space and get rid of stuff, I went through college binders and copy packets. I really don't think I'll be reading the articles from my Schools in American Cities course taken in '91. Along with those, many other papers filled the recycle bin to overflowing and cleared up much shelf space.
This moth alighted on the screen outside the dining room. Rose and I watched it for a while. The fabulous colors don't really show up in this photo.
Siamese Pin.
My room before school started.
Rose showing off her gangsta in pajamas look.
I drew two circles in green; Rose did the rest. Crayons are fun!

We have just returned from Philly and celebrating Rosh Hashana with Reena's family. It is the New Year in the Jewish calendar. Interestingly enough, it coincides pretty well with the new year in the academic world as well.

The crops are being brought in, some places are near or past their first frost, so the agricultural year is winding down in the Northern Latitudes.

I am finding my way in this new year. I only have four students this year, and I have not adjusted quite right to the classroom management needed for a small group. Another growth opportunity. I am looking forward to this year, but a lot of work has to be crammed in at the beginning to get them ready for a secondary school entrance test and for next schools applications.

Rose continues to be amazing and a wonder. She learns new things daily and delights in sharing them with us.




One of my great joys in childhood was taking apart anything electronic. I loved making the gears into tops.

Pictures, both moving and still, of road trip

I haven't taken a road trip for some time, so it was wonderful to hop in the car and head out. I enjoy solitude, scenery, and the cumulative experience of a trip.

I awoke early on my day of departure in order to get to Chicago in one day. The moon shone through the open window in my shower as the birds swung into full dawn chorus. The sky slowly illuminated the world, and the beginnings of pink fuzz peaked from the buds on the mimosa tree in our back yard.

After a hasty breakfast, I packed my last gear in the car and plugged in the iPod. "You Can Get It If You Really Want" by Jimmy Cliff greeted me, and I took that as a sign of good things to come.

The rolling hills/mountains of Western Massachusetts are covered by woods, and the mist rising from the valleys created a very beautiful send-off from the East Coast. As I came down from the mountains and onto the plains of New York, I noticed that drivers suddenly understood the rules and customs of the road much better. The right lane was used for driving and the left for passing. Amazingly, with only two lanes, the same volume of traffic that had been snarled with three lanes in Mass was moving smoothly in New York. This trend continued throughout my trip except for in Chicago where people drive like maniacs. Friends who only know East Coast driving wonder why I like to drive for 17 hours in a day, but in the Midwest, it is a peaceful endeavor.

I arrived in Chicago late, dealt with the crazy traffic there, and ended up at Sarah's house. This is soon to not be her house anymore as she is moving to Philly where I will be able to visit her and her family much more often. We chatted about childhood memories til late, and in the morning, I headed to Wrigley Field for the first ballgame of the trip.

I did something I rarely do--I left the game early. The Cards were on their way to a poorly played loss, and I had hours of driving to get me to St. Louis. As the sun set, the farmland in Illinois was lit up and contrasted by the cloudy sky. I whizzed past silos and farm houses that each could be a postcard of the Heartland. I had forgotten how much sky there is out on the Plains.



I arrived in St. Louis and made my way, like the swallows of San Juan Capistrano, to the place of my childhood. The old street signs, lit from within, glowed their welcome as I turned onto my home street.

In the following days, I enjoyed the activities surrounding the All Star Game. This game was the impetus to schedule the trip home at this time. I left Boston without a ticket, but wanted to be around as the city filled with fans and possibly get a ticket for the main event as well.

The highly promoted Fan Fest was somewhat disappointing. I think if I was a kid and had one of the armbands that let one cut to the front of the line, it would have been marvelous. As a single adults, there were hour long lines for the few batting and pitching activities, a few exhibits from the Hall of Fame and the Negro Leagues, and lots of things to buy. I bought a pin. Hmm.

The thing that made my day worth it was meeting Jackie Robinson's daughter who was giving away free, advanced copies of her new book about her father's courage both as a baseball player integrating the majors and as a parent who overcame his fear of water to test a frozen pond for his childrens' safety. Really nice book, and she was gracious and friendly. Rose has another book waiting for her when she is a bit older.
On my way to the Metro Station, I passed many lions decorated in the manner of the Cow Project (which Seattle did in pigs). University City is decorated with lions, so this was a natural choice. This one, located in front of the library in which I spent much of my youth, is titled "Reading Between the Lions" and is covered with pages from books.
Many of the older building is St. Louis are decorated either with paingings that look like architecture or with ornate terra cotta tiles. I enjoyed walking around down town looking at buildings on the day of the game while I waited for the ticket prices to drop and for the parade to start.
I also discovered the new sculpture garden in the middle of the city. It is a neat space. The limestone wall represents the river bluffs on the Illinois side of the Mississippi which is represented by quite a few water features. Kids were running around in an area in which jets of water spurted from the ground at random and timed intervals.
My walk down town inevitably took me by the arch. Unique is an overused word, but is applies to this structure. There are several needle-like buildings, many tall buildings, but there are no other grand, man-made arches like this one. Pictures don't do it justice.
As I wandered downtown and back in the U. City Loop, I saw the many things that were familiar, but St. Louis is surging and much is being remade or newly made. I came across this statue of Lewis and Clark amongst the granite cobblestones at the foot of the Eads Bridge. The statue must get covered each time the water rises.
This is a view of the arch through one of the stone arches of Eads Bridge.
This arch celebrates the World Championships of the Cardinals through their history.The parade finally happened. This car carried Albert Pujols who is a fan favorite in St. Louis.
These fine folks at Stub Hub helped me secure a ticket within my budget at the last moment. I rushed over to the stadium and got in to see the whole event. I am really grateful to them for their patience while I waited for a few hours and their quick work at the end. They really made the afternoon pleasant.
I was thrilled to see the President and the televized message from the living presidents about service to our country. Obama's first pitch looked good, and the game was a good one. However, the experience went way beyond being a baseball game.


My crazily expensive meal.
This is a bottle I used to play with as a child. Reena and Rose flew in the day after the All Star Game, and then it was about Rose and my parents spending time together. Mom pulled out many old toys, and Rose had a blast. She learned to put a cylindrical piece in a toy mailbox and sampled many new foods. Much joy was had by all.

I also was fortunate to hang out with many friends and even to go contra dancing. For some reason, I was not into taking pictures during the baby and friends times. Reena has some photos that she may put on her blog. Suffice to say, it was wonderful to catch up with friends and spend time in a community that is warm and welcoming.