Saturday, November 26, 2011

They think we're just fishin'...

Catching fish has very little to do with fishing. Oh, for sure, there is considerable chatter about what to do when the whale is reeled in. But, for the most part, it's all about exploring, chatting about a million other things, all very important, and when is snack time.

http://jf2.com/111126/

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thanksgiving at the Compound

Our family is blessed and have many things to be thankful for. Thanksgiving day itself is a blessing for our family because every year we are able to spend the day with 30-40 of our closest friends and family.

Everyone brought their favorite sides and we Grilled and BBQed both a 30 pound turkey and 20 pound primerib. mmm . . . A true feast!!!

Notice the 80-something year old next to the 80-something week old!

Here are some great pictures of the event: http://jf2.com/111124/

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Incoming!

Let’s set the stage… A wonderful fajita dinner is about to be had. Matt has all the meat nicely sliced and has put the sliced meat in a serving container. All the while, Matteo has been perched on his stool, as close as he can possibly get (which means, of course, smack up against whoever is working) at the kitchen counter carefully monitoring what Daddy Matt is doing. Matt makes a rather grandeose gesture to mark the completion of the meat by lifting the cutting board high to pour all the remaining juices and crunchy scraps over the meat. As the yummy goodness is pouring over the meat in the serving dish, Matteo yells, “Incoming!…”.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Snail Mail – Words You Can Carry Around

We had a Hallmark moment last night as Tracy read a birthday card to Matteo from his Greatgrandpa – Papa Bill. While she was reading, Matteo kept saying “Papa Bill!” and looking behind Tracy as if he was really there and we were hiding him. Matteo couldn’t believe he was hearing words from him without seeing him. Reading Papa’s words was just as magical as hearing them on the telephone and now he has them to carry around with him!

(Copy of a Facebook post by Nana.)

Meteors and Child Chatter

Last night and early this morning was the peak of the Leonid Meteor Shower this year. Turned out to be mostly a bust from our point of view, except for the child chatter Matt and I were privy to as we sat on the deck looking up at the night sky with great anticipation. We had Sam and Serafina out with us, and neither was interested in the quiet, almost reverent attitude some of us adults like to assume while stargazing. They chatted up a storm. And it was all (well, mostly all) related to the event. How big stars are. How hot they are. What planet is that? Mars is closer, you know. Are there more than 35 stars? More then 100? More than a thousand?!?!?! That’s just another plane; I wonder where it’s going. Mrs. Anderson said… No I’m not cold, not as cold as the moon. Is the lit side warmer?

The evening was pretty cool (in more ways than one). And, as is often the case, the best and most memorable parts were but tangentially related to the main event.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Matteo's Birthday Party = Logging Competition

One of the many beauties of a large extended family is that all manner of interesting activities pop up that might never have occured to a smaller group. Take logging, for instance. How many times does that pop to mind as a fun birthday activity - for a 4-year-old?!

Just so happened that cousin Mario's Cal Poly Logging Team was having a competition the weekend of Matteo's birthday... Done!

We spent the bulk of the day at the Swanton Pacific Ranch (just north of Santa Cruz). Just hangin' out at the competition, watchin' all the action, and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It was very cool!

http://www.jamie-foster-photography.com/Other/111112-Cal-Poly-Loggers/

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

We've got some Baby Seals

There's a "safety officer" in every organization, right?! You know, the guy who's always pointing out risks, keeping scissors off the bed, basically the paranoid guy. Jamie's that guy at the Compound. And he was never so pleased when Tracy found this fabulous child water safety program for infants and toddlers.

It's the Baby Seals Swim Academy: http://www.baby-seals.com/. AJ is pictured at left having learned to go to his "starfish position" when he finds himself in open water. This can buy him some precious seconds or even minutes for help to arrive.

Good job, Tracy!

More photos: http://jf2.com/111019/