Electricity, that is.
Yesterday we were visited by a winter storm. (I guess you could say we were gently bumped, since we weren't really hit.) It started as rain, complete with thunder (in January???), and turned to snow in the afternoon -- big, fat, heavy flakes of very wet snow. So, naturally, some tree branch somewhere broke under the weight of all of it and knocked a power line down... just as it was time for me to make dinner. Because it was such a gray day, we had to light candles to keep the house from feeling like a cave. While scrambling around for supplies, I realized that while we had a little bit of Sterno left over from the last time we made s'mores, we didn't have any soup to heat in our fondue pot. (What a godsend that wedding shower gift turned out to be!) Mr. Pickles (who was released from work early) bravely ran to the store to collect emergency items, like hot chocolate and de-icer. Just as he returned, the power came on. We decided to eat dinner by candlelight anyway. It was a relief being able to turn the lights on and off at will.
Then as we were putting the kids to bed, the lights went out again. I was grateful that I had finished washing and drying the diapers earlier! By this time the ground was covered in a thick white blanket of snow, which is amazingly reflective stuff. So the kids wouldn't panic, we opened their curtains to let in the light from outside. I think it was actually brighter in their rooms than it normally is with a nightlight. There is a shopping center just beyond the crest of the hill behind our neighborhood, and their power hadn't shut off. The lights from the parking lots shone into the night sky, reflecting off the clouds which still hung low overhead, and then were scattered everywhere by the whiteness of the new snow. It was beautiful. Light was coming from everywhere all at once. I just stood at my children's windows and stared into the night. Even though I could not see a single light coming from anywhere in our neighborhood -- not even street lights -- it was so bright you could have read outside. I'm kicking myself now that I didn't try to take a picture.
The kids had a great time. All they saw was the fun -- getting to do normal things in a totally new way. And they love their flashlights. (Joseph was cuddling his like a baby.) I saw trying to feed everyone with no power. We had cereal and milk for breakfast at least, but that would mean opening the fridge. I saw all our food spoiling after we'd drained our grocery budget for the month. I saw no oven and therefore no fresh bread; no stovetop and therefore no hot meals. I saw no hot water, no showers. No laundry. I saw us running out of candles. I saw our house gradually getting colder and colder. We have a fireplace, but it is very small. I certainly can't cook over it (toasting marshmallows doesn't count).
Mr. Pickles and I lit a log to warm up our freezing basement, and then after a while went to bed in the whiteness of the night. I woke up during the night to care for the baby -- it was still dark in the house. I began to worry how long it would be before our power was restored. I wished we had a wood-burning stove -- or a bigger fireplace -- so I could at least cook and heat water for washing. Many things I could do without in a pinch, but this blackout made me feel so helpless and out of control -- so very unlike Ma Ingalls, who could make a lamp out of axle grease, a square of calico, and a button.
The power finally came back on around 3, and we were awakened by all the lights we had left on before we went to bed and all the noises that instantly filled the house: the fridge, the furnace, the dishwasher. (It's amazing there wasn't a second blackout from all the appliances that I'm sure suddenly turned on in our neighborhood.) It was such a relief, but I still wondered if it would happen again soon. It certainly got me thinking about ways to be better prepared for emergency situations. It also brought home how incredibly spoiled I am -- so many things are done for me that I don't even have to think about them. Like heating water, or keeping my home warm. I am so very, very dependent upon modern conveniences, like indoor plumbing and electricity, that a 6-hour blackout totally throws me for a loop. I'm such a control freak that I don't like this feeling of utter dependence -- I feel like I can't take care of my family if one little thing goes wrong.
That's it, our next house is going to have a HUGE fireplace in the living room -- with a hook for hanging the kettle. Because I can live without many things in a pinch, but NOT TEA.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
More Gratuitous Boy Cuteness
Daniel is 7 months now, which is The Big Month For Doing Stuff!
Exhibit A: Discovering His Vocal Abilities
Exhibit B: Upward Mobility: figuring out how to sit up
Exhibit C: Mobility, period!
Batten down the hatches! Don't let his leisurely stride deceive you -- this kid can MOVE when he has a mind to (such as when he sees paper anywhere within a half-mile radius).
Life just got a lot more interesting... and our floor just got a lot cleaner.
Exhibit A: Discovering His Vocal Abilities
Daniel discovers echoes in our stairwell
Exhibit B: Upward Mobility: figuring out how to sit up
 | |
| fancy footwork |
 | |
| it's impossible to get a non-blurry action shot of this kid in natural lighting |
Exhibit C: Mobility, period!
Batten down the hatches! Don't let his leisurely stride deceive you -- this kid can MOVE when he has a mind to (such as when he sees paper anywhere within a half-mile radius).
Life just got a lot more interesting... and our floor just got a lot cleaner.
Provides Literally Minutes Of Entertainment!!
Hmm, I wonder who found the Land's End catalogue?
Who, me?
Yay! I love crinkly paper!
Family Game Night
On Sunday Mr. Pickles taught Miriam how to play Settlers of Catan. The box recommends the game for ages 12 and up. I think it should be relabeled: "for 12 and up, or bloodthirsty little 8-year-old girls and up."
She figured out the usefulness of the thief reeeeally quick, and used it to shut down Mr. Pickles' prime resource.
She won, the little cutthroat.
She won, the little cutthroat.
Cross Sums Whiz
For his 3rd birthday we're thinking of getting him a subscription to Dell Math Puzzles.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
New Year's Traditions
Do you make New Year's resolutions? I used to, but in my maturity have realized the futility of it. (I do better at the beginning of Lent.) It's kind of hard to make resolutions to eat healthier and lose weight when one of one's family's New Year's traditions is to construct, decorate, and then consume a gingerbread house within the first week.
One for the house, two for me. None for the house, a handful for me...
My teeth still hurt just looking at it. (It was delicious though.)
This year we went all out, with marshmallow snowmen to decorate the grounds.
... and a snow alien.
I'm very proud of my chimney.
Another of our New Year's traditions is to open Christmas crackers, wear silly paper hats, and torture each other with the absolutely atrocious jokes inside.
The silly cord on the wall kept dumping our Christmas cards on the floor...
Queen Bee and her prince
Finally got Joseph to keep one on for .03 seconds.
All hail the king and queen! (of silliness and smooches)
A Very Pickles Christmas
Our Christmas this past year was very simple. As much as I love being with family, I do appreciate having the chance to celebrate with just immediate family, reinforcing our family's traditions.
We made a lot of our Christmas gifts this year. I love homemade Christmases.
In preparation for Christmas Day itself, we started cleaning up the house. We did a major job on the girls' room, reorganizing, rearranging, and... chucking.
It was tempting to just apply dynamite here. I wish I had a picture of their room afterwards -- so sparkly clean with a place for everything and everything in its place!
Daniel's first Christmas tree! Do you know how impossible it is to find "Baby's First Christmas" stuff for size 12 mos.? What about all the babies that are born January to March??
Popcorn and cranberry strings. "One for me, one for the tree, two for me, one for the string..."
Decorating the tree. Miriam is standing on our kitchen stool which is worth its weight in platinum, it's that well-used around here. A little neighborhood friend spent a lot of time with us that day, helping decorate the tree while I was in the kitchen baking. The kids are becoming really good tree decorators, although I think I need to have a talk with them about placing those oh-so-tempting, fragile things out of Joseph's reach...
In past years we've gone to Midnight Mass, but this year we wimped out due to several sleepless nights leading up to Christmas. We just couldn't handle the thought of staying up until 3am. However, we do like staying in our jammies as late as possible Christmas Day, so we went to the vigil. The kids were just tired enough to be mellow for Mass. :)
Christmas morning!! As soon as Mr. Pickles and I were able to keep both eyes open at the same time (probably about 2 hours earlier than we wanted to be awake) we all headed downstairs for the present-opening fest, fortifying ourselves with Pulla (it's not Christmas without Pulla!) and coffee on the way. Santa leaves his presents in front of the hearth, so we headed down there first.
Every man needs a set of tools. (Mr. P got one too.)
And every princess needs a castle.
Yay! Tactile stimulation!
Here we are in all our Christmas morning glory. We didn't get dressed until it was time for dinner (around 3). :)
The most popular toy of the year, I think -- a toy dashboard w/steering wheel and all the obnoxious noises a little boy could wish for. (This picture was cuter when Mr. Pickles was hunched over the toy as well.)
Santa brought Miriam a mini-muffin baking kit, which she put to good use. I had to figure out how to quarter a cupcake recipe.
In the evening we went to some friends' for dessert, which was just lovely -- plus it prevented that Christmas afternoon blah. We got to spend time with good friends, and the kids got to show off their favorite new toys.
The week after Christmas I had all these plans for activities and playdates, but as usual I collapsed from post-holiday exhaustion, and buried myself in my new book. Mr. Pickles had to work a couple days, but he took each of the girls in for a half a day. It was a nice, low-key week. We even did a few Christmas crafts.
Of course, there is the necessary tradition of The Writing Of The Wish List. Miriam very cutely offered to help Joseph with his list, which pretty much consisted of all the vehicles he saw in the Hearthsong catalog. The kids left their wish lists in their stockings on St. Nicholas' eve, so Santa could look over them before he came back to deliver the big-ticket items on Christmas night.
In preparation for Christmas Day itself, we started cleaning up the house. We did a major job on the girls' room, reorganizing, rearranging, and... chucking.
Hey, where'd everybody go?
Mmm, monkey rattle.
Ooh! Better yet, packaging! Whee!
Putting their new tea set to good use.
In the evening we went to some friends' for dessert, which was just lovely -- plus it prevented that Christmas afternoon blah. We got to spend time with good friends, and the kids got to show off their favorite new toys.
The week after Christmas I had all these plans for activities and playdates, but as usual I collapsed from post-holiday exhaustion, and buried myself in my new book. Mr. Pickles had to work a couple days, but he took each of the girls in for a half a day. It was a nice, low-key week. We even did a few Christmas crafts.
Miriam, the red-nosed reindeer
Merry Christmas from the Pickles!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Baby's First "Solids"
Daniel's big accomplishment at six months was starting solids. At this point, it's not so much about nutrition as exposure to various flavors and textures.
Like tangerine peels, for instance.
Haha, no seriously, first meal ever was really mashed bananas.
He reacts this way to everything we give him, including water. He doesn't really know what to do with them once they're in his mouth. We might hold off on the solids for a couple more weeks -- he obviously has no love for them. Nursing is just fine by him, thankyouverymuch.
Baby Update
It has been far, far too long since we have subjected you to some gratuitous baby cuteness.
So, here we have Daniel James at 3 months, trying SO hard to roll over and reach that Caterpillar of Joy.
Two weeks later: ta-da! (We do have a video of him rolling over all by himself, but he spits up immediately afterward and I didn't want to subject our tender readers to that.)
Daniel's smiles are so infectious. He smiles with his whole body.
He can only roll one way, though. That pesky wall!
(We know he's ready for the next size up when we can't fasten all his leg snaps comfortably!)
Of course, rolling over was soon followed by pushing himself backwards into corners and getting stuck.
...which isn't necessarily always a bad thing when you have siblings to entertain you.
Next big milestone was at 5 mos.: finding his toes!
This has brought a whole new level of interest to diaper changes.
He's fascinated by the animals (and the camera). Smokey uses Daniel for hurdling. We're trying to train her to jump over him on command.
And Miriam is still good at getting him to sleep. Aww, snoogles.
So, here we have Daniel James at 3 months, trying SO hard to roll over and reach that Caterpillar of Joy.
Two weeks later: ta-da! (We do have a video of him rolling over all by himself, but he spits up immediately afterward and I didn't want to subject our tender readers to that.)
Daniel's smiles are so infectious. He smiles with his whole body.
He can only roll one way, though. That pesky wall!
(We know he's ready for the next size up when we can't fasten all his leg snaps comfortably!)
Of course, rolling over was soon followed by pushing himself backwards into corners and getting stuck.
...which isn't necessarily always a bad thing when you have siblings to entertain you.
This has brought a whole new level of interest to diaper changes.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The REAL Anniversary Post
Hello, interwebz! I've been so busy living life that I haven't had time to document it. And now half of us are sick (it's Daniel's first illness, poor miserable baby). Well, in between wiping noses and administering analgesics, I shall attempt feebly to share with you all the awesome, the fun, and the merely mundane things we've been doing.
So, back to our anniversary. As I mentioned before, for our 10th wedding anniversary Mr. Pickles surprised me with a trip to Key West, Florida, including, but not limited to, a 3-night stay in a beach resort hotel with an ocean view, 3 separate boating trips, food poisoning, snorkeling, kayaking, a dinner sunset cruise, and pirates. He told me a couple weeks before our anniversary that a) we were going Someplace; b) my parents were coming out to watch the kids for us; and c) I should bring a swimsuit. And that was all I was told. He had been planning the trip with my parents for a couple months beforehand -- I was very impressed with his sneakiness.
So, the parents came out a couple days before Thanksgiving, and we had time to visit with them before we left. The day after Thanksgiving we kept our tradition of visiting an historic place in Old Town Alexandria by touring the Carlyle House. Gadsby's Tavern was booked solid, so we had to settle for a fish & chips place for dinner, with disastrous consequences for those who partook of the tartar cause (see "food poisoning," above).
The Sunday after Thanksgiving, Mr. Pickles and Daniel and I left at o'dark-thirty to catch our early flight. I didn't officially know where we were going until we checked in (although we did receive a mysterious phone call at home from some charter service that got me wondering). :) I had been concerned about the new invasive security screenings at the airport, but thankfully we didn't set anything off or get selected randomly for Special Treatment. Daniel was an awesome air traveler. He just threw buckets of cute at all the flight attendants.
This is what he thought of the whole business.
He was the happiest of the three of us, since Mr. Pickles and I were regretting the breakfast potatoes we had purchased and consumed at the airport. The connecting flight was misery for me -- I was so exhausted from the short night but couldn't sleep because of the nausea. But we finally, finally arrived in paradise! I could smell the ocean the second I stepped out of the plane -- it smelled so much like home!
It had just rained before we landed -- the sky was spritzing a bit as we climbed down from the plane (Key West's airport is so small they simply roll a stairway up to the plane, the old-fashioned way). But the sun was out by the time we finished the 10-minute taxi ride to our hotel. The weather was utterly amazing the whole time we were there -- lower to upper 70's.
This was the view from our balcony. Look! It's a palm tree! Right out my window!
The hotel even had its own private little beach & swimming area, complete with diving platform.
The diving platform, when not being used by people, was usually covered with birds. So this poor guy had to go out every morning and scrub it off.
10 minutes later...
We spent most of that first afternoon napping and drinking in great draughts of the sea air. Daniel was also a greasy baby -- and pretty sweaty in his fleece jammies by the time we landed -- so he got a bath.
By the evening I was feeling well enough again to venture out, so we went to dinner and walked around for a bit. I was totally happy just relaxing on our balcony, too.
Ahhhhh... I can feel all the tension dripping out...
The next morning we got up early and ordered room service (so decadent!), then walked to the marina for a boat trip with Danger Charters. Yes, we brought the baby on the boat.
The baby-in-a-wrap accessory is all the rage this season. All the cool kids have one.
I'm afraid I'm not a nautical person, so I can't describe the boat, except to say it was large enough to comfortably hold our group of a dozen or so, including the two sailors. I loved sailing. Once we got far enough out, they cut the engine and hoisted the sails.
Mr. Pickles got to help.
It was amazing how quiet it was when the engine stopped -- just the water slapping against the side of the boat, and the wind in your ears. I loved watching the sailors at their work, running around barefoot, tying, untying, hoisting... I gained a lot of respect for the workings of even the smallest sailboat. You really have to know your boat and the winds to sail it well.
We sailed out for about an hour, then dropped anchor to go snorkeling. The waters around Key West are so shallow that even that far out it was only 8 feet deep, and so clear. The waves were so gentle that it made for awesome snorkeling, once your body stopped panicking over the fact that you were BREATHING UNDER WATER.
We took turns holding the baby so we both got a chance to get in the water (which felt heavenly).
Among things seen were sponges on the seafloor -- which are black underwater -- a lobster, and a ray, in addition to lots of stripey fish that glimmered as they turned. It was beautiful. I could have stayed out there all day.
Here I am getting sunburned. (All we had was spray-on sunscreen which we weren't allowed to use on the boat, so we couldn't reapply it after we had toweled off.)
We began sailing back, and then stopped again, this time for kayaking near a small island made by mangrove trees. These trees are wicked awesome -- they grow right out of the water.
I didn't feel comfortable taking the baby out on the kayak (even though the water was only about 4 ft. deep) so I stayed on the boat and talked with the captain. (and worked on my tan)
Altogether it was a delightful day. Even though they didn't serve lunch technically, we had fresh fruit on our way out which was amazing -- and coming back we were served chips with a black bean dip which just hit the spot. We highly recommend this company, if any of you are ever in Key West. :)
After lunch in our hotel, we decided to introduce Daniel to the beach.
He was extremely suspicious of the water. For one thing, it was much colder than bathwater. And it KEPT COMING AT HIM.
The sand, however, was a different story.
THAT he liked.
That evening we went on a sunset cruise... with pirates. This was a LOT of fun.
See how much fun our li'l pirate is having? And see the real pirate?
Actually, Cascabel the Pyrate (swashbuckler for hire -- he gave us his business card) was a really cool guy. He makes all his own costumes, including the leather and metal pieces. He was wearing this really cool ring, symbolic of his membership in the Order of Leviathan, which he said is like winning an Oscar in the "pirate community." (...There's a community?)
The trip itself was wonderful -- the crew of three kept commenting on what a perfect evening it was for sailing. Again I enjoyed watching them running around hoisting and tying (the pirates mostly just stood around and looked cool).
The sunset was beautiful.
But the best part was the cannons.
This exchange began: "Surrender your women or prepare to be boarded!"
Totally fun night. If we ever go back I want to do this again.
Best quote of the evening: "You meet a lot of really nice people in the Pirate Community!" (what ever happened to pillaging and plundering?)
The next day we did the ultra-touristy thing and took a tram ride around the island. That was really interesting, although the sing-songy voice of the tour guide made the trip the most memorable. One got the impression that he had done this several thousand times before.
We got to see the Southernmost Point in the continental U.S. Maybe next time we're in Minnesota we can visit the Northernmost Point.
The rest of the day we ratted around and shopped and had Key Limeade and Key Lime ice cream.
Yay! I like having my diaper changed in Key West!
Beware the giant sponge beast!
Funny shot of the trip: even Paradise has trash day. And when you live on an island, the trash truck has to get there somehow...
That evening we went on another sunset cruise, this time a private one, with a gourmet dinner.
Table for two (and a half).
Daniel couldn't fall asleep with wind in his face -- it kept making him gasp. It was pretty funny, except when we wanted him to sleep.
Oh, I could get used to this.
Oh, to be surrounded by such beauty all the time! The couple who were serving us watched the sunset too. They admitted they never got tired of watching it -- each one was different and beautiful.
The dinner was amazing, too. The man had a grill bolted to the back of his boat. The couple pretty much let us be, but were willing to chat when we asked them questions. It was just the right mix.
After we returned to the marina we walked around once more, feeling mellow and at one with all humanity. (I'm sure the alcohol helped with that attitude.)
Even though I'm from California, it's funny to me to see palm trees decorated for Christmas.
Alas, we had to leave the next day. Apparently we left just in time: this was the view as we were packing up to leave :
The temp dropped down into the 60s soon after we left. It was nice of God to arrange things so perfectly for us. :)
It was a wonderful time. It was great just being alone together with relatively few interruptions. It was nice just spending the time with Daniel, too. It reminded us of when we had only Miriam.
And of course, it was good to come home!
Also of course, life dumped on us as soon as we returned. Joseph lost his dinner all over the dining room floor, which made Miriam feel sick. But the kids had been great for their grandparents while we were gone, and everyone had a good time. We were all sad when Mom & Dad had to go home. We were so grateful for the time with them, and that they were willing to do this for us. Thanks Mom and Dad! (I hope you've recovered by now!) :)
----------
Post updated to add:
I forgot to mention before that possibly the best anniversary gift Mr. Pickles and I received was this:
The girls cleaned their room, unasked, all by themselves, as a surprise for us!!
So, back to our anniversary. As I mentioned before, for our 10th wedding anniversary Mr. Pickles surprised me with a trip to Key West, Florida, including, but not limited to, a 3-night stay in a beach resort hotel with an ocean view, 3 separate boating trips, food poisoning, snorkeling, kayaking, a dinner sunset cruise, and pirates. He told me a couple weeks before our anniversary that a) we were going Someplace; b) my parents were coming out to watch the kids for us; and c) I should bring a swimsuit. And that was all I was told. He had been planning the trip with my parents for a couple months beforehand -- I was very impressed with his sneakiness.
So, the parents came out a couple days before Thanksgiving, and we had time to visit with them before we left. The day after Thanksgiving we kept our tradition of visiting an historic place in Old Town Alexandria by touring the Carlyle House. Gadsby's Tavern was booked solid, so we had to settle for a fish & chips place for dinner, with disastrous consequences for those who partook of the tartar cause (see "food poisoning," above).
The Sunday after Thanksgiving, Mr. Pickles and Daniel and I left at o'dark-thirty to catch our early flight. I didn't officially know where we were going until we checked in (although we did receive a mysterious phone call at home from some charter service that got me wondering). :) I had been concerned about the new invasive security screenings at the airport, but thankfully we didn't set anything off or get selected randomly for Special Treatment. Daniel was an awesome air traveler. He just threw buckets of cute at all the flight attendants.
This is what he thought of the whole business.He was the happiest of the three of us, since Mr. Pickles and I were regretting the breakfast potatoes we had purchased and consumed at the airport. The connecting flight was misery for me -- I was so exhausted from the short night but couldn't sleep because of the nausea. But we finally, finally arrived in paradise! I could smell the ocean the second I stepped out of the plane -- it smelled so much like home!
It had just rained before we landed -- the sky was spritzing a bit as we climbed down from the plane (Key West's airport is so small they simply roll a stairway up to the plane, the old-fashioned way). But the sun was out by the time we finished the 10-minute taxi ride to our hotel. The weather was utterly amazing the whole time we were there -- lower to upper 70's.
This was the view from our balcony. Look! It's a palm tree! Right out my window!The hotel even had its own private little beach & swimming area, complete with diving platform.
The diving platform, when not being used by people, was usually covered with birds. So this poor guy had to go out every morning and scrub it off.
10 minutes later...We spent most of that first afternoon napping and drinking in great draughts of the sea air. Daniel was also a greasy baby -- and pretty sweaty in his fleece jammies by the time we landed -- so he got a bath.
By the evening I was feeling well enough again to venture out, so we went to dinner and walked around for a bit. I was totally happy just relaxing on our balcony, too.
Ahhhhh... I can feel all the tension dripping out...The next morning we got up early and ordered room service (so decadent!), then walked to the marina for a boat trip with Danger Charters. Yes, we brought the baby on the boat.
The baby-in-a-wrap accessory is all the rage this season. All the cool kids have one.I'm afraid I'm not a nautical person, so I can't describe the boat, except to say it was large enough to comfortably hold our group of a dozen or so, including the two sailors. I loved sailing. Once we got far enough out, they cut the engine and hoisted the sails.
Mr. Pickles got to help.It was amazing how quiet it was when the engine stopped -- just the water slapping against the side of the boat, and the wind in your ears. I loved watching the sailors at their work, running around barefoot, tying, untying, hoisting... I gained a lot of respect for the workings of even the smallest sailboat. You really have to know your boat and the winds to sail it well.
We sailed out for about an hour, then dropped anchor to go snorkeling. The waters around Key West are so shallow that even that far out it was only 8 feet deep, and so clear. The waves were so gentle that it made for awesome snorkeling, once your body stopped panicking over the fact that you were BREATHING UNDER WATER.
We took turns holding the baby so we both got a chance to get in the water (which felt heavenly).
Among things seen were sponges on the seafloor -- which are black underwater -- a lobster, and a ray, in addition to lots of stripey fish that glimmered as they turned. It was beautiful. I could have stayed out there all day.
Here I am getting sunburned. (All we had was spray-on sunscreen which we weren't allowed to use on the boat, so we couldn't reapply it after we had toweled off.)We began sailing back, and then stopped again, this time for kayaking near a small island made by mangrove trees. These trees are wicked awesome -- they grow right out of the water.
I didn't feel comfortable taking the baby out on the kayak (even though the water was only about 4 ft. deep) so I stayed on the boat and talked with the captain. (and worked on my tan)Altogether it was a delightful day. Even though they didn't serve lunch technically, we had fresh fruit on our way out which was amazing -- and coming back we were served chips with a black bean dip which just hit the spot. We highly recommend this company, if any of you are ever in Key West. :)
After lunch in our hotel, we decided to introduce Daniel to the beach.
He was extremely suspicious of the water. For one thing, it was much colder than bathwater. And it KEPT COMING AT HIM.The sand, however, was a different story.
THAT he liked.
That evening we went on a sunset cruise... with pirates. This was a LOT of fun.
See how much fun our li'l pirate is having? And see the real pirate?Actually, Cascabel the Pyrate (swashbuckler for hire -- he gave us his business card) was a really cool guy. He makes all his own costumes, including the leather and metal pieces. He was wearing this really cool ring, symbolic of his membership in the Order of Leviathan, which he said is like winning an Oscar in the "pirate community." (...There's a community?)
The trip itself was wonderful -- the crew of three kept commenting on what a perfect evening it was for sailing. Again I enjoyed watching them running around hoisting and tying (the pirates mostly just stood around and looked cool).
The sunset was beautiful.But the best part was the cannons.
This exchange began: "Surrender your women or prepare to be boarded!"
Totally fun night. If we ever go back I want to do this again.
Best quote of the evening: "You meet a lot of really nice people in the Pirate Community!" (what ever happened to pillaging and plundering?)The next day we did the ultra-touristy thing and took a tram ride around the island. That was really interesting, although the sing-songy voice of the tour guide made the trip the most memorable. One got the impression that he had done this several thousand times before.
We got to see the Southernmost Point in the continental U.S. Maybe next time we're in Minnesota we can visit the Northernmost Point.The rest of the day we ratted around and shopped and had Key Limeade and Key Lime ice cream.
Yay! I like having my diaper changed in Key West!
Beware the giant sponge beast!
Funny shot of the trip: even Paradise has trash day. And when you live on an island, the trash truck has to get there somehow...That evening we went on another sunset cruise, this time a private one, with a gourmet dinner.
Table for two (and a half).
Daniel couldn't fall asleep with wind in his face -- it kept making him gasp. It was pretty funny, except when we wanted him to sleep.
Oh, I could get used to this.
Oh, to be surrounded by such beauty all the time! The couple who were serving us watched the sunset too. They admitted they never got tired of watching it -- each one was different and beautiful.
The dinner was amazing, too. The man had a grill bolted to the back of his boat. The couple pretty much let us be, but were willing to chat when we asked them questions. It was just the right mix.After we returned to the marina we walked around once more, feeling mellow and at one with all humanity. (I'm sure the alcohol helped with that attitude.)
Even though I'm from California, it's funny to me to see palm trees decorated for Christmas.Alas, we had to leave the next day. Apparently we left just in time: this was the view as we were packing up to leave :
The temp dropped down into the 60s soon after we left. It was nice of God to arrange things so perfectly for us. :)It was a wonderful time. It was great just being alone together with relatively few interruptions. It was nice just spending the time with Daniel, too. It reminded us of when we had only Miriam.
And of course, it was good to come home!Also of course, life dumped on us as soon as we returned. Joseph lost his dinner all over the dining room floor, which made Miriam feel sick. But the kids had been great for their grandparents while we were gone, and everyone had a good time. We were all sad when Mom & Dad had to go home. We were so grateful for the time with them, and that they were willing to do this for us. Thanks Mom and Dad! (I hope you've recovered by now!) :)
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Post updated to add:
I forgot to mention before that possibly the best anniversary gift Mr. Pickles and I received was this:
The girls cleaned their room, unasked, all by themselves, as a surprise for us!!
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