The Penultimate Day

"Penultimate" is one of my favorite words. We tend to use the more common phrase "next to last" here in the midwest, but "penultimate" conveys so much more I think. There's a sense of the impending end. Today is the penultimate day before travel. Tomorrow, I shall do a final load of laundry ("can you say baby?"), pack the last minute items (such as toiletries, et. al.), and get my hair done (that will have to be a whole different blog post). And then bright and early Wednesday, Jack and I will be on our way to see a dear, dear friend in Portland.

I love to travel and I have never been to Oregon. I can't wait to see it! Oh, and there's this little gathering I'll be attending as well: Sock Summit 2011. And while I won't be participating in the sheep-to-sock contest, I am thrilled to be in a building full of people with a passion for knitting that far out-knits my own. And that's saying something! In fact, the city of Portland has declared this Sock Knitting Week. Seriously - I think I'm in love.

So the blog will likely be dark for a while as I experience sock-love and everlasting-friendship (and perhaps a jet-lagged baby). But at least you'll know where I am & what I'm up to. If I get the chance, I'll try to post some pictures of the Summit while I'm there. Can't wait!

Jiggety-Jog

The worst part about vacation is the coming home. It's like the Sunday Blues multiplied by the days you were gone, plus the number of miles it took you to get home. It's compounded if you're driving. I call it the Home-Agian-Doldrums. I usually try to stem the tide by making sure we have clean laundry before we leave, and that things are not packed pell-mell into suitcases so that when we get home, the unpacking is as stress-free as possible. If we're driving, NPR helps, and having lots of snacks is always good too.

As you might suspect, my plan was thwarted in the largest of ways.

My darling baby has been fighting a rash for several days. The ride home was fractious, and although my oldest was helpful, the wee one just couldn't stay happy for long. This made listening to NPR rather near impossible, and much yoga breathing was necessary to keep my head from shooting straight off my body. And, perhaps to comfort himself, my eldest ate all the Chex Mix! Now that was just downright dirty. As were the grapes I packed, dirty I mean. Inedibly dirty.

Finally, upon arriving home, we were able to see a doctor - without breaking the bank. (Try finding a pediatrician in rural northern Michigan who's in your plan, or an Urgent Care for that matter.) And thankfully, it's nothing serious, just a bout of contact dermatitis, which means something we used on his skin, or our skin, or in the laundry made him breakout. He is now feeling (and sleeping) much better with the hydrocortisone cream the good doctor prescribed.

Unfortunately, this means I have to rewash everything. Not just the baby's items, which took 2 loads alone. No, we have to rewash all of OUR things as well. I am just now digging out of the 4 loads of laundry it took to rid our household of the mystery chemical.

We are home, and the garden still needs attention, there are random baby items that still need to be put away, the mail needs to be attended to, and the bedrooms have been ransacked by a series of back-to-back sleepovers for the big kid. But the kitchen is clean and the laundry is done and I even canned my kid some sweet pickles today. Perhaps the winds are picking up.

Super Secret Trip Bag

SHHH! We are taking our kid on a super secret trip tomorrow. You'll never guess where. I've been super-secretly bursting with excitement for a month! As such, I needed a way to channel my energies without spending all our money prior to arrival :) So without further ado, I give you my WDW Bag:

I designed it myself. Because, while there are many, many things The Dis can do for a dedicated fan like me, try as I might, I never can find the perfect bag. I realize this is a very personal need, so I decided to make one for myself.

First of all, it had to be cute. Cute in that I'm-a-hip-momma-and-I-love-me-some-Mickey-Mouse kind of way. So when I found this adorable Heather Ross canvas (Far Far Away II series) I knew it was the fabric I needed. (Isn't it a fantastic coincidence that Disney is releasing Tangled this Thanksgiving?)

Secondly, it had to hold my Passporter, my Nikon DX40 (protected from other trinkets), my pressed penny books, maps, tickets, pressed pennies, a water bottle and sunscreen (so they don't get other things wet), my refillable mug, cell phone, and an XL sweatshirt. And of course, I didn't want anything bulky. So this is my design, and I am damn proud of myself.

(the map, ticket and pressed penny pockets on the outside for quick access)

(the roomy, and divided, interior)

(the back, and a great view of the print)

(the side mesh pockets for water and sunscreen)

I am in love with this baby! I'll let you know how the trip goes. I may not sleep tonight!

Randomness

1. My sister is officially in town. Ahh! I can't believe it's actually happened. :) They've rented the cutest house on the block and I love that they will be so close!

2. I got the syllabus for one of my classes this summer and I can't believe how busy I am going to be. Who's idea was it to take two classes??? (but I'm so excited about typography!)

3. Headed to the lake this early Saturday morning. It's going to be a blast. And classes start while there. Thank god my Aunt and her son will be joining us so Hayes won't be too neglected.

4. The garden has taken a back seat already to the travel schedule (and school). I am trying not to guilt myself about it. At least there isn't much to harvest these days but peas and radishes. LOVE THOSE PEAS!

5. Did I mention my sister is in town?

Scenes From Heaven

Incase you were wondering what Heaven is like; here are a few glimpses:

Like Mother, Like Son

We are departing tomorrow for one of our favorite vacation spots: Walt Disney World! As a child I was never able to sleep the night before we left. Who am I kidding? I still can't. It's so exciting thinking about all the great stuff we are going to do, all the laughter that will happen, all the silly experiences we are going to have, all the memories we'll be making.

No big surprise here, but my boy is pumped up so high tonight I fully expect to see him in the morning wide awake, having slept not a wink. I can't say I blame him. There is far too much fun to be had I tell you. How can you sleep on a night like tonight?

Sunrise Earth- Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake Shore

Occasionally I will watch this delightful show: Sunrise Earth. It’s so quiet and slow and beautiful. If you’ve never watched it, you should. It’s a great way to start your morning. The premise is very simple. You get to watch the sunrise from various places on earth, see the wildlife awaken, the sky change, the details become clearer.

You can imagine then, how delighted I was to discover a gorgeous sunrise here at the lake this morning upon letting the dogs out. I don’t think I’d ever seen the clouds look so pink or the lake look so blue. After I took care of the girls, I made myself some tea and spent the better part of half an hour just watching the lake wake up. My first thought of course, was to grab my camera, but I realized that I wanted the moment to myself. It was exactly the sort of thing I came up here to do. I’m so glad I was the one privileged enough to see it. Lucky me.

Cherries Galore!

I am a big fan of cherries. I grew up picking them with my Grandmother and my own mother and there is something so perfect, so absolutely delicious that I can't help but scoop them up when they are finally in season. And they are, finally, in season. I missed the U-pick time in Michigan, but we can still find those gorgeous bing cherries here in Indiana, in the supermarket.

What I didn't miss in Michigan, was the opportunity to purchase this little baby.

It's the Cherry Chomper and I am in LOVE with this little baby. I used to use something akin to scissors to pit the cherries we'd bring home. By the time I had pitted enough for preserves, my hand was killing me and my kitchen looked like a crime scene. No More! The mess is completely contained in the little body where all the pits fall and it is so much faster than anything else I've tried. (And my husband will tell you, I've tried more than my fair share of pitting gadgets. He teased me mercilessly about this one winding up in the bottom of the gadget drawer with all the others.)

And so with my Chomper in hand, I have pitted cherries that have been dried and tucked away for cereals and baking, and cherries that have been made into heavenly preserves. AND I am still pitting and drying and preserving more cherries. Even Hayes likes to get in on the action. Tomorrow we move on to Cherries in Wine. Oh the lovely Christmas baskets that will be sent! I can't wait.

Wine-ing

I love the two days we spend on the Old Mission Peninsula with my cousins. It's to die for. Truly. We stayed again at Chateau Chantal, and if the weather were any drearier, I think we all would have been happy to stay in the suite by the fire and rent a good movie. But there is wine to be had all over the peninsula; so we will plow ahead.

This year I really enjoyed the wine at the Chateau Grand Traverse and of course at the Chateau Chantal. They make reds that are superb. Although, truth be told, the 2896 red at Bowers Harbor is my all time favorite - here in Michigan. I often day-dream about drinking a bottle.

We'll do a cellar tour and maybe catch a movie later today. I love having the time away from Hayes but I am also looking forward to being back with the family.

Washington D.C. with Hayes

We spent all day in Washington DC and had a blast! I was so excited to introduce Hayes to this amazing city. It was his first trip. We made sure to give him the small digital camera to take his own pictures. He had a really good time with it.

We started our day at the Lincoln Memorial; Hayes did a president report on Lincoln this year in school and was thrilled to get to see this in person. It was so cool to watch him take it all in.

We stopped by the Korean War Memorial on our way to the Smithsonian.

And we didn't go up in the Washington monument, but we got to walk all around it. It was hot and Hayes and I were needing to get inside to some air conditioned museums!

At the Museum of Natural History, we saw a really cool bug exhibit. Hayes even got to hold a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach! Talk about thrilling....

And of course we had to see the dinos. Daddy was able to join us by this time and we loved having him with us for the rest of the day.

Then it was over to the Air & Space Museum to do a Simulator Ride with Daddy,

and see a cool show in the Planetarium.

They thought we wouldn't be able to get to all of it, but we did! We had a great day!

Family Time

We've been in Maryland for a couple days now. We've partied and celebrated 90 years with Grandmom. I can't imagine living so long and seeing so much in my lifetime. (I don't think she can either.) And caught up with the entire family on news and newborns. It's been fun.

So now we are off to the shore where the living is easy. I've already scoped out the yarn shop in St. Michaels (on-line) to be sure I can pick up some notions and needles I'll be needing to start the cable knit sweater my dear brother-in-law requested. (If you're reading this, you damn-side better wear it!) And we'll be making a stop in Washington D.C. with Hayes. I can't wait to show him the Smithsonian! I am sure there will be many photos to follow :)

Update

Things I am doing lately:

• attending ball games with Hayes - don't get me started on how we are not learning the fundamentals of the game...
  
• scrapping my trip with Amy to CA last September - and thinking that another trip is in order
  
• knitting golf club head covers for my dad for father's day
• preparing for a week of summer camp 
• knitting a wrap for Grandmom's 90th birthday
• laying out a path of slate in the backyard - and realizing (with some delight) the on-going project we have ahead of us
• catching up with friends - so so good
• sleeping with the windows open - such a lovely thing
• having my son evaluated for ADD - we shall see what comes of it
• anticipating & planning our summer trips to the shore and the lake - mostly with joy and excitement

Quick Trip

We are headed up to see my sister tomorrow. It's officially spring break and Hayes said he really just wanted to go to Chelsea. I love that kid! So tomorrow he and I will take a little trip up to MI to see our girls. I realized about an hour ago that could mean snow. Gads! So I'll be packing all sorts of layers for the boy and me, and certainly that lovely poncho, to stay warm. 

Ironically several of our plants arrived from Spring Hill today - including our new wisteria (the picture to the left - Blue Moon Reblooming)! and a blueberry bush (the Northland variety)! Can't wait for the other blueberry bushes to arrive from Gurneys. I just love spring! We've got to get the shallots and spinach out this week too. And start the lettuce. It's so good to be back in the swing of the garden. I can almost smell the earth right now.

Stop traveling to catch my breath? Moi?

Yes, it's true; right on the heels of a fabulous trip to wine country, I took off with my dad and the boy to see my cousins in Michigan. It was one last hurrah before the summer officially ended. We spent Saturday at the Sleeping Bear Dunes and Empire Park. It was a perfect day & the kids had a blast!



Unfortunately all that sand had to go somewhere, and despite a thorough cleaning in the outdoor shower, we just didn't get rid of it all. Hayes wound up with some of it in his eye. After a quick trip to the ER, he came away with a corneal abrasion and some eye drops. He was a good little patient, but it was so hard not to rub that eye! No harm, no foul. Just some good clean- well maybe not so clean - fun, and loads of sand.

Have I mentioned that I love wine?

I just returned from one of the most INCREDIBLE vacations I have ever taken. It's certainly in the top 10. My good friend Amy and I spent an entire week in wine country (Sonoma, Napa, Callistoga) and did everything we could to relax and enjoy ourselves. It was amazing. We started in Sonoma -- which holds a special place in both our hearts. The Cheese Factory is the BEST place to pick up a picnic for the square.


We hit several wineries while there, including Sabastiani, Gloria Ferrer, Mondavi, Mumm, Clos du Bois, Rubicon, Biannco & Rosso, Jessup, Sausal and Korbel. It was fantastic. Sausal is definitely a new favorite of mine. I am an old vine Zin girl and this just hit the spot!


We also bit off a bit more that we could chew in the mud baths at Callistoga. I feel I am just not enough of a "California girl" to have enjoyed this the way I should have. But I will say, the effervescent jacuzzi and the massage were to DIE for. I could go back again and again for that. The facility looked a bit scary, but we pulled through.


I can't wait to go back. Next time we take the family so we can go on the Safari together at Safari West. In fact, I would love to stay in their tent cabins. Can you imagine? This giraffe tried to kiss everyone in the jeep! It was surreal being so close to these animals! I loved it.

Yes, Michigan!

There used to be a slogan (in the '80s, if I'm not mistaken) for vacationing in Michigan: Yes, Michigan! This is exactly how I feel when I wake up at the Lakehouse each morning. We had such a great time this week, despite the hectic schedule around the 4th. Here are some scenes from this week.

Wine Country, MI

We have been thoroughly enjoying our trip to Michigan wine country! Seems odd, but we drove up to the 45th parallel – the same one that runs through the Washington/Oregon wine region as well as Bordeaux in France. I was surprised at the quality of the wine. They had some really lovely cabernet francs, as well as a couple of nice dry whites. I wasn’t holding out much hope for the dry wines, but I was pleasantly surprised.

We stayed at a beautiful B&B: Chateau Chantal with our incredible cousins. And we couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather! It was a most beautiful respite in the midst of a very busy week. Thanks you two for inviting us!

Up North Photos

I had a blast with my camera this weekend. Here are some of my faves:

The pond in our back yard; how is it I never thought to take photos back here before?


The Old Indian Trail - a 1.1 mile hike to the Lake Michigan lookout. Hayes said it was like walking through a painting. The trailhead is across the street from our place.


Trillium - a protected flower that is native to the area.


Fiddle heads of the fern that carpet the forests Up North. I've never been up to see them like this. It's been a long winter everywhere.


A fabulous old birch tree on our neighbor's lot


One of my absolute favorite things about up north: the outdoor shower!

Damn That Ice Cream

I don’t know what came over me today; I just wasn’t thinking. It had been such a good day for both of us. We went for a hike on the Old Indian Trail to the Lake Michigan lookout. It was about a mile each way, and on the way back it started to rain. The thing is, we both took it in stride. Anyone who has been to Disney with me knows that I am FOUL when I get rained on, but for whatever reason, this didn’t affect me the same way. I was actually civil when Richard (my knight in shining armor) met us at the trailhead and drove us back to the Lakehouse in a warm van. I didn’t even have to call him. He knew to come and find us. I just love that man.

Later in the day, Hayes and the neighbor kid had a blast swinging, playing in the sandbox, playing croquet. They were incredibly kind to each other and played like only little boys can. Every croquet mallet became a machine gun. And his fever seems to be on the outs. It’s very low grade if there at all.

Feeling invincible, I took Hayes to go play mini golf this evening and, as is our usual practice, to get ice cream after. The mini golf was a blast. He was so encouraging and sweet; he didn’t even want to keep score because it was our first time out. This is a golf rule we have. We didn’t stop at our usual ice cream place, but at a stand on our way home. And I realized tonight, at bedtime, that the strawberry ice cream he had, must have been full of red dye. (In my defense, it looked like vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberries in it – I do realize looks can be deceiving.)

He was a MESS. Of course he was. He couldn’t get himself together after his shower in order to get dressed. He kept getting out of bed, finding new reasons to cry after the first wave of tears was spent, complaining that he was so tired he couldn’t get to sleep, making unreasonable requests; typical dye reaction stuff. I don’t even think he brushed his teeth. It just wasn’t worth the fight. I am such a dork. How did I manage to do that?! And things had been going so well.

Oh well; as they say, tomorrow is another day.

Let Summer Begin

My friend Rob believes that summer truly begins the moment he hears “Centerfield” by John Fogarty on the car radio and he can roll down his windows and jam to it. For me, summer begins with the first stone of the season being plunked into the lake by my beautiful, beautiful boy. This weekend, summer arrived.

And so did the allergies. Hayes has really been struggling this weekend with all sorts of pollen flying, visibly and invisibly, through the air. The cottonwood seems to be the worst culprit, covering the hills at the golf course with seeds that look like snow. He is so congested it sounds like he’s got mucus all the way down to his toes. And his poor little eyes are completely bloodshot by the end of the day. And as if that’s not enough, he’s developed a fever too, which he wouldn’t allow to slow him down yesterday, but required a two-hour nap this morning to get rejuvenated. It seems to have worked.

Right now we are enjoying being out by the lake, he throwing rocks, and I reflecting on the beauty of the lake, the generations of Gilberts that have come and gone, the passing on of the traditions and great loves of this place. I can’t imagine not coming here. I can’t imagine watching summer arrive and not heading to this personal paradise. I am so glad to have it. I am so lucky to have been born into this tradition.