Curious

?

From 2009 Summer

This is a hydrant in a forest. Maybe the squirrels had it installed to counter the forestry department's new "controlled burn" practices.

I think I need to look harder for something real to blog about. If we don't start meeting people and doing things soon, I might be driven to actually decorate my blog.

Baby Videos

For those of you who like this sorta thing . . . (I have to admit, I did not used to like this sort of thing. But now that it's my kid . . .)

I guess we'll go in chronological order. This first video is actually mostly of Jon. It was July 4th and we were near the Cradle of Forestry in America, hiking in a place called The Pink Beds. Given the nature of our video, it's a rather serendipitous name.



Now for the cute stuff -- Naomi started cooing and laughing in the last few weeks. She shows a bit of personality in the first video. The second one is just plain cute.

Heaven

Our new home is so perfect that it is bizarrely un-perfect. What I mean is that it is perfect for us, so of course it has some . . . let's call them unique characteristics. Don't get me wrong. I really do love it. There were plenty of other choices -- but this one suited me and my family's current situation.



Notice the iron railing separating the dining room from the kitchen. And, oh yeah, the lovely shade of mustard brown for the carpet. (I don't think the camera does it justice. There's much more yellow in it than you can see here.)


The neighborhood is really great, too, but it's the same story as the house. It's kid-friendly, but I haven't actually seen a kid (besides mine) here. There are sidewalks and playgrounds. A walk around the neighborhood is beautiful, interesting, and relatively free of dangerous traffic. It's like the setting for a Ray Bradbury novel; there are swing sets and clubhouses, baby swings and water slides, but no actual children. Anywhere. Freaky.

For the moment, at least, I'm living under the impression that summer time is the quiet time for this place. Maybe the kids are all at summer camp. All of them -- in the whole city, at the same time. Or maybe they're hibernating indoors because of the heat, humidity, mosquitoes, severe thunderstorms, etc. (Writer, if you're looking for a quieter neighborhood, this is the right place.) And anyway, I know people are out walking, because there's litter on the side of the road. Of course that could come from people in cars, but I'm being optimistic.

Here are some pictures of the park that is nearest our home. Maybe, instead of thinking that there really aren't children here, perhaps we don't see other kids at the park because it's too close to the railroad. (See the wheels on the box cars in the background?) I guess it makes sense if the town is 90% retired -- they had the park built out of nostalgia, not because they expected any children to play in it. The other neighborhood kids must be playing somewhere else, farther away from the train tracks. I just wish they'd invite us to come along!


So, to summarize, I really think this is what heaven will be like for me. Beautiful. Lots of trees and green things. Peaceful, warm, seemingly inviting. But with an unexpected twist.