first week of summer

the first week of summer was fantastic, i must say. swimming, friends, farmer's markets, pot-lucks, wicked storms, cucumber salad, first steps, full moon rising, home baked baby snacks, hammock time, reading, housecleaning and a little (very little) extra sleep all found their way into the hot, hot week following solstice. a good start to a season i want to savor.








how did you spend your first week of summer?


may each new day nurture your sultry passions and warmest deeds.

solstice daddy

yesterday we pulled ourselves up and out of our lair and spent the day in the blue ridge mountains. it was a great way to celebrate father’s day and the summer solstice. we visited humpback rocks visitor center for the first time this season, where we enjoyed some bluegrass music and a picnic. it was particularly fun watching tristan explore the little log cabin. we think he wanted to move in.





in the late afternoon we dropped down to sherando lake for a swim. it was tristan’s first time in a lake and we think he too is a water baby. he enjoyed being spun, bounced and lifted to the sky, and loved slapping his hands against the water's cool surface. he was also quite content sitting quietly at the edge of the water, schlopping sand between his fingers. tashi was ready to take him in over her own head, but we had to curb her enthusiasm a bit.







it was a fulfilling day for the four of us, concluding with ice cream cones and an over stimulated baby who didn’t go to sleep until 11pm.



as evidenced in the above photos, we had a lot to celebrate in dan, an incredible father and amazing co-parent. rarely do i see a father so engaged in having a joyous time with his children. he will play chase just about anywhere, attempt to toss his 12 year old in the air if she begs him, sing songs until midnight if his kids are refusing to sleep. he will also take over when ever asked if i am feeling achy, or broody, or overwhelmed. he can cook up some mean blackened catfish too.



i don’t always realize how incredibly lucky i am. but days of adventure, peace and sharing with my family are certainly a big reminder.

in a blink

a busy week has passed in a blink. a week of work and farmer's markets, sewing and teething. tristan had a long wakeful spell in the middle of the night last night, and today was sucking on his fingers. i have a feeling a new tooth is in the works.

ah the weekend is upon us. may yours be delightful!

neutralize it!

we need to do everything and anything we can to help the environment. if you don't consider the gulf coast tragedy a wake up call, then you might want to count yourself a zombie. not that there haven't been innumerable wake up calls prior to the gulf disaster. . .

i learned from this fine photographer's blog about the my blog is carbon neutral campaign. there is not a single reason not to participate! please visit this site to neutralize your blog as well!

my blog is carbon neutral is an initiative, originally started in germany by the make it green program, that has the goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. they plant a tree for your blog and thereby neutralize your blog’s carbon footprint for the next 50 years! how awesome is that?

you didn't know your blog left a carbon footprint? here is some more information directly from the carbon neutral website:

According to a study by Alexander Wissner-Gross, PhD, physicist at Harvard University and environmental activist, an average website causes about 0.02g (0,0008oz.) of carbon dioxide for each visit. Assuming an average blog gets 15,000 visits a month, it has yearly carbon dioxide emissions of 3,6kg (8lb.). This can mainly be tracked back to the immense energy usage from (mainframe) computers, servers, and their cooling systems.

i doubt that my blog gets half that many visits per month, but planting a tree certainly can't hurt!

school's out

this was a busy week of end of school activities. tashi's class went on a fabulous canoe & camping trip down the james river. they finished up long worked on projects, including these dolls made in handwork.


(tashi & rachel's dolls)

the middle school graduation was soon to follow. tashi's class has two years yet, but they played music at the ceremony.




then there was the final assembly, where all the classes presented songs & verse.


something old


something new

let the fun begin!




(scenes from the flash mob dance that erupted at fridays after five last night)

on deck

as summer approaches i have been spending a lot of time outside on the deck with this little guy. there is nothing that can cure a cranky morning better than time outside.

water. snack. toys. sun. shade. no clothing. we're good to go!


any day now we will get a real toddler pool and move the fun to the ground. but the deck is mostly free of ticks, sharp stones and tasty acorns. our yard is full of trees, moss, wild grasses and patches of bare earth -- a wild zone -- nothing close to a well groomed lawn. this can have mixed results for a wee fellow still on all fours. as soon as he starts walking (any moment we think), the yard will definitely be the place.

in general we prefer wooden toys and toys made of natural or recycled materials. but there are a few exceptions. the deck is a good place for plastic toys. i have a storage tub outside that i stash them all in for easy access. i also have a soft spot for older and vintage plastic toys. i found this cute set at a neighbor's yard sale.


tristan can fill the little tubs with twigs and stones and grass. he can spend minutes at a time occupying himself with the spinners and squeakers and shakers that are built into the bottom of the tubs. he can stack them. and knock them over, of course.

oh and, no batteries required!!

now & then

this weekend started off with a wonderful production of good masters! sweet ladies! by tashi's sixth grade class.

tashi played barbary the mud slinger, a feisty big sister of twins who threw a dung filled clod of dirt at the lord's daughter. it was amazing to hear her passionately deliver so many lines, including an impressive soliloquy on the plight of women in the middle ages.


tristan and another baby sibling in the class, taylor, played tashi's twin brothers. so very cute.

the sixth gradrs were fantastic. i think it is my favorite play in an impressive line of waldorf theaterics.






tashi's last week of school is upon us. summer is around the corner. we are trying to make things a little more friendly for tristan on the deck and on the ground, as he wants nothing more than to be outside all day long.

in between dramatic thunder storms, that is.