December 1st, 2013
My apologies for the lack of webposts. We’ve been busy climbing! (Well, I’ve been climbing. Paul is still momentarily out of the game on account of his finger). We’re at Hueco right now for an extended stay…almost 2 weeks! And our Pittsburgh climbing buddies are here with us too! The first couple planned climbing days were postponed due to snow, ice and rain. But all is good now – warm in the sun, cold in the shade. Conditions don’t get any better than this. Here are a few highlights from the start of our trip:
An excellent kickoff to the trip – Brian and I send T-Bone Shuffle, v4 on our first day
Day 2, Brian ticks Uncut Yogi, v6
…and Jen finds her proj, Sex After Death, v8. After just a few tries she realizes this one has sending potential for this trip…exciting!!
A rare, quiet moment at the boulders with all the children
and Silas keeping warm under my project for the trip Better Eat Your Wheaties, v8…which I’m quite ecstatic to say FINALLY has sending potential! I’ve stuck the first move now a dozen or so times and have worked out some of the next moves. Time to start linking it together!!!!! Did I really just write that??!?!! Woohoo!!!!
posted by arr
November 7th, 2013
Radishes!!!!!
Everything else we planted seems to be doing very well. The lettuce is about ready. The kale is now looking like kale. The garlic is shooting up all tall and pointy (sorry, my eloquence for describing garden vegetables and plants is failing me terribly right now). And the beans and peas are growing nicely. Last night Paul had to fend off some javelinas that were trying to get into our compost bin. The thought never occurred to us that perhaps our ‘bunny fence’ around the vegetables ought to be a little more robust and maybe labeled as a ‘javelina fence.’ And I think something (big) is sleeping on our leftover straw bale. We’ve had a neighborhood bobcat hanging around this summer. I think we may have given him/her a warm winter bed. Anyway, fingers crossed that the desert wildlife stays out of our homegrown goodness!!!
posted by arr
November 6th, 2013
The last week and a half has been nothing but playmates galore for Silas and Ivan. First they got an invite to a 3 year old’s birthday party. Not only were there plenty of other kids in attendance, but the party was held at My Gym, which is basically a giant romper room. Whoa. Next we hosted a Halloween Party with local friends and their kids, complete with costumes, backyard “trick-or-treating”, homemade popcorn balls and pretzel ghosts. Ooooo. And then last weekend we linked up at Hueco with a couple we had met in South Africa who now live in the states and have two kids of their own, as well as friends of their’s with yet another kid. Oh my.
Silas has so many little friends now I wonder if he can keep them all straight. Who am I kidding, of course he can. And I know Ivan loves them all by the permanent smile on his face as he runs around squealing.
Gotta love the little people.
Silas showing off his gymnastics skills at the birthday party
Ivan making a new friend
Prepping for Halloween. Silas’ toothy-grin pumpkin on the left. Ivan’s “excited Ivan face” pumpkin on the right
The ghost pretzels for the party
And this year’s Halloween costumes! Silas wanted to be a yellow jet. A jet that can put his wings out, or tuck them in for a landing. A yellow one with blue stripes. And a propeller. And Ivan had to be one too, only blue (This is all according to Silas of course. Poor Ivan didn’t get a choice. Although I don’t think he minded much. 😉
Wings out and ready for takeoff (Silas’ pointy fingers are his lights. The lights always come on when the wings are out. Even during storytime at the Library when he’s not wearing his costume).
Party time
I was a cooking witch this Halloween, not a flying witch. Hence the apron versus a cape.
On to Hueco. An East Mountain Tour, 5 kids and 6 adults. At least we weren’t outnumbered!
Silas must have taught his new buddies how to fly
And with all these climbing kids come climbing mama’s and dad’s. Strong mama’s at that! Magdel battling the first move of Better Eat Your Wheaties, v8
Linda sending Squeeze Me Tender, v3
Paul and Greg spotting Lee on the upper section of Chutes and Ladders, v9/10
The dads looking all suave
The “excited Ivan face”
And a happy Silas
posted by arr
October 24th, 2013
Daytime temps are cooling, nights are crisp and we’re back to the same ‘ol same ‘ol that we love, Hueco Tanks, Texas. The start of this season has been a bit of a bummer though for Paul. His finger has been bothering him all summer so he went to see a hand specialist last week. Diagnosis: bone fracture! Paul has now entered the ranks of those climbers that have climbed so hard they broke their own finger. It probably happened sometime in the spring (ahem, the crimps on Nagual maybe?). It sounds hardcore and all to say it like that, but I can guarantee he doesn’t feel too hardcore watching me crank on my Hueco projects while he plays sherpa. With 2 shots of cortisone in the finger, he’s been directed to take six weeks off from any climbing/gripping activity. In the meantime, to stay psyched he’s continuing to train any way he can. He’s become obsessive over mastering the planche.
See the little bone fragment that the arrow is pointing to as a result of the fracture
posted by arr
October 17th, 2013
We had a party yesterday. A BIG party for a BIG boy. (Well, not really. It was just the 4 of us but we partied big anyway). Silas is now 4 years old and as with any birthday, I’m both happy and sad that he’s growing up so fast. I told him on the eve of his birthday that I didn’t want him to grow up. That I wanted to keep him small. Maybe even small enough to put him in my pocket so I could keep him all to myself, safe and sound. He replied very matter-of-factly with “Mama. (humph). I’m not a pocket mouse! I’m a boy.”
Score with the birthday booty
Party time!
A pleased dad
A curious brother (being kept at bay from his brother’s gift-opening with food and a high chair restraint)
New placemat! Oooo, aaaahhhh
Going wild over the big gift – Tidmouth Sheds for his Thomas the Train set
Tidmouth Sheds in action
Maaamaaaaa, when is it time for the owl cake?
“Happy Birthday to you…”
More ooooo’s and aaaahhh’s
Making his wish
Happy Birthday my sweet boy
posted by arr
September 30th, 2013
For some self-centered reason I’m sure, watching video of myself climbing gets me amped. Paul too. So I put together this short snippet of footage we took last season at Hueco and thought I’d share. Hopefully it motivates for hard training!
Click on the picture to play the video
Posted by arr
September 29th, 2013
My buddy John and I ticked off an AMAZING trail run yesterday that’s worthy of a webpost: Sabino Basin. Beginning at the Sabino Canyon visitor center we ran the classic Phoneline Trail up the canyon, continuing up to the West / East Fork junctions in Sabino Basin. Having run Phoneline a bunch (which is beautiful in and of itself), I can’t believe the scenery I was missing further up the canyon all those times. Incredible! Temps were cooler than usual Saturday so with a 6am start conditions couldn’t have been better. And with the trail cutting along the east side of the canyon we had shade for most of the journey. AND, at 13ish miles this was John’s longest trail run to-date! Excellent trail, excellent run. Wooo!
Cranking up the start of the Phoneline Trail
Approaching Sabino Basin
The Basin
A commanding view from the Basin up the West and East Forks
A babbling brook – how’s this for a reward at the turn-around point?!
Awesomely beautiful seed pod
John on the return down Phoneline Trail
posted by arr
September 28th, 2013
We planted a garden! Somewhat on a whim last Friday night Paul and I made up our minds to finally commit to an idea we’ve been tossing around for most of this year – a garden, a REAL garden with tasty yummies like carrots and kale and peas and lima beans and beets. Silas’ and my experimental herb garden this spring was a huge success…all except for the cilantro. We live in the southwest and the cilantro withers up on us?! Go figure. Anyway, aside from the cilantro we were quite pleased with the bitty thing and were anxious to go big. So go big we did and as of last night we have six 3’x3′ plots, planted, mulched and irrigated with bunny fence, gate, and even two compost pile stalls, just in time for the Tucson fall planting cycle. Soooo psyched! Now let’s just hope it grows…
We decided upon the site last Friday night, bought our seeds the next morning and got right to work. East-facing, filtered overhead sun (thanks to the mesquite tree), and easy access to our main water line. Perfect!
Water break for our tiniest helper
Bunny fence almost complete
Soil prepped and irrigation laid
Went to the feed store across the street and picked up a straw bale for mulch to retain moisture
Spreading the straw was Ivan’s favorite part
Seeds planted and herbs transplanted from the bitty herb garden. The planting, of both the seeds and the transplants, was Silas’ favorite part. He would lovingly talk to the herbs as we put them in the new plots: “Here you go boy, this is your new home. You’re really going to like it here. There you go boy, all tucked in with straw.”
Done! The compost stall was built later that night after this photo was taken. It’s now in the foreground of this photo.
My two biggest helpers…and eaters…now eagerly awaiting carrots, turnips, radishes, beets, fava beans, swiss chard, kale, hopi yellow lima beans, tarahumara peas, purple queen garlic, cimmaron romaine lettuce, arugula, buttercrunch lettuce, onions, garlic chives, parsley, dill and CILANTRO! Grow garden! Grow!
posted by arr
September 23rd, 2013
I’m a bit backlogged on my webposts – sorry! Almost a month ago my parents arrived in Salt Lake City to begin a one-month tour of Utah (where my sister Holly lives) and Arizona. Part way through their trip we headed north to Flagstaff to meet up with them, Holly and her boyfriend Joe. This just so happened to be the weekend that it began to rain, EVERYWHERE, and continued to rain well into the next week, thus devastating the front range of Colorado…as we all have heard. The beginning of our Flagstaff weekend was absolutely lovely. We checked out Sunset Crater and the Wupatki Ruins with my parents. By mid-day Saturday though is when it started downpouring and didn’t really let up long enough to have much fun (huddling at camp under makeshift shelters drinking beer only lasts so long). We ended up leaving early Sunday and heading back to Tucson with my parents. We were greeted in Tucson with more rain, which was actually quite nice. It only lasted a day. The temps were cool and the kids had a blast in the puddles! My parents spent the week with us. My dad took Silas fishing a couple times, we checked out the Desert Museum, swam in the pool a ton and went on some nice walks. Silas adores his Papa and has been re-telling his favorite papa-experiences since they left:
“That papa. Up in Flagstaff…at that campsite…you came up to the car, mama, and…you caught us! You caught me and papa rockin’ out (to classic rock on the car radio) and chewing gum! You caught us, mama. That was SO fun.”
“That papa. He LOVES to fish. Yep. He just LOVES to fish all day long.”
“That papa. He LOVES to swim in the pool with me. He LOVES it when I get crazy and jump right in! I just jump right in, mama! He loves it!”
And if Ivan could talk, he’d no doubt *still* be counting all the kisses and hugs he gave his grandma.
The view of the San Francisco Peaks from the top of Lenox Crater trail in Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Silas and Ivan’s Grandma and Papa
Silas in front of an old lava flow
Sunset Crater
The Wupatki Ruins (just down the road from Sunset Crater)
Family photo
The trash pit
The gathering circle
Someday when my kids are a little bigger and not trying to dart away like desert lizards 99.9% of the time, I’ll have a chance to read the guide and learn what the purposes of the rest of these buildings were. 😉
And then the rain started
Wet weather provides plenty of down-time at camp to cook up a good meal
Holly and Joe
And Courtney too! Surprise!
A very wet camp. And the beer is gone. Let’s ditch this joint.
Back in Tucson it’s a puddle field day!
On your mark, get set, go!
Silas catches a crawdad out of Rose Canyon Lake on Mt. Lemmon
Patient fishermen
Meanwhile, Ivan takes a nature walk and giggles hysterically over grabbing leaves off bushes
Grandma and Ivan
Pool time! During the one week that Papa and Grandma were here, Silas went from cautiously easing into the pool via the safe arms of mama or dad to full on kamikaze belly-smackers!
Ivan’s not quite there yet…
…still happy as a clam in the kiddie pool
Papa and Silas up to mischief again. This time, a Sonoran Dog!
Ivan’s thinkin’ about it
…and goes in for the kill
More fishing on Peña Blanca Lake down near the border
Pretty little place
The fisher boy
Got one!
Wondering when he’ll get his chance to catch one
Got another!
Bye bye fishy. Now swim home to your family
Paul and I on our 13 mile “date” run
What’s a date without flowers? 🙂
And a classic “Ivan Hug” for Papa. These hugs are one of a kind. He nuzzles right in and doesn’t let go. Love it.
posted by arr
