Roxana & Ricardo & Julia

Sweaters

2010-01-03T10:26:00.002-05:00

Julia showcased two lovely (hand-made) sweaters she received for Christmas:

A classy pre-school look.

A more patriotic sweater:

Thank you!

Sena is 6!

2010-01-03T10:19:00.003-05:00

We missed Sena's birthday while we were in Montreal... so we finally made up for it by having a little get-together and cake. It was great to spend a little time with the nieces.

Low on Energy

2010-01-03T10:17:00.001-05:00

This was Julia on New Year's Eve. She was probably fighting something, as she was lethargic for about 2 days. Even while she refused to go to sleep, she was exhausted, and fell asleep at the kitchen counter...

She's feeling much better now - back to normal. :)

Christmas in Montreal

2009-12-27T18:14:00.003-05:00

We just got back from a short trip to Montreal.

It was great to catch up with old friends (back on the continent after a long absence).

Some people never change. Here we are watching the Canadiens play Carolina at Les Trois Brasseurs.

Most of the time, however, was spent with the relatives:

The three cousins looking outside.

And then a very pleasant evening at the Mackay's:

(thanks again for all the grub, Sara)

I like this one

2009-12-17T12:58:00.003-05:00

PS: through both of our recent trips (Prague and Costa Rica), Julia never gave us a hard time. Even after many hours in airplanes, buses, waiting in airports, skipping nap times, being woken at 5am, etc, she hardly ever complained. I wish I could say the same for myself...

A heck of a kid. :)

The Costa Rica Adventure, Part 4 (PV de S to Monteverde to San Jose)

2009-12-14T05:59:00.007-05:00

From a hike in PV de S:

Then, on the long and winding, and bumpy, road to Monteverde, we saw the active volcano Arenal.

At a lunch break.

These little guys, apparently from the same family as raccoons, walked right up to the car.

A bird of paradise in Monteverde.

At the hummingbird garden, in the Monteverde Reserve.

Tired of walking...

Look above the trees: a zip-line.

Walking a bridge at Selvatura park.

Here's Andy showing us how to zip.

(the zip lines were awesome. There were 15 or so, all between high platforms on trees. Many were high above the tree-tops. The longest one was about 1km long...)

Andy & Marcia, at the end of the longest line.

Back at the cabins, where they had a huge hydroponic garden. Julia found a cherry tomato!

It was getting late and someone was acting cranky.

The next day on yet another walk.

A better picture of the garden (this is only one small part of it).

The last night in Costa Rica, celebrating with a fruit punch.

The Costa Rica Adventure, Part 3 (Puerto Viejo and Boat Trip)

2009-12-13T22:03:00.008-05:00

One morning in PV de S, we took a boat ride on the Sarapiqui river.

This was the weather soon after we started off:

(thankfully, the boat is covered)

An alligator on the shore.

On the boat:

A kingfisher.

An iguana climbing a tree.

A local guy fishing... despite the crocodiles and caymans.

A cayman.

Another howling monkey was sighted.

Julia liked when the boat went very fast.

Back at the pool.

Another toucan.

The Costa Rica Adventure, Part 2 (Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui)

2009-12-13T21:07:00.006-05:00

Breakfast with a view:

Walking around the grounds of Selva Verde.

"This leaf is bigger than me!"

We called this one "Dudley's Tail flower".

And again relaxing at the pool.

More howling monkeys.

Found near the swimming pool:

A toucan.

Turtle acrobats?

Another large iguana (or was it the same one?).

Dinner downtown.

A large butterfly at night.

The Costa Rica Adventure, Part 1 (Boston to San Jose to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui)

2009-12-13T20:47:00.006-05:00

We had a week or so vacation time left, and Roxi found that tickets to Costa Rica were especially cheap... so we quickly planned a little trip, and convinced Andy & Marcia to join us. :)

Our flight from Boston was cancelled due to a snow storm in Houston (!), so we were sent (in First Class) to NJ. Here is Julia taking full advantage of the spacious seats:

Once on San Jose, we took it easy by the pool.

Julia got all religious...

At the bus station, waiting for our ride to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui.

When we arrived at Selva Verde, this is one of the first things we saw (compare with the guard-rail: this iguana is about 1m long).

The pool was a big hit.

One of many little critters.

A&M walking the long suspension bridge.

We first heard and then saw howling monkeys.

The covered walkways (it often rains in the, well, rain-forest).

Too Many Pictures of Prague (part 4)

2009-11-29T18:08:00.006-05:00

I think this will be the last of the Prague pictures for now...

Some more architectural detail:

At a traditional Czech restaurant, where the meal consisted of essentially 800g of pork ribs, and 1L of beer. It was delicious, but if I couldn't eat like that every day...

(Rui is holding his hand there to give an idea of the size of the thing)

The "TV Tower" in a slight drizzle, with those weird "babies" climbing up and down. Look up David Cerny for other examples of his slightly twisted and very interesting art. The Metronome was in Letna park.

Our only rainy day, which gives "Prague by Night" another dimension.

Dinner out at a very nice restaurant downtown, with Rui and Alisa.

From Vysehrad:

Looking South.

Julia and Roxana, on the 9-hour flight back home (note the clearance between the belly and the dinner tray).

We had a great time. It was great to see Rui again.

Na shledanou.

Too Many Pictures of Prague (part 3)

2009-11-29T17:06:00.006-05:00

A typical contrast between a beautiful, well-maintained building, and a Communist-era "panelak".

More from several walks around the city:

The old town square.

(yes, we saw the show of the orloj on the hour)

Julia near the Charles bridge.

Walking from Letna park to Prague castle.

Detail of a stained glass window in the St-Vitus catherdral, inside the castle.

Detail on the outside of the cathedral.

Inside the third courtyard.

From Hradcany square.

On the walk back down, through Mala Strana.

A detail from one of the 20 large sculptures on Charles bridge.

Another statue on Charles bridge.

The castle, seen from across the river.

Too Many Pictures of Prague (part 2)

2009-11-28T22:45:00.006-05:00

From a morning walk near Rui's appartment ("Praha 7")

Our trip to Karlstejn was a little more disappointing, since they apparently close the courtyard at 3 at this time of the year, and we missed it by a few minutes. The castle is still nice from the outside, and we got to see some of the countryside South of the city.

We also got our first Czech meal out of it.

Back in the city, we walked around in the evening for more "Prague by Night".

Lots of people enjoying the evening. Street vendor selling sausages.

Our host.

A little walk on Charles bridge.

Too Many Pictures of Prague

2009-11-28T22:09:00.010-05:00

We spent a week in beautiful Prague, and had a great time. The weather was great (only a little drizzle one afternoon, sunshine the rest of the time), and the hospitality was perfect.

A view of many spires in Prague, from Letenske sady (Letna park).

A view of many bridges in Prague, from Letenske sady (Letna park).

The architecture was a lot of fun. I know, it may not seem that unusual for Europe, but it is for those of us who live on this side of the pond.

Lots of buildings had details like this.

Of course, the real reason we went was to see Rui. Here he is, introducing me to a Krusovice.

This is the first of many "Prague by Night" pictures that I took.

Since we were there in late November, the sun set early, which is very convenient for this kind of thing. When I go back, I'll definitely spend more time walking in the evenings. As beautiful as Prague is during the day, it takes on a whole new mood when it gets dark.

The girls, out and about.

A market somewhere downtown.

Crossing one of many bridges.

View East, across a bridge, showing the "Dancing Building".

More to come...

You-Know-Who

2009-11-14T13:33:00.000-05:00

Concentrating on a painting.

Enjoying some time outdoors.

Sue & Andrew & the Boys

2009-11-08T18:06:00.004-05:00

Sue & Andrew and the boys came for a short visit over the weekend.

Here we are shortly after they arrived - all being a little silly.

They were waking up between 4:30-5:30... in the morning... by the time Roxi, Julia and I woke up, Benjamin was already having a morning nap! Actually, even this was a little unusual for him - he had a long day sitting in a car on Friday.

We went to Bakerwoods in the afternoon.

This place is always gorgeous, even after most of the leaves have fallen.

Julia, as usual, couldn't get enough of Uncle Andrew. But... who can?

Thanks for coming to visit, guys! We hope you won't wait so long for next time.

Acadia 2009 (Part 4)

2009-11-04T20:51:00.008-05:00

The final few pictures from our trip.

A sunrise near Cadillac Mountain:

A cairn on the Cadillac Mountain North ridge.

Yes, that's a little ice in a puddle...

Moi. And Julia.

Roxy climbing for 2.

Julia pretending to be a lobster.

Andy.

Julia playing hide and seek.

Sunset back at the cottage.

A panoramic of the bay.

Halloween

2009-11-01T21:50:00.001-05:00

Jack, Benjamin and Julia, playing with Uncle Andrew.

Some guests.

Julia and Benjamin.

Sue and the Good Witch of the West (Island).

Acadia 2009 (Part 3)

2009-11-01T20:43:00.006-05:00

One morning in front of the cabin:

Julia looking smug, carried around by Marcia.

From a walk on the Ocean Trail.

Family shot.

Our friends.

Julia and a moss wall.

Andy and Roxy.

Julia drew a sun with a stick.

Acadia 2009 (Part 2)

2009-10-24T13:28:00.006-04:00

Continuing with our trip...

One of the many carriage roads:

Andy and Marcia climbing to Conner's Nubble. It was steep, but just for a few minutes.

Resting at the top.

At Sand Beach.

Acadia 2009 (Part 1)

2009-10-18T17:19:00.006-04:00

We liked Acadia so much last year that we had to go back.

Here is a first batch of pictures from our week-long trip:

Julia helping to get stuff from the car to the cottage we rented:

The view from our deck.

The apple tree...

Our first restaurant dinner.

Julia relaxing.

Several pictures from a walk around Jordan Pond.

Julia eating a popover.

Then a quick look from the top of Cadillac Mountain.

Cuddling

2009-10-05T18:35:00.003-04:00

This was right after Julia woke up on Sunday morning. As you can see, we both slept well and were feeling good. Julia loves to cuddle, and it is a great way to start off the day.

Do I really have to get up?

2009-10-05T18:26:00.002-04:00

Some mornings are like that... you think you're ready to get out of bed, but then you're really not... Julia was actually sleeping when this picture was taken... half on the bed, half off, her foot actually touching the ground.

Weekend Update

2009-10-04T19:08:00.002-04:00

The Vôvós were here!

Teaching Julia how to paint animals in reds, blues, yellows, etc

Julia took a break by helping the squirrels. She took the 'peel' off the nuts.

Dinnertime - including Roxi's homemade bread & butter, and Unky Dylan's Pork Chop Recipe. (delicious chops from Hurricane Farm)

Today, after our guests left, we went to the local market again.

Julia practiced jumping off the stone wall... might be building up to be a skydiver one day.

I saw this in the rearview mirror as we were getting ready to leave. Don't know why, but I thought it deserved a picture.

Julia Today

2009-09-26T15:18:00.001-04:00

Girls on a Tractor

2009-09-26T15:15:00.001-04:00

Uncle Ed, taking the girls for a little ride this afternoon.

You can't fake this kind of emotion....

Afterwards, relaxing on a swing.