Sonnet, Madeleine and Grace, representing over 120 years of one gene's earthbound journey, pose on the deck of 2501 Shashone Dr. Grace covers the kids with love and attention, baking a apple pie, peanut butter cookies and strawberry shortcake - all from tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. She is careful each child receives equal attention while Sonnet and I appreciate what we miss from the U.K.
The kids soak up the sun, and this photo taken durina a sun and pool "time-out" (we spent 7 hours at the Bear Valley rec center yesterday). Swim lessons begin at 10AM sharp, and both Eitan and Madeleine enamoured with the older, teenage lifeguard instructors who use words like "dude" and "totally". Eitan practices his Californian tongue but so far with little success.
This is Bru (19/5/06). Bru is Sonnet's cousin and son of Missy, who I met in London in '98. He lives in Rome with his Italien girlfriend Manuela, and has two flats next to the Piazzo Campo dei Fiori not far from the French embassy. From upstate New York, Bru followed the Greatful Dead for a number of years, then applied to Cornell where he received his undergraduate degree. A room-mate introduced him to the Vatican, where he worked in the bursor's office reimbursing Cardinals and Bishops their expenses. Bru's expressive personality is best suited for the Mediterranian, and we have taken joy visiting him on several occassions in Rome, where he has opened the city to us. This photo taken in Colorado at Maire's wedding by Stanfill M. Stanfill - and demonstrates one interpretation of 'cowyboy chic.'
Sonnet, who returns to top running form now that kids etc. allow her to do so, shows her stuff. From London, her exhibition at the V&A "New York Fashion" will be funded by clothing retailer Ecco, which she learned while in LA at Catherine's wedding.
Madeleine shows off her bravery and pool-diving skills. Before we allowed her into the Deep End, I made sure she could swim a full lenght of the 25 meter pool doing the crawl. Her dog-style persists, but we are reasonably happy with her progress, and the many swim lessons in London pay back in droves.
Madeleine and Moe share a special moment. She: "Moe! listen to me talk under water!" Various whale and porpoise noises are made, which are interpreted as conversation somehow.
Sonnet and I leave the kids with their grandparents and drive to the trailhead, departing the cabin at 6:00AM. We have done this route before, pre-kids, which concludes at an alpine lake at about 8,000 feet. The weather is fine and summer-like, and the path winds through alpine terrain, forrests and open meadows. We are treated with wildflowers, which open their blume on our return once the sun has warmed the ground.
This an archive photo I like - Madeleine willingly includes her most expressive possession in this early morning portrait of her, on our way to Montessori school.
Madeleine (and Eitan) discover a pine cone. London does not offer many opportunities to explore nature unless you consider Hyde or Richmond Parks. Both quickly adapt to the setting, however, even if they seem a bit cautious by many of their new experiences. My dream is to walk the John Muir trail with them one day.
Eitan finds his spot at the cabin (27/7/07). Not surprisingly I suppose a battle broke out between the kids on usage time - settled with the kitchen timer (Madeleine can be seen waiting in the background).
Moe remains an aqua enthusiast, dating to at least my grade school when he supported my, and Katie's athletic agenda by swimming laps during our 6:30AM morning workout. This was extended at some point to double work-outs and even the odd triple when he would sneak a swim at the Bay Club in San Francico during lunch. Today, Moe has bonded poolside with Eitan and Madeleine, and remains an enthusiast for their development in this family discipline. This photo taken at the Shashone rec center, 29/7/06.
This photograph taken at my parent's cabin near Dorrington (pop. 9) and Bear Valley (pop. 150) (29/7/06). The property was purchased in 1984 with the Farnsworth and Saperstein families
, who designed the place to spec. Our road is off route 4, a two lane black-top that is closed for four months of the year due to snow at Ebbett's Pass (elev. 8,500 feet). This presents a 60 mile dead-end, which has slowed the pace of development and traffic, and so the area retains its peace and scenic beauty. While we have enjoyed it here since highschool, it is equally suited for Eitan and Madeleine who revel in the general freedom to explore the outdoors (at least within a 100 yard radius).
Madeleine practices her back-start in Los Angeles (21/7/06). The kids can spend hours in the pool, entertaining themselves in various ways. A favorite is the 'time trial' where I simulate the '08 Olympics: "Swimmers prepare yourselves for the 50 meters freestyle. Take your marks - beep!" The kids belly-flop into the pool and flail about until they reach the other side. It is surprisingly competitive even for them, and usually ends in shouts of protest from the loser even though a silver guaranteed.
From Catherine's wedding in LA, we drive north on the Pacific Coast Highway (route 1) passing Santa Barbara, Big Sur, Montery and Point Lobos state park, where I take this image on a foggy coastal morning. The point is home to sea lions, otters, pelicans and many other critters as well as wild flowers and grasses and craigy vistas; the air smells of salt. We spend an hour or so watching the kids make a fort of washed up branches then hit the road for a sandy beach and Berkeley.
Sonnet and I celebrate Catherine and Peter's union on July 22, 2006. The wonderful wedding took place at the Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, on a boiling hot Southern California day quite appropriate for the spiritual setting of the service. Sonnet and Catherine have known each other since freshmen year at Smith (er, 1986) and remain steadfast friends (Sonnet was the Maid of Honour this weekend; Catherine was at ours in 1997). Peter is Chinese, and the reception a mix of Asian toasts (Peter's younger, unmarried brother took the burden of his father's 'roast') and food (10 courses) combined with good old rock-and-roll. Other Smithies include Halley, Nita and Jenn. The newlyweds now in Hawaii.
I arrived in California Sunday, July 16 to do a few days work for the Walden fund, then welcomed the kids at SFO on the 19th. After a night in Berkeley, we headed south to L.A. for Catherine Majkit's wedding to Peter Ciao (more on this later). Here, I photograph the Disney Opera House in dowtown Los Angeles. We are connected to the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County via Sonnet's uncle Shelton Stanfill who was President and Chief Executive until 2001 when he left to run the Woodruff Center in Atlanta. Among other things, Shelton was responsible for funding the development of the music hall, famously designed by Frank Gehry
and today home of the Philharmonic Opera. Our visit was yesterday, Sunday, so we had downtown to ourselves and could fully appreciate the beauty, and wackiness, of Gehry's design.
Eitan in costume. As at this writing, our web slinging hero has declined in popularity, replaced by the Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers and (at my suggestion) Steven Gerrard, David Beckham and Frank Lampard (says he: "Dad! He's not a super hero!" Nb after this World Cup and 0 for 21 on goal shots I have to agree). For a while though every night was capped with a bedtime story about Peter Parker, Aunte May, Mary Jane Watson, a host of villians including Green Goblin, Vulture, Kingpin and others and of course our dear Spider Man.
St Paul's Cathedral, designed by Christopher Wren, is on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London and the seat of the Bishop of London (nb to be a city in England, there must be a Bishop). The present building dates from the 17th century, and is generally reckoned to be London's fourth St Paul's Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedral. This photograph taken from the Bankside Power Station; the Millenium Bridge crosses the Thames.
With long-time London friend Arthur Garrison, I bike to Oxford or about 100 kilometres. The trip begins from my house where we meet for a coffee, and passes through Richmond, skirts around Heathrow, crosses the Thames three times while traversing the countryside via Marlow, Fierth, Fingerest, Pishill and other charming and small villages then brings us to our destination via a dual carriageway and rather hard ride in. An occassional random red phone booth is spotted. Seven hours later we are at Oxford Startion and the train ride back to London. Arthur, fyi, is a satellite engineer at TRW and thanks to his mapping, compass reading and odometer, we are not lost even once.
