It’s very unusual for Phoebe to be eating breakfast on the move, but here she’s set up a whole new breakfast station on the stool.

Strawberries, toast, water, and lion.

Phoebe got some cool socks from Alaska from an author of mine. Thanks, Clive!

See "Alaska" on the bottom of these socks.

Bees and bears.

Phoebe LOVES to talk on the phone. She doesn’t care if it’s a real phone, though, so she usually talks on the remote control for the TV. Here she is talking on my calculator.

On September 18, Dave and I rode into Boulder to meet Elijah at the Valmont Bike Park. The weather was gorgeous! We checked out the bike park…and the playground there. Then we had a picnic lunch and rode the East Boulder Trail to the Gunbarrel Farms Trail. We were mountain biking with Phoebe in the Chariot! We had a great time and put in 35 miles of riding. I miss mountain biking, so it was a terrific day.

Spinning on the playground:

Going uphill:

And coming downhill! Whew!

This morning, October 2, Phoebe entertained herself for almost an hour before church by pulling down and “reading” many, many books. I’m so delighted that she likes books that I try not to complain about putting them all back on the shelves!

Oh, hi, Mom! I didn't see you there.

Sorry, but I just couldn’t resist evoking Seattle’s best known export for a blog post title. And while I’m on the subject of apologies, here’s another for the sparse Gribblog updates as of late. Part of the problem stems from Jess, Phoebe, and me having way too much fun this summer (some of you visiting have influenced this). Another big part of the problem has been my schedule at work. Things are due to wind down a bit here in the near future, but I’m only blogging now because I need to write about something else for a while. Don’t worry, I’ll turn my attention back to writing up reports for NASA soon enough!

As most of you probably know, the whole family went to Seattle a while back for vacation. Well, technically Jess was working. She was at the American Political Science Association’s annual meeting looking for exciting new scholarship to publish. I told her not to bother, but she insisted that some people find the Raul Castro–led rush to privatize Cuba fascinating. At any rate, we arrived early in the week before Labor Day and had a wonderful trip. Here are some of the highlights.

Nearing Seattle, we saw Mount Rainer out the plane window. It’s impressive and imposing.

The Sea-Tac airport (located about half way between Seattle and Tacoma, WA) is quite lovely. They have some nice tile and mosaic work all over the terminal and concourse, and the TSA agent that frisked me (you betcha!) pointed out that they have a nice kids’ play area, but it was on the opposite side of the airport from our gate. He was studying to take the CPA exam.

Jess thought that it was a bit of a walk from the baggage claim to the light rail station, but at least they have a nice train to take you from the airport to the city. It only cost about $2.50 per trip and actually ran frequently. By the time FasTracks brings us anything similar, they’ll probably have Star Trek transporters in the really cool cities.

Most of the week, Phoebe and I walked around Seattle in order to explore the place, and I learned that my latest pair of lifestyle shoes are not for a pedestrian lifestyle! We asked the hotel concierge where there might be a playground. His best guess was the park around the Space Needle. Turns out that while there is a big park with museums around the iconic building, we never found any playground equipment, but in a stroke of genius, I decided to type playground into the map app built into my trusty iPod. Sure enough, there was a playground about 8 blocks from the hotel. Hooray!

Phoebe ascending the playground equipment.

Heading into the mesh tunnel.

Brave baby!

The next day, we went down to the Pike Market for some breakfast before walking Jess to the conference and heading out to explore.

We stumbled across a lovely french bakery that smelled wonderful. Everyone selected a different pastry, and Phoebe really liked the bread. She munched on an undersized baguette all day. After we parted ways with Jess, Phoebe and I headed towards the park. When we arrived it was packed with elementary-school aged kids (despite being mid week). I think a nearby private school was having a back-to-school picnic, but it was hard to tell. Phoebe played a bit, but it was clear that the many big kids were both fascinating and intimidating. I eventually pulled her away (promising we’d return) and we checked out the nearby REI store. The big REI has an almost equally big treehouse for kids to play in. It was a bit scary for me, as Phoebe could just about disappear within its walls, but she had a blast. We also found a little anniversary present for Jess (a new lunch bag, woo-hoo!).

Treehouse in REI.

(This may be a good point to interject that I finished the NASA report and Phase II proposal. It was a rough week with about an hour or two of sleep each night. Even then, it was all down to the 11th hour. Egads, better start much sooner next time!)

I’ve got the order of events all jumbled up in my brain, but at some point in time we went back to the hotel and tried out the pool. Phoebe had a super cute swim suit, so I dressed her up and we rode the elevator down to the rec floor. The water was a bit cool, and Phoebe can’t really swim, but she had fun playing on the stairs leading into the water for a while. She also really loved running along the side of the pool, but kill-joy dad put an end to that pretty quickly. We relaxed for a few minutes in the chaise lounges, but Phoebe didn’t have as much of an appetite for lounging as her father.

One of the highlights of the trip was a walk along the Elliot Bay. We arrived down by the market just as the sun was setting. We got a cup of coffee over at the original Starbucks (technically Starbucks 1 version 2.0), and walked across the street to enjoy the sunset. Phoebe had a great time pointing out the boats, and we got a few lovely pictures of the Sun, mountains, and water. It would have been a wonderful evening for a trip on a boat.

Mount Rainier from Pike Place Market.

Daddy and Phoebe, downtown Seattle.

Fresh fish at the market.

Mommy and Phoebe at the market.

Beautiful sunset.

The following morning we were up and on our way back to Boulder. Jess had made the flight for some extremely early hour, so we had to rush to catch the day’s first train to the airport. We made it in plenty of time, and arrived at the airport with enough time to check the bags, get Phoebe setup for a free flight, and make it through the chaos of security screening. The only real bummer the whole trip was a super breakdown just as we were landing in Denver. It was so bad, I think we ended up leaving Phoebe’s little football jacket on the plane. She was probably going to outgrow it soon anyway, but it was awfully cute.

Linda and the boys took several days to drive out to Colorado and arrived on Wednesday, August 24. We had made arrangements by e-mail, but hadn’t confirmed when they were planning to arrive. We had a softball game that evening, so we didn’t know if they’d meet us there or just meet us at the house afterward. When we didn’t hear from Linda the night before, we decided that they’d just figure something out. We’d be home eventually! Linda, on the other hand, had been calling our cell phone number…unfortunately, the phone had been stolen years ago and we never replaced it. When we got home, the lights were on and Linda and the boys were in the living room. They hadn’t found the key, but they had found a way in. Good to know the relatives are resourceful!

I took Friday off work and Phoebe and I took Luna up to Peaceful Valley campground with Linda, Evers, and Ashe following in their rental car. We got the last spot! (We had good camping luck this year, especially after I vowed never to take my chances finding a spot once Phoebe was born.) Dave took the bus up to Nederland after work, and Phoebe and I picked him up in time to eat hot dogs and little pizzas for dinner. Here are the boys (my cousins) and their little second cousin drawing with chalk. Evers and Ashe were terrific with Phoebe!

Look, Mom! Chalk!

Evers is intent on his art.

That's a nice-looking line, Ashe!

Because we have a new tent, we invoked “new gear privilege” and gave Linda and the boys our old Marmot tent. Evers enjoyed figuring out how to set it up (it only has one pole, so it’s not free-standing). There’s enough space in there for three, but just barely. We had borrowed enough gear to have a full set of sleeping pads and sleeping bags (thanks, Brinkmans!), so everyone slept pretty comfortably.

Case in point: Phoebe even had her little pillow! And lion looks pretty comfortable, too.

On Saturday, we drove down into Nederland, where we rode the Carousel of Happiness.

Phoebe and Mommy on the dolphin.

We picked out a camp chair for Phoebe (a gift from Aunt Nancy).

Phoebe and Daddy relaxing in the mountains.

This is what happens when you try to get three kids to line up for a photo….

The kids sat down to read a book.

Where's Lion?

Hey, Phoebe, here's lion!

Oh, I don't need him right now, Evers!

Family photo: Phoebe, Jess, Evers, Linda, Ashe, and Dave

Funny faces, everybody!

Looking through the photos I saved in the “temp blog post” folder, I see that I left off in early August. Not such a good track record, considering that it’s early October! Something about working full time, playing softball, playing in the band, hanging out with our YABS friends every other Monday, going to caving meetings, trying to keep up with old friends, and spending as much time outdoors and in the mountains as possible…and, oh yeah, parenting Phoebe…that takes up a whole lot of time. Blogging, as important as we think it is, is hard to fit in! So forgive us for the long lapses between posts.

In early August, we went to a caving meeting at Mike and Cyndi’s. They’ve always been really generous about passing on baby gear, and they had a cool little metal tricycle sitting in the garage. Phoebe was desperate to try it out, so we wheeled around their driveway for a while. Her little feet don’t quite reach the pedals, but Mike assured us that a grownup can safely ride on the back.

Mommy pushing Phoebe around in Mike and Cyndi's driveway.

At the end of the night, Mike encouraged us to take the trike home. We demurred. He encouraged more strongly. In fact, he carried it over to our car. So we took it off his hands! Phoebe loves to ride down the street to see the yappy little dog that lives on the corner. Next summer, she’ll be able to ride by herself!

The weekend of August 13 and 14, my Aunt Nancy and Aunt Shirlie were in Colorado. They got a little cabin in Estes Park and stayed for a week, bookended by two weekends. We drove up to Estes in the early afternoon on that first Saturday and had a lovely visit. They had found a little playground across the river from their cabin, so we took Phoebe over to swing and slide. Afterward, she took a long nap in the cabin while we drank coffee outside and chatted. The weather was just perfect, and my aunts are very interesting people. Dave hardly ever gets to talk music, so that part is always fun.

Phoebe enjoys swinging at the playground.

On Sunday, the aunts came down to Boulder because Dave was playing sax at church for our annual summer jazz service. We hung out in Boulder the rest of the day and then they headed back up to the mountains to enjoy a gorgeous week. On Thursday, we met up for dinner at one of our favorite Nepali restaurants, Sherpa’s. Aunt Nancy practiced her Nepali-language skills to pretty good effect. And the food was, as always, delicious. On Friday, the aunts went on a camping mission for us, driving into the National Park to get us a campsite at the Glacier Basin campground. We got the last one! After work, we picked up Phoebe and drove up to the cabin to find out our campsite number. Then we set up our tent and went to sleep. Dave and I didn’t even bother with a campfire, just drank a beer by the light of the lantern.

Phoebe and Mommy are still asleep.

Phoebe, still wearing her pajamas, plays with the jumbo shape sorter.

Strawberries for breakfast!

A couple of years ago, we got the aunts some prayer flags from the Shambhala Mountain Center, where the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya (which liberates upon seeing) is located. Since then, we’ve been waiting to take them there to enjoy the stupa with us. We decided to squeeze into Luna together to drive there from Estes Park, which was tight. But it was nice to have more time to talk! Phoebe was perfectly comfortable in her luxurious carseat, from which we transferred her to her luxurious baby backpack.

The Great Stupa.

Aunt Shirlie, Aunt Nancy, Phoebe, and Jess.

We took the walk up to the Shinto shrine, where we saw this ground squirrel enjoying the ritual foods that are placed in front of the shrine.

Ignoring the fruit, this ground squirrel ate all the nuts and grains.

Sunday morning at the campground.

By the lure mailbox in front of the cabins.

This was in a tiny little house made for kiddos. The aunts didn't fit all that well.

Aunt Shirlie, lion, Phoebe, and Aunt Nancy in Namaqua cabin.

After the aunts left, we got ready for another group of visitors: my aunt Linda and her two boys, Evers and Ashe.

Phoebe and Mommy relax with Cows That Type. Phoebe's wearing a shirt bought in Indonesia, handed down by Michael Topping.

At the end of July, Phoebe and I went back to Ohio for my best friend Elaina’s ordination. After years of hard work in seminary, she graduated and got a job as the pastor of an ELCA Lutheran church in Massillon, Ohio! I’m so proud of her, and I couldn’t wait to head “home” to celebrate with her. The date turned out to work perfectly; Mom and Dad Hazelton went home and Phoebe and I followed a couple of days later. The flight from Denver to Akron/Canton was wonderful. Phoebe and I had a whole row of seats to ourselves, and since it was bedtime, she fell asleep for most of the trip. We arrived on Friday morning at 12:15 a.m. (Yes, that’s the middle of the night!) Elaina was at the airport to pick us up and was sufficiently delighted to see Phoebe again. It was only about 15 minutes from the airport to Elaina’s very cute apartment. I put Phoebe to bed on her blanket on the floor in the guest bedroom and had a glass of wine with Elaina. I couldn’t wait to give her her ordination presents: a Luther seal beer mug, an annotated cookbook of my favorite crock pot recipes, and a book I acquired, copyedited, and typeset at work (China and India: Great Power Rivals). (Elaina has a Master’s degree in Chinese history.) We talked for about an hour until we suddenly saw Phoebe standing there. She’d woken up and come to find me, so we both went to bed.

Elaina was working the next day, so she got up and slipped out to church before the two of us woke up. I took a very disoriented shower and got Phoebe up to eat her breakfast—strawberries! We called to talk to Dave briefly and then called Elaina to come pick us up for a tour of her church, Faith Lutheran. It’s a gorgeous old church, and it’s huge! Elaina has a sweet office that she’s already decorated with favorite treasures. And the neighbor out the window has pinwheels in his yard—good for contemplation while writing sermons.

After we saw the church, we went out for a delicious lunch at a Thai restaurant. The food was terrific, and Phoebe loved the waterfall feature. Then we went home to choose an alb for Elaina to wear to her ordination later that night. We planned to meet my dad at the church in Wooster and have dinner together, so Phoebe and I brought our dress-up clothes with us. Mom and Elaina had to be there early to practice for the ceremony. We all ended up eating sandwiches together, which was lovely. Phoebe and I had plenty of time to get dressed before we went upstairs to meet up with Elaina’s family. There wasn’t enough room to sit together, so Dad, Phoebe, and I moved over to the side of the church. It was a beautiful church, but it didn’t have air conditioning. At 7:00 p.m. during this hot summer, it was sweltering in there! Phoebe got really crabby, so Dad took her outside to walk around. That was terrific, because I was able to watch the ordination ceremony.

Elaina after donning her red stole.

My mom was Elaina's sponsor.

Phoebe and Elaina's nieces Gillian and Grace.

Phoebe waiting for us to head back to Elaina's.

Elaina and me after her ordination.

The ordination was extremely moving, and we still had time to spend together! We drove back to Elaina’s and put Phoebe to bed. Then we stayed up until 4:30 a.m. watching dance movies and eating a smorgasboard of cheese, pickles, hummus with mushrooms, chocolate, and bourbon. It was a fabulous night.

The next morning, we ate breakfast at a terrific little bar/breakfast joint near Elaina’s place and then drove to Mom and Dad’s in Sagamore Hills. That afternoon, we went to the playground over at Saint Barnabas. The slide was delightfully static-y, making Phoebe’s hair stand on end.

Running through the field with Grandpa.

Grandpa got to chase Phoebe around the playground for a while.

Then she practiced rock climbing all by herself!

Wearing Grandpa's hat.

After playing at the playground, we went home to play some more (hard life, being a baby!). Phoebe got a chance to sit at the piano with Grandma.

Phoebe relaxed in a little chair for a while before feeding Grandma some snacks.

Sunday morning we all traveled back to Massillon to attend Elaina’s installation at her church. We got to hang out with her family again at the terrific breakfast the congregation put together for her. Then we went home again, where Phoebe had a chance to do her very favorite thing: talk on the phone!

All that playing is exhausting! We finally brought Grandpa a magazine after his leg fell asleep.

A family photo before Phoebe and I had to head back to Colorado.

Alas, on Sunday evening we had to go home to Colorado. We had another great flight (one empty seat, so Phoebe got her own and went to sleep). And the Akron/Canton airport had a play area! I’ll leave you with a video of Phoebe enjoying waiting for our flight.