Igloo Party 2009

Igloo Party January 31, 2009 Dave outdid himself this year with his two story Igloo. There is a tunnel in and a tunnel out --in case of what I don't know -- as well as two slides, one black diamond that generated a lot of howling from the children, and one more tame that came down into the driveway. We did manage to get the kids to stop jumping down off the 90 degree vertical face when it got to be over eight feet tall last week.

I finally went inside, which impressed me. You certainly can't stand up in there unless you are under five feet tall. Just a few candles lit up the place because the snow is so reflective. Half a dozen people can squeeze in there and shiver together, although out of the wind it is a lot warmer than I expected.

I have dubbed Dave a snow beaver, a one-of-a-kind animal that can't stand to see snow lying flat on the ground. He has an irrepressible urge to pile it up. He laments that there are not more of his kind in the world: just think what a dozen snow beavers could accomplish, working together!

Other residents of Allen Street pass by regularly with quizzical looks and/or effusive compliments, but few of them seem to have started snow projects of their own. But our next-door neighbors have started working industriously on a large snow maze -- perhaps all hope is not yet lost.

At the party last night we had a good turnout of the neighborhood kids who were drawn in mostly by the Igloo, but found time to take in a few waffles and hot cider before they froze in the cold. I made some mulled wine, which was not to my taste, but which some friends who had spent time in Europe found authentic enough to have several cups. The kids stayed out playing in the snow for hours, and no one got hurt -- the safety precautions (mainly the hidden internal support structure) were apparently adequate.

Happy Inauguration Day

Hi all,

I hope you are all warm and well fed on this cold January day. While I am growing tired of the constant news coverage leading up to inauguration of our first African-American president, I am very glad to see that shrub-for-brains out of the white house. I hope Barack can make good on his promises and that the economy does turn around before too long.

We are snuggled up in Syracuse. Dave is building his most amazing snow fort ever --he'd declared it both his art form and his sporting event. I will send pictures along in another week after he collects with week's snow fall and piles it up on top of the second story. Isabel is now in 4th grade and a better speller than I ever was. She is also Contra dancing and playing cello. We finally found a new teacher for her. Her former teacher is now in London, studying at the Royal Academy of Music, and recommended a teacher from the Syracuse Symphony, who turns out to be a young and fun teacher, good at communicating with kids.

Calvin is learning to read and making new friends in Kindergarten, many right here in the neighborhood. Unfortunately Dave hurt his knee this year and can't ski. Fortunately kneeling in the snow has been good for it. He will have surgery sometime in the next month.

Sarah is a little more than half way through her third year of medical school. The fall was tough, but now in her family medicine rotation she has a more normal schedule until March when she will start her surgery rotation and find out what it is like to watch the moon set on her way to the hospital in the early morning.












We had a good Christmas visiting Sarah's brother in Bonita Springs, where the kids enjoyed co-captaining his boat on the Gulf of Mexico. As usual the best part of Florida were just spending time at the beach and relaxing. We did take one crazy air-boat ride in the Everglades, which nearly killed Sarah with fright, but which the kids, very predictably, enjoyed. It was much more of a motor-head thrill ride than we expected, and we recommend that the more environmentally minded of you find a nice guided canoe tour at one of the local state parks instead.

Weather permitting, we are planning to have an Igloo party on the 30th of January. If any of you happen to be in town are looking for something silly to do to help make it through the winter, please feel free to drop in!