bathing beauty, part deux

In anticipation of her career as a pro windsurfer, Tiz has spent a lot of time this summer getting acclimated to water. Here she is floating and giggling over at Elaine and Joel's.

goin' back to Cali

Tiz was in California last July, but since she was still in the womb the golden state missed out on a lot of her charm and charisma, so we decided to bring her back for an encore. We flew into Oakland then drove up to Napa, where our friends Mitch & April live. It was a great few days visiting with them and enjoying some amazing food and wine. Here are the highlights...

After our long flight the first thing we needed to do was eat. We raced to Berkley and arrived just in time to be seated at Chez Panisse before they stopped serving lunch.


After lunch we strolled around Berkley for a bit and stopped at this flower shop to get a bouquet for April. The flowers were pretty and Tiz fits right in, wouldn't you say?


Once we arrived in Napa it was time for a little relaxing in the hot tub... Could we get some Crystal over here, please?


On Saturday we took Tiz to the shore so she could dip her toes in the mighty Pacific. We played in the waves for a bit and walked along the beach. Only as we were leaving did we spot the sign warning of a recent great white shark attack... oops. But what can we say, shark attack was definately not covered in our infant care class.

Back on terra firma Tiz posed for this cute shot entitled Sandy Toes.

all grown up

Kim's sister Carol took this photo yesterday... doesn't Tiz look all grown up, sitting at the table? I'm sure she is just about to relate a clever anecdote, poignant with irony and social satire.

C'est une fille

Check out Chitlins & Camembert cause Amy & Lolo had their baby - a beautiful baby girl named Lucia. Since they live in the Loire, we broke out a bottle of Chinon to toast the occasion. Congratulations!

my bad

Ooops... my apologies for the Tiz-less post there. Don't know what I was thinking.

ann arbor

We just got back from an amazing trip to Ann Arbor. Even though Tiz stayed behind at her Grandma's, I thought I'd post some thoughts and photos anyway.


My Friend Nate is a pilot and he had to bring his plane to Ann Arbor for maintenance, so we hitched a ride. We enjoyed the plush appointments of the Pilatus and some amazing cloud formations over Lake Michigan.


Once in Ann Arbor, our mission began. Ann Arbor is an amazing food town and we'd brought Katie and Emma, co-workers from The Feast, to get inspired. Our goal was to pack in as much as possible into 24 short hours.


We began at the Farmer's Market, where we bellied up to a funky Korean lunch counter to steaming bowls of bi bim bop and bulgogi. We also sampled their interperation of an American classic... the Seoul Dog was a fried all-beef hot dog smothered in kim chee and served on a sesame seed bun. Wow.

We strolled over to Zingerman's, a deli not unlike Moveable Feast that has grown over the years to include a bakery, creamery, restaurant, this quirky coffee & donut trailer and more. They were an inspiration.


Later Sunday night we dined at Eve, a farm-to-table restaurant of national acclaim.


Monday morning we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, stocked up on snacks back at Zingerman's deli for a picnic, and headed home refreshed and inspired. On the way we passed a truck carrying these little pigs and I came perilously close to crashing the car to get this shot!

discovery

It's so fun to see Tiz discover new stuff. She's so aware now that it seems like every few moments she's having another epiphany. Yesterday she was obsessed with tags. She would bypass the colorful, noise-making, razz-a-matazzing substance of any toy to gently knead its logo tag between her fore-finger and thumb. I like to think she's developing the fine motor skills necessary to make a magically flaky pastry crust.


Today, she discovered mirrors. One hangs above her changing station at Mom & Dad's and Tiz has become obsessed with beaming cheek-busting smiles at herself. Watching her do it is almost more joy than a person can handle.