Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Reunited (the multi-dimensional version)


It seems only appropriate that a week after Allen's high school reunion I should get to see one of my favorite people from college. Former NU roommate Cecily and her family's East Coast invasion made Allen's absence far less tragic than previous international trips (though the fact that this one was only four days didn't hurt). 13 month old Dylan was a welcome distraction to Owen who was surprisingly generous in sharing numerous balls with him, though less so with his stacking cups. While they were only here 64 hours, we still managed to hit 3 museums (Matt actually hit 4), 2 sculpture gardens, and even a Klezmer concert at Eastern Market (Klezmer music is apparently very popular with the toddler set). Owen got a little upset when Daddy had to drive them to Union Station Monday morning, but hopefully we'll be able to return the visit soon.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Austria


Last week I was in Austria for the Energy Modeling Forum 22 meetings hosted by IIASA at Schloss Laxenburg. It was pretty cool to have our meetings in a castle that was once the summer residence of the Habsburg family. Not to be outdone by the meeting place, our hotel was also an old castle, Schloss Weikersdorf in Baden. The meetings were productive and the setting was gorgeous, but I'm glad to be home with Elaine and Owen and without any big trips on the horizon.

(click here to see the pictures)

Monday, September 22, 2008

Reunion

We took Owen to my 15 year high school reunion on Saturday. I had a good time catching up with some old classmates, and in a stroke of genius befitting Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, there was a moon bounce at the reunion which ensured that Owen had a blast. Unfortunately, technology was not so kind to me that morning, as the settings of my trimmer magically reset themselves resulting in my accidentally shaving off my beard and sideburns. On the plus side, I was easily recognizable to my former classmates (though less so for Elaine and Owen), but sadly it's probably going to be a while before my beard and I are reunited.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Beach Trip


2008 is an off year for our biennial beach trip to the Outer Banks, but Owen had so much fun at swimming lessons and playing in the sand at the Pond that we couldn't let the Summer slip away without a quick trip to the coast. Mid-September is a dicey time for a beach trip, but Summer held on for one last weekend of gorgeous weather, and while Bethany Beach isn't quite the Outer Banks, it served us well for frolicking in the waves and leaving footprints in the sand. Owen was much more adventurous with the Atlantic than last time around, delighting in running on the beach with the surf licking his toes, but he still preferred to hold on tight to Mommy or Daddy while facing the crashing waves. Hopefully next year we'll get the crew back together for another beach adventure.

(click here to see all the pictures)

Sunday, September 07, 2008

finished...

We took Owen to see the Jim Henson exhibit at the Smithsonian International Gallery today (thanks for the tip Brad!), and Owen absolutely loved it. His favorite part was a puppet theater with a giant Kermit the Frog and a tiny Cookie Monster. The theater had a TV camera and multiple monitors, and while Owen didn't do any performing himself, his squeals of laughter propelled many other aspiring puppeteers to newfound heights. Unfortunately photography was not allowed in the exhibit, and we forgot to take any pictures at Andrew and Clare's new house on Saturday (Owen had a great time playing with their son Luke, and of course Mia was there to join in the fun too), so instead the pictures in this post will cover our latest home improvement projects. We just had the house painted this week (Creekside Green was the winning color), and earlier this year we had the kitchen remodeled, so now we're finally done with all the big projects we had planned for the house.

(click here to see before and after pictures)