Samantha has never had too much of a need to chew and suck on things. She never really used a pacifier and wasn't too excited about teething rings. At some point, though, she started chewing on her own arm. Her right wrist was always red and puckered. One time, she hurt herself by biting too hard, so she moved on to chewing on her sleeve. Recently, she gave that up too, after getting annoyed that her shirt was wet. (I had to explain to her that it was wet because she chewed on it, but once I told her that, she stopped immediately. It's strange that she didn't figure that out on her own.)
Luckily, I got a video of her sleeve chewing just before she stopped it. It's one of those Little Things that I'm sure I'd completely forget in about 6 months if I didn't record it.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Mexico, Part 4
Here is the fourth and final update in the Mexico series from my parents. (Sorry about the formatting but I just can't seem to paste from Word without strange problems.)
RVing is a great way to travel off the beaten path and really learn something about the culture of the place you visit. My parents almost never take the big highways, which helps. They also have the luxury of not having to plan ahead much. If they like a place, they just stay a bit longer. If they're bored, they move on. Their RV is huge and luxurious - it really is a nice home. Modern technology also helps them in this lifestyle; maps are still useful, but GPS helps greatly with navigation, there is no need for land lines now that you get cell phone reception most anywhere, and many campgrounds have WiFi, just like hotels. It's a pretty great way to spend retirement traveling. Now they just need to find a way to ship the RV to Europe for a while!
April 7, 2009
Hola, Everyone!
We are now back in the U.S. spending a few days in a little town, Donna, in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.
- Pyramid of the Sun, near Mexico city
Our last days in Mexico went fast. Raphael, our favorite and only taxi driver, took us to Teotihuacan to see the Pyramid of the Sun, the world’s third largest pyramid (number one and two being in Egypt). It is touted as the number-one tourist draw in Mexico; but it did not rate that high with us. None of us had the energy or desire to climb to the top of the pyramid or walk the whole route to the Pyramid of the Moon. The most impressive part of our visit was the large scale-model of the greatest city in ancient Mexico under a transparent walkway in the museum, from where we could still see today, the Sun pyramid through a wall-sized window. The tour book was correct when it said it would be exhausting to fend off all the indefatigable hawkers. One hawker won the battle and sold us 10 clay turtle whistles.
Our plan was to take Mex 85, the old Pan American Highway north to Texas over the backbone of the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains. We would have to look for a Pemex for our first night as we knew we would not be able to reach the first campgrounds listed on this route. We made better time than we thought as the short cut we took turned out to be a much better road than expected. After lunch the mountains became MOUNTAINS big-time! They rose and fell, rose and fell, rose and fell like a continuous row of letter Ms. The road would run along one side of a canyon till the end, then run back on the opposite side. The scenery was spectacular. Little towns could be seen perched on neighboring mountainsides or in the deep valleys below us. Cows, burros, pigs, and chickens roamed at will along the roadside.
At one place a group of school girls began waving at us very energetically and then a woman waved and yelled something which sounded like, No Passable!, No Passable! We got off the road to find that the road ahead was blocked by a car and grass fire. We watched as people from the nearby houses took barrels of water, hoes, and rakes in the back of pickups up to the fire. In a short while we were able to proceed due to the work of these people. Later we saw the police and ambulance coming the other way from the not-so-near town with these services. These are self-reliant people, accustomed to taking care of the unexpected. Road construction is signaled by the waving of red shirts or blocking off where autos shouldn’t go by placing rocks in the way.
At 3:30 we came upon a Pemex , but thinking it was a little tight, we elected to go on as there were some towns ahead. But, in each of them, we saw nothing on the narrow main road and no space to park to explore the side streets for an overnight parking spot. In the mountains, flat space is valuable and it was already being used. No empty lots. At 5:30 we finely found a flat space on the side of the road leaving the town of Tamazunchal in front of a couple of residences, a muffler shop and beer bar.
[caption id="attachment_1219" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Muffler shop"]
[/caption]A gentleman on his way to the bar took Mike & Richard to the police station to check out parking and later explained our situation to the nearby residents. Even though no English was spoken, we were able to communicate with each other. Everybody agreed that we were welcome to stay the night. We later joined our new friends in the bar for cervezas and music. There was electricity in the bar but no electricity or water in the shacks that were near the RV’s. The water was brought in buckets from a communal well down the road. We were told we only had 40 miles of the slow-going steep roads ahead. Whew!
[caption id="attachment_1220" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Behind the muffler shop, no electricity"]
[/caption]
We left at daybreak, as promised, so we wouldn’t be blocking access to the muffler shop and what also might have been a local bus stop.
[caption id="attachment_1221" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Rain forest near east coast of Mexico"]
[/caption]We were descending and driving through part of the northernmost tropical rain forest in North America known as the Huasteca. This area offers waterfalls, swimming holes, whitewater galore, caves, and miles of unexplored back roads. We were satisfied with viewing the tropical vegetation and the many fruit and flower stalls along the road. Later, there were very big and prosperous looking ranchos. As we approached Ciudad Victoria, we had traversed many barren mesas. There seemed little to offer us here, other than electricity and a night in a RV park.
The next day like trail horses on their way back to the barn, sensing the border was within range, we drove straight to the Los Indios border crossing with only a stop at a Pemex to get rid of all our remaining pesos. It took us about 1½ hours to turn in our Mexican vehicle permits and visas and go through US border security. Pat and Richard elected to go to Pharr, TX as they wished to attend mass at the San Juan Basilica the next morning. We elected to stay closer to Progresso, Mexico as we wanted to visit the dentist there. By 7:00PM on April 4, 2009 we were watching our first TV news show in 2 months. What was the top news---recent shootings in New York and Pennsylvania and a review of all the shootings so far in March. The US must be a dangerous place to travel.
Los Vemos,
Mike & Donna
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Mr. Fixit
My dad designed and built his own house, so he knows a thing or two about home maintenance and repair. Every time he visits, we hit him up for a project or two, so of course, with our huge task list here at the new house we figured he could help with a few things. I think he ended up cutting a year off of that 10-year-plan. Here is what he did in the 12 days he was here:
I think there might have been a couple of other things that came up along the way, but that was what I noted on my list. He also bought all the parts for us as our housewarming gift. Awesome!
Adam and I didn't do too badly these last two weeks either. I installed a paper towel holder, completed the grout-cleaning project, and fixed the garbage disposal when some kind of metal got wedged in it. Adam installed the new chandelier in our "dining room" which is really the eat-in kitchen. The old ceiling fan was literally falling apart. One light was hanging by the wires, and one of the glass shades just fell off onto the table one day. Besides, it was ugly as hell. We bought the new fixture to match the kitchen we plan to create, not the one we have now, so it's a bit out of place. (We're going for the Art Deco look.) We also gave up the ceiling fan for the sake of style. Still, it's quite an improvement. Here are the before and after photos:
[caption id="attachment_1211" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Dining Room Light Before"]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1212" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Dining Room Light After"]
[/caption]
- Replaced the flappers on two toilets, and the valve mechanism on a third. We now have four properly working toilets instead of just one!
- Adjusted two bifold closet doors so they close properly.
- Diagnosed a big problem we have with our upstairs windows, giving us a solution that we can do ourselves instead of replacing the windows completely. (Do you know about weep holes? Make sure you have some.)
- Manufactured two supports for my desk shelf out of PVC pipe and rubber feet. It was a really cool, creative solution.
- Fixed two kitchen drawers that were out of alignment and not operating smoothly, and taught me how to fix them in the future.
- Adjusted a few of our drain stoppers in the sinks, which were not working at all.
- Reversed the postion of the light and fan switches in our master bath. (Don't you hate it when somebody puts the fan switch closest to the door when everybody knows that the light switch goes there?)
- Reversed the direction of a dimmer switch in a bedroom which had been installed upside-down, so that you had to push it down to turn on the light. (What kind of idiot makes a mistake like that and then just leaves it that way?)
- Fixed a recessed light fixture in the basement. It was just loose, but we probably would have hired an electrician.
- Installed a screen over one of our gutters, not to keep out the leaves, but to stop the rain from dripping from the roof directly onto the metal in one particular spot right outside of our bedroom, which had woken me up countless times. We're supposed to get some rain soon so I can find out if that solved the problem. This was another really creative solution to a small but annoying problem.
- Gave us a guess as to what might be wrong with our water heater, which doesn't seem to work well. (He says it might be calcium deposits and we could try to drain it.)
- Re-installed the damper in our ductwork that allows us to close off the flow to the top floor. The handle had broken off of it and he had to open up the ductwork and manufacture a handle and another part to fix it.
- Fixed a leak in our basement laundry sink.
I think there might have been a couple of other things that came up along the way, but that was what I noted on my list. He also bought all the parts for us as our housewarming gift. Awesome!
Adam and I didn't do too badly these last two weeks either. I installed a paper towel holder, completed the grout-cleaning project, and fixed the garbage disposal when some kind of metal got wedged in it. Adam installed the new chandelier in our "dining room" which is really the eat-in kitchen. The old ceiling fan was literally falling apart. One light was hanging by the wires, and one of the glass shades just fell off onto the table one day. Besides, it was ugly as hell. We bought the new fixture to match the kitchen we plan to create, not the one we have now, so it's a bit out of place. (We're going for the Art Deco look.) We also gave up the ceiling fan for the sake of style. Still, it's quite an improvement. Here are the before and after photos:
[caption id="attachment_1211" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Dining Room Light Before"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_1212" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Dining Room Light After"]
[/caption]
Objectivist Round Up
Here is this week's Round Up, found at John Drake's Try Reason, another lovely blog that I need to add to my blogroll.
I'm hosting next week's edition, so start submitting those entries, folks.
I'm hosting next week's edition, so start submitting those entries, folks.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Hair Cuts
We finally broke down and got Sam a $12 professional hair cut, and it was worth every penny.
The selfish parent gets her child's hair cut nicely because she likes to look at the child and so wants to make him or her as beautiful as possible, and because it keeps the hair out of the child's face, which makes life more pleasant for both of them.
The selfless parent might get the child's hair cut out of a duty to groom the child, or to impress other people, but she will never allow herself a motivation that is selfish.
Selfishness does not always manifest itself in radically unusual actions, but there is always a difference in motivation and resulting satisfaction when one is selfish instead of altruistic.
The selfish parent gets her child's hair cut nicely because she likes to look at the child and so wants to make him or her as beautiful as possible, and because it keeps the hair out of the child's face, which makes life more pleasant for both of them.
The selfless parent might get the child's hair cut out of a duty to groom the child, or to impress other people, but she will never allow herself a motivation that is selfish.
Selfishness does not always manifest itself in radically unusual actions, but there is always a difference in motivation and resulting satisfaction when one is selfish instead of altruistic.
My Job Keeps Me Busy
My parents left town today. Happily, they are going to swing back for a few days in June after a quick trip up the east coast.
We had quite a nice and busy time while they were here. We went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum annex near Dulles, where they have an SR-71, a Concorde, and the Enterprise space shuttle, the one that was never used. They also had a few of Burt Rutan's early designs, which I loved to see. Adam knows so much about aircraft that he was able to give us a better tour than the tour guide. Sam enjoyed it too, and we got her a poster of the Lunar Rover and a Richard Scarry book, A Day at the Airport.
We went to a local zoo, which is always a great toddler activity. Sam fell in love with one particular goat, and named him Daddy Goat. They also had kangaroos, zebras, African bulls, and a boa constrictor which we got to touch.
Adam and I took advantage of the free babysitting and saw the new Star Trek movie, which was really good, but which I've mostly forgotten. It's just a really enjoyable, fun ride.
Yesterday, we went to Mt. Vernon, home of George Washington. Adam had to work, so he missed it, which is fine with me because it means we need to go back again soon. Mt. Vernon is right on the Potomac and the setting is just beautiful. The home itself is not nearly as interesting as Jefferson's Monticello, but the grounds are lovely, everything is well-maintained, and the museum and educational centers are incredible. You can even take a cruise up the Potomac on a nice yacht, but we didn't have time for that. We did go through the house, where there were tour guides stationed in each room to tell you about that part of the house. We told Sam that they were telling us stories about the house, and eventually she started to fuss, saying NO MORE STORIES, NO MORE STORIES. But really, she did a great job through the parts that must have been boring for her.
We also had a few dinners at our house and at my parents' RV, and we even had a little campfire one evening. My mom brought us some neat gifts from Mexico and my dad did a bunch of house projects for us, all of which I'll write up in a later post.
Today, Sam and I are laying low, recuperating. That means that she watched an hour of TV in the morning while Adam and I slept in, and later she did sidewalk chalk while I wrote up the first part of this post sitting on the front porch in the incredible sunny-and-68 degree weather. Now she is napping while I sit on the back deck with the dog, again enjoying the beautiful sunshine.
All of that good stuff is my job. Taking Sam to new places, helping her build a relationship with her grandparents, and getting outside when the weather is nice - these are my duties. What a life!
We had quite a nice and busy time while they were here. We went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum annex near Dulles, where they have an SR-71, a Concorde, and the Enterprise space shuttle, the one that was never used. They also had a few of Burt Rutan's early designs, which I loved to see. Adam knows so much about aircraft that he was able to give us a better tour than the tour guide. Sam enjoyed it too, and we got her a poster of the Lunar Rover and a Richard Scarry book, A Day at the Airport.
We went to a local zoo, which is always a great toddler activity. Sam fell in love with one particular goat, and named him Daddy Goat. They also had kangaroos, zebras, African bulls, and a boa constrictor which we got to touch.
Adam and I took advantage of the free babysitting and saw the new Star Trek movie, which was really good, but which I've mostly forgotten. It's just a really enjoyable, fun ride.
Yesterday, we went to Mt. Vernon, home of George Washington. Adam had to work, so he missed it, which is fine with me because it means we need to go back again soon. Mt. Vernon is right on the Potomac and the setting is just beautiful. The home itself is not nearly as interesting as Jefferson's Monticello, but the grounds are lovely, everything is well-maintained, and the museum and educational centers are incredible. You can even take a cruise up the Potomac on a nice yacht, but we didn't have time for that. We did go through the house, where there were tour guides stationed in each room to tell you about that part of the house. We told Sam that they were telling us stories about the house, and eventually she started to fuss, saying NO MORE STORIES, NO MORE STORIES. But really, she did a great job through the parts that must have been boring for her.
We also had a few dinners at our house and at my parents' RV, and we even had a little campfire one evening. My mom brought us some neat gifts from Mexico and my dad did a bunch of house projects for us, all of which I'll write up in a later post.
Today, Sam and I are laying low, recuperating. That means that she watched an hour of TV in the morning while Adam and I slept in, and later she did sidewalk chalk while I wrote up the first part of this post sitting on the front porch in the incredible sunny-and-68 degree weather. Now she is napping while I sit on the back deck with the dog, again enjoying the beautiful sunshine.
All of that good stuff is my job. Taking Sam to new places, helping her build a relationship with her grandparents, and getting outside when the weather is nice - these are my duties. What a life!
More Mexico Pictures
Here are more pictures from the first part of my parents' trip to Mexico.
This first picture (taken before they crossed the border) is an example of what my parents do when they meet up with the Boondockers group, the RVers who like to dry camp, without electricity, water, or sewer hookups. My dad says some of them like to compete to see who can go the longest on their 100 gallon tank of water. They shower by getting wet with one cup of water, soaping up, then rinsing with just one cup more. And that's supposed to be fun? But the bonfires they have each night look like fun.
[caption id="attachment_1178" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ajo, AZ Bonfire"]
[/caption]
Here are examples of the color and food presentation that I mentioned in an earlier post.
[caption id="attachment_1179" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Library mural"]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1183" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Market at Lake Chapala"]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1182" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Malecon (seawalk), Jacotapec, Lake Chapala"]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1181" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Market in Old Mazatlan"]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1185" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Restaurant in marketplace, Guadalajara"]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1186" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Parade, Carnival"]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1187" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Juice stand, Guadalajara"]
[/caption]
And finally, here is the Lady of Guadalupe, an image my parents saw everywhere in their travels through Mexico. She seems to be the symbol of Mexican Catholicism.
[caption id="attachment_1188" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Lady of Guadalupe, San Carlos"]
[/caption]
This first picture (taken before they crossed the border) is an example of what my parents do when they meet up with the Boondockers group, the RVers who like to dry camp, without electricity, water, or sewer hookups. My dad says some of them like to compete to see who can go the longest on their 100 gallon tank of water. They shower by getting wet with one cup of water, soaping up, then rinsing with just one cup more. And that's supposed to be fun? But the bonfires they have each night look like fun.
[caption id="attachment_1178" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ajo, AZ Bonfire"]
[/caption]Here are examples of the color and food presentation that I mentioned in an earlier post.
[caption id="attachment_1179" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Library mural"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_1183" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Market at Lake Chapala"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_1182" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Malecon (seawalk), Jacotapec, Lake Chapala"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_1181" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Market in Old Mazatlan"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_1185" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Restaurant in marketplace, Guadalajara"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_1186" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Parade, Carnival"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_1187" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Juice stand, Guadalajara"]
[/caption]And finally, here is the Lady of Guadalupe, an image my parents saw everywhere in their travels through Mexico. She seems to be the symbol of Mexican Catholicism.
[caption id="attachment_1188" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Lady of Guadalupe, San Carlos"]
[/caption]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)