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Sunday, December 4, 2011

Trees & Trains


The hardest parenting feat so far: telling Avery that Thanksgiving is over. No more horns of plenty and baskets of gourds. At first, he didn't take it well.


But then he awoke to a tree in his living room. This was promising.





And then he rode the Niles Canyon Christmas Train complete with rolling hill views, hat games, and a few friends.




Savannah Blue and Avery Vincent on the train.


And he sampled his first whipped cream, which is why Aunties were invented in the first place.


So maybe this winter holiday thing isn't so bad...


Sunday, November 20, 2011

Simple Gifts


It just would not be a normal Hanson weekend if there were not a free (some might say 'unwanted') item acquired. This is the Alameda High School wood-shop's gazebo. Up for grabs. 


Chris decides that this is a one-man job. So he goes after to work to take the thing apart.

There must have been a step here we missed. Apparently, it required some ropes and careful lowering.



Our Veteran's Day hike to Ano Nuevo State Park.
We learned why we were the only car parked in the lot. After a long blustery hike, we saw a few juvenile elephant seals waiting for the big mating action that will take place in a month or two.


This view was our gift.





We had a two-day visit from the Bellinghausen cousins. 3291 Guido Street turned Pizza Factory. The gift of Christine's entertaining family.


Chris's gig at the Montclair Farmers' Market today. A last-minute surprise that brought many friends out in the rain.


And, our holiday gift project: beeswax candles. Take pure beeswax, wicks, and a mold.


Thread the wick through the silicone mold. This mold is a bee skep with decorative bees. (We got it on ebay.)



Allow to harden for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, keep the wax on the stove warm and ready for the next pour.


And repeat. The gift of light.



Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Trick or Treat!


Halloween Day!








                                          Halloween Eve




            Avery's first trick-or-treating (and our first in a long time)



                                  First stop: Flynn's house



                                          He was home



                 



                                  A 6-month old duckling!



                     Cowgirl Laur rounded us up to head home


Monday, October 24, 2011

A Very Autumnal Weekend

Our weekend ended with this: a Chris Hanson variation on a Ruth Reichl recipe from her novel Tender at the Bone. You fill the pumpkin with bread, cheese, celery, onion, parsley, and an egg and milk filling and bake for two hours. The pumpkin meat becomes tender and voila! A romantic dinner for three.


Our weekend started, however, with sun, New York Times, and baked oatmeal.


We worked on our spiral garden of winter veggies. We have young onions, garlic, bok choy, beets, broccoli, radishes, turnips, leeks, and snap peas.


We cleared the summer tomatoes and Chris broke ground  for more winter garden. Over here we are making little raised beds that radiate from our perennial flower garden. The neighbor's shed really makes the view rustic.


The hose is laid. We will plant some fava beans that are actually descendants of Chris's grandmother's favas.


Little people like to sleep. And when they wake, they like to explore.


Moms catch them for systematic snort snuggling.



These really are all Avery's appendages in one pile.


'Adirondack' means bark eater.


"Okay, Basil, this stuff says that it will clear up your embarrassing rash..."


"Open up!"


Sunday, October 16, 2011

First Signs of Fall


With Halloween coming, we asked Avery what he wanted to be for Halloween. Given his limited world experience, he chose the creatures he sees in his own backyard. And, of course, he will be the baby version: a chick.

Nikko came over to help me sew the costume. Avery adored every one of Nikko's play moves.



Avery looking clucky.
The full getup.

A's first trip to the Oakland Zoo. The river otters were so fast!

The elephants blended in too much to catch his attention.

Ahh! He narrowed in on the giraffes. 

We recently hosted a neighborhood gathering. Avery met friend, Juilian, and gave a warm welcome.

Today's first bike ride to Montclair for lunch.  He fell asleep in the seat on the way home.