Air and Space

I got to take Tenny for a little father-son outing last weekend to the Udvar-Hazy National Air and Space Museum, out in Virginia, by Dulles Airport. Tenny went with mommy a couple weeks ago and has been begging for me to take him back ever since. It's a great museum -- much better than the Air and Space Museum on the Mall in DC. Tennyson thought he'd died and gone to heaven.

Tenny loved the astronauts...

...the old planes...

...and the satellites.

My favorites were the Space Shuttle...

...the Blackbird (picture didn't turn out so well, but you can check it out here)...

...and seeing my little boy so happy.

Paul - the BlindSkierDude

Paul, my really good friend from my days at the State Department, is completely blind. He's super smart, he loves sci-fi, and he's got a knack for all things technology. But his real hobby is skiing. He saves up all his vacation days throughout the year, and then takes a month+ ski trip to the Rocky Mountains each winter. During that month, Paul skis hard -- every day, all day. To avoid major obstacles (trees, rocks, cliffs) he listens to the sounds and commands from a guide who skis nearby (I got to guide him once at Deer Valley). He does the rest on his own. Oh, and he's really good.




Paul just returned from his 2009 ski trip, and sent me a link to some videos and pictures from his adventures. I thought some of you might be interested (and jealous) in seeing Paul in action, so here is the link to Paul's videos and pictures. Enjoy.

Recent cuteness

We've been so busy lately that we have unwittingly deprived Tenny's biggest fans (his grandparents) of a post dedicated solely to Tenny's cuteness.  We're going to try to make it up to you, starting with a shot of our little sunshine (this should make you happy when skies are gray):

Everyone knows that dad's supposed to bring back a surprise when returning from a business trip.  Here, Tenny's sporting his new ball cap I picked up for him last week at Century 21 in NYC.

Tenny likes to be like daddy.  Here, he's ready to "Go to work at Cleary."

Similar theme here, though I usually wear pants, too.

Tennyson tries to carry on a conversation with the neighbor's dog.  "Hi doggy.  Woof woof.  Watcha doin'?"  No response.

Bed & Shelves

Remember back when we had a mini crisis with Tennyson climbing out of his crib and using his new-found freedom to destroy our lives?  Well, we decided to take your unanimous advice and build him a bed.  At first it seemed illogical, but what do you know?  It worked!  We really owe you guys.

The little dude really liked working with daddy.  Here Tenny is building the frame for his new platform bed.

Taking a little snack break after sheathing the frame with some lovely birch.

Voila!  Tennyson shows off his new bed.

Tenny's new bed is designed to fit a twin mattress, but we're just using the mattress from his crib for now.  Most importantly, Tennyson has slept better in his new bed in the last month than he ever did before.  He loves it, and likes to talk about making it with daddy.  We love sleeping through the night.

We had so much fun, we decided to build some matching shelves/cupboards for all of Tenny's toys.

We got the idea for the design from Pottery Barn.  Here are the nearly completed shelves, which have since been overrun by toys.  Tennyson now has the nicest room/furniture in the house.

Three sentence book review: Cry, The Beloved Country - Alan Paton

In our continued quest to clean our bookshelves, I reread this favorite before donating it to the local library. It's a beautiful story, set in South Africa, about the darkness and light that makes up life. And since I made the three sentence rule, I also get to make the rule that says I get to use my last sentence to list a few of my favorite quotes from this amazing book:

• "The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that they are not mended again."
• "It is life you are going into, you are not afraid because you do not know."
• "I have learned that kindness and love can pay for pain and suffering."

Lynn & Reta

To me, those names are as inseparable as the people themselves. Grandma and grandpa Stewart are both in their 90s and have been married for over 75 years. I've been thinking about them a lot lately. They seem to be getting shorter, but they keep growing in my estimation. Grandpa was a baseball player, a farmer and a school bus driver. Grandma cooked lunch at the junior high, raised six good kids, played the organ at church, and bowled like a champ (200+) with her friends.


So many memories. I remember:

--Helping grandpa mow their big lawn, then sitting on the patio chairs and talking while drinking Shasta and eating homemade cookies.

--Going shopping and out to eat with grandma and grandpa for every birthday until I left home. My favorite was eating fish and chips at the Tiffin Room after shopping in the Ogden City Mall (none of which exists now).

--Sleeping in the back room when grandma and grandpa tended me while mom and dad were out of town. Grandma usually woke me up with a warm breakfast that I ate on a TV tray, and then we would move out to the patio to play darts.

--Going to see “The Karate Kid (I)” in the theaters, then going out to lunch at Burger King when grandma and grandpa were babysitting me. This represented two firsts for me – the first time I saw a movie in a theater, and the first time I ate a Whopper.

--Spending time with grandpa in his big garage, usually fixing his old Chevy or working oil into my baseball mit.

--Spending foggy Christmas Eve nights eating the best Christmas dinner on earth, opening presents, then sitting next to the hallway heater with my new pajamas, book, toy, etc.

--Listening to stories about baking bread for the neighboring Indians, buying the first TV in town (Warren, UT), the wars, the Depression, the vacations, etc.

--Seeing grandma and grandpa in the crowd at all of my baseball games and piano/trumpet/vocal recitals.

--Ceremoniously honking the horn as we ended a visit, then watching out the back window as the cutest grandparents in the world waived goodbye from the driveway.

--The immaculate home and yard...

Grandpa Stewart was a worker. He started at 3:00 in the morning and worked until Jeopardy came on (he nailed almost every question). Grandpa spent a lot of time with his tools...

...and his work boots.

He also had a knack for fishing (a gene that wasn't passed on).

Oh, and he read a few books each week.

In addition to everything else she did, grandma maintained detailed scrapbooks of all of their travels, and for all of her kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. Priceless.

And finally, as evidence that my grandparents are the coolest ever, I submit for the record photographic evidence that my grandparents visited every state (including North Dakota!) and the District of Columbia, and collected a souvenir bell from each.

Lynn and Reta Stewart are amazing people. They accomplished much but sought little. Out of nothing they built lives and created opportunities for their children and posterity. A great portion of what I have received and experienced in my life is a direct result of the love and tireless efforts of my grandparents. When I was about eight or nine, grandma and grandpa gave me a picture of themselves in front of the White House, and every time I looked at that photo I hoped that someday I could go to Washington like my grandparents. I think of that every day as I ride my bike past the White House on my way to work. I feel like I carry them with me through a thousand traits, characteristics, memories, hopes, dreams, and debts of gratitude.

Grandma and grandpa loved us unconditionally. I love you, grandma and grandpa!

Playing in the back yard

And now you can see where the term back "yard" comes from (in England they call this the back meter).

It's got dirt, though, so Tennyson doesn't mind.