It's all gotta go somewhere
Hello, HTML5!
Thanks to Jeff for helping me get video embedded into posts without that stinky free-but-not-really plug-in from Cinocopa.
To see the embedded video of our romp outside today, use Safari or Chrome as your browser.
If you don’t see the video below, click this link to open the video in a new window (bummer!): Finally, Spring
Check out my first piece of refrigerator art!
We celebrated my first Mother’s Day throughout the weekend by spending a lot of time outdoors–just what Mom needed. It’s been the rainiest season in Portland history for something like 40 years. You know what that means…lots of mosquitoes this summer! Good thing we have that brand new bat house–just sitting there waiting for a ladder, the perfect 15′ tall pole with a southwestern exposure, and some bodies. Hmmm….
We all enjoyed a nice hike over at Crown Lake. We trekked up the steep hill to see the Camas Lillies (from which our town takes its name) in bloom.
It was a typical Pacific Northwest day, with a few showers, then sun, then showers. The light is inspiring at this time of year; still low enough on the horizon to create some surprising effects, and still soft enough to be excellent for portraits.
Mr. Personality is 9 months old today!
Everyone says: hold on to it, they grow up so fast.
I’ve lived in a lot of places, and traveled around the world. I used to routinely wake up at dawn, forgetting where I was.
Now, I wake up reaching for my little baby, who’s not so little anymore.
This photo was taken when Dashiell was 6 days old. SIX! I have never known a baby who was so “awake.” And I don’t mean his sleeping problems–although of course that is related…
The main tenant of Buddhism is “to awaken.” In my 20s I did a lot of inner work practicing the arts of meditation and being present. When I finally got pregnant at age 39, I rekindled my practice, because I didn’t want to “miss” any aspect of that process of creating a new life. It’s also why I was determined to labor and give birth without anything between me and the experience. I can remember almost everything from those 24 hours, but what I cherish the most is the memory of holding a brand new Dashiell on my chest, minutes after his birth, him chattering away (“uh huh, uh huh, uh huh”). His eyes, looking up at me, taking it all in, were just like they are today, sparkling, amazed, and incredibly “here.”
Happy “birthday” to my Little Buddha.
Grandma Sherry sent a sweet care package with some gifts to commemorate my first Mother’s Day, and amongst the goodies was a cool bib for Dashiell. It’s made out of vintage oilcloth with a cowboy theme and nice zigzag stitching. We really needed bibs, and I love the ease of the oilcloth. I am a sucker for the old fabrics so this stole my heart.
What’s for dinner, you may ask? First we’re serving an appetizer of apple slice (pictured). Next up: blue kabocha squash and cauliflower. Kabochas are coming into season–grab ’em while you can! I think the blues are the best–velvety and not too sweet. Dash agrees!
Mom eats hers with some unsalted Irish butter and Fleur de Sel from The Meadow. After reading his book Salted, I’m now a Mark Bitterman disciple. Do yourself a favor and pick up a starter set of their fine sea salts, and you’ll be joining me in throwing out your table (and Kosher) salt for good. Although I live just across the river from his shop, I haven’t had time to get in there. They also sell chocolates and flowers; I think I am subconsciously avoiding the store because I will be tempted to scoop up everything in sight. What a dreamy business!
Really, that says it all. Dash has always liked water…here he is practicing his cleaning skills!
So, here we go.
A place for all things Dash, thoughts about being a new parent, and a diary of our adventures.
Here’s the first one! Check out this video of D’s new skill, hand clapping!
[cincopa AsOAPkKyB91u]
© 2025 MaidaData
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑