Christmas Goat

Dear Family,

I thought I'd fill you in on my work and days around Christmas time.  It has been wonderfully busy at Buca di Beppo; it always much nicer to work at a restaurant for tips when you have many people to tip you.

As with many restaurants in America, our entire kitchen staff is of Mexican descent (on the east coast there may be more kitchens largely from Ecuador, according to Anthony Bourdain).  Our chef and cooks prepared a Mexican roasted goat for the employees working on Christmas day.  It was quite good--it did remind me a lot of lamb.  It was also quite spicy, and our chef has reminded me how much I adore spicy food (which I have held back from since Liam and Crispin were born).  I remember eating the hottest wings ever with dad at Huskies Bar in Storrs right when I was done college.  I remember when Ray had a hot sauce collection, including a potent Jamaican hot sauce.  I remember getting hooked on Vindaloo in the Indian restaurants of Alexandria and ordering the hottest green curry possible in the Thai restaurants in Evanston, IL.  Before all that, I remember being in high school with George Coplit and Mark ?, being at a pizza restaurant, and having Mark's father challenge me to eat straight red pepper flakes.  I remember my blood pressure dropping a great deal that way.

In any event, our Chef Martin has brought hotter and hotter peppers to our employee meals and has enjoyed my willingness to try them.  Today he brought spicy Thai peppers, which cleared my sinuses tremendously.

My sinuses needed to be cleared--I came down with a fairly nasty cold on Christmas day.  I always prefer to be active and working when sick, rather than resting or vacationing, so perhaps the timing of the cold was just right. It also seemed to tie in with two great audio books I have been listening to in the car.

The first was Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children , narrated by Lyndam Gregory.  I have never read Rushdie and picked this book because it seemed the only literary audiobook available at the time in the library.  It was fantastic.  The first person narrative was well wrought, and Gregory brought all the accents and dialogues of various parts of India to life.  It was a bit over the top in a wonderful way.  The main character, Saleem Sinai (sp?), is able to use telepathy to connect with all the children of midnight--children born in the hour of midnight on the day of India's independence in 1947--because he has such a clogged sinus, much as I had and am recovering from.  When his parents finally sent him to surgery to have his nasal passages cleared, he lost his magical powers of communication.

The next literary audiobook I could find was The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway, which I have never read.  The narrator was Donald Sutherland.  It would be hard to imagine a more stark contrast in style and narration between Rushdie and Gregory's excited Indian accents and the existential yet potent monotony of Hemingway and Sutherland.  I cherished the experience of hearing the Hemingway tale, and it made working at a restaurant with a pretty nasty cold seem pretty easy work compared to being a Cuban fisherman with cuts on your hand trying to bring a massive Marlin in and having to stab and harpoon and club sharks trying to eat your catch.

Cheers,

Bill and William

Kite flying

Enough wind to allow both brothers to fly the kite up high.

Location : 7490 Maxwelton Rd, Clinton, WA 98236,

Sunny Christmas

A break in the weather, some sun, and baseball by the beach.

Location : 7478 Maxwelton Rd, Clinton, WA 98236,

Owl

Liam's teacher taught the class an effective way to draw owls, using patterns and form drawing.   Since then Liam has drawn many owls.

Location : 7467 Maxwelton Rd, Clinton, WA 98236,

Narnia

Liam and Crispin watched a play of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.  Liam shows keen interest in the Chronicles of Narnia.  I have read the first 4 books to him.  He often draws pictures from the stories.  Here are Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy -- 4 British schoolchildren who became High Kings and Queens of Narnia.

Location : 7467 Maxwelton Rd, Clinton, WA 98236,

Santas in a cave

From the penguin exhibit at the zoo.

Location : 7467 Maxwelton Rd, Clinton, WA 98236,

Merry Christmas

Here are Liam and Crispin in Santa hats, which Santa put in their stockings.   They are having lunch before attending the Nutcracker in Seattle, which Santa and their grandfather made possible.   Maurice Sendak designed the sets and costumes for the production.   They were gorgeous and over the top.  Both boys really enjoyed the ballet.

Location : 7467 Maxwelton Rd, Clinton, WA 98236,

Advent Spiral

On Wednesday night, Crispin and Liam watched an angel light a central candle in a spiral of evergreens.   One by one, Crispin and classmates walked with a candle placed inside an apple, lit it from the central flame, and then placed their light for the group to see.

Location : Address not available

Crispin joins the orchestra

Because he had no school Thursday and Friday while I still had to teach strings and conduct orchestras for our school's Christmas Festival, Crispin joined our orchestras and played along.  He is particularly pleased with the process of carrying his cello on his back.

Location : Mukilteo Speedway, Mukilteo, WA 98275,

Birthday cello

Here is Crispin playing the cello he received from his grandparents and dad.

Location : 610 Front St, Mukilteo, WA 98275,

Jump for joy

Crispin jumping for joy while Liam opens Omaha steaks from Uncle Doug and Aunt Joan.

Location : 7467 Maxwelton Rd, Clinton, WA 98236,

Tree farm

Liam has fond memories of many cut your own tree farms.  This year Liam and Crispin got to visit Whidbey's Scattered Acres Tree Farm twice.  Liam chose this tree for the beach house and carried it to the car himself.   Crispin said merry things about being 8 himself and all he will do then.

The boys decorated the tree, and Liam strung and plugged in the lights.  I remember getting to take over tree decorating when I reached a certain age.  It is a fond memory.

Liam is very much enjoying the Chronicles of Narnia, which I am reading to him.  Crispin likes Eric Carle and Robert McCloskey.

Location : Mukilteo Speedway, Mukilteo, WA 98275,

Snow at the beach

Snowballs float in the water until they melt a minute later.

Location : 7490 Maxwelton Rd, Clinton, WA 98236,

Snow

Here are the boys at maxwelton creek, a mile from the beach house.  Snow is unusual.   Snow in November quite rare.

We will return to this creek to look for Coho salmon.

Location : 7467 Maxwelton Rd, Clinton, WA 98236,

Family fun center

The boys had no school yesterday.   We took a trip to ikea.  Then we went to the family fun center.  We played a lot of skeeball.  Crispin Drove in traffic school.  Liam Piloted a bumper boat.  We played miniature golf.  And we enjoyed a meal at a japanese steakhouse.

Location : Address not available

Fly a kite

Boys at the beach park near my house.  Crispin has a new kite.  Both boys had fun running with the kite.

Location : Address not available

In a box

Not only did the boys enjoy the care package from their grandmaxine, but Crispin is enjoying playing with the box itself.

Location : Address not available

Animal rescue boat

Monday through Friday the boys come to school early with me so that I can teach Violin, cello, or bass lessons.  They have some lovely moments.  On this day Crispin built a boat.  Liam had the idea to use it as an animal rescue boat, and the boys spent 20 minutes rescuing all the animals in the classroom.

Location : 701 9th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109,

Picnics by the beach

I now live 3 houses down from Dave Mackie park, also known as Maxwelton Beach.  Liam, Crispin, and I pull a wagon full of sand toys, sports equipment, and food to the beach.  There is little traffic, especially this time of year, and Crispin often rides a scooter or pedal-less bike.

Location : 701 9th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109,

Big pit

Liam and other first graders and kindergartners have been digging tunnels and deep holes on the sandbox.

Location : 5068-5098 S Hodges Ave, Langley, WA 98260,

Shifty sailors

Whidbey singing group brightened the ferry trip last week

Location : 5068-5098 S Hodges Ave, Langley, WA 98260,

Liam lost a tooth

His third tooth, his first since last summer.

He seems to enjoy first grade.  Rather than asking to color at night, he asked to do math.

Location : 1153 Federal Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102,

Crispin in 2nd grade

Here you can see Crispin at the end of the line with 2nd graders.  As I have waited with Liam outside his first grade room, Crispin has drifted down to the playground,  where he has joined the 2nd grade in their morning jump rope games.  He even takes a 2nd grade partner when they jump together.

Crispin's kindergarten begins next week.

Location : Address not available

Lovely bowls

Granmaxine and Poppy Ray visited and helped Crispin and Liam paint cereal and soup bowls.

Location : Volunteer Park Rd, Seattle, WA 98112,

Liam the lizard

Dancing in a thrift store lizard suit.

Location : Volunteer Park Rd, Seattle, WA 98112,

Ready for kindergarten

Crispin is beyond excited to start kindergarten (in a Waldorf school, kindergartens are mixed age.  Crispin gets to spend 3 years with a beloved teacher).  Here he is with the mug he painted.   He will use it at snack time.  Among other things, Crispin looks forward to being on a walk with his class, seeing me, asking his teacher for permission (this is part of his story), and coming to say hello to me.

Location : Volunteer Park Rd, Seattle, WA 98112,

Liam's olive dish

Liam has been keen to contribute to life in the home.  On several occasions recently,  when given a choice between a toy and a real object that he can share with a parent,  Liam has opted for the adult, utilitarian object.

He chose to paint this for my new, theoretical house.   We will likely eat many an olive, almond, and grape tomato on this tray.

Location : Address not available

Crispin at rest

New used costume found by Granmaxine and Liam at a consignment shop going out of business.   He dances about like a character from the nutcracker.

Location : 8021-8039 Maple Point Dr, Clinton, WA 98236,

Crispin in motion

Guess the costume.

Location : 3600-3698 Britzman Loop, Clinton, WA 98236,

Back to the zoo

The boys and I finished 8 weeks of camp yesterday.   To celebrate our week break before I teach a violin camp, we are at the zoo with their friend Lucas.   Lucas will stay with us tonight.

Location : 3600-3698 Britzman Loop, Clinton, WA 98236,

Crispin the mountain beaver

A playground I never knew about at the zoo.

Location : 4911 Fremont Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103,

Lucas visiting from England

Liam's friend Lucas is visiting from London.  His parents lived on Whidbey during the 2008-2009 school year.  Next year Lucas will be living in the Hague.

The boys are about 5 feet off the ground in this photo, on top of a play house at school.

Artist at work

Here is Liam at worked in mixed media, crayon and paint from his grandmother.  This picture is of a pirate's face.  Recently Liam has requested privacy or space when he is drawing or painting, perhaps because he is growing older and changing (he always wanted to know an adult was near him) or perhaps because Crispin has become so good at strumming the guitar with such force.

Volume

Crispin and Liam--working out of imitation and experimentation--have both become deft at using a guitar pick and strumming with effective brio and volume.  They sometimes play duos with Liam on mandolin and Crispin on guitar.  Because they often accompany me or my trio as we practice and can now play as loud or louder than I can, I am considering a switch to heavy metal music for myself so that I can plug in an electric guitar.

Cozy in the woods

Sometimes Liam realizes a trail would be better as a fort for Crispin.   Here is Crispin testing out one such fort.

Location : 1531 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101,

Making trails

Liam has been blazing new trails for next year's nursery class in the woods next to school.

Location : 95 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101,

Scooters

Boys having fun riding scooters around the block.

Location : 1531 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101,

Tree work

Liam offered to prune and clear a fallen tree on the school playground.  He demonstrates strength and balance with the saw.   Crispin is content to use child scissors to prune off leaves.

In the background you can see work on the school's new open air performance pavilion.

Location : 6390 Old Pietila Rd, Clinton, WA 98236,

On the pitcher's mound

Sports flow into one another with creative and spontaneous rules, perhaps a bit like FIFA.

Location : 4781 Deer Lake Rd, Clinton, WA 98236,

Willie Stargell

Crispin also sports a new haircut.

Location : 4781 Deer Lake Rd, Clinton, WA 98236,

Haircut

Liam has been enjoying kicking, throwing, and catching very much since our trip to CT.

Location : 4781 Deer Lake Rd, Clinton, WA 98236,

Tapir

W Liam

Location : 5001-5899 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103,

Time for a haircut?

Having fun waiting for the zoo to open.

Location : 401-499 N 59th St, Seattle, WA 98103,

Back to the zoo

After some quality sleep between midnight and 5:30 (meaning they slept in to 8:30 EST), the boys were rearing to go.  We purchased sushi for breakfast at the Asian grocery store and are waiting for the zoo to open.

Location : 401-499 N 59th St, Seattle, WA 98103,

To bed at travelodge

Two sleepy boys will hit the sack in a few minutes.

Location : Perimeter Rd, SeaTac, WA 98188,

In Chicago

This photo comes from Milford.  Now we await takeoff at Midway.  First flight was an hour late.   This may leave almost on time.

Location : 6300-6312 S Latrobe Ave, Chicago, IL 60638,

Victorian vacation in CT

The boys are up on the balcony at their grandfather's house in Milford, CT.

Location : 2 Ocean Ave, Milford, CT 06460,

Liam's canal project

He later built an island as a sea snail sanctuary.

Location : 304 Broadway, Milford, CT 06460,

Crispin and Grandpa Walt

At the beach.  The boys bought him hard pretzels for father's day.

Location : 102 North St, Greenwich, CT 06830,

Washtub

Bass



Location : 2 Ocean Ave, Milford, CT 06460,

Washtub bass

Also on stage.

Location : 2 Ocean Ave, Milford, CT 06460,