It rains so much....

Up here in the mountains of the Northeast it rains. A lot. And this is coming from someone who grew up in Oregon. Especially during the spring and summer months. This year from May through most of August it rained at least three days of the week. And not just drizzly, wimpy rain. This is crashing thunder, exploding lighting rain. This is inches of water in just a couple hours rain. So much rain in fact that the puddles in the drive way became permanent fixtures. And not only that, they have become eco systems! The largest of the puddles had enough aquatic life to call it a pond. We even had frogs this year:

This one with the car is just for size reference. Not really that big of a puddle, but it's never empty.


Just this evening we saw a couple frogs hop away as we returned from our walk with Asa. It may be the mountains, but it's a jungle out here.

A walk in the park

Last weekend this little family of three headed to the park (and brought the camera)...

And these last two I've wanted to post for a while now

On his quilt from Papa John and in his oh so hippie outfit from Cynthia

Hanging out in one of his new favorite toys - The Box. Gotta love the do it yourself vibe (and the super cool shirt, leg warmers and frog-like stuffed animal from our friends the Blakey's!)

Picnic

Last weekend we took Asa to a nearby campground for an afternoon picnic...

Angus shows Asa the creek
We thought we'd dip his toe in, see how he liked it...
...thinking about it...

...NO!

Mom and Asa watch the water

A family of three

Next time I think we'll pack a few bags, the tent and a sleeping bag and stay the night! It'll be our first (of many) camping trips with the little one and we can hardly wait. Pictures are sure to follow...

The snow is melting!

I think it's spring. Or, at least, it's very close. I have never been more thankful for the sunshine, for temperatures above 50 degrees, for flower buds and shoots of green. It's a miraculous sight after all the consuming whiteness of SNOW.

(double click for larger image)

The baby's room

Even though the new little one won't be spending much time in here until he or she's a bit older, it's been fun to paint and decorate and set up furniture in the extra room down the hall. We certainly have the space, so why not fill it with lovely baby stuff?

This is the fantastic (albeit VERY difficult to build) dresser/changing table that was a gift from our wonderful friend Kim (Hi Kimmy!). It is a spectacular addition to the room and I absolutely love it. I think at some point in the future I will paint something on it, though I haven't quite figured out what yet...

All the packs of tiny little clothes. They hardly fill one and a half drawers.


New additions to the tree. Our friend Drew had mentioned that he though the tree had a "creepy feel" to it, what with all the witch-finger-like branches and the stark design. So I've added a few blue birds to lighten the mood a bit. I think I'll end up adding even more as I really like the airy playfulness it brings to the wall. (Hint - you can double click any image to view it larger, all the better to check the details with.)

In keeping with the bird theme we have going I pasted a bunch of pictures of birds from old children's books that I bought at the local thrift store. I still have some work to do on this part, but I'm really liking the idea. I especially like the antique-ish pages from some of the books.

This last addition I really like. It reminds me of my dad and all the butterfly hunting we used to do. He still wears a butterfly pin that we "caught" with our homemade net on the brim of his hat. Monarchs are his favorite and I must say I really like the way this one turned out.

More to come, including an actual baby!

Winter is upon us

Actually, it's been here for quite some time. It's just that I am only now getting around to posting a few pictures of it. I'm afraid my interest in photography (at least outdoor, nature photography) has waned a bit this winter. Because, you see, it's really. Effing. Cold. But here is what I have thus far...

The amazingly large icicles hanging from the front porch. This photo does no justice, they are at least 4 feet long and, I'm assuming, quite deadly.

The back yard

Steve keeps warm after Christmas day.

The happiest snow shoveler. Ever.

The path through the front yard to the car.

More deadly icicles, these ones not quite as large.

How we keep warm.

Snow, snow and more snow. With snow in tomorrow's forecast. I must admit, it is stunningly beautiful. From a safe distance. Which is inside, by the woodstove.

Halloween!

Izzi The Vampire Bride, Griffin The Bloody Ninja, Angus as Steve The Cat, Bess The Saucy Pirate and Monty The Blue Samurai.
Lichen as Steve The Cat's Lady Friend (currently expecting a kitten)

Max waits (not so) patiently for the trick or treaters to return.

I'd say it was a very successful Halloween indeed.