Dawn at Belle Taine

Sunsets on Lake Belle Taine are well documented (in each of those links, the sunset comes at the end). My brother-in-law, Steve, used to make fun of me for taking photos of the sunset, because it's been done approximately 18 million times since the in-laws have lived there. But I don't care. Every sunset is different, and some are breathtaking and I don't care if it's the same three trees in every photo.

 But at the lake this December, with the lovely late December sunrise and early-to-rise children, plus a dog who needs outside time right away every morning, I was able to wander out with my camera to the backyard, and caputure a lovely cold sunrise.

If nothing else, you get to see some different trees. 

List #16: The best concerts I've attended

You know, I don't get out much. Having a child slows down the social life, of course, and I'm lazy, and we're kind of broke, and have you seen the price of gas? But I used to get out. And since I have no new exciting concert reviews to share, here are nine shows from nights out past that I recommend, if'n you get a chance.

9. Brian Setzer Orchestra: Brian Setzer of Stray Cats fame got himself an orchestra, and I liked it.

8. Indigo Girls: With my friend Nena when we were in college, we drove up to Duluth and ignored the lesbian jokes and sang along, loudly.

7.the Gear Daddies: Another college memory. Every spring we had a lovely outdoor party time thing at UMM: I can't remember what it was called, but this is the first one I went to. I bought myself a silver armadillo necklace that day. What's not to love?

6. Dwight Yoakum: Oh, I love him. He played the Red River Valley Fair, and Dan Lee and I stood up close and personal. Somebody should play Dwight Yoakum music at my funeral. Or better, somebody should make Dwight Yoakum come to my birthday party.

5.Tripp 40/Fat Daddies: Shaun's uncle's band, I've seen these guys much more often than any other band. They let Shaun sing "Jenny" (867-5309) whenever we're there, and nothing makes my heart pitterpat like Shaun singing, especially my name.

4. Cat Sank Trio: My friends Crystal and Terry are in a quartet called the Cat Sank Trio. It's lovely and harmonious and I like going out on the town to see them very, very much. And I keep trying to think of ways for them to let me play with them, but they don't seem interested in my tenor saxaphone ideas.

3. The Reverend Horton Heat: My favorite band of all time. I've seen them twice here, and at least 3  times in Minneapolis. I lurve them. The end.

2. KISS: The year Shaun and I were first dating (2000), KISS did their first farewell tour. If you have a chance to see KISS, let me say, it's worth the price of admission. Shaaun and I and his brother Steve (who came on an awful lot of our early dates, actually) had good seats, but they turned all dreamy-like when Paul Stanley sailed out to a small stage next to us and played "Love Gun" right in front of us. It just can't get better than that.

1. The Realtors/The Extension Chords: Shaun's high school boy band, they've performed a few times in the last ten years, and as I mentioned in #5, nothing makes my heart pitter-pat like Shaun singing.

These are my nine favorites. What are yours?

V and Steve

I blame Gene Simmons for V's expression. These two make each other laugh almost constantly when they're together, which means good times for everyone. I'm just lucky they both held still long enough for me to take this photo.

I hope to be fully back in blogland action by this weekend. Stay warm, people, and write me comments! Ask questions, make complaints, whatever you like: comments make me want to write for you.

Uncle Steve!

Two weeks ago, when Uncle Steve called and asked if we'd be around this weekend, V burst into tears when she found out he wasn't coming over RIGHT THIS SECOND. Most mornings since, she'd wake up and say "Is Uncle Steve coming today?" So it was no surprise that when he arrived on Friday, someone was very, very excited. For the first hour or so, she mostly fluttered around him and giggled.

Soon, though, that gave way to wordgames and laughing and extreme amounts of silliness. ("You're a force to be reckoned with," Uncle Steve told V. "It's because I'm four!" V explained). It was the kind of weekend where we didn't even try to stick to our usual schedule, because the joy that is Uncle Steve made it impossible. I think it helps that, at 4 and 30, the two of them think alike quite a bit. And Uncle Steve has had three months to save up energy to swing V around and play roller coaster and Swiss Family Robinson.

She misses him already.

4 July 2009 in Twelve Photographs

So the last several fourth of July's have been spent at the in-laws lake, where we hang out, watch baseball (go Twins!), drink beer/soda/Mike's Hard Lemonade, eat a cake shaped like a flag, and spend time with the people we like the most.

This year, the weather was spectacular, the fireworks were stunning, and the company was excellent. I also had the good fortune to have a Nikon camera that takes, in my opinion, amazing photos practically by itself.This is Steve, my handsome, newly-single brother-in-law, who entertained V all weekend. We probably should pay him money for how well he kept her entertained while we napped and generally avoided parenting in most ways.

David, my father-in-law, built more than one campfire so we could have s'mores, and won at least 1/3 of all croquet games played this weekend.

Mary, my lovely mother-in-law, thought the lake breeze was a little chilly. She did most of the cooking, and went gambling with me, and doted on V when Uncle Steve wasn't entertaining her.

My mama, who wears a tube top like no one's business. She believes it's a sin if you're not outside the ENTIRE TIME you're at the lake. I'm so glad she came out for the day.

She brought her sister, my Aunt Beverly, with her. We all love Bev, and it's so cool to be at a lake with her again, like we did when I was very young and my grandparent's cabin on South Twin would fill up with the Johnson family. Will, who looks like he's about to burst into tears here but I swear was just having fun chucking rocks. He and V had fun swimming and running around and playing in the dirt.

My little sister, whose recent jaw surgery meant she couldn't eat any potato salad. She had a nice soft peanut butter sandwich, though, and went swimming with our kids. And she brought a bunch of soda pop, which means I love her the most. Hope your weekend was filled with goodness, too.

Summertime...

Uncle Steve is outdoorsy and rugged and whatnot....
Uncle Chris rockin' on the beach...

Jake loves V loves Alix...
Unca Shaun is soooo funny.
Jake's hairdo, with Prospective Aunt Joanna in the background with V ...
and Aunt Beth is a fox.

Big holiday weekend at the lake....Shaun's brother and sister were both there, with their lovely families...so much food and swimming and sand....must...nap...

Holiday Recap

Yesterday, Shaun and I took down the tree (partly because V has continued to ask for Santa to come every night since Christmas Eve). I'm impressed with us, because last year the tree didn't come down until at least March. Maybe April. But I know you're sitting there wondering what the Ganyo tree looked like this year, so here you go. V asked me over and over to take a picture of it, so I did. The barstool is V's addition: she likes to drag it around with her from room to room.

Ah, so much to catch up on. I always have big plans during holiday break: I'll blog everyday; I'll sew 45 new stuffed things, I'll make V and myself both new wardrobes. Hm. Stupid family and housecleaning and...grocery shopping and bathing getting in the way of my plans. Dammit.

Now, on with our story! Here is V, just meeting Mr. Squawkers (which she has named on her own; thanks for your naming suggestions, but it's pretty cute when the two year old says "Good morning Mr. Squawkers.") That's Uncle Steve and Pseudo-Aunt Johanna with her: Mr. Squawkers was courtesy of Uncle Steve.

She looks kinda scared in this photo, and actually she still is (remember, she used to be afraid of bubbles. And pumpkins). She talks to and about Mr. Squawkers often; she just doesn't get too close to him. He really is remarkably lifelike. Except no pooping. Thank god.

I made everyone in Shaun's family a beautiful homemade gift, which they all opened at once. I only got David's picture, though, because after the opening and subsequent wearing (and that was my favorite part: they all simply put them on, with no questions), V started screaming at the top of her lungs, so they were quickly removed. But oh, I laughed and laughed. Imagine Steve and Johanna and Shaun and Great Aunt Joy and David and Mary and me, all in one of these:


(actually, David's was the only one of that fabric, because it was a bear to work with. The others were out of either brown corduroy or grey fleece. The fleece was easiest to work with, but had a tendency to distort. The corduroy was my favorite). These were inspired by Mr. Moustachio, from Shawnimals. I omitted the eyes on most of them, because, well, I didn't want to be ridiculous. Also, I wanted them to wearable. I debated a long time on that white elastic: was it too garish? Too obvious? But then I remembered I was making stuffed mustaches, and obvious and garish need not be my main concerns.

Here's a blurry picture of Uncle Bill (of Fat Daddys fame) modeling his, the only one with eyes. I nearly passed out at this hilarity.

Christmas morning, Santa had delivered a bright shiny drum set. It was pretty sweet to hear her gasp as she came down the stairs: "DRUMS!" She's taken right to them, and it's not nearly as irritatingly noisy as I feared. Now when we play Rock Band on the X-box, Shaun sings, I play bass, and V plays her drum set. It makes my heart feel all tingly in a Von Trapp family way.
There are more photos, of course (though for some reason I didn't take any for Christmas Eve in Hendrum). It was all so so so lovely and busy and full of cookies. I hope yours were the same.

This weekend, V and I are off to Grandma and Grandpa's, and Shaun will enjoy a Weekend of George. (I am both utterly pleased and a little queasy at the fact that there's a Wikipedia entry for that). We will all return refreshed, I hope. Next week, I get to go back to work! Wanna come with?