Wanderer's Daughter

Farewell!

2010-08-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much for reading our blog - it has been a long and wonderful journey since the beginning of our adoption process. I no longer have time to keep up two blogs, and really they have become redundant. You are welcome to follow our continued adventures at Une Envie de Sel.

2010-08-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

We have a pear tree!
This little tree has been outside our house since we bought it, and for three summers it has born no fruit. My mother, when she came to visit, was convinced it was a fruit tree, though we couldn't guess what kind. Suddenly, this summer it is heavy with pears!
What a delightful and unexpected bounty.

2010-08-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

Flavors of the East...
an obligatory stop into the Pearl River trading company, where we spotted this wonderful lunchbox, as well as a tiny carton of bacon-flavored toothpicks.
Dragons on the ceiling.

For dinner, we ducked on a whim into an open-air Indonesian restaurant where I had a delicious nasei-something-or-other that featured a pickled salad, anchovies sauteed in a delicate sauce, and a chicken curry with fragrant coconut rice. The unusual combination of flavors was exciting in concert. Q, exhausted by a long day of social obligations, slept through the entire meal.

The real star of the night was this melt-in-the-mouth curried chicken appetizer wrapped like a gift in banana leaves. We spotted it on a neighboring table and just pointed to it, so unfortunately we have no idea what it was called. Can anyone help? It was superb. My husband had been trying to duplicate it in the kitchen, but it would help if we could look up the name of the dish.

Still out on the walk home. We call this "total consciousness failure".
Back in the hotel and hiding under the eiderdown with daddy. Happy girl!

2010-08-08T19:26:00.001-07:00

New York part 2...South Street Seaport.

2010-08-08T12:23:00.001-07:00

New York part 1...the financial district.

2010-07-28T21:41:00.001-07:00

On the return from the mountains, we decided to take the long way back to Denver, over Trail Ridge road and the continental divide, through Rocky Mountain National Park.
It's a stunning and vertiginous drive over what looks like the spine of the world, and I never tire of it. Mike's brother and family decided to follow us, so we all got to enjoy the spectacular views.
Q warming up with hearty chicken soup on the road after a pause to savor the panorama from the top.
Out in the wind. Even on the hottest summer day, the wind is biting at this dizzying altitude.
Chrissie and Holland watching herds of elk and tiny wildflowers on the moraine.
A camper on the road.
Entertaining herself with mommy's accessories.
On the far side of the ridge is Estes Park, a town where I used to attend Arabian horse shows during the summers of my childhood, so it holds a lot of history for me. Once down from the heights, the heat closed in again, and we decided to stop for icecream and cool off the girls.
And after icecream...
Mike got all of the girls kitty whiskers. Once shown the mirror, Q couldn't quite believe her own eyes. (That's tempera paint still on her neck from the morning's crafts. It was also all over her dress, in spite of the smock - we'll see if it comes out!)
Two kitties....
...and three. Are they not the cutest thing you've ever seen?

2010-07-28T11:09:00.001-07:00

On our last morning at Snow Mountain Ranch, my sister-in-law and I were eager to try out the crafts center, which we hadn't yet managed to visit. Fortunately the family was understanding, and let us have a couple of hours to play.
We brought the elder girls along, and honestly I have never seen them more focused on a creative project as they were here.
It's a wonderful space, with every imaginable creative resource available, from leather tooling to stained glass, painting projects, ceramics, jewelry etc.
Not only that, but the space itself is wonderfully put together, from the mosaic tiles at the art sink to the beautifully tie-dyed painting smocks.
You can't help but feel happy in a place like this.

What lucky people we were to spend four days in this amazing place, where you can do pretty much anything you can imagine and then some. Thanks to my mother-in-law and her posse for making this wonderful family vacation happen.

2010-07-27T21:45:00.001-07:00

Collecting marshmallow sticks for the evening's fire.
Sunset fades into twilight.
The last of the light catches in the clouds as the full moon hangs above the Indian Peaks.
The quintessentially American ritual of making s'mores. This was not a part of my childhood. Neither of my parents was born into a native family. Though I have never really developed a taste for s'mores, I now understand the ritual and its pleasures.
What I most definitely can appreciate is the art of roasting a perfect marshmallow over a fragrant mesquite fire as the last of the lavender light leaches from the Colorado sky...
Here is cousin Harrison teaching Q how it's done.
With a second cousin, Abbie, from another branch of the family.
Uncle Sean and cousin Holland walking into the sunset, and my husband's mother at the campfire.
Cousins yet farther removed, enjoying the warmth of the fire. As you can see, my husband's family - largely Norwegian and Irish - is dominantly blond, while mine is mostly dark. All that wanton blondness is still fascinating to me, having come from Mediterranean stock. My mother was blond in her youth, with ice-blue eyes, and her Dutch father a redhead. But the bulk of us in my family have been dark of both hair and eye.
Crackling firewood culled from the high mountain valley.
My husband reading the girls to sleep after a long evening of Woodsmoke and song.

2010-07-27T12:56:00.001-07:00

Q and her cousin Isacah forged a fast friendship during the course of the reunion. They've played before, but this time, sleeping in a roomfull of bunkbeds all on their own, they developed a sisterly sort of relationship. I loved to watch them off playing their secret games among the wildflowers, or whispering in a darkened room at bedtime.

On our last night, we got to enjoy a ranch-style barbecue in this beautiful barn.
The light was absolutely irresistible.

Isacah and Q goofing over their dinner.

Q and I romping on the hillside behind the barn. Highcountry evenings in the summertime are so idyllic as to be intoxicating. It's hard not to get goofy with the sheer, giddy beauty of it all...the spangle of the air, the soft grunts of nighthawks, the breeze fragrant with sage and balsam.

2010-07-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

A transcendent evening

2010-07-01T22:34:00.000-07:00

We were out riding our bikes after dinner on a recent evening, and came across this field just before sunset.
The light was just so, looking back West toward the Rocky Mountains and the setting sun, and we had to leap off our bikes and take advantage of the moment.
The soft light can be deceptive, and the prickly things and thorns among the flowers took Q aback at first, but she quickly warmed to the occasion.

These moments of gratuitous beauty are elusive and fleeting. As is life, isn't it? Both elusive and fleeting...oh, much too fleeting. All the more reason to take advantage of every glorious moment that comes our way, don't you think?

2010-06-30T19:09:00.001-07:00

Summer evenings, chilled wine, dinners on patios...

...and two-year-olds who don't like to sit still...

2010-06-29T21:29:00.000-07:00

Corner View: summer!
My husband took these with my iPhone yesterday. I was in the midst of a heavy work day, unshowered and unkempt. But I came out to take a five minute break in the sun, warming Q up in the hammock after her long session in the pool. Raw and natural, I think these photos are a pure illustration of the word "summer".

Stop by Jane's place and visit the many other corner views around the world. Happy travels!

Berry picking, spring storms, and family time...

2010-06-28T22:24:00.001-07:00

Berry picking day at Berry Patch Farms in Brighton.
Q is a fan of chickens.
And strawberries.

On the truck to the strawberry fields.
Spring breezes, far-off storms, and first-season berries.

Family time.

A small preview...

2010-06-27T22:23:00.001-07:00

Busy....Oh, so busy right now!!

We have so much to share with you, but oh, so busy. If only there were more hours in the day! But I have so, so much to tell. Soon.

In the meantime, I give you a few tastes of what you have to look forward to:
Baby in a basket.
Kool Kat on a train with her Ah-pah.
St. Mary's Glacier (looks like Q had nefarious plans for my hat, doesn't it?)
Oh, and it's daisy season!! I love daisy season.
Strawberry picking!
Neighborhood walks (plus, she is so cute it kills me!).
Did I mention it's daisy season?
Long, long, action-packed days in the sun.

Until soon! ox

2010-06-26T21:33:00.001-07:00

Camping photos from the Great Sand Dunes by Mike and my mum:
There was a forest fire raging just three draws away from their campground...
...but it didn't stop the girls from having their fun.
Q digging in the sand with her cousin Victoria.

The great sand dunes rise as high as Denver's downtown skyline, but it's difficult to get a perspective on their height from most vantage points.
Q and her LaoLao.

Chasing after her cousin.
In the evenings, the sky looked like this...
...and like this.

2010-06-22T12:15:00.001-07:00

On a recent Saturday morning, I was walking the puppy the ten blocks between our house and the coffee shop when, winding our way among a narrowing aisle of hedge roses and yard sale trinkets, I spotted these...

Shining in the clear yellow of the morning sun, a glossy blue and red drumset that reminded me of some bright dream from my childhood, maybe re-runs of Josie and the Pussycats, or the Partridge Family, who knows.
I don't usually stop at yard sales because, I mean, let's face it: really we need less "things" in our home, not more! So Mathilda and I kept our heads straight and our noses high and walked on by.
All the way to the coffee shop, however, I kept seeing that drum set gleaming in the sun.

Here's the other thing: when Q came home, my husband specifically forbade me to bring home a drum set. Guitars were OK, all manner of flutes and whistles, even maracas, but not drums.
Not drums.
As Mattie and I headed home with our coffee, I spotted the drums again, still there on the grass. The young man, seated in a rickety chair next to a table full of dusty and well-loved horse figurines, mounted soldiers, remote control cars and the like, wore thick Harry Potter glasses and a faux-fur tophat with stars emblazoned on it. He looked up at me gravely as I passed. He was maybe nine years old.

"Cute dog," he said politely.

"Thank you," I said. "How much for the drums?"
I walked Mathilda home and, studiously avoiding eye contact with my husband, grabbed some spare bills and the car keys.
The drum set is well-loved, beaten like worked copper by the pitter-patter of so many little drumsticks. The high-hat is a little wonky, and one of the toms keeps falling off. But Q loves it. Talk about more bang for your buck! All in all I'd say it's about the best four bucks I ever spent.

2010-06-20T21:20:00.001-07:00

How we celebrated...
...the first half of our father's day weekend.

The Highlands Square festival, which we have missed every year since we moved to Denver. This year, we made up for it by going twice in one day...pre-nap and again post-nap, when the mood was much different than it had been in the morning!
Q was thrilled and amazed to find a booth with her music teacher in it, and all the instruments she likes to play on Thursday mornings at Music Together.
If you wondered about the mysterious red Mustang in my last post: no, daddy didn't get a Mustang for his father's day gift (though he probably would have if I had the money and/or the mechanical ability). There was just a sweet car show on one of the streets off the festival. For the record, I'm the vintage car buff, not him. This was not so much his father's day wish, but rather mine. His wish was that he would get to listen to heavy metal music in the car all of father's day morning as we drove south to meet his family for a day at the pool. And so he did!

He also got an entirely unsolicited copy of the Twilight Eclipse soundtrack, as a joke, because I have a sick sense of humor. But as it turns out, the soundtrack is (inexplicably) pretty solid. So I guess the joke was on me. No, we have not seen the movie - nor do we intend to.
My family drove a racing-green Mustang for a time when I was a kid, so I have a soft spot in my heart for the original articles.
And oh, how I would love a car with a red interior! Maybe in my next life.
Crawfish outside our friend Ed's fabulous New Orleans-themed restaurant, Highland Pacific.
Beautiful vintage cars and beautiful vintage houses in old North Denver.

Q getting into a fresh fruit kebab from one of the many food stands.
Watching as the kebabs are made.
Deep concentration.

At the bouncy castle, where I was forced to climb through the maze in search of our daughter, who refused to come out.
At the end of a long, exhausting and fruitful day.

2010-06-19T22:39:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's day, one and all!

2010-06-19T13:20:00.001-07:00

Snow sprinkled on the mountaintops and flowers in the valley!

Salmon with mustard and maple syrup glaze, made by my amazing husband (whom I am wishing a happy father's day today!) for our supper.

Our state flower.

2010-06-16T21:17:00.001-07:00

This land is your land...
...this land is my land.
First hike for Mathilda and me on our own.
It's nice to have a canine hiking companion again.
Looking our from my favorite hiking trail over Minturn from above.
A banner wildflower year for the Vail Valley.
Lilacs growing wild above Minturn. I always think that this lilac bush must once have stood beside a long-forgotten cabin. Not sure how else it got up there. What a beautiful view of an unusually green valley.
I think Mattie enjoyed herself nearly as much as I did.
Q and daddy enjoying the scenery.
Q enjoying her first meal at Pazzo's pizzeria.

2010-06-16T14:52:00.001-07:00

Into the mountains...

2010-06-11T10:06:00.001-07:00

We'll be off smelling the roses for a few days....have a happy weekend!

OX - from all of us.

2010-06-11T09:47:00.001-07:00

Back in the day, when the Q was still just a dream and a few heavy sheaves of government paperwork for us, I was fortunate enough to have been invited into a group of lovely local women who were also in the long, long preamble to adoption. When I began joining in on their monthly evenings out, only one or two of the group had children. At this latest gathering, there were enough children to make the head spin a bit! This one was a celebration for our friend Bernadette, who is, after many long years of waiting, about to travel to China to meet her daughter.

It was landmark day for us, too, because it was the first time in all these years that my husband was able to be at the party!
The beautiful Sara, daughter of our most constant, generous and gracious host, Jan. You have seen Sara before on my blog, but she has grown and matured so much in these few short months. Her English is probably 99% fluent at this point, which never ceases to amaze me. She is also, like her mother, incredibly gracious and social.
Every parent in the group has either adopted or is in the adoption process. The children are from China, Mexico, and the US. It's good to see all of them together from time to time.
And yes, Q is wearing the Union Jack here, but purely for aesthetic purposes. My Dutch grandfather went to school in England, and my lovely cousins Poppy and Sophie were born and raised in the UK. But Q has yet to visit that corner of the world. Someday soon...I hope.
Q and Sara.
Q fascinated by Chris' new little one.
In the midst of the festivities, we found ourselves chased briefly undercover by a rainshower which produced this stunning rainbow.

Marta.

Mike spends some quality time with Kris' beautiful baby (that's Kris at bottom with her munchkin).
Mike and Q watching the sunset on the clouds...
...which looked a lot like this.

Oh how I love summer in Colorado.

2010-06-10T08:04:00.001-07:00

Q and a bowl of roses.
The other day, we all set out to attend the graduation party of a friend and fellow business-school graduate. Here you see our long, tall Q, looking extremely mature, elegant and willowy in her VDJ dress. Only distinguishable as a toddler by the snack lid she is fervently chewing.

Walking into the party just a bit too cool for school in her turquoise shades.

This was a party at which nearly every attendee had at least one (if not two or three) unusually photogenic toddlers and/or babies. I was distracted by so many amazing photo ops that I have next to no photos of the actual adults for whom this party was intended.
Setting out for an adventure. You can't tell by the size, but Q is the baby in this group. Her BFF Esme is six months older, and Ava with the gorgeous blonde tresses is a year and a half her senior. In this photo they all appear about the same age.
Ava and her gorgeous hair...

One of the younger members of the crowd.
Esme and Zoe.
Ava giving the much younger (if not much smaller) Q some gratuitous props.
Q treasuring a flower that Ava picked for her.
Hiding from the younger "generation".
Q felt bad for the little one, and went back to rescue her. Awwwwwwww!!
Jenna and the youngest (I think!) of the babies in attendance.
A game of miniature soccer.

GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Joy.
Taking a break to eat fish tacos with daddy.
Incredible view of the capitol from this newly-renovated part of town.

2010-06-07T20:48:00.001-07:00

Botanical Gardens, Denver.

Dress: bodebo

Summer evenings

2010-06-05T22:34:00.001-07:00

Q on a recent evening out on the town.
Can I just tell you how madly in love I am right now with summer, life, family?
Dress handmade by The Measure, btw, and beaded shoes (which she has finally sized into) a gift from a friend.
Getting the paper with daddy.
And, a kiss.

Ice, magical, mystical ice.
In the first shot, she is iPadding the newspaper...trying to make the stories scroll with a swipe of her finger. Oh, these techno kids today!! In the second shot she has given up and is finally learning to "turn the page" by hand.

She found a hubcap. As far as Q is concerned, found hubcaps are photo ops. Can't really argue with her there.

2010-06-03T14:48:00.001-07:00

2010-06-01T09:56:00.001-07:00

On the holiday, we went down to meet Q's friend Esme and her dad at the REI flagship store.
Q and Esme trying out skateboards.
Q gets more comfortable with the free-climbing rock every time we go, and I just love watching her. She's kind of a natural. She even remembers to keep her core close to the rock most of the time.
She gets more independent with each climb.

She's really been wanting to go all the way to the top, so Esme's dad climbed up to help her from above.

With daddy's helping hands spotting her from below...
...she finally gets to see the view from the top!
Carefully explaining to Esme how to climb. So cute! Mind you Q is the younger child, but she obviously considers herself the expert here.
Esme giving it a try.

Q is proud of the shirt mommy made her ;)

Esme was Q's first friend, and I love watching them together.

2010-05-30T13:47:00.001-07:00

I love taking Q to the botanical gardens. It's a wonderful resource because every time you go it's different. The season has so many different phases in each garden scape.
My husband got us a membership on my birthday this year, and it's such a perfect escape for us on almost any sort of day.
I love to just let Q loose and watch her explore.
She definitely has her own little routes and rituals, but every time she also discovers something new.
Busy charming passers-by.

Oh, the colors! Isn't it like a painting?

I discover something new every time, too. Kudos to the designers.

Late blossoms, just low enough for a little girl to enjoy.

Someone deserves an award for this little arrangement. The color! I can hardly stand the artistry of it!

A river picnic

2010-05-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

2010-05-26T08:19:00.001-07:00

Corner View: The end of our street
Our street has been very pink this spring. Early rains and less snow made for a spectacular bloom which went on for weeks.
We live very nearly at the north end of our street, which comes to an end half a block from us at a park and a small lake. Head south, and at the end of the street you will once again come to a park and a larger lake.
Whichever way you go on our street, you will come to a park, which makes it a lovely neighborhood to live in.

Q wistfully watching soccer practice. It won't be long, Q. It won't be long.

Stop by Jane's at Spain Daily for a full list of corner views around the blogosphere.

From Marrakesh with love...

2010-05-22T20:47:00.001-07:00

Recently, I at last ran out of self-control and ordered one of Maryam's vintage Moroccan wedding blankets from her scrumptious online selection. It was very difficult to choose and, of course, even more difficult to wait for my choice to arrive!
Today, a box arrived from Marrakesh, feeling as sun-baked and warm as if it still held some of the gilded rays from that far-off city. Inside, along with the blanket (even more magnificent in person) was this mother-daughter pair of slippers for Q and I.
Q was enchanted by the blanket with its magical sequins that chime and jangle when you shake it...but she was beside herself about the slippers.
She was so excited, in fact, at the idea of mommy-and-Q slippers that she insisted we put them on and take pictures of our feet together.
Thank you, Maryam!
These treasures will be well-loved!

2010-05-21T20:55:00.001-07:00

2010-05-20T10:46:00.001-07:00

These are the days in Denver, the days when the weather is just perfect in every way. The temperatures never get too hot or too cold, and the spring air is silky and cool on the skin.
On this day we wandered to a different part of town to investigate a different park.
Mathilda could not believe her luck when she saw the lake.

Q herself took the photo of the boughs above. She has finally learned to look through the viewfinder, and because she is strong, she's actually able to support the huge lens on my Nikon.

2010-05-17T15:09:00.001-07:00

Setting out for an afternoon en famille.
I know that from this blog it looks like we have an infinite number of idle days spent together wandering about the city, eating icecream, sitting in the sun and trailing our feet in the water. The reality is far, far more chaotic, and the fact is that - like many people - we have to really juggle and work and stress to snatch the odd morning or afternoon together as a family. We do, however, make the most of it. The thing is, if you play it right, you can make it feel as if you have an infinite number of days like this, even if you actually don't. I end up posting them at random. For instance, this sequence was actually from several weeks ago before either the puppy or the cat came into our little family.

This is Q watching a soccer practice. Zoom in and look a the expression on her face. It cracks me up.
Gleefully confiscating someone's football.
Telling me to "wait". She's off on a mission.

A perfect climbing tree presents itself. How can one resist?

Playing "I'm a little airplane".
Looking back on these photos from just a few weeks ago, I recognize that I'm wearing "the outfit" that I wore for more than a week straight after Sam died. The skinny jeans are so unlike me - I got the whole outfit at Target one miserable afternoon and didn't wear anything else for days and days. I couldn't put on my normal clothes because I wasn't happy in my skin. I needed to feel like a different person. But I remember that this day was the beginning of my re-awakening into life. The grieving period was coming to an end.

And now, here we are, a whole family again, plus a cat which we never had before. It feels good. I took Mathilda to Q's speech therapy appointment this morning and she sat in the car while we ran our errands. Heelers are car dogs and are always happy as long as they are along for the ride. It does my heart good to have that kind of companion again.
Flying kites with a friend (I think I need to paint one of these images).

Q on the sports field. Someday before too long she too will be practicing on a team (or several, if I know her). That will be a proud day for little Q.

Shades of spring

2010-05-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

2010-05-15T21:00:00.001-07:00

Mathilda and the new love-of-my-life, my second-hand BOB Ironman running stroller.
We now have a dedicated bike stroller (the Cougar) and a dedicated running stroller. Oh, heaven. Between the dog that heels perfectly beside a stroller, and the stroller that suits my running needs to a T, I'm in grand shape for the summer season.

a bit more Colorado spring

2010-05-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

Apologies, I did not manage to pull out a corner view today....my month just gets crazier. I hope you will accept this instead!

Oh, the drama!
I think Yoli is right...though she seems to have no vanity at all, she does seem to have a bit of greasepaint in her blood.

Crabapple days

2010-05-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

2010-05-05T13:48:00.001-07:00

Corner View: Gardens
Every year, there is that one day - the day when it's time to do our annual first run to the garden center and plant our first pots. It's always a sunny, breezy day, the first hot one of the season, and we're always a bit giddy with the brilliance of the new grass and the scent of apple blossoms on the wind.
In this part of Colorado, the local wisdom is that you don't plant until after mother's day, so we plant in pots that can be moved in or out, and only the hardies go in the flower boxes on the front stoop.

The garden center is a place of many wonders, and Q already has her favorite aisles. She likes to carry around watering cans and pretend to water the flowerpots as we go.

I am always attracted by the little creepers that serve as "filler" in the hanging baskets - something about them appeals visually. Carpets of tiny flowers. But last year I tried making a flower basket and was not terribly successful. I really shouldn't stretch myself when it comes to green things...it isn't my talent.

Once our cart is loaded and we've bought all we can justify for the first round of the season...
...we traditionally head home and have a first picnic of the season on the lawn.

Q watered the cat, so daddy watered Q in return. Much hilarity ensued.
The pansies are for the flower boxes. I've seen pansies live through blizzards when we lived up in Vail. I trust them to withstand whatever comes our way.
Rolling in the new grass.
Just the day I needed to heal my wounded soul.

For more corner views, stop by Joyce and Jane.

Goodbye, dear Sam.

2010-05-01T14:15:00.001-07:00

I lost a companion of twelve years today, on May Day, with the air heavy with perfume and every tree looking like a wedding cake.
A dozen years and hundreds of roadtrips, camping trips, hikes and adventures. Though he was a heeler, a herding dog by nature, Sam slept in my bed and shared a pillow with me from the day we met. He curled beside my on motel beds and in desert tents. He spent many a long day on many a dusty highway in the passenger seat of my car, breathing in the scent of the open road.
I'd like to press the rewind button. I'd like to re-set the clock. Grief is a terrible thing, and there is no erasing a companion like this from the heart. It is a cruel twist of nature that we love our dogs so much, and that we outlive them by so many years. I don't want his ashes, or a headstone, but I need to remember him like this...by all those happy days on the road, in our element.
So this is how I chose to pay tribute to the most beloved of companions. These are the images that I hope passed through his head as he passed. I hope he saw all this, smelled the red dust of the high deserts that we loved so much.
I hope he remembered cactus flowers the scent of pine and cedar, of creosote bushes after a rain.
I hope he remembers the hot sand that slides silky underfoot, and the changing scenery, dawn to dusk, as we traveled together.
I hope he remembered the trickle of fresh water through the dry land, and the patterns it makes.
All the wonders of nature, in which we spent so many of our happiest days together.
I hope this is what he saw, and what he sees now. I hope he is here in all these things, in the fresh water and the breezes heavy with perfume, in the great blousing branches of the flowering trees, and the dusty winds off the desert.
I hope he's there in the wind that brushes my face, and in those endless shoals of clouds scudding across a spring sky.
This is for you, Sam, beloved, for all you gave me.
Sam found me - or I found Sam - when I was on my own. He had only been in the pound for two hours when I walked in on a whim, wondering if I needed a dog. He was terribly sad, a dog who desperately needed a companion, and I was able to make him happy.
That was all I wanted - to give him the happiest of lives for all the years that he lived.
I think, I hope, that I did that - and I know that he gave me just as much and more in return. I think he taught me that I was capable of love, and out of that before too long came a husband, another dog, a child, and now a cat. A family. What greater gift can an animal give a human being?
That's my husband with Max, his dog, who passed two years before Sam. I hope they are together now.

A day of outdoor work

2010-04-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday on a blustery but hot April day, I took the day off from the studio, draggeed Q's toy bench out back, tarped and taped and set to work painting it.
After a year and a half, approaching time for transitioning to a 'big girl' bed, I am finally working on redecorating Q's room.
When we first bought the house, I painted my bathroom (which was on the "old" side of the house and very worn and decrepit) in patterns inspired by the wall paintings from African mud huts. I have always loved the way it turned out, and decided to draw from some beautifully-woven African fabrics for the patterns on this bench.
I think it was a hit with the Q.
As for me, it felt like a spring cleaning of the mind to crawl out of the depths of my studio, sit on a tarp in the sun, and just spend the day painting a piece of furniture.
Now on to the rest of the room...I'm kind of excited to see how it turns out!

icecream

2010-04-28T11:21:00.001-07:00

2010-04-26T13:59:00.001-07:00

2010-04-24T10:36:00.001-07:00

Rain, rain, go away...
Or, actually, stick around. After all, the Q loves her umbrellas, and her galoshes.
That, and Colorado is a dry state. On average, March is the wettest month, and summers are very dry. This year, we had a fairly storm-free March, so I guess we'll take all the April showers we can get!
Make hay while the sun shines, and make flowers while the rain falls.
About 60 seconds after this shot was taken, the rain turned to heavy, wet, overwhelming, torrential spring snow. And then back to rain again after about a half hour. I'm sure it will turn to snow again tonight before this spring storm has run its course.

But...that's spring in Colorado.

The Clock Tower

2010-04-22T17:15:00.000-07:00

Recently the city of Denver hosted a day-long open tour of historical building, and though we didn't have a lot of time before my husband's work, it was a beautiful day, and we made a dash to see the inside of the famous clocktower, whose outside we have so often admired.
The Daniels & Fisher clock tower, modeled after the Campanile in Piazza San Marco, Venice (though that's not what you'd think of standing in downtown Denver), was built in 1910 and was at the time the tallest structure west of the Mississippi.
From the top deck of the clock tower are some amazing views of Lodo and 16th Street.
But the inside of the clock itself is the really magical part.
I wish I thought Q would remember all these wonderful adventures, but people keep reminding me that most recalled memories are formed after the age of three. Still, that's why I take all these photos, isn't it? Or at least, that's my excuse ;)
It was all fun and games until Q started swinging from the stair rails some three hundred feet up inside the tower, and it was time to head for solid ground.

Blustery spring day

2010-04-21T16:49:00.001-07:00

New family member

2010-04-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

This is Sawyer. She's a girl. She's nine months old, very small, and adopted.
She is Q's new cat, and our new mouser.
We have been badly in need of a mouser in this house, and Sawyer was chosen partly on the basis of her clear status as a fearless hunter among cats.
She was also chosen for her petite stature, her obvious intelligence, her outgoing nature, her gorgeous eyes, and her youth.
I briefly had cold feet on our way to the pound, but once we saw and visited with this one, I lost my trepidation. I'm now pretty sure we've found the right cat, and she's found the right family.

I was dubious about the note on her cage that said she was litterbox-trained, but this proved to be true. She is also tolerant of loud and aggressive toddlers, and very open to direction.
Q was really hoping for a purple cat, but failing that, she thinks Sawyer is pretty cool.

More about spring

2010-04-15T14:10:00.001-07:00

de l'amour des arbres...

2010-04-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

My sweet blog friend Juniper of Capers and Olives passed me this little post in honor of tree several weeks ago, and I have been waiting until the spring trees were in full bloom to do it the honor it deserves.
Of course I was also hoping against hope that there would be a bloom this year, since last year April blizzards wiped out the bloom entirely.
But I got lucky, and this year the bloom is one of the most spectacular I've seen.

This little russet-headed bird helped me immensely with this post, as it sat singing its little heart out to the spring skies in some still-bare branches.
I do love trees (in fact I'd be a little suspicious of anyone who doesn't) but this is definitely the time of year that I am the most giddily and madly in love with them here in our garden city. You can see why!

2010-04-13T09:59:00.001-07:00

Q has a fascination with the mail and mail slot right now. Our house has one of those old-fashioned brass mail slots, and she loves to peer through it, push the mail through, pull it out the other side. When I pay bills, it is Q's task to put them in the slot for the mailman to pick up.

dress and jacket: L'atelier de Marie et Rose-Alice

Friends

2010-04-12T12:45:00.001-07:00

This morning at an unusually early hour (for us) we found ourselves in LoDo (old downtown Denver), on our way to meeting an old college friend of mine and his family for a rare breakfast.

This is a friend whom I haven't seen in ages, and since we both have families now, I was kind of excited for a reunion.

My friend, Rob Wilder, is a writer who speaks to the startled parent in all of us. Check out Daddy Needs a Drink, which I read cover to cover with many laughs, and Tales from the Teacher's Lounge. Most recently, he has contributed to What I Would Tell Her, a collection of stories about the bond between fathers and their daughters (a subject very close to my heart).
On the way to breakfast, Daddy and Q encountered one of Denver's random artistic installations, a drain out of which come the sounds of an orchestra tuning up and playing classical music. Q was sufficiently impressed.
Larimer Square, the heart of LoDo, astonishingly tranquil and deserted in the early morning.
Q had been promised hot chocolate, and the coffee bar at The Market serves up a mean "brew".
Rob's daughter Poppy and son London (in the übercool hat) getting to know Q over the preamble to an extravagant Sunday breakfast.
When Poppy and London asked Q out for a stroll (our adult conversation proving much too dull for all three of them) she could not have been more thrilled.
In fact, the grin that spread across her face lasted for about three hours.
She could not wipe that grin off her face.
Borrowing Poppy's supercool shades.
Just look at that smile!
Actually skipping next to Poppy. Q is a social animal, and loves to meet new people. That said, I've never seen her actually skip next to someone she's only known for a half hour.
On the big slide.

Poppy was especially generous in helping Q to navigate her beloved climbing wall.
A good time had by all on a particularly spectacular spring morning.

SPRING!

2010-04-10T14:08:00.000-07:00

2010-04-08T14:48:00.001-07:00

More botanical gardens.

Q being very brave as Daddy removes a splinter.

We walked barefoot on these ornamental stone paths in Nanjing just after Q's adoption, and there's a good feeling to walking on them here in Denver now...like coming full circle.
Q warning a goose to be careful going down the steps (lol)

In the temple of bells, her favorite spot in the gardens.

Chasing her shadow.

Le Vestiaire de Jeanne

2010-04-07T21:13:00.000-07:00

My illustrated paper dolls, ten VDJ outfits included, are now on sale in the shop at Le Vestiaire de Jeanne, a clothing line for children, based in France.
You'll have seen their clothing designs on the Q in many photos. Take a look!

photos: le vestiaire de jeanne

Easter

2010-04-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

2010-04-06T12:28:00.001-07:00

Party!!
Our friend Jena took these amazing photos at Q's friend Esme's birthday party recently.

Easter

2010-04-04T21:53:00.000-07:00

Q's first experience with Easter egg coloring:

2010-04-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

Early spring in Denver.
Storms and sun, sun and storms.
And little outlaws roaming the streets in search of trouble.
This is what Colorado looked like in the '70s, at least that's how I remembered it. Thank goodness some things remain the same.
Feeling tough in Daddy's belt.

2010-03-31T13:49:00.001-07:00

Corner View: Spring!

For more corner views from around the world, visit Jane at Spain Daily.

2010-03-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

Though we escaped another big snowstorm, yesterday and today have been chilly here on the front range. But the weather forecast calls for steadily rising temperatures over the next few days, a push toward spring which, given the timing, I fully expect to set of the first of the April bloom. In that spirit, and in anticipation of the season to come, I thought I'd post this glorious set of photos which I somehow failed to post when we took them last summer, during the height of our rose hedge bloom.
No photoshop was used here....this bush is such a neon fuscia in bloom that it very nearly blows out my camera settings.
It also blooms in such profusion that it's difficult to stay on top of the deadheading.
So Q and I spent a day or two gathering blooms into bowls, which would perfume our livingroom for days to come.
Oh, yeah! Bring it on.

Here's to the change of seasons!

Farm day

2010-03-26T12:05:00.001-07:00

On a recent balmy day in our usual spring pattern of sun/snow/sun/snow, we decided to set out to White Fence Farm for an early spring farm dinner.

Q wearing her shades on her head "like a mommy".
Sometimes you have to see the Q in motion sequence. A great part of her beauty is in her motion, and since I have not been able to bring myself to figure out editing and uploading video, this will have to do!

What would earliest spring be...
...without a baby lamb. This one was SO brand new that it had to lie down and take a nap every two minutes like clockwork.
Mommy loves to feed the sheep. It's mommy's favorite thing. Q thinks they're tickle-y.

A lovely day on the farm. Now I'm looking forward to picking season so we can visit the berry and produce farms on the outskirts of town!

family

2010-03-25T13:29:00.001-07:00

Corner View: local architecture

2010-03-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

Tucked away in a corner of old North Denver, overlooking downtown from the hill above, is a small and special row of houses known as Stonecutter's Row. At least, that's the colloquial designation. It was introduced to me by my husband (a Denver native) when we first moved down from the mountains, and I was enchanted.
The color of this stone is very typical of Denver, and so beautiful. Seen more often in the local brickwork, which glows in the sun the way more tradition, oxblood-colored brick does not, this color is one of my favorite things about old Denver architecture. You can see it in the redrock cliffs just west of the Vail Valley, our old home, and of course in the redrock deserts of Utah where we love to camp. So this color is very western to me.
These houses are distinguished by the hand-hewn and often elaborate stonework, and some of the details are amazing. Unfortunately they have been for some time in a state of disrepair. The renovation process seems to be slow, and ongoing. I love to see the tools of the actual stonecutters laid out and ready for work - though I imagine stonecutters with this level of craft are few and far between.
It was a sunny day in the mid 60s (Farenheit) when Q and I set out to take the photos for this post, so we were dressed for spring (although since then another blizzard has moved through, leaving a foot or more of heavy spring snow on the ground, and shutting down most businesses and schools).

She's that Marimekko smock that I wore as a toddler, and which has survied good as new, still soft and supple, to grace the next generation. Now that's quality in clothing! Last summer it fit her as a dress, and I was thrilled to find that it fits perfectly as a top this year! Style and craftsmanship. That's what distinguishes a classic like Marimekko.
It seems that these incredible row houses are currently being used largely for student housing, as many of the students were out on the sidewalks this day, enjoying the sun and fiddling in their yards.
Here you can see the marks of the stonecutter's tools in the soft redrock.
The previous blizzard (these are intermittent in a typical Colorado spring) had left puddles of snow in the shady parts, in spite of the balmy weather, and one of the student residents had had the idea to fill a mail tub with snowballs and head down to the confluence park in search of a spring snowball fight. Coming across the tub, Q was amazed and delighted, and decided to make a few of her own (since I forbid her to confiscate his stash).
I told her to aim for the street, not the houses, to which her response was to turn and peg me in the stomach with one of her trademark fastballs. The kid has an arm like a cannon on her! I really have to remember not to underestimate her aim ;) She's a regular Bad News Bear.
After this, we went for icecream. Of course. What else to do of a lovely spring afternoon?

For more Corner Views from around the world, stop by Jane's place! You won't be disappointed.

coolhunter

2010-03-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

Since first she joined up with us in life, Q has learned to be at ease in front of the camera. I realize that I'm a bit obsessive with my cameras - I live with a lens pasted to my eye. But the good side of this is that Q has learned to think of the camera as an extension of mommy - a thing so natural a part of her environment that there is not the slightest twinge of self-consciousness in her when the lens is trained on her. So that what you see in photos is her in her natural state, exactly as she is.
She has always been strikingly beautiful, and she has always had a natural charisma. But as she grows and matures, she also grows into her sense of self. Lately I've noticed the power of that charisma growing as it settles into her. She knows it, and you can see it in her eyes.
Q has "it", that elusive thing that we all recognize when we see it, but that only a few possess. It's completely innate, like her affinity for basketball. It's hard-wired.
I was working at my desk yesterday, and she was busy with something behind me when I turned and noticed she had put on this tie and hat, which had been hanging on doorknobs in the hallway. Sometimes she gets edgy when I try to capture one of these moments on film. She really doesn't like to be told she's pretty (which people try to tell her all the time), and it makes her a little bit angry and a lot uncomfortable. Her own genuine pride is reserved for actual accomplishments, like learning to tie a knot or use a screwdriver, or sinking a toss on her mini basketball "court".
But on this occasion, for whatever reason, she let me run with it.
Five minutes later she was off on another adventure and I went back to work. But this moment of pure Q-ness turned into what is now my new favorite set of photos.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I pity the fool who falls for this girl's charms. She is not to be trifled with.

2010-03-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

My Jeanne paper doll was featured on MUMisGEEK today! Check it out.
(If you don't read French, a rough translation: "Coming soon in the online shop: a paper doll Jeanne, created by Maia Chavez Larkin, ready to dress in the VDJ spring and summer collection! A must have. Something tells us this will become a collectors item.")

2010-03-22T21:28:00.001-07:00

It's officially spring!
And with the spring, the new collection is in the showroom at VDJ:
You will have seen Q in many a VDJ outfit, including the dress in our blog banner. We're big VDJ fans around here, and it's always exciting to find the new season's collection in the shop.
I love the spring/summer pieces this year, and Q is already wearing a few of them.
So it's with great excitement that I announce...
All photos above by VDJ

...that along with the spring collection, there will be a set of my illustrated paper dolls available in the VDJ shop soon!
This collection was created exclusively for Le Vestiaire de Jeanne, and will feature a doll of Jeanne, along with ten outfits from the spring/summer collection.

Hope you like! I'll be working hard over the next few days to get the sets ready for production.