Blowing & Drifting

Blowing & Drifting header image 4

Entries Tagged as 'diversions'

School-Tuckered

September 8th, 2010 · 3 Comments

Today was the first day that both girls had to go to school – albeit an hour later than usual for Julia, and only a 90-minute preschool orientation for Genevieve. Still and all: they were wrecked when I arrived home, just after a screaming/hitting fight (and consequent time-outs) over some toys. In the scant time [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: Minnesota · Northfield · autumn · borrowed content · diversions · girls · parenting · school

Registration Circus Tent

September 8th, 2010 · No Comments

Carleton has a lot of good traditions, but those centered on “New Student Week” are especially good. The best one: upperclass students line up at the formal campus entrance and cheer – loudly and energetically – for the first-year students as they roll onto campus. The noise is joyous and wonderful. Another good, if more [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: Carleton · Minnesota · Northfield · autumn · borrowed content · diversions · photos · school

Minnesota Zoo

September 6th, 2010 · No Comments

Our first-ever family trip to the Minnesota Zoo was quite an outing. Many many animals seen, three and a half hours on our feet, five or six miles walked, four snacks and four lunches consumed, scores of other families dodged, dozens of prairie dogs oohed and ahhed over, several big felines gaped at, one terrifying shark [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: Minnesota · diversions · girls · miscellany · nature · parenting · photos · summer

Big Chairs Are Big Fun

September 5th, 2010 · 1 Comment

One of our wonderful neighbors – someone who runs Swag, a great (web-invisible) shop in downtown Northfield – bought some oversized adirondack chairs for her backyard. Before wheeling them out of sight, she invited us to come over and sit in them, which we promptly did, being suckers for a cheap fun time. Julia predictably [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: Minnesota · Northfield · Shannon · diversions · girls · miscellany · parenting · photos · summer

Houses Past and Way Past

September 3rd, 2010 · 1 Comment

While up in Hancock earlier this week, I passed by the house where I lived from 1988-1991, at the corner of two steep uphill streets. It is, I think, a nice little house – though the current owners could be taking better care of it. Apart from the view to the south (a view I [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: borrowed content · diversions · history · miscellany · narcissism · photos · recollections · summer · traveling

Meeting-Hater

September 2nd, 2010 · 2 Comments

When I headed off to another townhouse-association board meeting on Thursday night (with luck, my next-to-last one), Vivi lost it – crying and grabbing me and begging me not to go. When I came home, I found this on the kitchen counter: Dear Daddy I miss you at the meeting I love you too. Just [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: art · borrowed content · diversions · girls · miscellany · narcissism · summer · work

Keweenaw Bay, Near and Far

September 1st, 2010 · No Comments

One of the best drives in the Upper Peninsula takes US41 from the Copper Country around Keweenaw Bay to L’Anse, Michigan. Driving west on that route last Sunday, I stopped in the tiny bayside town of Baraga to take a few shots of the morning sun on the bay. I could not have been more [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: diversions · miscellany · nature · photos · summer · traveling

30 Days of Biking Part 2 (September 2010)

August 31st, 2010 · No Comments

The second “30 Days of Biking” event kicks off tomorrow, on September 1. As the website says, The only rule for 30 Days of Biking is that you bike every day for 30 days—around the block, 20 miles to work, whatever suits you—then share your adventures online. We believe biking enriches life, builds community, and [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: Northfield · autumn · cycling · diversions · narcissism · nature · sport · summer

Hancock

August 30th, 2010 · 2 Comments

I’m just back from my four-day trip to the Upper Peninsula to attend my grandfather’s funeral. I’ll be writing more about the trip – and about the funeral – soon, but for tonight I wanted to just post three pictures of the Copper Country: the view from Houghton, on the southern side of the Portage [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: diversions · miscellany · nature · photos · summer · traveling

My Laughter Box is Full

August 22nd, 2010 · 2 Comments

This is a video camera: This is a video camera in the hands of a four-year-old. Genevieve calls this “My Laughter Box is Full.” My Laughter Box is Full from Christopher Tassava on Vimeo.

[Read more →]

Tags: Minnesota · Northfield · art · borrowed content · diversions · girls · miscellany · narcissism · parenting · summer

Ball Thief

August 21st, 2010 · No Comments

On Friday night, the girls played some more “monkey in the middle,” which they call “Ball Thief.” Here are 23 seconds of them are in action: Ball Thief from Christopher Tassava on Vimeo.

[Read more →]

Tags: Northfield · borrowed content · diversions · girls · miscellany · parenting · photos · summer · video

Strange Roadsign

August 20th, 2010 · 1 Comment

There really are twin ruts in this road, but this is a funny sign anyhow.

[Read more →]

Tags: Minnesota · borrowed content · diversions · miscellany · photos · summer · traveling

Slice of Summer

August 19th, 2010 · 2 Comments

After dinner tonight, the girls and I went outside to play catch and have a few more minutes of active fun. As Julia and I were tossing a ball back and forth, Vivi – wearing a nightgown for no good reason at all – transformed herself into “Ball Fief” and proceeded to try to steal [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: Minnesota · Northfield · diversions · girls · parenting · summer

Freeze Taggers

August 17th, 2010 · No Comments

Monday night, the girls decided we were going to play freeze tag. So we did, and it was both lung-burning and hilarious. They understand the basic idea, of course, but their physical limitations and personal idiosyncrasies make for a zany sort of activity – not quite a game, but not quite not a game, either. [...]

[Read more →]

Tags: Minnesota · diversions · girls · parenting · summer

Vivi’s Birthday Poem

August 13th, 2010 · 1 Comment

Vivi spent about half an hour before her “family party” on Friday afternoon writing this on her Nonna’s computer: Happy birthday to me Happy birthday to me We love our birthday girl I love my cake It’s so cute She was pretty happy with her accomplishment!

[Read more →]

Tags: diversions · girls · miscellany · parenting · photos · summer