Indeed!
(I'm actually going to campus tomorrow to see if they're still there!)
Monday, August 27, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Zachary Rulz!
We saw baby Zachary today. So cute!
We also accompanied Zachary to his first restaraunt. No sushi for the little akachan today.
We also accompanied Zachary to his first restaraunt. No sushi for the little akachan today.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
San Diego
We just returned from a long weekend down in San Diego visiting my family. We didn't really do much, but we did go to the beach, eat fish tacos, eat amazing pizza, chill at the coffee shop, and sit in the hot tub. So it was a good visit!
We were also enjoyed two parties. First, at sunset on Saturday, our friend Harriet threw a big beach party. One of the nicest things about this beach party was that it wasn't actually on the beach, but on the bluffs overlooking the beach - so we got all of the beautiful views with none of the sand in our food. We also got to see baby Emma, who has grown so much since I last saw her in October 2006!
Another great thing about the beach party was that Harriet made the cake [sorry, no picture because I was too busy eating]. The cake is chocolately-fudgey goodness that can bring tears to your eyes [see? I spared you!].
The second party was a birthday party for my grandfather. Although it's not polite to disclose other people's ages, I will state that he was celebrating a birthday that is a dime short of a century. Interestingly, my grandmother also hit that milestone in June, and Mike's grandfather will get there in October - apparently 1917 was a very good year!
We held my grandfather's birthday party at his house, on the cool front deck. Eric and I made different salsas (my grandfather, dubiously, on my mango-jicama salsa: "you people think this is good?"). For dinner, Eric grilled salmon, I made orzo, and my mom made a green salad. I made the birthday cake - my new favorite summer recipe: blackberry-lemon upside down cake (only change: I put the lemon zest in the cake batter, not directly on top of the blackberries). Here's a tip, though, if you're baking at my grandmother's (or making said cake at home): baking powder that expired in January of 2004 won't do the trick, even if you hope against hope that it will. It won't. You heard it here first.
We were also enjoyed two parties. First, at sunset on Saturday, our friend Harriet threw a big beach party. One of the nicest things about this beach party was that it wasn't actually on the beach, but on the bluffs overlooking the beach - so we got all of the beautiful views with none of the sand in our food. We also got to see baby Emma, who has grown so much since I last saw her in October 2006!
Another great thing about the beach party was that Harriet made the cake [sorry, no picture because I was too busy eating]. The cake is chocolately-fudgey goodness that can bring tears to your eyes [see? I spared you!].The second party was a birthday party for my grandfather. Although it's not polite to disclose other people's ages, I will state that he was celebrating a birthday that is a dime short of a century. Interestingly, my grandmother also hit that milestone in June, and Mike's grandfather will get there in October - apparently 1917 was a very good year!
We held my grandfather's birthday party at his house, on the cool front deck. Eric and I made different salsas (my grandfather, dubiously, on my mango-jicama salsa: "you people think this is good?"). For dinner, Eric grilled salmon, I made orzo, and my mom made a green salad. I made the birthday cake - my new favorite summer recipe: blackberry-lemon upside down cake (only change: I put the lemon zest in the cake batter, not directly on top of the blackberries). Here's a tip, though, if you're baking at my grandmother's (or making said cake at home): baking powder that expired in January of 2004 won't do the trick, even if you hope against hope that it will. It won't. You heard it here first.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Jasper
So after living the civilized life in Banff for a few days (including visiting a laundromat so we could get clean clothes), we headed to Jasper for a return to camping.
The road between Banff and Jasper is called the Icefields Parkway, and it boasts that it is the most beautiful road in the world. I'm not sure I have the experience to verify that, but I can say that the drive certainly is amazingly beautiful - we stopped at nearly every overlook!
The nicest part of camping in Jasper was getting to see our good friends Christine and Antti. Christine is the head teacher of the school in Japan where I taught art; Antti was a researcher with whom we became friends while living in Tsukuba. It was so great (and a little strange) to all be reunited in the middle of Canada.
Christine brought us some treats from Japan, including a Doraemon candy dispenser.
Antti brought us these beautiful traditional camping cups from Finland, called kuksa(s). The cups are made out of wood and have our names and the date carved into them. There's also a ritual the first time you use it - you are supposed to swirl your liquid clockwise touching all parts of the inside of the cup, but not spilling any. Then, you do the same thing counter-clockwise. This is not easy - here's Christine demonstrating.
Antti also showed us how the real Finns chop wood (necessary for all those saunas!).
The next day we went on a beautiful hike, but first we passed this lake:
Pictures from the hike:
The next day it rained, so we explored the town of Jasper - dangerous!
But rain brings rainbows . . . .
One interesting thing about our campground was that it was over-run with elk
On the way home we stopped at Mount Robson, the highest mountain in British Columbia.
We also learned that Mike is not as big as a moose.
The road between Banff and Jasper is called the Icefields Parkway, and it boasts that it is the most beautiful road in the world. I'm not sure I have the experience to verify that, but I can say that the drive certainly is amazingly beautiful - we stopped at nearly every overlook!
The nicest part of camping in Jasper was getting to see our good friends Christine and Antti. Christine is the head teacher of the school in Japan where I taught art; Antti was a researcher with whom we became friends while living in Tsukuba. It was so great (and a little strange) to all be reunited in the middle of Canada.Christine brought us some treats from Japan, including a Doraemon candy dispenser.
Antti brought us these beautiful traditional camping cups from Finland, called kuksa(s). The cups are made out of wood and have our names and the date carved into them. There's also a ritual the first time you use it - you are supposed to swirl your liquid clockwise touching all parts of the inside of the cup, but not spilling any. Then, you do the same thing counter-clockwise. This is not easy - here's Christine demonstrating.
Antti also showed us how the real Finns chop wood (necessary for all those saunas!).
The next day we went on a beautiful hike, but first we passed this lake:
Pictures from the hike:
The next day it rained, so we explored the town of Jasper - dangerous!
But rain brings rainbows . . . .
One interesting thing about our campground was that it was over-run with elk
On the way home we stopped at Mount Robson, the highest mountain in British Columbia.
We also learned that Mike is not as big as a moose.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Banff
So after leaving Glacier, we headed north to Canada. It took us half a day to drive to Banff, and the country we were driving through was just beautiful.
Banff itself actually reminded me a lot of Boulder - the mountains are obviously the same, and Banff has a big jagged range not far from the city, similar to the Flatirons. Banff the town was cute, if a little touristy.
Since it was our anniversary, we took a break from camping and stayed in a hotel not far from the center of town. The other two major groups at the hotel were, oddly enough, a tour group of Mennonites and large group of Harley-Davidson riders.
On our anniversary, we went river rafting on the Kicking Horse River. We had selected the "classic" trip, and it was plenty exciting (Mike sat in the front of the boat and was continuously soaked) - I can't imagine what the "extreme" trip would be like.
After the rafting trip and a delicious bbq lunch, we went to Lake Louise
Then we rode the Banff gondola and went for a short walk on the summit.
The next morning before we left town, we stopped at the Banff hotsprings, which I totally recommend!
Banff itself actually reminded me a lot of Boulder - the mountains are obviously the same, and Banff has a big jagged range not far from the city, similar to the Flatirons. Banff the town was cute, if a little touristy.Since it was our anniversary, we took a break from camping and stayed in a hotel not far from the center of town. The other two major groups at the hotel were, oddly enough, a tour group of Mennonites and large group of Harley-Davidson riders.
On our anniversary, we went river rafting on the Kicking Horse River. We had selected the "classic" trip, and it was plenty exciting (Mike sat in the front of the boat and was continuously soaked) - I can't imagine what the "extreme" trip would be like.
After the rafting trip and a delicious bbq lunch, we went to Lake Louise
Then we rode the Banff gondola and went for a short walk on the summit.
The next morning before we left town, we stopped at the Banff hotsprings, which I totally recommend!
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