Life with Ken

Great. Look what we found on our front path tonight. Our resident snake expert is pretty sure this is a copperhead. Damn.

Although this makes Daddy feel a little better.

Life with Ben

Crystal Beach

While in Buffalo recently, we made a day trip to the cottage in Crystal Beach, Canada. Joaquin was curious/excited/cautious about his first time in Lake Erie. He liked the water, but maintained a healthy grip on whomever he was with the entire time. Benny's experience with the water went something like this: Play in the sand and look out at the water with suspicion. Walk to the shoreline and allow feet to get wet (run back to sand laughing.) Walk a little ways into the water holding adult hands, laughing but hesitant. Splash and jump and throw self about in water with ever increasing zeal. Splash and jump and frolic and squeal with delight all the while asking mom, dad, Poppy, Nana to take him further and further out into the Lake. In the end, he didn't want to come out of the water at all and was swimming on his own close to the shoreline. It was a ball watching him. Here are a few pictures from the outing. (Nana has all the good ones on her camera.)

Joaquin in the cottage getting ready to head to the beach. (He's holding the brush he uses to style his three hairs. Looking good.)

It's always warm and sunny at Crystal Beach. Unless it's cold, gray and snowy.

Be cautious when walking through this gated community! You never know when you may run into round-headed professionals recklessly ambling about. We carry bells to let them know we're coming so we don't startle them.

Before Benny discovers how much more fun it is to play in the water.

Mama and her nugget.
Mama is dreaming about the Tim Hortons Iced Cappuccino she will soon slurp up. Mmmmm, Timmy Hos. One of the best things about visiting the cottage. That and snuggling with clammy-skinned babes after their swims. Love the cold-wet-baby-wrapped-in-a-warm-beach-towel burrito. Mmmmm, burritos.

In the Kitchen With Nemo

I really love baking. The artist in me particularly gets into the aesthetic aspect of the process: the decorating. (Friends from college jr. year may remember a Vincent Van Gogh cake which was turned in for an assignment on "high art" vs. "low art.") Nowadays, I especially like creating a delectable goody that I know will tickle Benny Ray's fancy. So this year, for his third birthday I created marine life cookies and cupcakes with a special emphasis on sharks (B's current obsession) and, of course, Nemo. The results may have been more pleasing to the tongue than the eye (day-um they were good) but Benny and his little friends delighted in biting the heads and tails off of sharks, dolphins and fish. I, as always, filled up on frosting and broken cookies as I worked away in the kitchen. Incidentally, the butter cookies had orange zest and a little whole wheat flour which added delicious flavors and the cupcakes were made with many yummy ounces of Ghirardelli chocolate and decaf espresso. Cookies and cupcakes were topped with butter cream frosting. Mmmm, mmmm.

"Poopy Head Toilet Face" Friends: 2007, 2010

I was just informed by my sweet hubs that this series of photos might "make me want to cry." Nevertheless, please enjoy a darling paring of Neko and Benny photos from 2007 with photos of the duo again in 2010. We begin with a visit to Atlanta in February '07. Neko is a year old and Benny is 7 1/2 months.







And here they are again, in 2010 when the D-Ks visitied the Amago stead in Chapel Hill. In this first photo, Benny and Neko appear to be out of their ever-lovin'-minds. We think this image captures the frenzied boiling point of fifteen minutes of psychotic repetition of" "Bye, bye poopy face, toilet head Brandy" or "Bye, bye poopy face, toilet head daddy" followed by hysterical laughing and rolling around on the ground or couch. This is the moment we believe their true love became everlasting.





We look forward to more Neko Belle/Benny Ray vacations in September, October and November of this year!

New River Gorge

New River Gorge, originally uploaded by AmagoMundi.

Coal country. Beautiful landscapes. The Jungle Book en español as
background music. We're almost halfway there!

Buffalo Bound

Buffalo Bound, originally uploaded by AmagoMundi.

Here we are in Pax, WV. Hanging out at the gas station. 276 miles
down. 450 to go!