Picnic in the Arboretum

Picnic in the Arboretum, originally uploaded by AmagoMundi.

The boys and I had a nice lunch in the LA Arboretum today with Tutu.
We fed our leftover bread crusts to the mutant carp and Canada geese.
We do miss our number one Momma, though. She is enjoying a fabulous 24
hour vacay in Lompoc, CA.

Trains

Trains, originally uploaded by AmagoMundi.

Brunch at Milltown

Brunch at Milltown, originally uploaded by AmagoMundi.

Momma needed some time to herself, so Daddy and the boys went to
Milltown for a pint and brunch. Then we walked around Carrboro and
looked at the rail-related artifacts. Now we are all having a nice lie-
down.

Thank you, SWH

There is this "friend" of mine on Facebook who is really more of an idol. She is an artist whom I admire greatly and when I asked to be her friend, she accepted. Today, as I was browsing her page to view a recent sculpture of hers, I came across this quote:

" Even after all this time
The sun never says to the earth, "You owe me."
Look what happens with a love like that —It lights the whole sky.

~ Hafiz

I feel like this is an apt description of the love of a parent. Not necessarily a new parent like me, but a parent who has worked and sacrificed for years and years to help his or her child survive, develop, learn and flourish. I am only now realizing the difficult job that is parenthood. That my mom and dad never told me how hard it was (and I know I was a handful at times!) reveals how gracious and selfless that love can be.

Best Meal Ever: Last Night

Handmade corn tortillas from La Vaquita
Red cabbage (pour some boiling water and vinager on it in advance to soften it; then drain)
A's special sauce (mayo, cholula, chili powder, lime juice)
Lime juice
Cholula
Perfect avocado
Perfectly sauteed mahi mahi (salt, pepper, light flour dusting)
Secret ingredient: diced onion shoots

An Excerpt from my Great-Grandfather's Journal at Christmastime

"At Christmas time in Sweden there is always plenty to eat even in the poorest home, lutefisk, risgrynsgrot, surlimpa, and plenty of fresh meats as the farmers all butchered before Christmas and a little of the meat got into even the poorest hut."

Why I Love my Wife

I'm sitting in the living room, working on an essay I have to write, and A is in the kitchen reading books to B. She knows I can hear her, so she says things she knows will make me laugh:

B, flipping the page: "Mommy, look. It's a miniature Schnauzer!"
A: "Yes. Isn't she cute?"
B: "Yes."
A: "Daddy's going to get Mommy a miniature Schnauzer for Valentine's day."

Buffalo Snow!

Buffalo Snow!, originally uploaded by AmagoMundi.

Here is Joaquin being tortured by his grandparents in Buffalo.

The Facebook Archive

One of my mother's cousins has been busy uploading photos from the family archive. I came across this one of my mother, her sister, and their parents in front of their house on Danby Avenue in Whittier. I would guess that my grandparents are about our age in this photo. I'm having a strong feeling of the uncanny now.

Our First Snow

Our First Snow, originally uploaded by AmagoMundi.

Our first snow in Chapel Hill!

No Cavities!

We are feeling pretty proud of our little B, who had his first visit to the dentist today.

Fare Thee Well, Fair Cephalopod!

Goodbye, Paul. We will miss your tentacular accuracy and overal good looks.

Hot Freaks

Hot Freaks, originally uploaded by AmagoMundi.

If you could see anything in this picture you'd see Guided by Voices
rocking the Cats Cradle in Chapel Hill. This is Salty Salute.

Caption Contest!

Face Bootch

Dang that Face Bootch. It's sapping all our online energy! Must get back to blogging soon.

NC Museum of Art

Back in July we did this as part of our play by play Triangle in 36 hours tour with the Pasadena Amagos. We followed up the NC Museum of Art with a delicious lunch at The Pit.

Shady Lane

Shady Lane, originally uploaded by AmagoMundi.

Pavement in Atlanta!

Staying Home from School

Benny has a barking cough so he's staying home from school today. I'm working on a paper in the living room, and I can hear him telling his nana about it.

Nana, "You have a barking cough."

Benny, "No. It's a going around cough."

Nana chuckles, "You mean it's a cough that's going around. That means that a lot of boys and girls have had it."

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!

UNC Making Inroads

UNC Making Inroads, originally uploaded by AmagoMundi.

UNC is now represented in my dad's hat museum. Pride of place is still
granted to the España cap, however.

Baby-cam

Baby-cam, originally uploaded by AmagoMundi.

Momma's in the Scrap Exchange, Durham. Daddy's watching J in the baby-
mirror.

La Vaquita

La Vaquita, originally uploaded by AmagoMundi.

Well worth the trip to Durham!

Nightly Walk

Nightly Walk, originally uploaded by AmagoMundi.

Our nightly walk takes us past a horse pasture and lots of woods. This
is the home stretch.

some catching up to do: part one

We invite you to enjoy some highlights from our first month and a half in Chapel Hill.

(To be read in the voice of Werner Herzog:) Benjamin has recently taken up photography to keep the boredom of family life at bay. In this portrait of his brother, the artist has captured the contagious mirth and copious drool so prominent in ten-month-old humans. Little does the subject know that in just two short hours he will be eaten by a bear.

Sam turns thirty-old. We sing in Spanish and English and then proceed directly to groovy chocolate cake.