our youngest author and illustrator

Owen decided to publish a book today. Mom helped him staple some blank sheets together and he spent much of the afternoon filling the pages with wonderful drawings.

The author signs his name on the cover...



...and works on a drawing of a volcano.

lollipop 2010

Today the whole family attended the 47th Annual Lollipop Concert. This year's program was called, "Wild Things! Lions and Tigers and Bears - Oh My!" The performance featured music from The Carnival of the Animals, Jurassic Park, King Kong, The Lion King, and more! Pre-concert activities were provided by the Great Lakes Aquarium, Animal Allies, Lake Superior Zoo, Hartley Nature Center, and Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center.

the edge

Logan attended a birthday party at the Edge Waterpark this afternoon. This place is awesome. A few of the highlights include multiple 4.5 story water slides, a huge bucket that dumps 300 gallons of water every few minutes, a vortex pool, and a 400 foot long indoor river. The kids had pizza for lunch and finished the day playing video games in the arcade.

dsso rehearsal

Logan and Tony attended a rehearsal of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra this evening. They were treated to a tour of the backstage area and were fascinated by the elaborate mechanisms that control all of the curtains and backdrops. After the tour, they were introduced to the conductor who explained the history of the piece they would be performing and talked to the kids about music. All in all, it was a very fun night.

yarn show-and-tell

These two skeins of yarn are from Morocco, a gift from a friend who just returned from a trip. They are naturally dyed and smell wonderfully of spice, incense, smoke, and soap. I'm not sure what to do with them yet; they are cut into long lengths, rather than one continuous hank, and are a bit coarse. A weaving project maybe?



This is the latest completed spinning project: three hanks of 2 ply, light worsted weight or so, approximately 575 yards total. It's quite soft (Corriedale) and I'm pleased with the overall consistency.

42

HIPY HAPY BTHUTHDTH THUTHDA BTHUTHDY to the best daddy and husband!


(Tony is modeling a hat knit by Tracy and an awesome shirt screenprinted by Bullseye)

gold medal finish

With one day to spare, my ravelympic projects for 2010 have crossed the finish line (cue cheering and flag waving). While it's a bit large, my hat is very soft and will warm my head for years to come. My Shimmering Sands scarf turned out really well; I love how luxurious it feels and how well it drapes. This has definitely inspired me to weave more.

oogly oogly googly owen, or double motor fun

Two motors + quite a few of the gears = lots of giggles, jumping up and down, and marveling at his engineering success. These colorful pieces hold his attention for hours.

lap harp performance

This morning Kayte and I were treated to an Owen original entitled "Solo for My Dog". We were riveted to our seats.

Wilco (the concert)

Our sincere thanks goes out to Wilco, who in recent years has made a habit of playing a Duluth show whenever they tour Canada. Mayor Ness presented Tweedy and the boys with a certificate declaring them an honorary Duluth Band (see ** below).

Setlist:

1. Wilco (the Song)
2. A Shot in the Arm
3. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
4. Bull Black Nova
5. You Are My Face
6. One Wing
7. Kamera
8. Ashes of American Flags
9. Wishful Thinking
10. Nothingsevergonnastandinmyway (again)
11. Sonny Feeling
12. Impossible Germany
13. California Stars
14. Bob Dylan's 49th Beard
15. Handshake Drugs
16. You Never Know
17. Jesus, Etc.
18. Walken
19. I'm the Man Who Loves You
20. Hummingbird

ENCORE:

1. Via Chicago
2. Airline to Heaven
3. Hate It Here
4. Heavy Metal Drummer
5. Kingpin
6. Casino Queen
7. Hoodoo Voodoo

** “Whereas, most Duluth bands have many of the following characteristics: 1) At least one band member looks like a musician-sized lumberjack; 2) Occasional use of banjos, washboards, spoons, second banjos, and/or fiddles; 3) Some sort of connection (real or imagined) with Al Sparhawk; 4) A musical style that could be in part described with the word “roughneck” (i.e. roughneck folk, roughneck blues, roughneck indie rock, etc); Whereas, it appears that Wilco (the band) meets at least a couple of these important characteristics … Now, Therefore, I Don Ness, Mayor of the City of Duluth, do officially proclaim Wilco as an honorary Duluth band.”

a perfect winter day

progress

The Olympic projects are coming along quite well; I'm confident that they will both be completed in 10 days. Maybe I should have strict deadlines all of the time...

owen's creations

Owen has been busy creating things with our Gears! Gears! Gears! building sets. Here are two of his latest designs.

Photo #1 - A Christmas Tree



Photo #2 - A Scary Monster

Valentine's Day 2010

Dad surprised the boys this morning with special pancakes. Later in the day Mom unveiled heart-shaped finger jello for dessert.

light the torch

With any luck, this scrumptious stack of bamboo and suri alpaca goodness will become a handwoven scarf by February 28th when the Olympic torch is extinguished. This and a Fake Isle hat are my projects this year's Ravelympics. Let the Games begin!

fun with paper

Logan and Tracy worked hard on his valentines for school this year. After seeing the idea in a magazine, they started printing, cutting, folding, gluing, and writing until they had a pile of wonderful handcrafted cards. Inspired by their work, Owen created his own bird artwork.

the old sledding hill

The boys went to Chester Bowl today to try out their new Christmas sled. We began our downhill experience by observing the chair lift and counting the number of seats as they passed by. Eventually we made it to one of the sledding hills for some slippery fun.

ready, set, warp

Owen and I spent our morning warping my new loom, a Schacht Flip rigid heddle loom. A bit of a time consuming process the first time around, but not too difficult; it turns out Owen is an expert at looping the yarn around the warping peg and pulling the threads through the slots. Enough of the prep work, let's weave!