TQM, hermana. Te extranho. ;) Outside Valencia, Venezuela, May 2005
5.25.2009
Handsome Venezuelan Lizard
Four years ago this week I was in Venezuela for my second trip in less than a year. I went through the photos last week. We spent one night outside Valencia at a friend's terrenho (country house) and saw lots of fascinating critters like this rather handsome lizard.
Annika & Auntie Melissa
Melissa, Kristen, and I got together at Kristen's new house (congrats!) last week with Annika for Chinese take-out and some catching up. Here's Annika playing with Melissa
Annika & Fabrice
It occured to Aaron and me that two of Annika's favorite toys both came with French names: Jacques the Peacock, and Sophie le Giraffe. So we decided to keep with the tradition and name her favorite monkey "Fabrice".
Eating out of her hand
Could this kid look any happier? She's cuddling with Papa, and Ichiban is letting her pet him!
Pet the Kitty . . . Nicely, please
Annika loves petting the cats. But she uses the kung fu grip on them, and I'm worried they're going to give it back to her before long. Mojo and Coco keep their distance, but Ichiban lets her pretty much do whatever she wants. Anyone who knows Ichiban and his man-killing reputation probably won't believe it, but it's true. After I snapped this picture, Annika got a hold of his cheek, then his whiskers. Ichiban remained patient, but I had had enought. That was the end of "pet the kitty nicely." For now.
Lovely Profile
2009-05-24 Amity Trees, Kiki Exersaucer, Angry Cat Pawprints 053 A, originally uploaded by jessica_beagan.
Annika, 6 months.
Kiki & the Exersaucer
2009-05-24 Amity Trees, Kiki Exersaucer, Angry Cat Pawprints 058 A, originally uploaded by jessica_beagan.
Her feet now touch the bottom comfortably and her balance is much improved.
Breaking the Branch
2009-05-24 Amity Trees, Kiki Exersaucer, Angry Cat Pawprints 031 A, originally uploaded by jessica_beagan.
So I was lamenting to Amity about how the big maple tree in the backyard has completely dominated the space, and she offered to climb the tree to cut the branches. Here, she's cut through the branch and is breaking it off.
Don't Mess with a Maine Girl
2009-05-24 Amity Trees, Kiki Exersaucer, Angry Cat Pawprints 009 A, originally uploaded by jessica_beagan.
They climb trees, cut branches with meager reciprocating saws, and even take time out for a beer. Seriously, I love this.
Yes, she took the call
2009-05-24 Amity Trees, Kiki Exersaucer, Angry Cat Pawprints 016 A, originally uploaded by jessica_beagan.
While taking a break from tree cutting, Amity got a phone call. I handed the Blackberry up to her in the tree, and she had a very pleasant chat. Hi Tim!
Amity Cutting Branches
2009-05-24 Amity Trees, Kiki Exersaucer, Angry Cat Pawprints 028, originally uploaded by jessica_beagan.
Check out the falling limb!
Rococo on the Porch
2009-05-24 Amity Trees, Kiki Exersaucer, Angry Cat Pawprints 001 A, originally uploaded by jessica_beagan.
Coco, guardian cat.
you are not welcome here (angry paw prints)
Rococo got really fired up one day last week when a friendly neighborhood black-and-white cat decided to peek in the porch door window. When Coco gets mad, she gets sweaty paws. These marks were left by her swatting at the interloping cat, a clear sign that he is not welcome here.
uh, lady
Annika didn't know what to make of Auntie Amity at first. It wasn't long before they were as thick as thieves. Photo by Amity. 5.23.09
wee baby toes
I've learned that babies use their feet to sense their environment. Adults have the same capacity, but 30+ years of high-heeled shoes and bare feet have made my feet way less sensitive (and sensing) than Annika's seem to be. Plus what's cuter than baby feet, really?
the baby
Tia Amity visited this weekend, and one of her goals was to take an Archer family portrait. We of course obliged, not least of all because Annika is over 6 months old and we don't have any portraits of the three of us, to my knowledge. I love the light in this version.
898th Post
I'm about to go off on some posting, so I thought I'd vary my tradition of marking my blog milestones in one-hundred post increments. So, just two posts shy of the 900 mark, here we are. Those who subscribe or check in on Icon now and again know that my output is way down in recent months, but these things are cyclical. So I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, and thanks for reading. :)
5.01.2009
Baby/Bathwater
We all know the old adage about not throwing out the baby with the bathwater: keep the good stuff, discard what's no longer useful or desirable. I've been thinking of this idea in terms of Chrysler's bankruptcy today. I saw on CNN Money that the United Auto Workers (UAW) will have a large stake in the reformed company. This means that the workers are going to own a major share in Chrysler, come whatever may. Isn't power in the hands of the workers one of the major tenets of socialism?
While some Obama opponents cry socialism in some of his policies or ideas, it occurs to me that in this time of change, when American becomes a citizen in the new globalized hybridized world community, we might consider that we are taking the 20th century's babies and disposing of the bathwater. Perhaps the change we need is a post-corporate world in which working people sit on the boards of directors for the companies at which they work. Perhaps the workers will be better stewards of the company than were the CEOs.
And if this smacks of socialism, so what? We're not weak or naive enough to fall victim to the same versions of blind nationalism, mindless fear that previous generations associate with the word. Giving more power to the workers, or better nationalized healthcare to all Americans, is NOT going to usher in another era like the mid-20th century. Instead, we will take the best ideas around and discard the rest. Keep the babies, toss the bathwater. It seems to me that that's what the Obama administration is trying to do, and it seems like a pretty good approach.
While some Obama opponents cry socialism in some of his policies or ideas, it occurs to me that in this time of change, when American becomes a citizen in the new globalized hybridized world community, we might consider that we are taking the 20th century's babies and disposing of the bathwater. Perhaps the change we need is a post-corporate world in which working people sit on the boards of directors for the companies at which they work. Perhaps the workers will be better stewards of the company than were the CEOs.
And if this smacks of socialism, so what? We're not weak or naive enough to fall victim to the same versions of blind nationalism, mindless fear that previous generations associate with the word. Giving more power to the workers, or better nationalized healthcare to all Americans, is NOT going to usher in another era like the mid-20th century. Instead, we will take the best ideas around and discard the rest. Keep the babies, toss the bathwater. It seems to me that that's what the Obama administration is trying to do, and it seems like a pretty good approach.
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