tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67858412302286296222024-03-05T12:31:48.403-08:00Tureks of the NorthPictures and tidbits from our family in AnchorageChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.comBlogger249125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-39879088226060201402019-11-01T08:59:00.003-07:002019-11-01T08:59:17.824-07:00<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/95543994@N00/">New Photos are updated weekly here.</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-18677523307290081582019-07-02T15:11:00.000-07:002019-07-02T15:11:14.978-07:00Here's a fun video from the week Henry attended St Therese's Camp in Wasilla.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Tw-7zjvk4-M" width="480"></iframe>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-42884062200648571402019-01-04T18:06:00.001-08:002019-01-04T18:06:11.433-08:00"I want to take something apart. What can I take apart?"
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How about this old iron?
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No school for several weeks means more time to visit friends, museums, sledding hills, and skating rinks.
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-64396572029378599052018-11-11T17:51:00.002-08:002018-11-11T17:51:30.883-08:00Halloween was on the warm side this year (25 degrees), though cold enough for ice and snow.The pumpkins froze on the porch and the lids would not separate from the top. So the candles went in through the mouths.<br />
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Dressed for a sizzling 25 degrees in Oceanview.<br />
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Fish #3 is doing well. #1 and #2 are in heaven.We believe the secret to the new fish's success is using store bought water rather than tap water and treatment solution. <br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-36055215219313125922018-10-12T18:05:00.001-07:002018-10-12T18:06:21.690-07:00STEM day at UAA was planned as a 2 hour trip, but 4 hours later at closing time there we were. From open to close these kids loved it.<br />
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The "Rogers Park 3" - Henry, Abel, and Isabella.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/95543994@N00/44423486724/in/dateposted-public/" title="20181006_131834"><img alt="20181006_131834" height="281" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1958/44423486724_8b43bed068.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-72638754179617374822018-09-08T20:57:00.002-07:002018-09-08T20:57:10.869-07:00These kids are growing much too quickly. 2nd grade is here, the final year of pre-school has begun, and dance and cub scouts never fails to fill in the cracks where free time used to live. No complaints.<br />
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On the bus ride home from the first day of school Henry stumbled off in a cluttered ball of excitement.<br />
"I pulled out my front tooth!"<br />
And there it was in his hand.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/95543994@N00/29228356167/in/dateposted-public/" title="First day of 2nd grade for Henry and the 1st day of dance class for Piper! And if that isn't exciting enough...Henry lost a tooth on the bus ride home!"><img alt="First day of 2nd grade for Henry and the 1st day of dance class for Piper! And if that isn't exciting enough...Henry lost a tooth on the bus ride home!" height="500" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1837/29228356167_22cbb2bedb.jpg" width="375" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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Piper was a less excited case on the first day in Ms. Nancy's class, but it succeeded all the same. Thankfully we own the book from that first day's lesson (<i>The Kissing Hand</i>), and were able to reread it that evening.<br />
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Byron Glacier with Pack 11:<br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-55987382636584190062017-12-15T17:23:00.000-08:002017-12-15T17:23:21.145-08:00Piper's three year old Preschool Christmas concert was today. Expectations were measured and guarded. Her dance recital earlier this week yielded a stoic and tearful Piper very uncomfortable with being on stage in front of grown-ups. The young ladies at dance class were spread out, so perhaps she felt a bit too isolated there.<br />
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We've heard all of the concert songs plenty of times at home, along with any required hand motions. She knows it all. Would she show it at the concert? Would she tense and cry at the concert?<br />
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Unfortunately there was little to no singing at the concert, but Piper stood calmly still while the songs clanged away. I believe she found comfort standing so closely to her classmates. In the video below Piper (the sun) "melts" away the snowmen.<br />
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She did great right up until the last song. As expected (by anyone that has attended these programs before), Santa made an appearance after the last song. He told the kids just how wonderful their singing was and how Merry a Christmas next week would be. Most kids found this delightful.<br />
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Looking at the photo below and noting where the kids are gazing, you'll conclude that Santa is to Piper's right, which explains why her tears and terror are aimed away and to her left.
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Full <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/95543994@N00/sets/72157661639244217">set of videos and photos here.</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-73397272999205569082017-12-09T08:49:00.002-08:002017-12-09T08:49:37.918-08:00I don't know if St Nick's day is a Catholic thing, a Midwestern one, a Polish one, or just a bungalow belt Chicago tradition. I know that I have always loved it and thus we expose our young Tureks to it. It's an easy way to get into the Christmas spirit and an opportunity to receive a small gift; their participation is a slam dunk. <br />
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Last year Piper flopped on the floor and cried when she noticed foreign objects in her boots. This year she just held her bear and reared back apprehensively, eventually settling in a corner of the couch eyeballing the boot. After some breakfast she was ready to give the Little Mermaid items a try. <br />
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It all worked out just fine, but it's clear that fiddling with her shoes is some degree of deep violation.<br />
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I still do some software support for a BP north slope application, so we were able to join in on the BP night at the zoo. The dark zoo is filled with holiday lights, hot chocolate breaks, and lots of familiar faces ("I remember that guy from floor 3." "She was always in the elevator going higher than me."). It's easy to get spoiled when you mainly visit the zoo on nights when it's closed to public.<br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-43331848465909688762017-11-07T09:59:00.001-08:002017-11-07T09:59:48.200-08:00In Wisconsin on Walton's Mountain:<br />
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Back in Anchorage:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/95543994@N00/26423892089/in/dateposted-public/" title="20171105_134722"><img alt="20171105_134722" height="375" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4489/26423892089_3acec83716.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-69125111417108525512017-11-01T22:46:00.001-07:002017-11-01T22:46:33.618-07:00Halloween has left us with an enormous pile of candy, certainly much more than any previous year. The kids are getting old enough to walk a bit further than the previous year, they have a stronger understanding of the correlation between doorbells and candy, and this was one of the warmest Alaskan Halloweens I'm aware of. Thirty seven degrees and foggy, without snow or ice around. In short, not slippery and snow pants were not needed.<br />
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Henry once again shocked no one and went as a firefighter. Piper came in predictably as a mermaid (Ariel if we are to be precise). One kind home owner called her a princess, to which she (sort of politely) replied, "I'm not a princess. I'm a mermaid." We're starting to split hairs here, but I think I understand. She's a mermaid first, Ariel second. Coming in later is the fact that Ariel is a mermaid princess. Don't stack the adjectives too densely and she'll be more at peace -- got it.<br />
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There is just too much going on this time of the year. Piper's preschool had a fall carnival (calling it a Halloween party is a bridge too far?) and of course St. Elizabeth's had their usual huge Halloween party. Henry is a champion in the haunted house, and this year that peer pressure pulled Piper in as well.<br />
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No nightmares of any kind (due to the haunted house or anything else for that matter). The information I receive regarding dreams these days are the following:<br />
Piper -- "I dreamt about monkeys again."<br />
Henry -- "I dreamt about model trains." or "I dreamt about US 1 trucking slot cars."<br />
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Full set of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/95543994@N00/sets/72157690102276736">Halloween photos here.</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-79740579694272196162017-10-28T10:19:00.003-07:002017-10-28T10:19:59.963-07:00If you love drinking from a fire hose, here are <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/95543994@N00/sets/72157689927254766/">808 photos </a>from Becky's trip to Hong Kong and the Philippines a few weeks ago.<br />
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I held down the home front for 11 days, shuttling kids to school, scouts, and dance. Everyone remained healthy, arrived everywhere on time, and was clean and properly fed. Most importantly, Piper's class pictures were a success (read: Daddy fixed her hair properly).<br />
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Fall quickly snapped into winter, but that has never hindered the Tuesday night cross country race series.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/95543994@N00/37884836212/in/dateposted-public/" title="20171024_182818"><img alt="20171024_182818" height="480" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4445/37884836212_c8e6ed79d4_z.jpg" width="540" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-67091028811535561702017-08-13T21:20:00.000-07:002017-08-13T21:20:05.363-07:00New House!Shame on me for not posting these past 4 months. I will offer excuses, but they are only that.<br />
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We sold our condo in a day, thankfully found a wonderful home within a few weeks, and then ground through the mortgage and closing process. All went smoothly, finding us moved in around mid June. Henry and I bunked at Cub Scout camp, there were more than a handful of other camping trips, and now we sit in a home filled with not enough furniture and more than a few unopened boxes. Quire wonderful.<br />
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Full photo set <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/95543994@N00/albums/72157684980638924">here</a>.<br />
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-72043610133672688252017-04-26T16:07:00.000-07:002017-04-26T16:07:47.800-07:00I've never enjoyed or gravitated towards public speaking, but being an adult with a job means you lean into it now and again. I don't need to speak to a full room at a Holiday Inn, but I need to be comfortable in a room full of coworkers and clients. You get over things when you need to.
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Henry's class has show and tell each Friday, dictated by the letter of the week. Twenty-six weeks have passed and the letter Z has drifted into the sunset, so it's time for parents to volunteer to become the item that will be shown. I signed up to show and tell about Software Engineering.
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I didn't know exactly what to say, or rather which aspects of my field would translate with any interest to a group of kindergartners. But, it should be noted that this is a highly gifted classroom, so maybe there is more wiggle room for math and science chatter. Henry's teacher assured me the topic was a good one and that there would be a pile of engaged faces and probably some questions. She was correct.
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Just after being introduced I stood at the whiteboard looking for a marker.<br />
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"You're tall."<br />
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"Correct. I am." I grabbed a marker turned to start writing on the board.<br />
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A handful of hands shot up, but thankfully their teacher asked them to save their questions for when Mr. Turek asks for them.<br />
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I defined some broad terms about what Software Engineering means, gave a few examples about large projects I have completed, and then quickly brought up the ideas of the Alaska Pipeline and earthquakes. I figured the students would certainly have a sense of those two things, which would make my talk a bit more interesting. I described how I am involved with software that gathers real time data about earthquakes and generates alerts as needed; it keeps the folks on the pipeline equipped with real time information to best keep all things humming along safely. The questions began almost immediately.
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"What if there were two earthquakes, one on each side of the pipeline?"
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"Where would the oil go if the pipeline fell apart?"
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"What if two super storms collided together right over the pipeline?"
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"What if the ice got into the pipeline? I know that water expands when it freezes."
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"I can do division."
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"What if the computers broke?"<br />
"There are back up computers to keep it all safe."<br />
"What if all the computers broke?"
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"I forgot my question."
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I wrapped up with some thoughts about what steered me to this field as a young student -- math, science, puzzles, mystery books, Encyclopedia Brown books, etc.
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The questions were pretty overwhelming at moments, but it speaks to the fact that the thirty minutes were not dull and cooked along. That's a victory for sure.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/95543994@N00/34269865955/in/dateposted-public/" title="2017-04-25_12-59-24"><img alt="2017-04-25_12-59-24" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4188/34269865955_0b1700e5ec_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-5981534364781849082017-03-24T16:37:00.002-07:002017-03-24T16:37:37.369-07:00Winter has yet to quit, but we are too busy to care. Henry has his first pinewood derby coming up and the design we settled on is an Amtrak train. It's the first year so in the name of keeping it simple, I suggested we cut a simple wedge shape. It's fairly quick down the track, easy to cut, and should be competitive.
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Soon after settling on this plan, Henry expressed a desire to craft an Alaskan train engine. I quickly declared this achievable, but suggested we target that for next year. We should have more square footage by then and will have this year under our belts. We'll be ready for a more complicated design (not to mention a more detailed paint job).
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Uncle Randy happily allowed us to use his power tools, guiding the pencil marked block across the table saw. That was a grown up job for certain. The hand sander was a Henry job. If you watch the video above you will notice Henry's attention is less than focused. Ergo, there is a bit of concave in the center of the car. So be it. We soon had a sanded wedge, a handful of lead weights, and a weight of 4.8 ounces -- preparing us to hit that regulated 5 ounces when the paint and glue come into play.
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Depending on the photos you look at, Amtrak trains are either silver or grey. I own a nice can of primer grey so that's the first road we started down. It looks plenty good with that color. Henry declined the silver top coat, so primer grey it will stay. We ebayed some Amtrak stickers and Henry will soon decide on their placement. Throw on a clear coat and wheels and we should be set for next weekend's race.
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Everywhere Piper goes is St Elizabeth's. Everywhere.<br />
"How was Arctic Gymnastics today?"<br />
"I go to St Elizabeth's."<br />
"St Elizabeth's is Wednesday. And the weekend."<br />
It's now a fun game. Henry, where are you going to go to college?<br />
"Alaska, or just work at the Lego store in the Mall of America."<br />
How about you Piper?<br />
"I go to"...well, you already know.<br />
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-87311870959418028232017-02-20T16:57:00.000-08:002017-02-20T16:57:02.591-08:00This is a true Alaskan winter. I doubt it's an extreme one, but after several mild ones this feels tough. Perhaps this would have been a better year to have planned a <a href="http://alaskantureks.blogspot.com/2016/01/all-hawaii-pictures-here.html">Hawaiian getaway</a>.
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The days are getting longer and a handful of summer plans are coming together; we are planning for the snow to melt and feel ourselves now being pulled towards it. Henry is registered for a week of camp at the science center. As a family, we've reserved a public use cabin for a single night in July with the plan of introducing Piper to some Alaskan camping.
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The biggest summer plan is Henry's cub scout camp. While <a href="https://www.scoutingalaska.org/CampGorsuch">Camp Gorsuch</a> was always on our radar for this summer, the happy surprise last week was confirmation that a Tiger Scout like Henry is able to stay overnight given that his guardian (me) camps with him. It's an exception to a rule restricting overnight camping to older scouts. Henry is very excited about it, and I'm very excited to head to a place where I get to turn off my phone and PC for a week.
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Piper is now registered for pre-school this coming fall, so potty training has a firm goal. Piper does a great job of not having accidents, assuming she's not wearing pants. When the pants are on, the message received is that you are welcome to let it rip. It makes sense in its own way, but it remains our largest impediment.
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-80519498501431239122017-01-31T18:26:00.000-08:002017-01-31T18:26:31.468-08:00The Christmas decorations have been taken down, stowed carefully in their boxes, and then carefully stacked in our crawlspace. It's one big day and at the end our little townhouse looks miraculously larger than ever before (for at least a few hours). We are going to make every effort this coming year to have our next Christmas in a larger home, one where I can walk gingerly to the garage to retrieve and stow those boxes. I'm sure we'll look back in a blink and see these as the good old days, but right now they're the cramped days. These are uptown problems to be sure -- everyone is warm, has a full belly, and has plenty of clothes.<br />
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It was -21 for a few days. Then it snowed well over a foot. Followed by a few days of 40 degree temps. It's back in the 20s now, we still have piles of snow, and all the lakes are still solidly frozen. Let's stay above zero and enjoy winter and the growing daylight.<br />
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Everyday is a Lego day around here. As for Piper, everyday is a bear day.<br />
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-32260264565169674242017-01-10T22:43:00.001-08:002017-01-31T18:27:00.733-08:00It's far too easy to forget and cave into the fast pace of life, but we try to be mindful of introducing family holiday traditions to the kids. Thanks to a Christmas card by the way of Texas, we acquired some <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_wafer">oplatek</a>. It's a Polish holiday custom I've always enjoyed, and I would say Henry and Piper now feel the same way.<br />
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After happily exchanging greetings and pieces of the wafer the kids keyed in on the remainder of wafer on the table. Piper may have been first. "Eat rest?" They were given the green light and equal portions, and soon devoured it. Nice Polish kids.<br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-16803753937287692902017-01-09T17:32:00.001-08:002017-01-09T17:32:15.583-08:00I don't know why, but all the kids want to do is play a hiking and camping game these days. It involves loading up a backpack with plastic tools, grabbing a few blankets, clicking on the fake candle (read: campfire), and finally spreading it all out on the floor of the bathroom. Soon after I am instructed to close the door and keep it shut. As long as I don't hear the water running or toilet lid clanging, I leave well enough alone. Chatter about "the top of the mountain" soon follows.<br />
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This has happily translated into excitement for summer camping and hiking trips, so I've already started sketching out a few campgrounds and rental cabins. <br />
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Henry's Lion scout pack rambles forward, peppered mostly by Pack Nights as of late. At the Christmas party shown below the Scoutmaster passed out kazoos. After a wall of sound failing repeatedly to replicate classic holiday carols, the scouts were allowed to walk up and visit the cookie table. At the end of the meeting the Scoutmaster reminded us with a smile that we were more than welcome to take home those kazoos. Thanks, buddy.<br />
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-83936577557848504732017-01-06T14:05:00.001-08:002017-01-06T14:05:27.203-08:00I don't know if Piper really enjoys ice skating, but I do know she loves talking about it. "Go ice skating?" She also loves reliving the event over the next day or so. All good things that send us to nearby Cheney Lake at least once a week. She's never had a problem with fussing when life becomes displeasing, so her lack of protest with getting geared up and stood up on skates is a key indicator of happiness.<br />
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Even though Henry hasn't skated at all during the summer, he seems to have not lost a step once he gets back on the ice. He only falls when he starts sprinting here and there, eventually losing control and sliding onto the ice. Most of the time he just cruises around in control. I'd say he's a pretty solid skater for a five year old. If he looks into hockey lessons in the next few years, he'll have some confidence in his pocket.<br />
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Piper is pretty good at standing straight in her skates; no rolling ankles at all. There isn't a great deal of forward motion, but there is a degree of steadiness. Couple that with zero fussing and I'm calling it a victory. After about ten minutes a polite sentence usually comes out. "Put boots on." Fair enough. On go the boots and about an hour of snow exploring commences. All good stuff.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/95543994@N00/sets/72157674878571864">Full photo set here.</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-43463850064333759992017-01-03T13:57:00.000-08:002017-01-03T14:44:09.159-08:00Christmas with kids makes the holiday much more exciting and meaningful; it's been that way since Henry was an infant. Now that Henry is five and Piper is a chatty and active two year old, Christmas is at a whole new level. All around, this Christmas was just a home run. We even found excellent seating in the crying room for Christmas Eve mass.
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Piper really wanted another bear for Christmas. Upon her second visit to Santa this season she had found her courage. She stood in front of him, slowly twiddled her thumbs, stared at her shoes, and then looked up in a burst. "Want another bear!" It looked like she was asking for a raise.
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On an unrelated note, a package from Amazon that may have contained a bear was randomly delayed such that its earliest date of arrival was the 27th. Yes, it was ordered early enough, yet there we stood. The dates just weren't working out correctly, and this young lady had put legitimate effort into getting that request to the big guy.
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Once the tracking info confirmed that Amazon was going to be a miss, Plan B kicked off. Around December 23rd a charming, local toy store in Anchorage was visited, and a high quality bear was purchased. To conclude, the Easter bunny has a high probability of giving a bear to Piper this year.<br />
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Santa came through for Henry, bringing a Lego Volcano set. Mercifully, everyone slept through the night. Unlike last year, Henry did not rise every hour to check if any light peered up the stairs from the first floor (If it's dark downstairs, Daddy or Mommy are still sleeping so you should be as well). Henry followed his strict Santa instructions and snoozed till 7 am. Piper is an extremely light sleeper and surely would have tagged along with any inspections of downstairs lights, so we're thankful for that.
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I woke up first to find that our heat was out, and had been for about two hours. This is one of the perfect moments to be in a condo association. Make the phone call to the association, let them summon and compensate a professional, and then merely light our fireplace. It was twenty degrees outside, so our home remained comfortable for the six hours until the zone valve was replaced.<br />
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Full set of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/95543994@N00/sets/72157674468012964">Christmas photos here.</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-43564168527121030092016-12-17T22:52:00.000-08:002017-01-03T12:16:24.714-08:00Too much overtime and not enough writing has been a large problem this fall. We're still up here in Alaska, trucking along.<br />
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School keeps clicking for Henry and his class, teachers, and school are just about perfect.<br />
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Henry and Mommy jumped on the Santa Train this year and enjoyed the snow, ice, and mountains as they cruised down Turnagain to Indian.<br />
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Henry focused in and won the coloring contest, taking home an Alaskan Train pillow. This pillow remains tightly gripped each bedtime.
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Piper screamed bloody murder for Santa last year, which makes her behavior this year a victory for sure. She silently stared at the floor, lower lip extended. After some coaxing she told Santa she wanted "another bear." You can't have enough stuffed bears these days.<br />
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-83046974023709776412016-08-23T11:05:00.000-07:002016-08-23T11:05:00.089-07:00If you heard a loud surge of air from the north, it was Becky and Chris exhaling as Henry's Kindergarten destination finally sorted itself out. We had known for quite a few months that our lottery choices washed out, so we were only left with St Elizabeth's and testing into Rogers Park.<br />
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After Henry's birthday in July he was able to take the test, which ended up being 4 sessions after the dust settled. He did great and off to <a href="http://rogerspark.asdk12.org/hg/">Rogers Park </a>he goes. We couldn't be prouder and now everyone is excited about bus schedules, hot lunches, and classrooms.<br />
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-40101725116221224062016-08-10T16:05:00.000-07:002016-08-10T16:05:44.477-07:00<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/95543994@N00/28117029104/in/album-72157671860673406/" title="IMG_1571 (Large)"><img alt="IMG_1571 (Large)" height="375" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8258/28117029104_1a38110452.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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The trip had been circled on the calendar for quite a few months, starting back when snow was still on the ground. The public use cabins in Alaska on summer weekends fill up pretty fast, so I wisely booked early.<br />
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The cabin we chose is on Red Shirt Lake in the Willow area, and is reached by canoe after backpacking 3 miles to the canoe launch. Henry asserted repeatedly that he was up for the 3 mile forest hike and that he would happily carry his John Deere backpack. I knew I could carry the majority of our gear in my large multi-day pack, along with the oars and fishing poles in my hands. I quietly prepared for tacking on the John Deere pack in the middle of the hike if need be.<br />
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I needn't have worried. Henry mowed down the 3 miles like a champion. He certainly began noting how sore his feet were getting in that last mile, but he never asked to stop and rest. He bought into the plan to just keep ticking forward, and was clearly exciting about the canoe part of the trip. Most of the hike out to Red Shirt Lake was soundtracked by Henry repeatedly identifying the devil's club plants. It was tedious at times, but it kept his mind distracted while his feet clicked along. As we reached the final half mile he started to drag, but I quickly sent him off with questions about Legos and what big thing he could build next.<br />
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In our travels around the lake we found a tiny island, and scavenged it for blueberries and firewood. Looking at the picture above, you'll see that we stumbled onto a geocache. Henry promptly wrote his name in it and we safely placed it back where we found it.<br />
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As expected, there was a certain degree of jumping in the air when the lake and canoe racks came into view. With canoes loaded, we began our 15 minute paddle to our cabin. Once we hit the open water the wind began pushing us around more than I had expected, and we needed to regroup before pushing hard into the wind, tucking behind a small island, and then plowing broadside into the whitecaps, ultimately spinning towards our destination. It was real work for one adult, but we found our solution. For the rest of that evening through the next morning, that strong wind blew whitecaps. Even the loons took the night off.<br />
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Thankfully the afternoon of day two brought calm waters as the Hamel girls and their Dad came to join us. <br />
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The picture above has Henry and the Hamel girls pointing at the scene of the weekend's most dramatic moment. On the quiet side of the island, far from the cabin, is a small trail leading to a smooth piece of dirt from which you can easily cast and fish. Henry and I fished from that point together much of the previous day, and even sat there a few times while we filtered water. It's a peaceful spot and out of the wind.<br />
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While dinner was being prepared, Henry and I walked to our peaceful spot with Nalgene bottle and water purifier in hand. Henry loves pumping the device and I'm happy to hold it. Down we sat on the shore, our feet dangling in the shallow water. I pinched the bottle between my things, guided the hose into it, and then propped the pump on my knee, while Henry hammered down on the pump. I believe we filled a quarter of the bottle before the first bees appeared. I noticed a few yellow jackets buzzing around my legs, then one near Henry's moving hand. By the time I looked up fully there were four near Henry's face, another four near his chest, and more than a few around me. Henry had no doubts about what was happening.<br />
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Up he jumped and out came the screams. He spun immediately and began running up the small incline, but his feet couldn't gain any traction. I yelled for him to run and he yelled that he could not. I placed my palm squarely on his bottom and shoved him solidly up the hill. His boots caught and soon he was twenty feet down the trail, standing and crying. In helping him I missed my opportunity to shoo away the bees, and took two stings to my arm.<br />
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Once I made it up the hill and verified that he had not been stung and that the bees had not followed us up, Henry was able to start to calm down. It's a flat out miracle he didn't take a hit. It was definitely an intense few minutes, compounded by our awkward squatting. We looked down gingerly at the shore and saw the bees cruising in and out of the nest right at ground level. We had plopped ourselves right on top of it.<br />
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Thirty minutes later Henry had decided that the bees had only wanted to check him out, were much more upset with Daddy, and that Maggie and Ann needed to be carefully taken to the spot so they knew where to avoid.<br />
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Full set of photos <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/95543994@N00/albums/72157671860673406">here</a>.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-54038135550476175552016-08-03T11:17:00.000-07:002016-08-03T11:17:22.327-07:00It's genuinely difficult to believe, but Henry turned 5 a few weeks ago. Becky and I remember vividly when he was first born, came home, and first started crawling around the house. Now we're staring down the first day of kindergarten.
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On his birthday we ate his beloved Subway sandwiches, opened gifts with Grandpa Barnes, and assembled Legos while Henry and Piper slurped ice cream with sprinkles.
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The following Saturday was the larger, proper party at a local park here in Anchorage. The kids ran through the woods, fought invisible bad guys, became very dusty, and eventually sat still long enough to devour cupcakes and watch Henry tear open his gifts. Piper cruised around the playground, giggling loudly each trip down the large slide.
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As friends and toddlers drifted away to the rest of their Saturday, we lazily cleaned up, watching Henry and Piper bounced around the playground. A man passed through walking his dog and mentioned that he had just come across a black bear and two cubs in the woods behind us. After thanking him for the information, we loaded a fair amount faster and called it a day. The weather and company were perfect, and we were wise enough to understand that bears stomping around within fifty yards means it's time to call it a day.
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Full <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/95543994@N00/sets/72157668927569783">set of birthday photos</a>.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785841230228629622.post-59685631432523306692016-06-17T22:30:00.002-07:002016-06-17T22:30:51.722-07:00I feel like I'm back there in Wisconsin, even while sitting at my desk here in Anchorage. The pictures and texts come in, sometimes prefaced by questions for directions and best routes.<br />
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The Appleton museum looks like a complete hit. The batch of pictures had nothing but smiles.<br />
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I was able to put together some directions when it came to visiting the zoo in Madison.<br />
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"When you're on Park Street keep going. Try not to stop."<br />
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"Vilas Park is a nest of one ways. Wrap around to the west side before turning in."<br />
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I try to be helpful and suspect that I am. However, I kept following rabbit trails into the past.<br />
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"You'll pass the place I played hockey every night."<br />
<br />"On your right is the entrance to the arboretum. I pedaled through there every day. No, you don't need to turn there. I'm just sayin'."<br />
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Safe in the yard in Coloma. Man, Piper and Henry sure look like siblings.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/95543994@N00/27659919171/in/dateposted-public/" title="20160612_190138"><img alt="20160612_190138" height="281" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7312/27659919171_b635835901.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659814936232202831noreply@blogger.com1