Winter Fun Part II

For our Winter Fun Day in St. Paul, we started with a great hot lunch at Cosetta's, and then we walked to the Landmark Center for ice skating. Since moving to MN, I have purchased my own pair of skates (they're practically a dime-a-dozen at Play It Again Sports), but my family had not skated for quite a while. Everyone had a great time - even if they don't look as if they had a great time. I think Anna had the best of it, since she snuggled with Grandma Tina in the warming tent the entire time.


After ice skating, we headed to Nina's Cafe for some hot drinks, then went downstairs to Common Good Bookstore, G. Keillor proprietor. Everyone picked out a book. Anna got The Daring Book for Girls. It has lots of great tips and tidbits on camping, spying, saying Spanish phrases, and many other adventures. It was a day well spent, and many fond memories were made.

Winter Fun

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My family came to Minnesota for Christmas. Ginny and I talked for a while to determine what we wanted to get them for Christmas, and we decided to give them a gift of time. We planned a family day in downtown St. Paul. Although Minneapolitans often make fun of St. Paul, it's actually a pretty cool city, and there's plenty to do. I created this map on Google Maps to give everyone an idea of what our day could hold. Ginny and I had decided that our day would begin at Cosetta's and that we would end up ice skating at some point, but we left the rest of the itinerary to everyone else.

Cozy Burgers

A while ago, I read an old post on my friend Chris' blog in which he talked about driving across Kansas to visit his in-laws in southwest Missouri. Now, Kansas may not be a premier tourist destination, but I spent quite a bit of time there as a kid. My aunt and uncle lived in Salina, and we would drive out to visit him. While we were in town, we never failed to grab a dozen burgers from the Cozy Inn. Maybe it's just nostalgia for a simpler time in a small midwestern town, but every once in a while, I get a craving for a Cozy Burger. Like right now.

Bonding

Bonding is a fascinating process. Remembering back to how I felt about becoming a father while Ginny was pregnant, I realize that it was really hard to process that a little person was developing in her womb. Fatherhood became more real when we spent an overnight in the hospital a week before Anna was born. At the time, we were told that Ginny might have been induced the following morning. Experiencing the trial run, sitting in triage, and checking into a delivery room to be monitored overnight brought the concept of becoming a parent home.

Seeing Anna for the first time evoked an amazing mix of emotions. As the Doc suctioned the mucus out of her nose and mouth, my heart filled with wonder at having seen her emerge, concern for her still purple body, and joy when she was placed in Ginny's arms.

In spite of the enormity of the emotions surrounding birth, bonding - like so many things in life - is not instantaneous. It is, rather, a process, a part of the life-cycle. The week before Anna's birth, I had a great conversation with some friends at school in which we concluded that parenting is not as much about what knowledge, nurture, or wisdom is imparted by the parent to the child as it is about the mutual growth of parents and child within this new family dynamic. In this way, parenting is similar to marriage, friendship, and many other human relationships that we form throughout our lives.

Within the first few nights after we arrived home with our little bundle, we noticed that Anna's patterns of activity, hiccups, and sleeptime followed the same rhythms that they had while she was still in utero. Before this realization, I don't think we had grasped that this was the Baby Bear that we had already begun to nurture and relate to while she was still in her mommy's tummy.

Last night, I was up with her again, and I found myself telling her about my most profound memories: my burgeoning awareness of space as a child. I love the deep connection to Colorado that was forged in my psyche. I want to share this meaningful connection with Anna by showing her the places that have come to mean so much to me, but I also want to introduce her to the beautiful state in which she was born. At the same time, I look forward to seeing what unique interests and nuances inform her life's journey, and I look forward to supporting my little girl in whatever path she pursues.

Loss

Two weeks ago, my cousin Mike died unexpectedly in his sleep. His passing was a brutal shock to his family and friends. Mike was the most fit person I know. He rode his bicycle year-round for most of his 40 years. This was no mean feat, considering he had lived lived in Avon, CO, for the past 22 years and rode his bike across the valley and up to Beaver Creek every day to teach ski lessons.

Mike was born to ride. His father and mine, Jack and Jim Janelle, were fixtures of the Colorado racing scene during the 1970's. One of Mike's proudest accomplishments was his first century ride - accomplished at the age of 5. Mike was a driving force behind the 3 consecutive Race Across America victories for his team, the most recent this past summer.

As well known as Mike was for his cycling feats, he was even more cherished as a friend. The amazing show of sorrow and support at his memorial service demonstrates how beloved he was in the Vail valley and how much he will be missed.

Most bereaved are his wife Maribel of one year and his unborn son. As much as my heart as broken for their loss, I am grateful that they are a part of my family.

For more details about Mike's life and death, visit his website.

Swoon

I can't remember where I came across this art a few years back, but I'm enthralled by the concept. Swoon is a street artist, but her medium of choice is paper and wheatpaste. Her brilliant art is not indelible; time and the elements eventually wash it away. Her subjects are mostly friends and family, and she composes them in locations where they will be seen as people go about their daily lives in the cities. She began her street art in New York as a student at the the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn in the late 1990's and has more recently composed work in several European cities.

This picture is of her grandfather. I love how he fits so naturally into the environment. This art is beautiful because pedestrians encounter it within their daily rhythms. As the seasons change, and as the city moves, the art transforms. While traditional street art is often subsumed by new graffiti, Swoon's art disappears because it was never meant to be around for ever. Older pieces melt away, but new portraits arrive on the landscape.