Florida

Right after Christmas this past year, we took a vacation to Florida.  We stayed at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel, went swimming, did a little hiking, and went to Sea World.  Pretty much every week since we've gotten home Eden has said, "We should go back to Florida and Sea World!"

Z loved the bamboo growing all around the grounds of the hotel.

The hotel is at the source of Shingle Creek, which waters the Everglades.

There were beautiful birds everywhere.

Trying on glasses in the gift store.

Get on the sun screen -- it's warm out there!

Eden really did have fun, even though it doesn't look like it in this picture!

At Sea World you could just reach in and pet the stingrays.  Cool!

Same thing with the dolphins, but only Nathan managed to do it.

Watching the dolphins underwater.

The dolphin show was Eden's favorite.  It was pretty amazing.

Z absolutely insisted on sitting in the Soak Zone.

The dolphin show.

This is the Orca show where we really did get soaked!  Z and Nathan are doing the move that tells the Orcas to splash the crowd with their tails.  Those tails can really send the water flying!  Eden was not as happy about this show.

Z loved it!

All of us soaked by the Orcas!

And Z posing with one afterwards.

Eden and I went on a little train ride.

And Z had fun at the bubble machine.

Z was the only one of us willing to go on this vomit-inducing ride.  I'm not sure he enjoyed it much, but he did keep his lunch down.

Eden had a penny pressed with the picture of a mannitee.  Here she's showing it off beside the real mannitees.

Fun times!

Just as we were leaving the park, we walked past a man and woman carrying a huge, blue stuffed penguin.  Eden said, "Wow, look at the penguin!"  And I said, "Yeah, that's a big one!"  We went to put the stroller away and just as we were leaving the man came running up and said to Eden, "Would you like the penguin?"  She was too stunned to say anything, but once she realized he was really giving it to her, she was absolutely thrilled!  I imagine he won the penguin at one of the games and was just as happy to get rid of it!  He certainly made Eden's day!

Eden with her penguin on the bus back to the hotel.

After Eden was given the penguin, Z felt a little sorry for himself.  A very kind young women observed this and gave him this necklace, which made his day!  People can be so nice.

The penguin was the center of a wrestling match that night.  He took a bit of a beating.

And then acted as pillow for TV time.

From the Past

I found this picture today and it just  makes me laugh.  It's from the fall of 2006.

The Living River

[Nathan writing]

The river changes every day.  Even in winter.  One would think that -5 degree weather would freeze the Big Sioux into stasis, but this is not nearly the case.  Aside from the snow and leaves blowing across the icy surface, the water beneath continues to flow, sometimes leaving depressions, sometimes lifting slabs of ice upwards, sometimes cracking the thick upper layer, sometimes bursting through.  This place lives.

Two nights ago was especially creepy.  Finger-like clouds from the north sneaked up on the starry sky and were illuminated by light from the city.  Phin and I walked down our property alongside the river.  The air temperature hovered around zero, made sharper by the wind.  Every few seconds the river snapped and cracked.  I got to thinking how Native American groups like the Oneota (who used to populate this exact area) conceived of all things as alive.  Suddenly the river made a loud groan, something almost human yet preternatural, similar to the noises one hears on those movies where a metal ship is buckling and sinking.  For a moment I became an animist.

Then I looked back and saw our curious octagonal house glowing amid the river basin.  Perhaps better to get warm and discover a new river in the morning.

Apple Orchard

Last October we made our annual trip to the apple orchard.  It is full of charms for us.  It's like the tree Diggory plants in his back yard that blows with the breezes of Narnia.

We had a wonderful day, and here are the pictures to prove it!

Ninjas

Last summer at the Renaissance Fair Eden bought a little wooden shield and sword, which gave me the great idea that she should be Eowyn (from Lord of the Rings) for Halloween.  We could get a pretty, medieval looking dress, do her hair like Eowyn in the movie, and every time someone opened a door she could brandish her sword and shield and declare, "I am no man!"  Totally awesome, right?  But, Eden had other ideas.  She wanted to be a ninja, a pink ninja, to be exact.

I spent weeks trying to convince her to be Eowyn.  I told her the story of how Eowyn slew the King Ringwraith.  I showed her pictures online of her pretty dresses and pretty hair.  I told her she could use her shield and sword.  We practiced saying "I am no man!"  She seemed to enjoy it all, but every time I asked her if she wanted to be Eowyn for Halloween she said, "No, I think I want to be a pink ninja."

So, I gave up the idea of Eowyn (for this year) and bought her a pink ninja outfit.  Z was already planning to be a ninja, which I'm pretty sure was the major influence on Eden's choice.  But, when all was said and done, they did make a pretty good pair of ninjas.

Orlando, Florida

We're in sunny Florida right now.  Yesterday's high was 81, today's was 84.  Lovely.  The kids have been looking forward to this vacation for months (and so have I).  When we arrived in the Orlando airport Eden was so excited and kept saying, "I can't believe we're in Florida!  I can't believe we're in Florida!"  We went to the carousel to pick up our bags and while we were waiting we overheard a woman on her cell phone who seemed to talking to some computer trying to get information, maybe a phone number.  Finally she lost her patience and yelled really loudly, "Orlando f***ing Florida!"  Yikes.

We got our bags and went outside to get a taxi.  As we walked out of the airport we were enveloped in warm, humid air.  I said, "Yay, we're in Florida!"  Eden looked up at me with a super happy smile and yelled in her most excited voice, "Orlando f***ing Florida!"

Let the good times roll! :-)