John & Anne Wiley

2013/02/20

Memory

I remember many times as a child, gazing wistfully at the sky. Not just when an airplane happened to pass or to watch a bird, or even to look at clouds like these.

4410 Both Sides

4410 Both Sides

Having flown all over the continent now, I’ve looked at clouds from both sides. Though I still often look at them from the ground like this, my memory of those childhood moments is expanded by having flown among them. I wonder what Lulu will remember of her visit here. If for some reason she didn’t see me again, would any of her memories include me? Moments like this one looking at me lovingly watching her?

4356 Childhood Moment

4356 Childhood Moment

My own grandfather died when I was about her age, and I have only a few dim memories of him. Might she remember the long visit we two had with ducks at the zoo while everyone else was buying lunch?

0865 Out of Sight

0865 Out of Sight

I realize now in looking at our zillions of pix, that I was out of sight for her most of the time. With the ducks I was mostly that hand tempting them with tidbits of bread, and occasionally a few quiet words behind her. Memories of me that are reinforced or formed by family photos will be few, since I took most of them and thus am the invisible man. Like those old black and white pix of our family, where Dad was just the photographer’s shadow most people don’t even notice. This is the way of human history, as we each pay the love forward outside of memory. Except when those we love leave a sweet note of appreciation that we can reflect on.

0966 Message in the Mirror

0966 Message in the Mirror

2013/02/16

Maybe One

I know, no more baby stuff. But I had to do this one more, a few favs from our family trip to the beach for Lulu’s first experience of the Santa Barbara coast.

4284 Right Here

4284 Right Here

I thought she’d be drawn to the water, but being totally Here and Now she instead wanted to run on the grass chasing the birds. As we walked a short path across the dune, her interest was beneath her feet.

4293 First Glimpse

4293 First Glimpse

Approaching the surf, she ran into the chilly water and immediately fell face first to the great alarm of everyone but Daddee who calmly fished her out and walked her back to Mommee for comfort and reassurance.

4306 Chase & Evade

4306 Chase & Evade

Then he introduced her to the giggly Chase & Evade game with the waves, so that soon she had a healthy caution but no terror of the surf. Bumpa loved watching (and photographing) all this. Later she settled down next to those of us watching from the beach, and played in the sand with a yellow flower Bumpa had provided.

4313 Careful Cultivation

4313 Careful Cultivation

She very carefully prepared the sand, planted the flower, then repeated the process moving it to a different spot. I’m so endlessly fascinated, seeing my daughter at that age all over again with wiser eyes.

2013/02/15

Baby Channel

This may be my last post that’s all about Baby. It’s been so fun to wallow in our addiction to everything she says and does. We’re even beginning to speak with each other in baby language, and I occasionally notice we’re all staring blankly at some of the baby shows she watches on TV. Here’s a toy house she gleefully discovered on our quick trip to Costco.

04_277 Playhouse Delight

04_277 Playhouse Delight

I’d never noticed them before, but her child eyes saw nothing else. Her pure joy opened my eyes and heart, but thankfully not my wallet. 🙂

Yesterday my fashionista daughter dressed her up for Valentine’s Day, and it was fun watching everyone else go gaga over her as we had in the morning (including our mama & paparazzi photo session).

4209 Heart Winning

4209 Heart Winning

She loved our brief visit to Painted Cave, and again opened my eyes to things I hadn’t noticed during our many previous visits there.

4218 Cave Explorer

4218 Cave Explorer

Then down to town for lunch at Andersen’s, where her Dad tried the pickled herring and the rest of us enjoyed the more typical delicious fare. Now he knows it’s not his favorite food. Then we shared three of their best yummy desserts. Another nourishing Family day. 🙂

4238 Family Day

4238 Family Day

2013/02/12

Perfect

A perfect day. Take a perfect wife, daughter, grand-daughter, son-in-law, sister, niece and her boyfriend. Then add perfect weather. Sprinkle on some loving chalk art dedicated to Grampa & Grammy.

4130 Chalk Art

4130 Chalk Art

We were asked last year what names we’d like Lulu to call us, and these are what we chose. Today it turns out she’s modified the pronunciation to Bumpa & Bammie. It’s so sweet the way she says them and as the saying goes, we don’t care what you call us just call. 🙂

To cap this Perfect day some of us flew to Santa Ynez to meet the others who drove over for a family dinner, then our little family of five came home (half by air, half by car).

4131 Perfect Flying Day

4131 Perfect Flying Day

Now we’re about to watch Groundhog Day. Again.

Life is So Sweet.

Perfect.

2013/02/10

Nice Change

A few days ago the two of us were flying along the magnificent Santa Barbara coast seeing sights like this at Naples just West of town.

2962 Naples Coast

2962 Naples Coast

Starting last night, we’re a large family doing things on the ground together. My precious Daughter and her fun husband brought our delightful Grand Daughter (I call her Lulu) to visit us for a week. So we woke this morning to this warm family scene with Lulu intently enjoying the toys and other kid supplies loaned by our sweet grandparent friends.

4073 Toys N Us

4073 Toys N Us

We’re re-learning all the skills we learned raising our daughter, like kid-proofing hazardous and breakable stuff, keeping toys off the floor, and most importantly how to handle tantrums and naps. Luckily we all have patience, knowledge and skills, and best of all she’s a Perfect Child. We took them to the farmer’s market, and they rather enjoyed the contrast with Edmonton where they were yesterday in sub-zero weather and the color-free realm of snow and ice we visited in February 2011.

4088 Contrast

4088 Contrast

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