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Ooops

Oh, I think this is the longest I’ve gone not updating my blog without the excuse of being overseas and bereft of internet. Bad, bad! What happened to that daily compulsion to write? It was sublimated by attending to near-insurmountable day job demands as well as an annoying amount of grad school busywork, plus traveling, running, domesticating, and hanging out with my boys. Or, as Little Boy would winsomely put it… “my bros.”

He’s doing great in Kindergarten. Or, as his teacher put it during the parent-teacher conference… “I don’t think he has a learning disability.” Excellent!

Honestly, he’s doing great. Even if he’s not reading yet (and really, two decades ago the idea of a 5 year-old not reading was normal — not a situation to monitor, anxiously) the teacher reports he comes to school ready to learn, works tasks to completion, is very popular (with both boys and girls), and has a decidedly “engineer” mentality. Her words: “engineer!” Every parent goes to the Kindergarten parent-teacher conference hoping to find out what their child will be when they grow up, and I swear, while looking at a picture he constructed of a castle (which he spelled “ksl”, but whateva) she pointed to his intricate rendering of the curtain walls and said “Look, that’s an engineer!” We’re holding you to that, Mrs. R. If he doesn’t grow up and build bridges in Africa, we’re going to have another little conference.

Playing at dock construction, Habitat

Halloween -- Red Ninja!

Cool October Day at Boston Harbor!

Our pumpkins, courtesy of Grandpa's Pumpkin Patch

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By Meredith – November 20, 2013

Great Kid

Lately there have been too many pictures of sweaty runners on this website. And not enough Little Boy.

I have good intentions of sitting down and writing a lengthy post about how Little Boy is adjusting to Kindergarten life, but work, grad school, domesticity, and my own pursuits (see sweaty running pictures) have been all-consuming. When I’m not engaged in those things, I’m usually hanging out with Little Boy and Mr. P, because that is my greatest joy.

When Little Boy came home 2 and 1/2 years ago, I took him to an International Adoption doctor in Boston. She gave him a thorough physical as well as a battery of developmental tests. This was about one week after we came home (I wanted tests for parasites, pronto) and though I loved him dearly, it was an abstract love — Little Boy and I were still strangers, I was a new mom, and the language barrier often made simple things a struggle. Essentially, I was uncertain and a little scared about suddenly being in charge of Little Boy’s life. I think the doctor could sense my uncertainty, because at the end of the visit she looked me straight in the eye and said, “This is a great kid.”

“Yeah, he is,” I agreed.

She repeated, “This is a great kid,” sounding 100% more certain than I did.

Maybe the doctor says that to all the new adoptive parents, to bolster spirits, rally confidence, and foster acceptance. But these days, when people ask me about my son, that is exactly what I say: “He is a great kid.”

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By Meredith – October 31, 2013

TARC Fall Classic 2013

Exactly one week ago, last Friday, a co-worker asked me what I had on tap for the weekend.

“Oh, just a race tomorrow morning,” I said.

“Uh-oh! I’m afraid to ask how long!” she said.

“It’s only a half-marathon,” I said. I said “only,” only because earlier this year she would ask me how long my races were and I’d say horrific things like “50 miles” and “100K.”

But of course she started laughing. “Only a half-marathon!”

Ha ha, but really. A half-marathon doesn’t seem like much to me any more. For the TARC Fall Classic, I was originally signed up to do the marathon, but the fact that I’m kinda sort maybe trying to qualify for Boston by running the Philadelphia Marathon next month gave me pause, because this TARC Fall Classic is the very race that effectively ended my season last year, when I pulled my quad running the 50K (a week after running the Chicago marathon). I’ve learned. I emailed the race director the week before and asked to switch to the half, because, if I’m going to qualify for Boston, I need more running fast, not more running long.

I’m not that fast, though. Faster than last year, for sure. I’ve used some of Mr. P’s road-running techniques — tempo runs, sprints. I even went to the local high school track one morning but then the football team showed up and I freaked out and left… the next day, I had a knot in my hamstring and I vowed to Mr. P “No more running fast.” But the allure of finishing higher in the race results is undeniable. I’ve evolved past wanting to do a race to prove I could do the distance; I now aspire to be faster in the shorter distances, to be a little more competitive in the popular local races, and dare I say, I aspire to qualify for Boston (which involves running 26 miles for about 8:20/mile, so yeah, it’s insane, but why not try)?

Among the local trail running community, the TARC events are beloved and always very competitive. There are always a good number of newcomers who show up, not realizing that a trail race means roots, rocks, and hills — very different from the treadmill! But it’s a good time and costs $20 and they let us download the photos for free. Gotta love the TARC. I finished in 2 hours 10 minutes — 10th girl out of 41.

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By Meredith – October 25, 2013

October Randomness

The nights are chilly, the leaves are dropping, and we can no longer take an apres-diner romp on the funground. Hells yeah, it’s October!

We’ve been busy. Little Boy is a full-fledged youth soccer player, which requires commitment beyond my wildest expectations. Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings — gone, poof, to soccer. Which is fine, because he’s getting markedly better and enjoying it. At the beginning, he was wasting that precious lightening left-foot kick by anointing himself as the sole defensive player on his team. Apparently young children don’t play positions in soccer — they are all supposed to chase the ball en masse, all 10 of them attacking the ball at once, a throng of kicky little legs. It’s encouraged to develop their dribbling skills but it makes for a chaotic (not to mention exhausting) soccer experience for the kids.

Which is why, when Little Boy realized how nonsensical it was for everyone on the team to chase after the ball and he decided to buck against the norm by playing defense, I was a little proud of him. Of course logically, strategically — they shouldn’t all run after the ball. But if Little Boy stood on the other side of the field, guarding his team’s goal, not only did the other parents look at me with pity (that my son’s not a joiner), he was losing valuable soccer skills — not to mention he’d never score a goal! We had to force him to defy the logic and join the herd.

And last week, he scored his first in-game goal!

Half-time Snack

Both Little Boy and Primus the kitten have been growing exponentially. They have a hate-love-hate relationship. Now that we aren’t always rushing off to the funground in the evening, they’ve made a brotherly peace.

We went to Gillette Stadium to take in a football game. I’d love to say we saw the Patriots, but we aren’t committed to taking Little Boy to an NFL football game before he understands really basic fundamentals of the game. So we paid $10 each to see my Alma Mater UMass take on Miami… Miami, Ohio, that is.

Are you ready for some football?

UMass won, apparently (we left after the stellar half-time show! The bandies will inherit the earth!)

Grandpa and Grandma came to visit a few weekends ago, which mean that Mr. P and I could go on a date — and when I saw “date,” I mean “arriving and departing an early Sunday morning running race together.” Oh, but we enjoy it! I gave Mr. P a carte blanche on the event and he choose the Nahant 30K, a road race. “Sure, fine,” I said. It turned out this is a key event in the USA Track and Field Grand Prix, meaning that amateur runners across Massachusetts flock to the Nahant 30K, and everyone was in a running club, and despite the fact that I ran 8:30 min/mile for 18.6 miles, I still finished in the bottom half of the girls. Super competitive. The pre-race ladies’ room line reminded me why I prefer the camaraderie of trail races. Trail runners would be avidly discussing hydration gear, watches, and sports bras while debating whether to just go in the woods; road runners examine their competition’s shoes, legs, and waists with steely glares. Nahant was a tough race, for sure.

Mr. P finishing Nahant 30K

Me finishing Nahant 30K (18.6 hilly miles)

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By Meredith – October 15, 2013

Flat Mountain Pond (First Backpacking)

We took our first backpacking trip with Little Boy more than two weeks ago. We headed north about 2.5 hours to the Sandwich Range in New Hampshire, remembering the Flat Mountain Pond Shelter as an accessible and exciting hike, suitable for a 5-year old boy. Unfortunately, we got a late 3pm start; 2 miles into the flat 4.5-mile hike, when it became apparent that we would not reach the Shelter by sundown (because SOMEONE was not even TRYING to walk), I sent Mr. P ahead to set up the tent while I coaxed Little Boy along the trail.

That was BEFORE I remembered the four not-easy brook crossings on the way to the Shelter. So, the thing about crossing brooks with a 5-year olds: They have little legs. They cannot always use the entrenched rocks to cross, so you may have to carry them. And you may, by virtue of their unstable weight and the rush of the currents and the whole goshdarn stress of the situation… you may fall into the brook, clutching your 5-year old furiously to your chest, crying out in pain as your calf muscle inexplicably spasms in some running-induced side-effect as it hits the frigid brook in a strange, abrupt angle… causing your 5-year old to, in turn, shout “Mommy! Mommy!” as his feet dip into the water… and it’s a horrible moment but one that, ultimately, brings you closer together, because you make it across the brook and you’re both a little wet, but you’re out in the woods in the middle of nowhere, alone, together, and the man who convinced you this trip would be a good idea is miles away, and since you can’t punch him, you must hug each other.

Of course, when we were about 1 mile away from the shelter, and the light was fading, Mr. P showed up to help us the rest of the way to the Shelter in the dimming light. What a satisfying yet disgusting dinner that was! As was the sleep! At least when we woke up, we could see everything.

Our tent at Flat Mountain Pond

Flat Mountain Pond

Breakfast -- huddling in the shelter

happy camper

Fishing

World's Smallest Trout!

Worm

Hiking back

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By Meredith – October 3, 2013

5 Years Down (and a lifetime to go)

Today is our five year wedding anniversary! EEEK!

If I really think about it, I can’t believe it. It’s gone by so fast. But it seems like we’ve been together forever, so it’s gone by so slow.

We haven’t really changed that much in five years. But, we’ve changed so much. We’ve gotten crazier about some things. And saner about the things that matter.

I feel like I should fear getting older, but honestly, I don’t. Not with Mr. P to keep life exciting.

Vt 100K: 42 miles down, ready to spend the next 20 miles with my pacer in life

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By Meredith – September 20, 2013

Days 8-12: Grand Tetons

Days 1 & 2: Getting there via Billings and the Beartooth Highway

Day 3: visiting the Norris Basin and the Artist Paintpots; hiking the Beaver Ponds Trail

Day 4: Exploring Mammoth Hot Springs; visiting Lamar Valley and hiking to Slough Creek

Day 5: Conquering Mount Washburn; visiting the Mud Volcano; leaving Mammoth for Yellowstone Lake

Day 6: hiking the lower rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Day 7: visiting Old Faithful and the other geysers; leaving Yellowstone Lake for the Grand Tetons

Day 8: hiking to Two Ocean Lake; visiting Signal Mountain

Day 9: hiking to Taggart and Bradley Lake; leaving Colter Bay Village for Grand Targhee

Day 10: running the Grand Tetons trail marathon

Day 11: Leaving Grand Targhee for Bozeman, MT

Day 12: returning to Boston

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let’s finish (end! over!) this vacation round-up with the Grand Tetons excursion, just past the southern edge of Yellowstone National Park. (Did you know “Grand Tetons” translates to “big breasts” in French? No wonder Mr. P’s parents were excited to go there… not to mention the many French tourists we encountered. I mean, if there was a mountain range called “Big Breasts”… wouldn’t you be curious?)

Big Breasts, indeed!

We hiked. Of course we hiked. Since the trails are less populated than Yellowstone, we made sure to have our trusty bear spray on hand.

Ready with the bear spray

Our cabin was awesome, except there was only one bathroom. Word of advice: never share a bathroom with your elderly in-laws for three days.

Grand Tetons cabin

Little Boy was really getting into the rhythm of the trip: wake up, small breakfast, hike, picnic lunch, hike, relax, dinner. We sure enjoyed the family time!

We did two six-mile hikes over two days.

Then, we ventured briefly into Idaho and then back into Wyoming for the Grand Tetons Trail marathon that Mr. P and I were taking on. Yes, a marathon in the mountains, starting at 9000 feet elevation. What was I thinking? I live at sea level. I felt like I ran the entire thing while being gagged with a towel. Given I’m a flatlander, it’s a wonder that I finished 6th girl out of 15, and 19/37 overall (Mr. P finished 8th overall, rah rah).

The first climb up the mountain

No, I didn't finish the marathon in 1 hour 40 minutes... not quite (that was for another race)

The marathon pretty much killed us for the day. As well as the next day, when we left for Bozeman, MT. Cool town. The populace seemed to pride themselves on being active outdoor enthusiasts with the same fervor that Bostonians prides themselves on being surly sports nuts. During our picnic (the last picnic!), we watched scores of people tubing serenely down the Madison River.

Last Picnic by Madison River

The next day, we drove back to Billings to catch our plane to Boston. Time to return home, to work, and to the start of Kindergarten. I can’t say that Little Boy really enjoyed the vacation, but I know it was formative and maybe something he’ll remember when he’s older? And hopefully, not as a repressed memory during therapy.

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By Meredith – September 19, 2013

Day 7: Geysers Galore

Days 1 & 2: Getting there via Billings and the Beartooth Highway

Day 3: visiting the Norris Basin and the Artist Paintpots; hiking the Beaver Ponds Trail

Day 4: Exploring Mammoth Hot Springs; visiting Lamar Valley and hiking to Slough Creek

Day 5: Conquering Mount Washburn; visiting the Mud Volcano; leaving Mammoth for Yellowstone Lake

Day 6: hiking the lower rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Day 7: visiting Old Faithful and the other geysers; leaving Yellowstone Lake for the Grand Tetons

Day 8: hiking to Two Ocean Lake; visiting Signal Mountain

Day 9: hiking to Taggart and Bradley Lake; leaving Colter Bay Village for Grand Targhee

Day 10: running the Grand Tetons trail marathon

Day 11: Leaving Grand Targhee for Bozeman, MT

Day 12: returning to Boston

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, this is getting dire. It’s been practically a month after the fact and I thoroughly forget the names of many of the geysers we saw erupting. Except Old Faithful. Ugh — the only good thing I can say about Old Faithful is it erupted roughly 3 minutes after we arrived in the Old Faithful area, meaning we didn’t have to wait up to 90 minutes to witness the most underwhelming tourist moment since our rainy-day visit to Venice Beach.

Where’s the water? Just a billow of steam, like walking past a large apartment complex’s laundry room vent.

Old Faithful eruption

Tourist moment

But maybe showing up right before it erupted was the problem — we missed the anticipation. After going into the visitor’s center and scribbling down the expected eruption times of the other predictable geysers in the park, we followed the boardwalk to visit them.

We were looking at some mud pot when I realized this was going off, and called to Mr. P to go take a picture. Grand Geyser?

Grand Geyser?

Oh, my. I can’t even remember if this is a different geyser or not.

Hot Springs

Hot Springs

I remember this one — Grotto Geyser! Another eruption we surreptitiously stumbled upon.

Grotto Geyser

And this one — Morning Glory Pool.

Morning Glory

And our last — Daisy Geyser! We waited about twenty minutes for this one, the most by far.

Daisy Geyser

By then, it was almost noon and the crowds were picking up. It was time to leave Yellowstone and head to the Grand Tetons. What a send off!

Okay, a picture

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By Meredith – September 18, 2013

Day 6: The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Days 1 & 2: Getting there via Billings and the Beartooth Highway

Day 3: visiting the Norris Basin and the Artist Paintpots; hiking the Beaver Ponds Trail

Day 4: Exploring Mammoth Hot Springs; visiting Lamar Valley and hiking to Slough Creek

Day 5: Conquering Mount Washburn; visiting the Mud Volcano; leaving Mammoth for Yellowstone Lake

Day 6: hiking the lower rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Day 7: visiting Old Faithful and the other geysers; leaving Yellowstone Lake for the Grand Tetons

Day 8: hiking to Two Ocean Lake; visiting Signal Mountain

Day 9: hiking to Taggart and Bradley Lake; leaving Colter Bay Village for Grand Targhee

Day 10: running the Grand Tetons trail marathon

Day 11: Leaving Grand Targhee for Bozeman, MT

Day 12: returning to Boston

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, by now, I’m blogging a full two weeks after the fact… and it has been a hectic two weeks!

I believe we woke up in our new cabin by Yellowstone Lake and had a totally unceremoniously breakfast involving in-room coffee, bread, cheese, fruit? next to our beds, since our new cabin did not have a front porch. Perhaps Little Boy rallied against the agenda of the day: Yet another hike. That day, it was a six-miler along the lower rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, one of the park’s famed features. And justly so!

Upper Falls of the Yellowstone, Via the Lower Rim

We drove to the trailhead and found the route for the lower rim. This afforded us a view of the upper falls — a smaller waterfall and less scenic than the lower falls, but since there was no adjoining parking lot and required at least a half-mile hike to view,  we had it all to ourselves.

Different story for the lower falls. For one thing, we had to descend a steep series of see-through steps. I was a little freaked out (I pathologically fear the void) and was forced to turn around shortly after this picture.

On Uncle Tom's Trail to view the lower falls

Mr. P has no fear of the void and got a fab picture replete with rainbows:

Lower Falls with Rainbow

Oh yes. It was magnificent.

Lower Falls of the Yellowstone

The trail continued to several viewpoints accessible by car, so we had to fight the crowds for viewpoints.

The rusted walls of the canyon

Shortly after leaving the tourist-congested area, we entered a totally different universe featuring the geothermal features (steam vents, acidic ponds, volcanic rock) that created the canyon many many years ago.

Continuing along the lower rim trail

About a mile later, we finished the hike and had a picnic. The rest of the afternoon, everyone relaxed while Mr. P and I went for a trail run near the lake. We returned, went for a casual dinner, then ventured to take in the sunset by Yellowstone Lake.

Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake

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By Meredith – September 13, 2013

The Yellowstone Odyssey: Day 5, Mt Washburn

Days 1 & 2: Getting there via Billings and the Beartooth Highway

Day 3: visiting the Norris Basin and the Artist Paintpots; hiking the Beaver Ponds Trail

Day 4: Exploring Mammoth Hot Springs; visiting Lamar Valley and hiking to Slough Creek

Day 5: Conquering Mount Washburn; visiting the Mud Volcano; leaving Mammoth for Yellowstone Lake

Day 6: hiking the lower rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Day 7: visiting Old Faithful and the other geysers; leaving Yellowstone Lake for the Grand Tetons

Day 8: hiking to Two Ocean Lake; visiting Signal Mountain

Day 9: hiking to Taggart and Bradley Lake; leaving Colter Bay Village for Grand Targhee

Day 10: running the Grand Tetons trail marathon

Day 11: Leaving Grand Targhee for Bozeman, MT

Day 12: returning to Boston

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mount Washburn is reputedly to be the one Yellowstone hike that one must do if one only has time for one hike, because the summit affords views the entire park. It’s about 6 miles round-trip with 1400 feet of elevation gain on a wide, non-technical dirt road. After only a few days in Yellowstone, we quickly figured out that 90% of the park’s visitors do not venture more than .25 miles off of the main road. But with Mt. Washburn’s reputation, we still started early. There’s nothing that the Ps hate more than crowds.

Uphill climb up Mt Washburn -- Why am I the only one smiling?

Very soon, our destination came into view, marked by a prominent lookout tower/visitor center. It was a very good motivation for Little Boy!

Lookout tower near summit

Little Boy was, at times, surprisingly game for the journey…

With his kiddie hydration pack!

But other times, I had to resort to bribery-by-candy to get him to move. And, at times, I may have insulted his masculinity, but that’s for him and his future therapist to decide.

We're. Freaking. Hiking.

The view improved and I got that giddy “ooooh, mountain!” feeling.

View on the way up

And suddenly, we were on the summit. Little Boy looks so jaded, like, wateva.

Summit pic

People oohhed and aahed over Little Boy on the summit. “Wow, I can’t believe… wow, how old is he?” But Mt. Washburn was actually minor compared to some of his other hikes (I’m remembering you, Moosilauke, with your 7.4 miles and 2450 foot climb). Dare I say ma belle-mere struggled a bit more?

The views were amazing, of course.

View from Mt. Washburn

As we made our way down, we encountered dozens of hikers ascending Mt. Washburn. This is why we come early! we affirmed to ourselves.

We didn’t bring a picnic, but after coming back to the car, we readily found a picnic area nearby with a nice space for some football.

football!

We continued driving to Yellowstone lake. We encountered traffic, of course.

Traffic

Other bison, looking scenic

We also encountered the hydrothermal mud volcano cluster known as “mud volcano.” Keep in mind the photographs do not convey the sound, smells, or motion of these mesmerizing features!

The Dragon's Mouth

Massive Mud pot

Sour Lake

There were fires burning near us. And trails closed due to bears. I thought about how strange it was — in Massachusetts, a road closed due to construction will induce pure blinding rage. But, I cannot argue with a road closure due to bears and fire. We eventually made it to Yellowstone Lake Cabines, only to find out our cabins were not ready. Talk about a blinding rage! (I’m looking at you, belle-mere).

What a great day! I’m so proud of my little hiker who can seriously hike big mountains!

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By Meredith – September 12, 2013