Swallows

Rivaling the bats of Congress bridge, Austin has a lesser known but more spectacular display of flying creatures - the flocking of migrating purple martins at Highland Mall. Rich clued me in on this and we took the kids there on Friday evening. Ava joined us there and we laid out the blanket in the parking lot of what used to be highland mall right beside the Mifft bus - which Rich had driven over.

We watched a spectacular sunset with about a hundred other spectators while the swallows started collecting high overhead. Pretty soon there were (according to the ladies from the Audubon Society) around six hundred thousand birds up there. In the course of about half an hour they packed themselves into four medium sized Texas live oak trees. These birds breed in North America - all the way from Texas and Louisiana up to Canada and they winter in South America - Brazil and southwards. They fly a couple of hundred miles each day and flock in large groups like this.

At the end of the evening after the birds were more or less settled in for the night the kids went to take a closer look from under the trees. A nice stranger showed up and held an umbrella over their heads while they chatted and hung around and admired the quivering blackened trees.

Growing Up Like Weeds

This morning Vivian put on a Indian dress that the Shahs had given her some time back. She looked a foot taller than I remember. Thankfully Evan is still pint sized and acts like that too.

The Morning After

Last night we went out for date night with Jen and Travis. At the last minute our sitter cancelled so we dropped the children off with Rajeeta and Gunaraja (thanks for taking them in on such short notice). Jen took this top photo. We were at Arro, the new French restaurant on 6th street. It was nice. But the two bottles of wine (of which Travis had a glass and Jo didn't at all) was about one glass more than I needed. Then I went to meet Jim at the Saxon. By the time I got back home I thought it was best to sleep on the couch. Evan let me sleep till almost 8am when he stuck his face in mine and said he was hungry for breakfast.

I gave him cereal. A bit later I saw that he had convinced Jo to let him spoon out globs of chocolate hazelnut butter straight from the bottle into his mouth.

Hula Hoops

I was pretty far and I only had my iphone, so Vivian looks quite distant in these photos. There's her and there's a college age girl who is hula hooping. Vivian was playing on the Arboretum cows when she saw the girl walk up to a paved area with a collection of hoops. When the girl started hooping, it was obvious that she was good. Vivian asked me if she could go watch. In the first photo you can see her sitting and watching. A few minutes later the girl handed Vivian a hoop and Vivian gave it a shot. She wasn't bad at it. Turns out the girl is an instructor and a bit later her student appeared.

Arboretum Cows

On Saturday after dim sum we met Simran and Jeanne for Amy's ice cream at the Arboretum. The kids abandoned their ice creams to go play on the cows.

Wild Hair

Jo often comments that her and Vivian's hair are so completely different. Color, texture, thickness, feel - that sort of stuff. I agree. But aren't they similar too?

Dim Sum

Chinatown is upstairs from Musashino - our Japanese comfort food restaurant. They have a banner that you can see from Musashino that announces "Dim Sum Saturday and Sunday". Vivian asked about it months ago and we had explained what dim sum was. She wanted us to go there for dim sum the coming Saturday. That never happened and she continued to ask every time she was at Musashino. Earlier this week when we were there, Jo put it in my iPhone so we'd remember. And sure enough when Saturday rolled around we headed to Chinatown for dim sum.

We parked and got out of the car. Evan asked if we were going to Musashino. We said, no - remember it's dim sum at Chinatown. And he flatly refused. He likes familiarity in his choice of foods and restaurants. He put his head down on the stairs and started to proclaim loudly that he wanted to go to Musashino. We ignored him and walked up and into Chinatown. He joined us very unwillingly after some time. We got seated very quickly. I took this photo a few seconds after that. Vivian on the other hand was excited and eager and asked about the contents of the different steam baskets and plates and carts and had a great old time. Evan finally cheered up. But he still didn't eat anything.

If Evan didn't look so darn much like me or eat like Carol, I'd think he was switched at birth.

One Thousand Cranes

Yesterday Jo came back from a meeting with someone from SAHELI. She looked stressed. I asked how the meeting had gone. Jo started to answer - and then she pointed to my dad's window and said "It's all his fault". I was surprised to say the least. My 89-year old dad tied up in a domestic violence case?

If Jo hadn't emailed Linda almost a year ago to ask if she knew someone who could help out with my dad, Linda may not have invited her to join the board of SAHELI and in turn Jo would not have spent the morning going through the current list of cases.

A couple of weeks ago a client Jo had worked with almost a decade ago - a victim of domestic violence - was shot dead by her ex-husband. I knew that this news had rattled Jo. Working in domestic violence can't be anyone's definition of fun. But I'm so glad that there are a few good people out there doing what they can.

This evening we went to SAHELI's fundraiser - Cocktails and Cranes. It's a part of their 1000 Cranes for Peaceful Families campaign. Legend has it that if you make a thousand origami cranes your wish will be granted by the gods. Every year for the last five years, volunteers have made one red origami crane for every $10 donated to SAHELI. This year a young Austin designer, Anslee Connell designed a red dress using all the cranes. That's her standing beside the dress in the photo below.

On a plaque nearby was the list of donors. It was great to see so many of our friends, neighbors and family on that list.

Here's some of the literature that SHAELI hands out. One can marvel at all the different languages that SAHELI communicates in. But it also lays bare the fact that domestic violence is an equal opportunity problem. Assholes and victims are from all races and ethnicities. And when you are a victim in a distant land where you don't speak the language, you don't know your way around, and you don't have a network of friends and family, then the prospects of defending yourself and your children from an abusive partner seem impossible. If that distant land happens to be Central Texas, your prospects are better because there's SAHELI.

So I thank my dad for being responsible for getting Jo involved in SAHELI.

Peas

Yesterday Vivian sat on the couch and ate a bunch of frozen peas. Today this conversation transpired between daughter and mother:

"Can I have one of these peanut butter cups, Mommy?" 
"Yes." 
"Ooooh, can I have frozen peas instead?"
"WHAT? Whatever, crazy child."

Unrelated. This is what Vivian's hair looks like when she stumbles out of bed in the morning. I tease her that it's a donkeys' nest. "Donkeys don't make nests, Daddy". 

Play Date

Vivian is the one we usually have to take to play dates. So it wasn't business as usual when my phone reminded me that Evan had a play date with Caroline at 1030am this morning. For the first hour or so they played next to each other in and out of the swimming pool. They hadn't seen each other in almost two months - and it took them that long to get familiar again. Then they laughed and had a lot of fun together.   In the first photo Evan is playing serious. A moment later he or Caroline would do or say something and they'd both fall back laughing. Then they lay on top of each other.

Please feel free to ignore or admire the tattooed bottom that photo bombed the first two photos. The poor lady bent over at just the wrong time and place. 

July Showers

It rained in July. And for a few days it wasn't so hot. So everything in the yard is charred now, but that was a nice break. So nice in fact that we forgot that summer is a bad time to do anything in the garden. Last weekend we drove south practically to Mexico to buy plants from It's About Thyme. Vivian dragged the Radio Flyer around while Jo and I put pots in it. Evan hung out the rail yard. And stayed in his jamies all day.

When we came back home it rained again. So Jo didn't take any chances and planted all the plants that night.

Bats

A little less than three weeks ago Evan was running out of his room and into our bed in the middle of the night every night because he was scared. Then Vivian joined the circus. Jo and I didn't get much sleep one night. Next morning it was time to bring out the big guns. Charts and Stickers. Jo drew up the chart with one row for Vivian and another for Evan and a column for each day of the week. Every night they didn't get out of bed Jo gave them a sticker next morning. Problem solved. Period.

Today we took them out for a special treat. Dinner and dessert at Whole Foods and watching the bats come out from under Congress Bridge after sunset. They got to bed an hour after their usual bed time - tired and happy.

If only all problems in life could be solved with a chart and stickers.

On the way back home, Vivian was singing tunelessly in the back seat. We asked her not to just make noise. Have a conversation if you have something to say, I said.

"Vivian and I will have a conversation" said Evan.

On the way to downtown we had been discussing the relative sizes of tall buildings and Giant Redwoods. So Vivian decided it was time to say some interesting things about them. When she finished there was a stunned silence. Then...

"Vivian, do you know everything?" asked Evan in amazement.
"Sort off" she replied immodestly.

Mini Me's

This morning while Gordon and I were huffing and puffing at RedBlack gym Jen glanced at her phone and started laughing. She explained that Jo had just texted her and that the kids were going to show up at the gym dressed as Jen & Travis.

A few minutes later they showed up on their bikes. I was in the middle of a back squat and I had to focus pretty hard so as to not fall over laughing. Evan was dressed in all black, like his namesake Travis. As you can see he is putting on his tough guy face. Vivian has a tattoo sleeve and a purple lulu headband. It's all in the details.

Don't they make a lovely family?

Face Paintings, Science Experiments and Wedding Vows

Vivian returns from her Spanish camp every Friday with a face painting. Last Friday they finished a week of learning about Africa and there was (supposedly) African face paint. This week it was cherry blossoms from China.

After Vivian returned from camp, She and Ava did a science experiment. One bottle Elmer's glue. Same amount of water. Slowly mix in half a cup of water that has a teaspoon of Borax detergent dissolved in it. The kids gave out whoops of joy and surprise as the poly vinyl acetate in the glue further polymerised and formed a gel. Then they found all kinds of ways to play with the gloop. Jo gave us a disapproving look. But she's still playing with it a day later.

After the science experiment I had to go to Red Black gym to move weights around for the evening's competition. Jo showed up an hour later with Evan and Ava and Vivian. And she later told me that while I was gone and after Evan woke up, Evan and Ava were married with Vivian officiating. Down to exchanging rings and vows. And Vivian's own new age touch. The new couple stared at something sacred together (we don't know what) so that Ava would "keep Evan safe" and vice versa.

Vivian Bernake

Vivian is beginning to appreciate money. But not in the way I'd hoped. She wants to pay for everything these days. "Can I have a snack, Mommy?" OK - here it is. "Thanks - I'm giving you some money for it."  And then she hand-writes a 1000 cent note and hands it over. In terms of amounts, it was in the right ball park - $10 for a snack. But I hope she starts to appreciate where money comes from, why you can't print it on a whim, and how much this country borrows and expects her and her friends to pay back. All that and more and some math.

Last week when I went to pick her up from Spanish camp, there was a car parked at the school with this license plate. I pointed it out to Vivian. That and the juxtaposition of things - the Texas plates (we aren't exactly breaking any records for education except at the bottom), the Ford logo with the Hybrid sign. And the Obama campaign logo. The world's changing. Do Math. And you can do anything!

Evan Flying

When Evan isn't being a T-rex, he's good at pretending he's an airplane. He does it when jumping off playground equipment or couches. Or while swinging. It's hard to see this translate into a useful life skill but still.

Back to that T-rex for a second. When he started calling himself a T-rex a few days ago, initially he would call himself a "T-rec". I said, no Evan, it's a T-rex. He said "But I'm just talking about me. I'm a T-rec. You and I are T-rex." That's when I realized that the way he understood it, the singular was one T-rec and then there were many T-recs.

Ice Cream Truck

Last week just as Vivian and Evan and Jo and I were getting ready to ride to Rosedale Park we heard the electronic jingle of an ice cream truck. A moment later the truck had come to a stop in front of our drive way and in another half a moment Ava and Eleanor had also materialized. You can see the expectant look on the faces in the first photo. It looks like they are standing in a line - but they aren't.

In a minute or two the kids were dripping ice cream and our wallets were a bit lighter. Though no one said it at first, the grown ups soon agreed that the ice cream truck people (it was a couple) looked very very creepy. Then we realized that they lived up the next street a few blocks away. Neighborhood rumor has it that this couple ride around late at night in blue adult tricycles and steal For Sale signs from front yards. They also may be the dreaded Sharpie Bandits - leaving their mark on cars with expired inspection stickers.

Amy and Theodore and Clara joined us at Rosedale School. The kids rode around the covered basketball court like a hoard of Hell's Angels. Then the action moved to the monkey bars. That's when a distraught lady stopped her car on the street and racially profiled me and asked if that was my bike or if it was her bike which had been stollen from her front porch a few minutes ago. I thought of telling her that I had stollen her bike and then used it to ride with my illegal children (immigrants not bastards) to the park so they could play before the border patrol caught up with us. Instead I sent her off with information about the adult trike ice cream truck pervs who supposedly pilfer things while defacing your expired inspection stickers. Such is the state of crime and paranoia in the hood.

What Do You Do?

What do you do while the kids are at camp or at Ms. Mary's? Jo and I have been enjoying ourselves. Last week we went to Milk + Honey for a couple pedicure. Bliss. Even for my ugly feet. Then we had lunch at Joe's. Today we went to Ikea. And while shopping for kids' closets we wandered into the store cafeteria and had breakfast for a buck. I had scrambled eggs, potatoes, and bacon. Jo had bacon and potatoes and a cinnamon roll. All of that for a dollar. And restaurant quality good.

Then we came home and ate crab legs. This was soo planned. The last few times we've had crab, Jo and I have hardly had any ourselves - it took so much time and effort to feed the kids and my dad.

So this morning on the way out, Jo reminded me to pull the crabs legs out of the freezer.

Vivian said "yummy, crab for dinner!"
Jo: "No - lunch. While you are in school."
Vivian "Oh no!" Followed by some crying and minor hysterics
Jo "Sorry Vivian. Next time may be."

Jo and I sat beside each other with a nice bowl of garlic butter between us and took our time and put away some crab. It was also by far the biggest specimen of Alaskan King crab legs I've consumed. I don't know if I'll ever be able to go back to eating crab legs with the kids around.

Summer Evenings

The sun sets at about 830pm these days while it is usually still in the 90s. Summer evenings last for ever. So this is what we did before, around, or after dinner time recently.

Swing time at Rosedale School

Gelatos at Teo's

Chocolate chocolate-chip brownie cutouts

Praying in the splash pool

Summer Campamento

Vivian is enjoying summer camp. It's a full day. Spanish summer camp starts in the morning and finishes at 3pm. Her swim class starts at 3:45pm, which gives her just enough time to grab a treat and go directly to Crenshaw's. I took this picture below when we stopped at the juice place in Hyde Park. Vivian picked out the Bambaataa - which contained pineapple, mango, banana, almonds, coconut oil, hemp protein, spirulina, and that's the ones I remember. The swim class transitions into gymnastics and she's done by 5:15pm. Some days we go for a bike ride or a swim at Ramsey pool after that. So by bed time she's done like a dog's dinner.

The other day when I picked her up from school she had her face painted. A group led by a teacher was jamming with drums. They had been to WholeFoods earlier that day for a field trip, and were "touring" Africa that afternoon. Thus the African music.

This morning Vivian said that she had opened a new restaurant - The Chocolate Mock (like the mockingbird, she added) and asked me for my order. A few minutes later this delicious box was delivered. Not one edible item, but wow - does it look tasty or what.

Breakfast

On this warm Sunday morning we managed to get my dad his tea and get out of the house by 9am. Breakfast at 24 Diner - by request. Vivian's.

We noticed that we were seated in the back room. Then another family with children joined us there. And another. Which led us to believe that the hostess had a bias and was seating straight regular families as god designed in the back while gays were being offered prime front room seating.

And probably abortionists too. Is that a word? Anyway, it's those women who were protesting at the state capitol yesterday because they want to kill their babies and we won't let them. The police had to take away their tampons (I assume ones not currently in use) before allowing them entry to the capitol building. We have to protect our brave legislators from menstruating women. It is however legal and it remained so yesterday to carry a loaded firearm into the state capitol. Firearms remind me of that poor Zimmerman chap. I can't believe what they have dragged him through. I tell you this country is going to hell ever since they elected that man from Kenya to be president.

Sorry - I got distracted. Anyway, we had a delicious breakfast. Yes - that's what I wanted to say. Their waffles are really nice and wholesome. Don't you think Evan agrees?