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| Panorama on the floor |
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| Ran into my old campaign manager, Bruce! |
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| Ann looking lovely as always |
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| Close enough to hit Jeb with a stone. Not that I'd hit Jeb with a stone. |
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Not where I expected to be tonight
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Two big swimming milestones
After a summer of Saturday swim lessons we thought Syl had made pretty good progress - able to swim with just a "noodle," no fear of the water, no issues dunking her head, etc. Little did we know that an impulse purchase of a set of goggles at CVS would trigger a quantum leap forward.
So excited was Sylvie yesterday afternoon by the notion that she could see underwater that she didn't even notice when she picked her feet up off the pool bottom and, sans floaties, commenced... floating. I let her paddle around for a while before letting her in on the secret - she was SWIMMING!! She was pretty pleased with herself, needless to say. So pleased, in fact, that when her friend Jiada showed up Sylvie informed her no fewer than a dozen times that she could "swim under water without floaties." She might have mentioned a few times also that Jiada could not accomplish this feat... which prompted her little friend to show off her own trick - jumping off the side of the pool without adult assistance.
Sylvie initially informed me that she could not replicate the feat and, in fact, would "never, ever, EVER" do so. So being the good dad that I am, I coaxed her into a jump while holding my hands - and pulled away my hands as soon as she was committed. Man, was she peeved... for about five seconds. Then she realized what she'd done, and for the next hour or so all we did was jump off the side of the pool and swim to dad. Awesome stuff.
Soon enough the Cocchiarellas and the O'Learys showed up with Mommy Melissa, and Syl got to show off her new tricks and enlist Lily, Sophia, Madeline and Jake in some side-jumping.
Summer may be fleeting, but we're making the most of its waning days. And Sylvie is looking forward to showing off her new talents next weekend in Grammy and Grampy's pool!
Here's a fun little vid I put together to commemorate the milestone(s). No iPhone was damaged in the recording of this video (though there were a number of close calls).
And here is Sylvie immediately following no fewer than four hours in the pool... her dad felt much the same, but hides it better.
So excited was Sylvie yesterday afternoon by the notion that she could see underwater that she didn't even notice when she picked her feet up off the pool bottom and, sans floaties, commenced... floating. I let her paddle around for a while before letting her in on the secret - she was SWIMMING!! She was pretty pleased with herself, needless to say. So pleased, in fact, that when her friend Jiada showed up Sylvie informed her no fewer than a dozen times that she could "swim under water without floaties." She might have mentioned a few times also that Jiada could not accomplish this feat... which prompted her little friend to show off her own trick - jumping off the side of the pool without adult assistance.
Sylvie initially informed me that she could not replicate the feat and, in fact, would "never, ever, EVER" do so. So being the good dad that I am, I coaxed her into a jump while holding my hands - and pulled away my hands as soon as she was committed. Man, was she peeved... for about five seconds. Then she realized what she'd done, and for the next hour or so all we did was jump off the side of the pool and swim to dad. Awesome stuff.
Soon enough the Cocchiarellas and the O'Learys showed up with Mommy Melissa, and Syl got to show off her new tricks and enlist Lily, Sophia, Madeline and Jake in some side-jumping.
Summer may be fleeting, but we're making the most of its waning days. And Sylvie is looking forward to showing off her new talents next weekend in Grammy and Grampy's pool!
Here's a fun little vid I put together to commemorate the milestone(s). No iPhone was damaged in the recording of this video (though there were a number of close calls).
And here is Sylvie immediately following no fewer than four hours in the pool... her dad felt much the same, but hides it better.
Amazing how quickly she grasped the essence of the game
The essence of the game, of course, is frustration.
Seizing the fleeting opportunity
... for an outdoor lunch of grilled cheese and fries at C&L Frosty. Our new standard order is three GCs, small fries, and two lemonades. Syl and I each have three GC halves, and split the fries. She can put 'em down.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Happy Birthday Grampy!
Grampy Haley celebrates a milestone birthday today, and we're looking forward to celebrating it with him in person in just a couple of weeks!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Fun photos from Ohio - courtesy, three photographers!
Before the sad event that closed out last week, Sylvie and Melissa had a really fun, action-packed trip to Ohio! With pretty much the whole family other than Uncle Zach and me there (we both had to stay home for work), Grandma and Grandpa's house was packed to the rafters. And every day brought a new adventure: a John Williams tribute concert at Blossom, the zoo, a butterfly garden, s'mores in grandpa's new fire pit... tons of fun.
Melissa was good about snapping photos - and so was Sylvie!! Even uncle Pat sent along a handful to share.
This next series are portraits by Sylvie:
Thanks to everyone for the kind thoughts about Pax.
Melissa was good about snapping photos - and so was Sylvie!! Even uncle Pat sent along a handful to share.
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| Just awesome |
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| Giving the family photo a try... |
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| Camel ride! |
Thanks to everyone for the kind thoughts about Pax.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Rest In Peace, Pax
It seems like only yesterday that Melissa and I, approaching the end of law school, took our friend's two-year-old black lab, Pax, for a "test drive." Pax's owner was moving to the UK upon graduation, and the process of importing a dog into the UK, apparently, is incredibly difficult.
It was love at first car ride all around. We brought Pax to our apartment near campus and spent the day figuring out what it would be like to be dog owners. When we tried to drop him off, Pax refused to get out of the back seat of our car. We pretended that was because he had decided to be ours... in fact it was probably because he loved being in cars so much.
During the summer following law school I drove all the way from Boston to South Carolina to pick Pax up following his last couple of months with his previous owner. On the ride home he repeatedly pestered me to roll down the windows, but since it was mostly highway driving I mostly demurred. The look on his face when he inadvertently pushed the window down button with his paw was pure jubilation. I can still see it.
In the handful of years between our "adoption" of Pax and Sylvie's birth, Melissa and I behaved in much the way many couples with a dog and no children behave - meaning we treated him like our child. Long walks, hiking trips just for him, almost daily drives to a local state park to let him go swimming in good weather. Pax lived high.
Things changed a bit when Sylvie was born. Okay, maybe more than a bit. We worried a little about how he would take his demotion to second fiddle - and second fiddle to a squawking little peanut to boot. But he never missed a beat - and he never gave us reason to worry about him around our daughter. The hiking and swimming trips thinned out, but they still happened. And Pax was lucky in his later years to discover a natural talent for hunting. Our friend Brendan took him out several times during the last few years, and tells us Pax was a born hunting dog. Who knew?
Pax turned 13 this year. Up until a year or so ago, the most frequent reaction to news of his age was denial of the possibility. "Are you sure!? He acts like a puppy!!" Last year we noticed a lot more gray creeping into his beard, and though he still loved to go for a walk, running taxed him quickly. Still, as recently as June he bounded eagerly into the car for what turned out to be his last swim trip to Hopkinton State Park, where he frolicked briefly in the water with his pal, Baxter.
Since then our Pax has been on an awfully steep downhill slide. His breathing has gotten increasingly labored, his hips have locked up, and he's cut his food intake more than in half. Today we woke to find him in the front yard, unable to stand up. We knew when I made the appointment to take him to the vet that we might have a tough decision. Sylvie and Melissa each gave him a hug and some tender pats, and told him that they love him.
I can say in all honestly that Pax enjoyed his final car ride - his obvious pleasure made the short trip easier on me - though not easy of course. So much did he enjoy that ride, in fact, that by the time we arrived at the vet's I was thinking that maybe we'd overreacted with our goodbyes. But we hadn't. The vet said Pax's spine had degenerated, and he had laryngeal paralysis. The second was the bigger deal - it meant he was struggling to breathe, which explained his inability to eat much. He said Pax might hang on for a few more months but both conditions are degenerative. He would lose bladder and bowel control, and - much worse - would likely end up dying in the yard by asphyxiation.
It was a really, really hard decision, but none of the options were good. After 13 years of active, happy life in the constant company of people who loved him, Pax passed away in my lap this morning, getting an ear scratch.
Sylvie doesn't understand, of course. She knows Mom and Dad are sad, and that is bothering her. And she knows Pax is gone now, without really understanding he's gone for good. For all of her uncanny maturity, we're reminded that she's a four year old. She probably won't remember much about Pax, which is sad. But she also gives a needed dose of perspective. "I'm sad that Pax is gone to heaven, Dad... but I'm excited that Nicole is coming over tonight! You can be sad that Pax is gone and happy that you're going on a date tonight with Mommy!" She's right - I am, and that's a good thing.
Melissa and I will always be grateful to our law school friend for bringing Pax into our lives. He was an awfully good dog, with a unique personality and a real doggie zest for living. In a lot of ways his personality was similar to Sylvie's - by which I mean "unique" and "big." He didn't give us half of the problems that a lot of dogs - particularly the notoriously hyper labs - give their owners. He knew his mind, but generally obeyed. He never needed a leash, never wandered off (never for long, anyhow), and just added a lot to our home.
We'll miss him.
I spent some time this afternoon going through photos. Unsurprisingly, it helped, mostly by reminding me just what a good life our Pax lived - even after his demotion, and really until very recently. Here are a few. The rest I put in a gallery (of course) at this link.
This last one is my favorite photo of Pax - just hanging in the yard with his pal.
dup.jpg)
Rest in peace, Pax.
It was love at first car ride all around. We brought Pax to our apartment near campus and spent the day figuring out what it would be like to be dog owners. When we tried to drop him off, Pax refused to get out of the back seat of our car. We pretended that was because he had decided to be ours... in fact it was probably because he loved being in cars so much.
During the summer following law school I drove all the way from Boston to South Carolina to pick Pax up following his last couple of months with his previous owner. On the ride home he repeatedly pestered me to roll down the windows, but since it was mostly highway driving I mostly demurred. The look on his face when he inadvertently pushed the window down button with his paw was pure jubilation. I can still see it.
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| Pax's favorite thing |
Things changed a bit when Sylvie was born. Okay, maybe more than a bit. We worried a little about how he would take his demotion to second fiddle - and second fiddle to a squawking little peanut to boot. But he never missed a beat - and he never gave us reason to worry about him around our daughter. The hiking and swimming trips thinned out, but they still happened. And Pax was lucky in his later years to discover a natural talent for hunting. Our friend Brendan took him out several times during the last few years, and tells us Pax was a born hunting dog. Who knew?
Pax turned 13 this year. Up until a year or so ago, the most frequent reaction to news of his age was denial of the possibility. "Are you sure!? He acts like a puppy!!" Last year we noticed a lot more gray creeping into his beard, and though he still loved to go for a walk, running taxed him quickly. Still, as recently as June he bounded eagerly into the car for what turned out to be his last swim trip to Hopkinton State Park, where he frolicked briefly in the water with his pal, Baxter.
Since then our Pax has been on an awfully steep downhill slide. His breathing has gotten increasingly labored, his hips have locked up, and he's cut his food intake more than in half. Today we woke to find him in the front yard, unable to stand up. We knew when I made the appointment to take him to the vet that we might have a tough decision. Sylvie and Melissa each gave him a hug and some tender pats, and told him that they love him.
I can say in all honestly that Pax enjoyed his final car ride - his obvious pleasure made the short trip easier on me - though not easy of course. So much did he enjoy that ride, in fact, that by the time we arrived at the vet's I was thinking that maybe we'd overreacted with our goodbyes. But we hadn't. The vet said Pax's spine had degenerated, and he had laryngeal paralysis. The second was the bigger deal - it meant he was struggling to breathe, which explained his inability to eat much. He said Pax might hang on for a few more months but both conditions are degenerative. He would lose bladder and bowel control, and - much worse - would likely end up dying in the yard by asphyxiation.
It was a really, really hard decision, but none of the options were good. After 13 years of active, happy life in the constant company of people who loved him, Pax passed away in my lap this morning, getting an ear scratch.
Sylvie doesn't understand, of course. She knows Mom and Dad are sad, and that is bothering her. And she knows Pax is gone now, without really understanding he's gone for good. For all of her uncanny maturity, we're reminded that she's a four year old. She probably won't remember much about Pax, which is sad. But she also gives a needed dose of perspective. "I'm sad that Pax is gone to heaven, Dad... but I'm excited that Nicole is coming over tonight! You can be sad that Pax is gone and happy that you're going on a date tonight with Mommy!" She's right - I am, and that's a good thing.
Melissa and I will always be grateful to our law school friend for bringing Pax into our lives. He was an awfully good dog, with a unique personality and a real doggie zest for living. In a lot of ways his personality was similar to Sylvie's - by which I mean "unique" and "big." He didn't give us half of the problems that a lot of dogs - particularly the notoriously hyper labs - give their owners. He knew his mind, but generally obeyed. He never needed a leash, never wandered off (never for long, anyhow), and just added a lot to our home.
We'll miss him.
I spent some time this afternoon going through photos. Unsurprisingly, it helped, mostly by reminding me just what a good life our Pax lived - even after his demotion, and really until very recently. Here are a few. The rest I put in a gallery (of course) at this link.
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| On Sylvie's first day home |
This last one is my favorite photo of Pax - just hanging in the yard with his pal.
dup.jpg)
Rest in peace, Pax.
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