Fall began with an uncharacteristically hot and humid day with temperatures nearing 90 degrees. But since then, we've been enjoying crisper air and clear blue skies.
Fall in Maine means...houseguests. And after a visit from Yeye and Nainai, friends Kate and Dan came up for a quick visit. We all took a drive north to Unity, where the Common Ground Fair was held. Binbin had a runny nosey cold, but he was a trooper at the fair. We stared at alpacas on our way to the sheepdog demo. Five or six dogs rustled a dozen or so sheep in and out of their pen. Then they directed ducks, who waddled business-like from point A to point B. From there, we strolled through organic vegetable patches, stopped to say hello to Fred Horch of FWHorch, ambled over to the bandstand, and finally arrived at the children's area. A pleasure dome with sweet, live music; plenty o nails and hammers to pound into logs; and tempera paints in old coffee cans to splatter on so many sheets of paper spread across child-height easels. When Binbin left, he was all smiles, red-and-purple hands, and green splotches in his hair.
The runny nosey has lasted all week, but it's not so nearly the leaky faucet it was last weekend. What's new, then? Well, Binbin got some new shoes from a good ole Maine business, Lamey Wellehan (could that name compete outside Maine?). Our goal was to get size 8 Merrell's for hiking in Acadia next weekend, and we did accomplish that. But Binbin didn't have eyes for such dull colored shoes. He likes better his new, bright green crocs. And, he lit off in those shoes for Bookland and the trainset in the children's book area.
I'll try to get pictures up before we leave for Acadia.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Life with Yeye and Nainai
Yeye and Nainai arrived last Friday for a visit, and Binbin has been the center of attention ever since. We all together enjoyed a number of fun-filled outings, beginning with apple picking on Sunday at the Rocky Ridge orchard.
It was a beautiful morning, bright and clear, after the previous day's clouds had gone. There was a chill in the air, but the sun was warm. The big airshow featuring the Blue Angels was slated to begin in the late morning, and we could see from the orchard, several planes writing advertisements in the sky: AIRSHOW TODAY. We paused to watch and read, but Binbin urged us all, Yeye included, to get going toward the apple trees.
Though he insisted we bring his stroller, Binbin soon warmed up to the idea of a wagon, which extended his reach another foot or so. Branches heavy with apples bent to Binbin's will. He plucked and plucked, and then chucked the apples into a big brown grocery bag. You can imagine that such treatment resulted in a bruise or two on every apple. One branch didn't give its apple up so easily, and Binbin tugged until he and apple together tumbled backwards over the wagonside. Nonplussed, Binbin smiled and laughed, saying, "funny, funny." After that, he learned to twist the apple before tugging.
Binbin also picked out three pumpkins: one little green one, two bigger orange ones.
On our way home, we stopped (Binbin insisted) back at Keena's Little Ridge Farm. Jack and Binbin stayed to help, while the rest of us gathered together a picnic lunch. The barn now has wood walls and a green, metal roof. Binbin also took some time out to cut down some feed corn and throw it to the piggies. He couldn't have been more pleased.
I won't give you a blow-by-blow narrative of the week's events, but I will say that the visit ending with the celebration of Baba's birthday, opening of presents, blowing out of candles, and eating of pie.
When told that Yeye and Nainai were leaving today, Binbin protested vigorously: 我不要爺爺奶奶回家 I do not want Yeye and Nainai to go home!
Yeye took most of the pictures this past week, so it will take some time (perhaps even several weeks) before we'll have photos. We'll get them up as soon as we can!
It was a beautiful morning, bright and clear, after the previous day's clouds had gone. There was a chill in the air, but the sun was warm. The big airshow featuring the Blue Angels was slated to begin in the late morning, and we could see from the orchard, several planes writing advertisements in the sky: AIRSHOW TODAY. We paused to watch and read, but Binbin urged us all, Yeye included, to get going toward the apple trees.
Though he insisted we bring his stroller, Binbin soon warmed up to the idea of a wagon, which extended his reach another foot or so. Branches heavy with apples bent to Binbin's will. He plucked and plucked, and then chucked the apples into a big brown grocery bag. You can imagine that such treatment resulted in a bruise or two on every apple. One branch didn't give its apple up so easily, and Binbin tugged until he and apple together tumbled backwards over the wagonside. Nonplussed, Binbin smiled and laughed, saying, "funny, funny." After that, he learned to twist the apple before tugging.
Binbin also picked out three pumpkins: one little green one, two bigger orange ones.
On our way home, we stopped (Binbin insisted) back at Keena's Little Ridge Farm. Jack and Binbin stayed to help, while the rest of us gathered together a picnic lunch. The barn now has wood walls and a green, metal roof. Binbin also took some time out to cut down some feed corn and throw it to the piggies. He couldn't have been more pleased.
I won't give you a blow-by-blow narrative of the week's events, but I will say that the visit ending with the celebration of Baba's birthday, opening of presents, blowing out of candles, and eating of pie.
When told that Yeye and Nainai were leaving today, Binbin protested vigorously: 我不要爺爺奶奶回家 I do not want Yeye and Nainai to go home!
Yeye took most of the pictures this past week, so it will take some time (perhaps even several weeks) before we'll have photos. We'll get them up as soon as we can!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
raising barn
Our friends Keena and Zach have started a farm, Little Ridge Farm, down the road from us, and this past Sunday, they had an old fashoined barn raising. We brought our friends, Shari and Tom, along; and these snapshots were all taken by Shari (thanks, Shari!).
One bay up.
Three bays up.
Binbin helps Baba with the pegs.
Good job: you get an "A".
Binbin made a little friend, and De-nin got to see it might be like to have two little rascals.
Later in the afternoon, jack treated Tom to a coffee at Little Dog Cafe. Binbin came along and got a treat, too: his second mango sorbet of the day.
Binbin and Baba started playing tug-o-spoon.
One bay up.
Three bays up.
Binbin helps Baba with the pegs.
Good job: you get an "A".
Binbin made a little friend, and De-nin got to see it might be like to have two little rascals.
Later in the afternoon, jack treated Tom to a coffee at Little Dog Cafe. Binbin came along and got a treat, too: his second mango sorbet of the day.
Binbin and Baba started playing tug-o-spoon.
Monday, September 3, 2007
the baby beach
We're coming to the end of a glorious summer here in Maine, and Labor Day weekend weather has been gorgeous. Clear, sunny days with temperatures in the 70s, a slight chill in the evening tells us that it's fall. We camped again at Rockport on Friday evening. On Sunday, we all went to a secret little beach on Bailey Island with the Horches. The views north are to Orr's Island via the cribstone bridge. It was a new place for Binbin, so he was a bit reserved. But with Baba holding him, he watched as the bigger kids caught hermit crabs and regular crabs--and fed them freshly split mussels--in the tidepools.
And here are some quick jottings on what Binbin has been up to these days.
His favorite activity remains...you guessed it...drumming. He arranges and re-arranges drums, copper canisters, and copper lids in the living room, the sun room, the play room, the kitchen floor. He chooses typically the longest set of drumsticks and fires away. Binbin likes having others join the fun, and he will dictate to you which drumsticks you may use, and which copper canisters or lids, known as "cymbals", are yours.
Besides drumming, he likes to play with his 40-odd matchbox cars. He has banished the wooden rails and trains from the train table, so that the cars can participate in a demolition derby. Binbin climbs on top of the table to supervise the destruction.
Monkey and blankie and blankie remain his companions at bedtime and at other times throughout the day. He will share some of his favorite foods with these companions including: marshmallows, gummie worms, chocolate alphabet cookies, raspberry yogurt with sucanat, peaches with sucanat, frozen bananas with sucanat, pie crust, you get the picture.
Binbin is all business if you announce that we are going to the beach. He will put away the drums and canisters and drumsticks, and then gather all of his sandbox toys: large and small frisbees, shovels and rakes, buckets and a bulldozer. And we go on our merry way. If he is awake upon return, he will request to have ice cream at the "little house 小房子," which means Cote's Ice Cream in Brunswick. He likes the raspberry sorbet.
He still likes to make art with lots of colors. Most recently, he's been into watercolor paints. He carefully dips his brush in water, eliminates the excess along the rim of a bowl, and chooses, in order, each of about 20 colors to apply to his paper. On occasion he will use Mama's colored pencils. And last night, after Kidder Smith came to dinner, Binbin delightfully stamped Chinese woodblock characters. We are still trying to figure out with the woodblocks are antique or whether they are a modern-day fake.
Binbin is still pretty shy with adults, though he surprised us last night, when he gabbed at length in Chinese with Shuqin ah-yi. Perhaps it was the comfort of speaking in Chinese. But, each day, Binbin's grasp of English improves. He will say "this one" and "please" and "Binbin likes..." and "many, many." He will also correct you: if you say "yanse 顏色," he will say "bushi, nashi COLORS 不是，那是 COLORS."
He is facsinated by Miss Donna's vegetables. And morning and evening at daycare, we will spend 5 or 10 minutes searching for and appreciated the reddening tomatoes, the green peppers, the small and tiny cucumbers. Binbin likes to gently touch each one. Of course, a ripe tomato will fall from time to time, and we must ask sheepishly if we may have that one!
We are reading lots of books:
Up, Down and Around (a book about how vegetables grow)
Time to Pee (you can guess what that's about)
How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon
Mouse Mess
And here are some quick jottings on what Binbin has been up to these days.
His favorite activity remains...you guessed it...drumming. He arranges and re-arranges drums, copper canisters, and copper lids in the living room, the sun room, the play room, the kitchen floor. He chooses typically the longest set of drumsticks and fires away. Binbin likes having others join the fun, and he will dictate to you which drumsticks you may use, and which copper canisters or lids, known as "cymbals", are yours.
Besides drumming, he likes to play with his 40-odd matchbox cars. He has banished the wooden rails and trains from the train table, so that the cars can participate in a demolition derby. Binbin climbs on top of the table to supervise the destruction.
Monkey and blankie and blankie remain his companions at bedtime and at other times throughout the day. He will share some of his favorite foods with these companions including: marshmallows, gummie worms, chocolate alphabet cookies, raspberry yogurt with sucanat, peaches with sucanat, frozen bananas with sucanat, pie crust, you get the picture.
Binbin is all business if you announce that we are going to the beach. He will put away the drums and canisters and drumsticks, and then gather all of his sandbox toys: large and small frisbees, shovels and rakes, buckets and a bulldozer. And we go on our merry way. If he is awake upon return, he will request to have ice cream at the "little house 小房子," which means Cote's Ice Cream in Brunswick. He likes the raspberry sorbet.
He still likes to make art with lots of colors. Most recently, he's been into watercolor paints. He carefully dips his brush in water, eliminates the excess along the rim of a bowl, and chooses, in order, each of about 20 colors to apply to his paper. On occasion he will use Mama's colored pencils. And last night, after Kidder Smith came to dinner, Binbin delightfully stamped Chinese woodblock characters. We are still trying to figure out with the woodblocks are antique or whether they are a modern-day fake.
Binbin is still pretty shy with adults, though he surprised us last night, when he gabbed at length in Chinese with Shuqin ah-yi. Perhaps it was the comfort of speaking in Chinese. But, each day, Binbin's grasp of English improves. He will say "this one" and "please" and "Binbin likes..." and "many, many." He will also correct you: if you say "yanse 顏色," he will say "bushi, nashi COLORS 不是，那是 COLORS."
He is facsinated by Miss Donna's vegetables. And morning and evening at daycare, we will spend 5 or 10 minutes searching for and appreciated the reddening tomatoes, the green peppers, the small and tiny cucumbers. Binbin likes to gently touch each one. Of course, a ripe tomato will fall from time to time, and we must ask sheepishly if we may have that one!
We are reading lots of books:
Up, Down and Around (a book about how vegetables grow)
Time to Pee (you can guess what that's about)
How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon
Mouse Mess
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)