Run Fox Run

We are grateful to Hank and Dana for giving us an excuse to meet up with Spruce and Oakley denizens, and Papa and Grandma Lynn, in the great state of Mississippi. We enjoyed learning about the War of Northern Aggression at Vicksburg, gawking at the antebellum homes in Natchez, and watching Leda go absolutely berserk for the pleasures of the Mississippi State Fair. Grandma Lynn’s camera was set on the fastest shutter speed to try to capture Leda’s joy as she ran from ride to Ferris wheel to pony to wee roller coaster, always saying, “I want to do it by myself.” Here’s Leda atop one of the three ponies of the day:

Itinerant Rossmanns just can’t stay put. That’s right, just on the heels of our trip out west, we made a short trip further northeast to Boston. Staying in the Back Bay gave us a good base with which to explore Copley Square, the Public Garden, and the historical sites. We even got the chance to ride the Boston DUKs which drive around the land based sites and then take a dip into the Charles River. This is a hot ticket in the city of Boston, sold out on every day we were there save one time slot. The other hot ticket in town was easier to come by: a trip to Fenway Park to see the Sox. A beautiful day and a happy day for the Sox fans. Also, Leda totally dug the Children’s Museum with its 3 floors of awesome exhibits and wicked vertical maze.

No trip to Boston would be complete without some lobster. Notice Leda and I differ on how best to interact with the crustacean in question. Yummy!

Check out the photos from the trip.

This is what happens when you didn’t get back to the lodge for naptime. Most days we made it, but not this time.

Remember us? We’re the fools who took a nine month old hiking around several canyons on the Erosion tour of 2005, and then took a 20-month-old to France…this time we spent 2 weeks in Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier-Waterton national parks. (No title has caught on as well as Erosion seemed to fit our tour of Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyons…”Geothermal” and “Glacial,” while geologically apt, aren’t too sexy.) Leda was once again a champion traveler, game for hiking (at least, always game for the first half of a hike), swimming in chilly mountain lakes, searching for wildlife. Her good nature may have had something to do with our traveling companions, Grandma Lynn and Papa, who were always willing to entertain her: playing hide and seek on the trails, discovering wildflowers, and singing along with her. They even got Toby to return to a place from his past, the R Lazy S dude ranch:

We took a lot of pictures, but here’s what we’ll remember: Vistas that you can’t possibly fit into your camera’s lens, even if you have one of those dopey panoramic ones…bowl lakes of turquoise water ringed by jagged peaks…moose, elk, bison, bald eagles, and bears closer than you expect them to be…good times in the van listening to Gene Autry, Frankie Valli, and Neil and Johnny…and most of all, two little girls smiling, laughing, and taking it all in. Can’t wait for the next vacation.

The Rossmann Christmas has become a biennial trip to the Caribbean to enjoy the warm weather and the company of the cousins and extended family from Colorado and California. Leda’s pictured above with two of her three cousins (…next time for you, Andrew) sitting on the dock of our bay. This time we were off to Grand Cayman with a stay on the Cayman Kai side of the island. Our house had its own beach and was teeming with sealife. Starfish, Caribbean lobster, urchins, hermit crabs, and loads of fish could be had within a short walk in waist deep water.

The cousins had a great time re-acquainting themselves and then endlessly playing in the ocean, pool, and on the beach. We buried each other, collected sea-life, practiced our swimming, and enjoyed family meals created by our in-house chef-de-cuisine, Grandpa. Leda loved playing with her cousins, aunt/uncle, and Grandparents. She learned many new things: both good - like swimming bravery and how to share her daddy and not-so-good - we’re still working on removing the “raspberry” from her lexicon. Leda sends many thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for their organizing and making it all work.

We had so many great days and activities: Trips to Smith Cove, the Turtle Farm, Tortuga Beach, the Queen Elizabeth II Botanical Gardens, and Rum Point. We got to go out in a sea kayak as well as snorkel right off our own dock. Grandpa taught us all how to search the sea for the local fauna and Grandma helped us record the trip for posterity, all with great evening light. She even managed to snap a great picture of Leda and Jenn.

All in all, it was a great trip to the Caribbean and we can’t wait to do it again, with even more cousins to play with and more activities to fill our days with fun and sun. You can check out all the other photos from the trip in the Cayman Christmas album. See you around Cayman….

While out in California for the wedding, we had some time to take in some local sights. Whenever we go back to the west coast, I am invariably drawn back to my favorite places from my youth. This time we had a chance to go to the beach and visited Natural Bridges State beach. I can remember going here as a kid with my sister/mom/dad to look at the tidepools, with my friends in highschool for dawn patrol with CCMDs and DP and later at night to imbibe adult beverages, and then with Jenn when we were first dating. So now we’ve added Leda to that historical record. She loves the beach and usually heads straight for the surf (though I’m sure she was surprised the water temperature turned out to be much colder than the balmy Atlantic). We played on the beach and walked around the tidepools where we “petted” sea anemones and played with a wayward starfish. Leda was pretty darn impressed.

Second stop on the trip down memory lane was Oak Meadow park where I spent many an hour playing in my youth. The best part about this playground is that they have maintained a number of the original distinctive items from 30 years ago. These include the antique fire engine and the World War II era fighter plane. Of course before liability suits and cookie cutter playgrounds, the aluminum surface of this fighter jet would reach “burn your hand” temperatures in the summer months. Now it is safely coated with what appears to be several layers of Bondo and epoxy paint. Leda was game for these new play surfaces, but still will head for the swings at the beginning of any park visit. Photos of the trip are available here.