Spring Break

The Gonzaga spring break was last week, and we decided to drive down to Georgia to visit Mike and Susanna. Mike is at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy (FLETC) for 4 months. We left mid-day on Friday so that we could get a jump on traffic and spend some more time with Mike when we arrived Saturday. Traffic was light, and we camped at Jones Lake State Park in North Carolina that night. It was cold, but Calista loved wandering around the campground and did not complain at all. We arrived in Brunswick on Saturday and hung out with Mike and Susanna and the couple Susanna is staying with.



Sunday and Monday were spent at Cumberland Island National Seashore, which was a beautiful spot. The old Live Oak trees were all twisted from the wind, and hung with Spanish Moss, and Palmettos carpeted the understory. Mike had to go back to work, but Susanna travelled with us to Osceola National Forest on Monday night, and we explored the national forest and the Okeefenokee Swamp. We hiked 6 miles of the Florida Trail, and saw alligators, snakes, and a variety of birds in the swamp.

At the end of the week we headed to Atlanta, and camped for two nights at Red Top Mountain, where we stayed in 2005 before our backpacking trip on the AT. We saw the Atlanta Aquarium on Friday, and met up with Aunts Andrea and Regina and cousins Alyssa and Renee at a diner for dinner that night. We headed home on Saturday, driving 7 hours in steady rain before giving up for the night at a hotel in Durham. An easy drive home on Sunday was the conclusion to a nice trip.

We have more pictures here.

Winter adventures

We spent the last weekend in February in Blackwater State Park. Snow was a bit sparse this year, so we spent the time hiking, exploring new areas of Canaan Valley, and hanging out in the cabin with friends. Several of us hiked a section of the Allegheny Trail, which stretches across West Virginia from Peters Mountain on the Virginia border, near Pearisburg and on the AT, to the Pennsylvania border. We hiked from Canaan Valley State Park to Blackwater, about 8 miles
. As we drove home last night we noticed salt trucks and snow plows hovering around the highway shoulders and exits, and as we arrived home it had begun to snow. We woke up to around 8 inches on the ground . . making this perhaps the first time that DC has had more snow than the West VA high country. There was no school today, which in my case did not cancel classes but an in-service day with other Catholic schools in the area.

Calista is having fun wandering around and exploring new things. We played with her in the snow a bit today. She went for a hike with Tatiana and our friend Laurie on Saturday -- a real hike on a natural surface trail with roots and rocks to navigate. Some pictures are here.

Silly Girl

Calista likes to do some silly things these days. Recently she decided she wanted to wear one of her bibs while playing. She knows where the bibs are stored, and she took of from the basket. She could not figure out how to properly fasten it, so she walked around instead with the bib tucked under her chin! She has done this several times now. She also enjoys getting plastic containers from one of the kitchen cabinets. Last week grabbed a plastic lid and then decided she should put it into an open bag that was on the other side of the room - so she walked over and placed it there. She proceeded to walk back and forth, bringing one more lid each time, for at least 10 rounds. Each time she would carefully close the cabinet door before walking across the room to deposit her lid. We have some (more) pictures here.

Winter fun

We had 4 days off over Martin Luther King weekend, with an extra day because of inauguration. Gonzaga's parking lot was being used by the National Guard and the Hirshhorn is right on the mall . . so we journeyed north to Lake Placid to try the skiing there. We had never been in the Adirondacks in winter, unless you count Lapland Lake, on the southern edge park. I hiked in the high peaks area numerous times while taking summer classes at RPI, 10 years ago now! We stayed in a little cabin just outside Lake Placid. Tatiana and I did "tag team" skiing, while one of us hanging out with Calista inside. We skiied at Mt. VanHoevenberg, where the 1980 Olympics were held, and on the Jackrabbit Trail, a long-distance linear trail that connects several backcountry and groomed ski areas. On the way out we also made a stop at the Adirondack Loj, which is a classic backwoods lodge that provides trail access to the high peaks region. More pictures here.

Christmas

We enjoyed visiting family during Christmas break. Calista got to hang out with both sets of grandparents, as well as Uncle Tyson and Aunt Sarah, and Uncle Mike and Aunt Susanna. We went skiing at Muskegon State Park and at Big M between Cadillac and Manistee, and also stopped at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and Cuyahoga Valley National Park for breaks between Michigan and Maryland. Calista got lots of gifts from grandparents, aunts and uncles, and even great aunts. Check out more pictures.

Stair climber

Calista has discovered that she is good at climbing stairs. I think she is preparing to become a mountain climber . . . we had to put up our gate a few weeks ago when she discovered the stairs.

She is a happy baby most of the time. She enjoying "helping" us set up the Christmas tree (which is on a table and anchored to keep her from pulling it down). The other day she decided it would be fun to play with her bib when she was finished eating, so we did that for a while.

Check out other new pictures.

Peek-a-boo!

Calista decided yesterday in the car that she wanted to play peak-a-boo using her coat. Tatiana was sitting in the backseat with her, and Calista would put the coat over her head for a few seconds, take it off, and laugh hysterically. Today she started playing again, using a towel in the kitchen. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen!

We had a fun Thanksgiving weekend. After a meal with Tatiana's parents in Chincoteague, we drove to Raleigh NC for the Nike Southeast Regional Championship XC meet. My team finished 19th place in this invitational-only meet serving a 10-state region. On Saturday night we stayed at Peaks of Otter lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway, then headed home on Sunday. I ran part of the way up the bus route to the top of Sharp Top Mountain on Sunday morning, but had to turn around because of icy conditions. The Parkway was also closed on Sunday because of ice. We have some pictures of the weekend and more of Calista's recent exploits (including a shot demonstrating her love of blueberries) here.