Goose Route, Take 2

mdw and eaw set out on Wednesday, July 22 with choreographer extraordinaire Ashley Thorndike for a road trip to perform Ashley’s work (in collaboration with composer Peter Swendsen) at the Goose Route Arts Collaborative in Shepherdstown, WV. Faithful readers will recall that mdw took her choreography and dancers to this festival in July 2007, and had a fabulous time. True to form, this visit to the Goose Route was very satisfying – it’s a delightful festival. eaw was a trooper and mdw was thrilled to have the opportunity to see what “touring” would be like with him in tow. Of course, mdw had the help of some amazing women (the cast just happens to include three 30-something baby-hungry single gals so it might not be completely representative of a typical touring experience). Still, we drove from Columbus, OH to West Virginia to Pennsylvania to West Virginia to Maryland (to pick up one of the dancers at BWI) to West Virginia. Yes that’s right, we drove to West Virginia three times to get there as our final destination. eaw was a rockstar in the car and loved our hostess’s beautiful home deep in the woods of WV – almost heaven, indeed. mdw loved reconnecting with Kate, one of her dancers in Philadelphia. mdw and eaw enjoyed a change of pace, hanging out in the dressing room, walking along the Potomac river, and hanging out (literally) in Siri’s (our hostess) indoor hammock. The end of the tour brought the most delightful treat in that mtw and Samantha beat us home, returning from their gig at ADF. It was a sweet reunion all around. mdw enjoyed the change of pace from teaching at BalletMet and returns for a week of rehearsals and setting a repertory piece on the pre-professional dancers. Glad to have the better half home!

Busy Weekend!

We had a weekend that left us spinning (pun intended). Our Friday night swimming ritual with Barbara and Hathaway was rained out so the four of us attended an opening of a new artspace in Columbus, called Floorspace. A photo of the festivities can be seen on my Facebook page. Barbara gave me tips on preparing salmon and we enjoyed a delicious meal with salmon, pasta and fresh zucchini before heading to the opening. At the artspace, we participated in some impromptu dancing and revelry.Saturday morning brought a playdate with eaw’s friend Nate from daycare. We met at Schiller Park in German Village for some energy expenditure, followed by a pb&j jazz concert at a local topiary garden. Unfortunately, our schedule was off so eaw and I only made it for a story time at the library and missed the jazz concert. We had to get back home to nap and prepare for our evening outing at Our Lady of Peace Festival, a fundraiser by our neighbor’s parish that includes rides, bbq, music and fun. We drove over with Colby and his mom and had a great evening. eaw loved the fish ride, the carousel, the ferris wheel (yes, my 2.5 year old son went alone with 2 4 year olds), the jumpy castles/slides and the yummy food. Yes there were some struggles over waiting in line and yes the skies did open up halfway through the evening and downpour, but overall – it was a fantastic evening. I love watching eaw’s eyes light up with new experiences and fun activities. I can’t wait for the amusement parks. I love being his mother.

After a late night, we woke up early and prepared for a day trip to Deer Creek State Park south of Columbus, again with Colby and his mom. It was a beautiful day – not too hot, overcast with some sun, and a lovely breeze. We enjoyed a nice hike with both woodland and lake views, followed by a picnic and playtime on a playground. Living up to its name, we also saw several deer – eaw and Colby were especially impressed with seeing Bambi. The full weekend caught up with the young men as evidenced by the parting shot:

Free Falling through the Summer!

June 21 – Father’s Day a.k.a. Single Mother’s Dayeaw and I got together with our neighbors for a quick dip this afternoon – Colby continues to be a good buddy – showing eaw the ropes. It is amazing to me the difference between 2½ and 4!

Following the swim, our friends Tio and Julie, invited us over for a delicious barbeque. Tio (Terrence) is an amazing musician and Julie is an amazing dancer and cook. They hosted our good friends Barbara and Hathaway as well. eaw and Hathaway enjoyed music and playtime at the park behind their home (although this is the slide off of which eaw fell and bonked his head).We spoke with mtw, wishing him a happy papa’s day. Thanks to all the papa’s out there – we love you!

June 27 – Pool Party
mdw had a successful performance on Thursday evening including a nice preview in the Columbus Dispatch. The festival ended on Friday morning, and mdw is glad for a week off before beginning her gig at BalletMet.

On Saturday, we spent the day with friends at a backyard pool party. eaw was a bit younger than the other boys so spent much of his time hanging out with the mom’s, but all in all we had a fantastic day. He is getting much more comfortable in the pool, even daring to put his head under from time to time. Lessons are in are future.

July 3 – Zippity Zoo Dah
eaw and I (along with the rest of the city population who had the day off) went to the zoo. We rode the train, rode the boat ride, rode the carousel, and saw a few animals along the way. The line was too long for the baby elephant so we opted out this time. The gorillas were playful and the okapis were as stunning as ever. We later enjoyed a walk to the park with our friend and neighbor Calder – we are lucky to have so many friends on our street! In the evening, we went to the airport to pick up papa for a weekend visit – HOORAY!

July 4 – Independence Day
We’re glad papa is home. We started the day with some friends from work at a fishing pond. Eaw was very interested and attentive to papa’s fishing lesson. They cast and cast and cast their line, finally retrieving a (very very very little) fish. You must look very carefully – it almost looks like a smudge on mtw’s shoe – but eaw was so excited and proud! And of course, we caught and released.
The evening brought another delicious meal and gathering at Tio and Julie’s (oh the guacamole – to die for!) eaw had his way with corn on the cob and did quite well. mdw even flexed her Martha Stewart muscles and made a festive brownie arrangement for dessert. Dinner was followed by an impromptu parade through the park, in which eaw took the lead role. We didn’t make it to the fireworks – but the distant booms brought to mind great memories of fourth’s past and anticipation of future celebrations.
July 5-12 Summertime…and the living is easy
Well, mdw is working her butt off at BalletMet, and mtw is working his hands to the bone at ADF, but summer is still summer, especially when you are two. Here are some images of the good life:

Popsicles on the porch

Snappers and sparklers

Endless bike rides