Four More Years
August 23, 2009 at 9:56 am | Posted in Anniversaries, Blogging | 4 Comments
Olympiads. Presidential terms. High school. College. A lot of life comes at us in four year increments.
Today, this blog celebrates its fourth anniversary. I’m not sure I thought it would last this long. And to be honest, I’m not sure it should have. But here we are.
Last year—on this blog’s third blogiversary—I wrote a pretty nice post about what this blog has meant to me and why I continue to write. The sentiment still holds. I’ve made friends through this blog despite having only met a couple of you in person. Even though comments have trailed off and I’m less frequently reading other great dad and mom blogs, I’d miss you folks if I stopped writing here or reading your posts.
For a couple of reasons though, this blog is struggling. In the past year, I’ve written that Clare is getting to an age at which she deserves some privacy, where I shouldn’t be blogging about every funny or awkward thing she does. That sentiment still holds too. Clare is almost eight; when I began this blog, she was only three. It’s a completely different world (as some of you with three year-olds will find out). So the problem, I suppose, is that the blog of a father of a three year-old must be different than the blog of a father of an almost eight year-old. I have to figure out what that “different” is.
Also in the past year, I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I’ve been spending more time working. My schedule is flexible and some work is doable from home, but it still takes time. If things keep going well, it’ll take a little more time. I think, maybe, when someone is in a creative job like I am, trying to be creative on a personal blog feels like more work. But I have to find the fun in it again.
Somehow, I’ll try to find this website’s place in the blogosphere again. Still a dad blog. A few photographs. A few stories. Somehow we’ll find our way—kind of like we do as parents.
Will the blog last four more years? I don’t know. Maybe not. But maybe it’ll last forty. Wherever we go, thanks for coming by and being a part of Clare’s Dad.
Rocky Mountain High (Summer Photos Day…where were we?)
August 13, 2009 at 12:50 am | Posted in Summer, Summer Photos, Vacations | 2 Comments
Wow, I’ve really blown it with the photo-a-day plan this summer. Unlike last year’s two weeks, Clare spent four weeks in day camp (with one overnight) this year—which means that we didn’t do as much together. Also unlike last year, I spent more time working. The kids’ theatre I’m at spent four weeks rehearsing for Suessical (starring thirty-five 8 to 14 year olds), and the past three weeks with kids creating an original musical with our staff and four guest artists from Broadway. (We met cast members from The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins and Wicked.)
One great thing we did do together was visit Denver. Clare’s Mom has been there for business before and that’s what took her there again; Clare and I just tagged along for our first visit. It was fun (even if Clare’s favorite part was the hotel pool) and we’ll probably go back someday. I posted more about the trip over at UpTake.
I’ll get more summer photos up here (maybe even some from July), but I probably won’t fill in every day of the summer. I guess I didn’t realize that last summer may have been the last that Clare and I would spend so much time together. In a couple of weeks, she’ll be starting third grade. She also says that, when she turns eight, she’ll be a ‘tween. I guess there’s no pretening she’s still a little kid, but she’ll always be Daddy’s little girl.
Maid Marian on Her Tiptoed Feet
July 10, 2009 at 8:07 pm | Posted in Summer Camp | 4 CommentsMaybe you’ve noticed that I haven’t posted photos for a few days. (Or maybe you haven’t.) I do have some photos to post, but they’re not all of Clare—because Clare and I haven’t done anything exciting together since last weekend. And the operative word is “together” because Clare has been doing exciting things—I just haven’t been with her to take pictures.
Since Monday, Clare has been going to day camp. She’s been swimming, playing, dancing, and she’s even tried archery (an elective that she picked—which, I guess, is the definition of “elective”). Next week, she stays overnight once, so Clare’s Mom and I get to go out!
For the past week and the next two weeks, many of the pictures I’ll post won’t be of Clare—but they will be of Clare’s world. That’ll give you—and her when she looks back on this blog—a different look at what it’s like to be Clare. I’ll be backdating some posts for the past week too—not to confuse you, but just to have the post date match the date the photos were taken (and to appease my OCD).
So, what does all of this have to do with “Maid Marian on her tiptoed feet?” When Clare told me that she would be trying archery, I told her to not get stuck being the one who has to stand with an apple on her head. Still don’t get the connection between William Tell and Maid Marian? Take that up with Squeeze.
New Kicks (Summer Photos Day 21)
July 7, 2009 at 6:21 pm | Posted in Summer Camp, Summer Photos | Leave a Comment
Clare picked up these new kicks for camp. Will she be the coolest kid at camp or what?
Off to Camp (Summer Photos Day 20)
July 6, 2009 at 6:15 pm | Posted in Camp, Summer Photos | Leave a Comment
Clare just started three weeks of summer camp. She’s going for days only, but there will be one overnight in the second week. This is the camp bus that picks her up down the street from us.
Grampa’s Pool (Summer Photos Day 19)
July 5, 2009 at 8:35 pm | Posted in Summer Photos, Swimming | Leave a Comment
We partied every day on Fourth of July weekend. On Sunday, even though the water was cold from weeks of rain, we dipped into Grampa’s pool. It wasn’t as cold as the ocean probably is.
Fourth of July (Summer Photos Day 18)
July 4, 2009 at 8:28 pm | Posted in Summer Photos | Leave a Comment
This blue barn down the road from us makes it look like we live much more rural than we actually do. I’ve always liked the look of it though—especially with the flag.
Chillin’ (Summer Photos Day 17)
July 3, 2009 at 11:39 am | Posted in Summer Photos, Weather | 2 Comments
We finally had some sun yesterday. Clare and I even stopped the ice cream man and relaxed for a while outside. Not to break the bad weather streak though, the clouds did roll in and it poured at night.
More Rain (Summer Photos Day 16)
July 2, 2009 at 11:29 am | Posted in Summer Photos, Weather | Leave a Comment
It’s been kind of hard to get excited about taking photos when it’s rained almost every day of summer vacation so far. In this Great Gloom of 2009, we haven’t had a full week of nice days since April—and it’s July.
I’ve read that twenty-three days of June brought rain. Of the remaining seven, I’m sure that at least four were overcast with threats of rain. July hasn’t started much better. Maybe we’ll get summer in September and October.
Wooster Street (Summer Photos Day 15)
July 1, 2009 at 11:17 am | Posted in Day Trips, Food and Drink, Museums, Summer Photos | Leave a Comment
On Wednesday, Clare and I went to the Yale University Art Gallery. It’s not a very large museum, but their collection is really diverse—African, Asian, pre-Columbian, European, American, and every artistic period represented.
I didn’t take any photos at the museum, but I did take this shot in New Haven’s Little Italy where we had shrimp and bacon pizzas at Pepe’s. There’s a lot of heated discussion and strong opinions, but a lot of people consider it the best pizza in New Haven and the country.
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