Roby: One Year Ago...

Look at that sweet little baby one year ago.

Here she is now...


What a difference a year makes!

I can't help myself...one picture with Santa.

Lack of downhill is looking up!

Something very exciting is finally happening at the Thurmond house, "rebirth" after "the birth." "The birth," of course, refers to the greatest thing that has ever happened to us, Roby! The "rebirth" is that we are finally breaking out of our long slumber that was total baby-stimulated recreation deprivation. Until recently, the baby robot was unable to engage in many of the fun activities that Sylvia and I enjoy but now that has all changed! Today was a Big day. First, we got all of our snow clothes on and got in the car.

Next, we loaded up the car, grabbed the dog and some gear and headed up to the mountains.

Then we loaded up Roby in her backpack and off we went...

By Ski! Well, by foot and then By Ski!

Here we are at the top of our climb! The snow was perfect and the temperature was a very tolerable 32 degrees.

Sylvia was delighted to be back on her skis!

The snow was pretty deep. Govy could only stay afloat with the help DFD (dog flotation device).

It was great trip!

This is a poem I heard on NPR...and I liked it!

The Health-Food Diner

No sprouted wheat and soya shoots And Brussels in a cake, 

Carrot straw and spinach raw, (Today, I need a steak).  

Not thick brown rice and rice pilaw Or mushrooms creamed on toast, 

Turnips mashed and parsnips hashed, (I'm dreaming of a roast).  

Health-food folks around the world Are thinned by anxious zeal,

They look for help in seafood kelp (I count on breaded veal).  

No smoking signs, raw mustard greens, Zucchini by the ton, 

Uncooked kale and bodies frail Are sure to make me run  to  

Loins of pork and chicken thighs And standing rib, so prime, 

Pork chops brown and fresh ground round (I crave them all the time).  

Irish stews and boiled corned beef and hot dogs by the scores, 

or any place that saves a space For smoking carnivores. 

-- Maya Angelou

And we're back...The Special Aquatic Edition!

Sorry for the six month delay. To "rewhet" (or "rewet" as the content of this post may elicit) your appetite, I present you with two little swimmers.

First, baby Roby explores our local pool for the first time. Second, a beautiful Copper River Salmon on an arugla panzanella salad paddles across our Colorado table.

The weather in the Colorado Front Range has finally turned from an especially distasteful winter to a much more comestible "spummer." In Colorado we don't really have many long, Nashe-esque springs nor do we have well-defined summers as we can have a winter snow shower in June. We seem to jump from winter to summer and back to winter with only a small window for activities that normally happen in spring and fall. However, we are not complaining around here. In fact, we decided it was time to take the little robot on her first trip to the pool.(Roby prepares for the big dip)

(Robot gets her feet wet...hope she has rubber gaskets for waterproofness)

(Mommy tries out a new submersible kippah)

(Baby Roby rethinks her life choices)

(Daddy and Roby made "extra warm water" and were very happy)

Also today we encountered another great swimmer: the Copper River Salmon (CPS). The CPS is one of the finest fishes found in North America. Like a Colorado spring, the CPS is only available for a short time and it must be consumed quickly and voraciously. Below you will behold a beautiful grilled specimen that has been lacquered with sorghum and lemon and laid on a bed of bitter arugula and zesty croutons. Sylvia said it was one of the best meals I have ever made for her. She must have been affected by the "extra warm water."