Over two feet of snow, and more coming down. Oh, the joy! At least we still have power (fingers crossed!) and plenty of food. This is a record for Maryland; from what I’ve been told, this is the most snow at one time since ~1950. Normally we get ~18 inches over the course of the winter. So far we’ve had that much dumped on us just in December, and now this current storm is in itself over 26 inches so far…
Just a bit South of here (DC) and East had actual “blizzard” conditions last night. We just had a major snowstorm. :)
Click any picture for slideshow.
Snow Storm 2-2010: Two feet. Over 2 feet- taller than Olivia Snow Storm 2-2010: Two feet, and he's not going to be much help shoveling... Snow Storm 2-2010: Two feet. Snow Storm 2-2010: Our Mailbox Snow Storm 2-2010: Preparing for the arctic. Snow Storm 2-2010: Preparing for the arctic. Snow Storm 2-2010: Actic Trail left by explorers Snow Storm 2-2010: In the arctic.
Monday night after dinner Preston and I enjoyed a game of Kids of Carcassonne. It’s one of the few kid’s board games for which he can sit “still”. A typical game only lasts around 10 minutes, which is just right for him. He even remembered the name of the figure pieces: “Meeples”. The “full” version of the game, Carcassonne, (I think it’s for 10 to adult) is also a lot of fun, but too long for him.
This is a much simpler version – you basically pick a tile from a stack and place it on the table next to another. When you “complete” a road (when it has an obstruction on both ends), you can place your meeple on any same-colored meeple picture on that road. First player to play all their meeples (8) wins. Fun!
The game itself is well-made, with nice wooden “meeple” figures and thick cardboard tiles which hold up well to a 3yr old’s treatment. Not much can stand up to the gnawing teeth of a 1yr old, so we keep Olivia at bay during play. The graphics are very good as well, and Preston enjoys finding all the little animals, etc. on each tile (“Hey! A sheep! What’s he doing there?”).
Not bad for a game without dinosaurs.
Kids of Carcassonne Board Kids of Carcassonne Preston and Kids of Carcassonne
So far it looks like we have more than 18 inches of snow here. That’s a record! Preston loved “helping” me shovel out the driveway (though he used a Swifter as I only have one shovel). Olivia just cheered us from afar. Then both got into the BlueBird sled, though only Preston actually went for a ride (many, down the driveway). The BlueBird is supposed to be for Olivia, but it was convenient for Preston. BIG snowbank at bottom of driveway so no worries about him getting too far.
Turkish author and Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk was interviewed by Robert Siegel of NPR’s “All Things Considered for a Smithsonian Associates lecture tonight. The insights into Pamuk’s writing method as well as how he sees the translations of his books was quite enjoyable. His latest book is “The Museum of Innocence”. I’ve read two of his previous novels, The White Castle, and more recently, Snow. I very much enjoyed “The White Castle“; Snow – not so much. Looking forward to reading The Museum of Innocense!
Last month, our extended family had a wonderful vacation at the Chautauqua Institution, in Chautauqua, NY (upstate, western NY state). Highlights of the week were lectures by Professor Donald Johanson (pictured below signing my copy of Lucy’s Legacy), as well as:
Wade Davis, ethnobotanist, photographer, author, The Serpent and the Rainbow
Kobie Boykins, NASA engineer, Mars Expedition Rovers program
Mattias Klum, National Geographic photographer, filmmaker
Dr. Johanson signing my copy of Lucy's Legacy
We rented a house on the grounds, and spent a week enjoying lectures, concerts, beautiful weather, and wonderful grounds. It’s like a really nice small town, gated. It’s a very family-friendly environment, and there is nice beach on the lake.
The Catholic House sponsored a couple of excellent lectures as well, and Mass was offered daily. Did I mention the weather was wonderful? We’ll be going back next year; I can see why people go back to Chautauqua religiously (no pun intended :) ).
