Waking up District

A week or so home after the holidays and we're still getting used to the real world again.
It's nice to be back.
A few wonderfully beautiful regular-old-days back home.

   

Ada's grandfather is getting some good pictures of Ada lately, I like these two 

because they capture two expressions she has when she is hard at work at something. 

Like when she's trying to tear something apart, or figure out how her bag works for example. 

I love it.

First Christmas

A few of my favorite pictures from Christmas morning.

"No Red Ryder BB gun? Bollocks."

Out west for the holidays

We spent the holidays at grandma's out West, New Mexico way.

Ada got to know her four corners side of things: her roots out there, the desert, the mountains, and she got to spend time with her grandmother where that side of her family comes together. 

On the high plateau and in the rockies she had a blast. She rode the 'Polar Express' (The Durango-Silverton railroad in it's Christmas mode), she smelled the sage and juniper in the air, and got to watch the family try every traditional New Mexican restaurant they could find for two weeks.

(we now need a serious break from green chilies, and sopaipillas for our hearts sake)

It was a huge two weeks for little 7 month old Ada, she cut two teeth, saw snow for the first time

(and did not approve of it), she started talking in her own little language, she learned to rock in her high chair, she outgrew her car seat, and she learned to shoot a rifle (I made one of those up). 

It was a beautiful holiday and a good break from the hustle of life.

Ada... Life On Mars?

We visited the Bisti Wilderness Area, or De-Na-Zin.

A badlands in New Mexico.

Somewhere around 36 15'41" N, 108 15'10" W.

Ada had some geological research to do. She has an interesting technique which mainly 

involves the "attempting to taste," and "shake vigorously" methods of testing.

Ada was in heaven. The Bisti is an amazing place. It's also the most quiet place I have ever been- I have never not heard so much before in the outdoors. Not a bird, not a breeze, not a river, nor drip, or leaf. Just space and silence. You could literally hear the bubbles in a drink from a distance.

Which is not to say there is no life there. In the spring I am sure it is glowing with life, and although we saw only a single raven, it was clear there was a serious night life in town. 

Non-human footprints everywhere. Bear, fox, coyote, wolf?, rabbit, deer, interesting nights for sure.

It was majestic, and Ada was successful in her rock study. Hurrah.