Baby G * Gavster * Bear * Sweet Peetey

IMG_2637, originally uploaded by cabeca dura.

This is the newest, happiest (and chubbiest) addition to our family - his real name is Gavin, but the nicknames keep piling up. It's amazing what new life inspires you to say.

He is a magnificent snuggler, and holding him is pretty blissful. Needless to say, I put in a lot of burping time just so we could hang out.

More fotos!!

Christmastime with R & A

IMG_2685, originally uploaded by cabeca dura.

This first foto is from Christmas after Ryan and Allison were allowed to raid their little brother's stocking - shocking as it is, these guys STILL have not opened all of their own presents - it seems they love what they've got and can't imagine more. (Don't be fooled - they're great kids, but this is a bit random even for them.)

There are more here, plus a few that capture them at such great little moments...

the night the tide changed

I can't believe I'm posting on this so late - with exactly two weeks until inauguration! - but we were in Dallas' Bishop Arts district on November 4th and wanted to share...

Fabulous homemade t-shirts.

A crazy crowd - being in the midst of such a diverse, yet energetically unified mass dissolved a lot of my frustrations with Dallas.

What's *hi* in the middle and round on both sides? That's right. It may be blurry, but this photo is proof that my home state came through.

Willie Nelson *live* at Billy Bob's!

IMG_2440, originally uploaded by cabeca dura.

Sometimes overlapping plans make for the best experiences....

My friend Shawn and I were on the phone one night and he says, "I got us tickets to see Willie Nelson in Fort Worth!!" Brilliant!!! I am a huge fan, but my parents were coming to town that same weekend and I wasn't sure if they'd share in my excitement...turns out they are game for anything!

We had a lovely dinner with my mom's friend on Eagle Mountain Lake, then all four of us hustled a spot at the railing to see Willie. He's certainly getting older, but if you close your eyes you'd swear his cadence and guitar hands were coming to you straight from 1975. Absolutely amazing!

Asheville!!

View from Black Balsalm Trail in the Pisgah National Forest.


Suzie and I traveled to visit my Lindsey in Asheville - it was an incredible trip with feed-your-soul hikes, fabulous vegetarian food (even vegan gravy!) and wonderful new friends (a big shout out to Amanda & Judd - I promise to get to Savannah soon!).

Below are a few other photos I really wanted to share, but you can see the rest here.




Just past Nashville, I was looking for a park to eat lunch and was told to head up the road - the woman gave the impression we'd just find a picnic table or two, so I had no idea we'd find this beautiful spot at J. Percy Priest Reservoir. (The other pic is Suzie's smiling face - roadtrips seem to cure her, too.)



Folks told me that during the 1996 Olympics, Atlanta officials bussed homeless men & women to the four corners, many of them landing in Asheville. Asheville and other cities (Denver) have retrofitted their parking meters to collect change for homeless shelters, food banks and other struggling organizations. The white-out marker suggests things are a little more complicated than straight-up donations, but I was impressed none-the-less.



Think of this as our calmest moment. "4 people, 6 dogs and one heluva ruckus!".

wonderful news!!

The AIA Dallas Design Awards honored the students who designed and built the Holding House - check it out : http://bcw-congo.blogspot.com.

graffiti alley

IMG_1385, originally uploaded by cabeca dura.

I'm not sure how often it happens, but just a few months ago an alley behind 4 or 5 blocks of Queen Street in Toronto hosted a graffiti carnival.

The first time it was like being passed by a really bright bus - I was a bit lost and took a sidestreet that formed a sort of graffiti cross-section. The next afternoon I stopped to check out a tiny-happy-healthy community garden and was so incredibly excited to find that the back gate led into a whole other arm of the same alley - it almost felt like I tumbled out into a sea of paint.

Even crazier was to run into several of the artists who cut through the alley whenever they get a chance just to see all that amazing work in one place.

This was one of my favorites ::