Signs of Spring...

Sunday morning began with an uninspiring gray fog.
So, I went for a walk in search of color,
and found some, in unexpected places....

Trooper Tribute...

A few months ago I posted a few words about, and a couple of pictures of Trooper. Trooper died this past January from injuries sustained in a car accident, but today he made an encore appearance during a Congressional Subcommittee Hearing when Subcommittee Chairman, Congressman Bart Stupak, held up his picture.

(Snapshot from Today's Subcommittee Video Recording)

Here is the Wall Street Journal Article that puts it all in context....

...Manic Monday

Today was a late day at the office, a consequence of frantically attempting to meet erratically imposed deadlines. While working well past dinner time, my blackberry vibrated. It was Ari calling, "Papa...when are you coming home? ...At what time?" I tried to explain that I would be home later tonight, but that I could not tell him exactly when. The disappointment in his voice was strident.

Then, thirty minutes later, the blackberry vibrated again. This time it was Gabriela calling, "Papa...when are you coming home?" A deep breath later, I tried to explain, "I'll be heading home soon, after I finish my project...." She read the situation well, and in a moment of wisdom and kindness offered a bit of understanding, "I love you Papa, Goodnight."

Arriving home from work after the kids have gone to bed is fortunately a very rare occurrence, yet I still wonder about those few hours I missed and those other manic moments...the frenzied tales told by children at the end of the day.

...charquitos al carbón

A light rain dusted the deck, disturbed the reflection of leafless trees floating in puddles. The weekend was a mass of gray skies and damp airs...the meteorological incarnation of a large manatee. For a few brief moments on Sunday afternoon, we found warmth with family and other flavors. My brother grilled homemade bison sausage, and other savory delicacies. He is a chef by training, an artist of the palate. You probably think I'm exaggerating, but the flavors he conjured were as delicate as childhood memories of the Island, as refreshing as a fleeting tropical downpour, and as syncretic as Santeria and Spanglish.

He smoked, then grilled, then glazed ribs with his homemade guava chipotle BBQ sauce. This sauce was thick and dark like tamarind syrup. Plenty of sauce remained...so, I drenched my portion of grilled meats with the enthusiasm of a piraguero serving up his last shavings of ice. We ate, and laughed, and celebrated a nephew's birthday. The raindrops marched down from the clouds...slowly, in an orderly fashion, disciplined...much like a colony of water ants. The air was still damp, and crisp. Grey skies were now dark. But that didn't bother me now. The guava flavors had long since crafted more vibrant reflections in the puddles of memory.

If you want your own serving, click here to see the leftovers.

...heard around the house

A few pimples dance around her hairline. She counters with special rinses and washes, and shrugs. We watch from a distance, and stand ready to offer reassurances regarding her changing complexions, contours, and concerns.

Then a few days ago she walked up to us, grinned and confidently conveyed a dose of self-assurance. "This morning I looked into the mirror and a really cute girl stared back at me." She then giggled and glided out of sight.


Adolescence seems to be a pleasing pose....

Vitrious Vanities...

Last night...they were predicting, and then revising their estimates as I glanced outside and the snow began to fall. This morning, I glanced again and smiled.

The county closed the schools, I took the day off in order to nurse the tail end of a nagging cold. The kids played outside. I shoveled. Daniela relaxed. And drop by drop the icicles hanging from our front portico...grew and grew. Throughout the day, I documented their glints and their guises, as the glass stalactites mimicked the girth of a pachyderm's snout. By nightfall, the longest one had reached 36 inches...and kept growing. Here are a few of those moments:



If you prefer to catch the droplets at your own pace, click here. And if all of this has left you nostalgic for 80's music of a similar vein...enjoy this classic and floe back in time.