Friday, August 15, 2008

Update on our son

Hi everyone, Ian Frank has been growing away, at last weighing he was nearly 7 and a half pounds! He is officially beyond his projected birth date by a couple of weeks now, too.

Here are some new pictures of Ian, you'll see from the progression that he no longer needs any breathing assistance at all (not even the nasal cannula) but is still being fed part of his milk through a feeding tube.

He is eating more and more of his food on his own by drinking thickened milk from a bottle and we are optimistic that he will come home in a couple of weeks.

Summer project

Hi everyone,

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. A lot has been keeping me busy!

One of my summer projects was to create a stone patio behind the house where there had been a 4-inch-deep pile of pea gravel. I figured I could do the whole project in the week between spring and summer quarters. Unforunately (and predictably), it took me much longer, and I would still be working on it (or procrastinating fom it) without the help of my dad and my father-in-law.





Posted by Picasa

Summer project, finished...


Posted by Picasa

Monday, May 26, 2008

More baby pics...



Ian was taken off of respiratory support today and is breathing on his own. That means he gets to spend his days and nights in an incubator. He got phototherapy today, which helps prevent jaundice.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Another adventure...

Hi everyone,

Some of you may be wondering why I haven't been updating my blog--of course, most of you know this as typical behavior. However, this time I have a pretty good excuse for why I haven't been keeping you all up to date:



The details:

Ian Frank
Born: May 25, 2008, 7:19 AM
Weight: 1263 grams (2 pounds 12 ounces)
Length: 37 centimeters (14.5 inches)

He'll be in intensive care for at least the next month if not two. If you want to visit, let us know!

Monday, March 24, 2008

One more...



How could I not have blogged a shot of Salamanca's Plaza Mayor? It's famous. If you want to see it get blown up, watch the film "Vantage Point."
Posted by Picasa

A few final shots from Salamanca

Here are a few parting shots from my time in Salamanca:


The procession on Tuesday of Semana Santa featured a very important float and a ceremony in the plaza of the university. It was quite a spectacle.


Sunset on one of my last days in town, the Tormes river in the foreground.


A doorway in a small town south of Salmanca.

*sigh*

Tim
Posted by Picasa

Friday, March 21, 2008

Semana Santa is a big deal in Salamanca

Salamanca makes a big deal for Holy Week (Semana Santa, the week before Easter), especially on Good Friday (Viernes Santo), the day Jesus was crucified. Here is a video from the center of town. This segment represents a very small part of the procession that winds through town.

The centerpieces of the processions are heavy floats which date back hundreds of years. They are carried through town on the backs of about twenty people and it's quite impressive. Everyone gathers around to watch the procession as it goes through town.

In this video, the float is of Jesus carrying the cross. A hooded man walks in front of the float carrying a large cross and dragging a huge chain in time to the music. At the end of the video you'll see how everyone in the float coordinates their movement with the music to have the sculpture of Jesus stumble under the weight of the cross.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Mom comes for a visit

My mom visited me in Spain for a week just one week before I had to go back home. We had a great time and did lots of traveling, some of which I'll post here, some of which you may never see...most of our time was spent in short trips in the vicinity of Salamanca, as her mid-week arrival and departure meant that it would be a long trip to Madrid.

We saw a lot of Spanish countryside. It used to be flat and have trees, but the Spaniards were so inspired by the desktop background of Windows XP that they landscaped the entire country:


This is Mom in front of Tordesillas, a tiny town famous for being the location where Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, wherein Spain got a leg up on Portugal in the New World (but hey, Portugal already dominated sea trade to the Indian Ocean and Brasil so who cared about those few little islands that Columbus had found?).

We had a nice time visiting their small museum and picnicking by the river.

Posted by Picasa

Sunday, March 16, 2008

I brought my skis all the way to Spain, so I would feel a bit silly if I didn't take them out for a little bit of turning (I had gone to Morocco in early February). My mom and I were joined by Caroline, a friend of a friend from England who was in Salamanca for language school.


The La Covatilla ski area is about 70 kilometers from Salamanca and usually has more snow--but it has been a very dry winter in Europe, and Spain in particular, so you can see that the only snow left is that made artificially and put on the runs.


Caroline grins for the camera...

and shows us how it's done.

The snow was in good spring conditions and while there were rocks poking through in parts it was still a ton of fun to go out skiing--which only reinforces my belief that it takes some pretty harsh conditions to make for a bad day of skiing.

Mom went for a hike as we skiied for the half day. Good times.
Posted by Picasa

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Salamanca with Mom

Here are a few shots from around Salamanca with my mom, who came for a week near the end of my stay in Salamanca:


A view of the Catholic University (towers at left) from the rooftop of the cathedral


The new cathedral and the medieval tower from a nice park at the edge of the city


Mom standing next to the moat which surrounds old town, Ciudad Rodrigo


Chocolate con churros, a very Spanish breakfast. The churros are basically 12" long deep fried donuts that are dipped into a cup of molten chocolate. Que rico and how decadent!
Posted by Picasa

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Proof at last!

I've known for many years of the thing variously termed a "man purse" or "murse," but until now had not seen a formal recognition of its existence outside the vernacular. Here, at last, is the evidence I've been seeking to justify my man-purse-carrying behavior, care of Delta Airlines!



Thanks Delta.

My favorite shot from Salamanca so far


It was raining torrentially this morning when I woke up. By the time I'd had my first cup of coffee, the rain had stopped and the sky was grey. By the time I'd had my second cup, the sky had cleared. I walked around and savored the feeling of the freshly washed city.

I stopped to take a picture of the cathedrals and this mural, which contains a beautiful and romantic quote from Neruda: "Quiero hacer contigo lo que la primavera hace con los cerezos." I'll leave that for you to translate or you can write if you like!

It's spring here and I have only two weeks left before I head back home. That's exciting because I miss some things about home, but sad because, as always, my list of things I wish I had done is still very long....

Saludos, Tim
Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

A weekend in DC

I spent last weekend with a couple LONG travel days in Washington, DC for a meeting at National Geographic. We spent some time lobbying members of congress (go, geography education!) and the rest in meetings.

Posing on the Supreme Court's steps.


What does it taste like? Damn Starbucks marketers.


The DC Metro-how industrial. I feel like I'm living in Eraserhead.
Posted by Picasa

Madrid

Wow have I been busy...not even time to blog! Two weekends ago Genya and I finished her visit with a trip to Madrid. We had a great time heading to museums and restaurants and even met up with our friend Bea and Juan; I knew Bea from way back when in Bellingham. Now she has returned to Spain.


Pretty park trees.


The coolest motor scooter EVAR!


Lots of cheesy gifts to be had near the Prado.


Which came first, the Guggenheim dog or this wall?
Posted by Picasa

Monday, February 18, 2008

Continuing weekend travels...


A last scene from Bilbao...


We spent the night near Santander and then headed south through the Picos de Europa.


They are quite beautiful but don't have nearly enough snow!!

Posted by Picasa

A weekend in the north of Spain

Genya flew into Madrid last week, Yay!

Here we are in front of the Guggenheim, in Bilbao...strangely enough, the exhibit was "300 years of American Art."



A walk through Burgos


Having a rental car let us get off the beaten track a bit, like passing through this idyllic Spanish town.


The cordillera Cantabrica (the Cantabrica range) is full of interesting old cities and cathedrals.
Posted by Picasa

Monday, February 11, 2008

Morocco is for...

What did I do in Morocco...the beach? The bazaar? No, of course not. Skiing!




Posted by Picasa