Road Trip

So, time has passed and I've been remiss about posting, mostly due to a few comments I have received offline about how this blog might be an invasion of my family's privacy. I suppose I could change everyone's name, but six years into it, that's a lot of editing. I've decided to continue with sporadic posts, since there are folks out there who seem to truly enjoy reading the updates, and I enjoy writing it.

At any rate, Karolina is now NINETEEN MONTHS old! How did that happen?

Cleaning is still one of her favorite activities, to the extreme. Example: I caught her cleaning THE CAT the other day with baby wipes. The cat did not run away. I'm not sure what to make of it.

And then there is Peter, who recently lost his first tooth! See bottom middle right:

He turned FIVE in April, and had a blowout pinata pizza party (graced by Mamie and Papi!) to mark the occasion, but that's when our camera gave out, so we, sadly, have no photos of the celebration.

Both of the above pictures were taken in the motor home that we recently rented for a week to travel the East Side of the Sierras. The scenery was spectacular, but sadly we were in between cameras, and the one we had with us conked out mid-trip. I will try, with mere words, to describe our experience on the arid side of these majestic mountains.

After a very late start, and a less than auspicious meal at Mel's in Placerville, we wound our way up into the Sierras and down past Markleeville on Highway 89 to test out the "camp wherever you like" capability of the RV by bedding down next to a river. The first of the jaw-dropping open vistas greeted us in the morning as we eased our way down to 395 -- made me realize what I have been missing, stuck in the trees for so long. We gathered sage, per a long tradition, and the kids promptly scattered it all over the RV.

First stop: Bodie. This is a REAL ghost town, not gussied up for tourists, but existing in a state of "arrested decay" just as its departing citizens left it on their way to greener pastures after the gold and silver mines ran out. Even the wildflowers, which were in purple, yellow and pink full bloom almost everywhere else we went, seem to have forsaken Bodie.

From Bodie we took a nice soak in Travertine hot springs, just outside Bridgeport, and then searched for a camp site. Lundy Lake was a surprise discovery -- a lovely little canyon near Mono Lake. Peter caught a fish ALL BY HIMSELF (with little help from Dad), and Mom and Karolina off-roaded the RV to a trail that led to a gorgeous waterfall. Hiking at 8000 feet with a 30-pound toddler on my back was a good way to prepare for some of the more challenging ascents ahead.

After a splash in the warm pool at our third camp site (Keogh Hot Springs), we got up bright and early to look for the entrance to Owen's Gorge, my old climbing haunt. Peter and Martin got in a few casts at our first wrong destination, and then we spent a few hours following blind alleys, comparing various maps, and being frustrated by unexpected gates. Eventually we found the middle entrance, which involves a VERY steep hike down into the canyon. We were rewarded by getting the entire place to ourselves, save one pair of climbers who departed shortly after we arrived. The river was FRIGID but it actually felt good in the near 100-degree heat, and Peter's latent mountain goat abilities emerged when we had to make our way back up the Class 2 and 3 trail. Mom's legs were definitely sore the next day after hefting "little" Karolina up and down that trail and up and down the canyon while the boys fished.

That night we went OUT for dinner in Mammoth. At an overpriced, terrible restaurant, just before pulling into an overpriced, terrible RV park. Glad to be back on the road, we headed for Devil's Postpile, a unique volcanic rock formation. This family photo sums up Peter's reluctance to do any more hiking:

We thought a float in Mono Lake would be just the thing, forgetting how extremely salty water affects cuts and scratches, many of which seem to constantly decorate Peter's little body. Ouch! That was the low point of the trip for Peter. An informal poll of 3 out of 4 family members declares Owen's Gorge the favorite destination of the trip, even with that Hike!

We had a hard time finding a camp site on the West Side of Tioga Pass, but lucked out at Ellery Lake, where we were flanked by a Swiss family traveling the West for four months, and a couple of climbers fresh out of the Valley, headed for Tuolumne Meadows. Their climbing equipment was a source of endless fascination for our kids as well as the two Swiss children next door. I was glad to be in a vehicle rather than a tent at 9000 feet, where it was rather nippy at first light, when Karolina awoke.

The grand finale of the trip was a day in Yosemite. After paying our respects to the Captain (El Capitan), we picked up the materials necessary to get Peter certified as a Junior Ranger and headed for the Mist Trail to check off his first requirement (hike a trail). The Mist Trail is STEEP!!! Like, using your hands to hoist yourself up the rocky stairs steep. Getting to the top of Vernal Falls earned us bragging rights -- we were jaded to the view after so many days surrounded by breathtaking scenery. We weren't the only ones -- ubiquitous smart phones stole the attention of two young women, who sat by the trail and texted, and one young man, who held up an entire line of people when he stopped to answer his phone mid-trail ("Dude! I'm hiking down from Vernal Falls!").

By the end of the day, Peter had earned our respect for being such a great little hiker, as well as his Junior Ranger badge, which was not trivial. He had to fulfill seven requirements, not easy to do when you have just one day in the park. He was most enthusiastic about picking up trash, not so keen on asking the Indian Cultural Guide a question ("What did native American children play with?").

Ready to head home, we made our final stop in French Camp, just below Stockton, where we tried desperately to enter a gated RV park. We knocked, we rang, we called. Nothing. And so, we "camped" in the parking lot of the adjacent golf course.

The next day we breakfasted at a coffee shop in Lodi. Here's what a small town Lodi is: When we placed our order at the counter, the barista asked if we were the ones driving the RV (she had noticed us drive by and we were obviously not locals). We were entertained by a vintage Cadillac driving piano player as we ate our bagels, not what we expected in a small central valley town at 8 in the morning, but pleasant nonetheless.

After arriving home to 102-degree weather, we decided to extend our vacation one more day and head for the South Yuba River for a picnic dinner. That's when it hit me -- most people go on vacation so that they can have picnics at rivers. This is what we do when we get HOME. We felt awfully lucky just then, to be living in Nevada City. Yes, I may have forgotten to mention that we did not, in fact, move to Portland. Stay tuned.

17 Months and Spring (sprung)

Well that went by fast. It's Spring here in Nevada City -- the wildflowers and bulbs decorate every corner of the county with bursts of color. Words are failing me today, so this blog post is all about the visuals.

We made our annual pilgrimage to the Buttermilk Bend trail down in Bridgeport, where I took the following photos of our 17-month-old daughter and her almost 5-year-old brother (and daddy too)...

Can you believe the hair?

Must be a Kosina trait.

The deer have returned to our yard, along with the bulbs. They are utterly fearless.

And then there was Easter. I swear I do not have a single photo of my daughter smiling in her cute yellow dress.

At least Peter enjoyed the egg dying and girl-chasing/beating (traditional Czech Easter activity):

Amy made us a Dirt Cake for the day before Easter (traditional Johnston family activity?). Here is Piper, thinking about stealing a worm...

And Lindy, Piper and Peter, flying the simulator...

One last pic -- Karolina with her little buddy Leo. The Cuteness! Thanks Bob (Leo's dad) for capturing that moment.

Sassy and 16 Months

And so it begins, the start of the "terrible twos". Yet another thing They don't tell you before you have children. The fight for independence sometimes starts shortly after your child turns one and lasts until they reach, oh, four and a half or so. Karolina had her first tantrum last week. It was a DOOZY. It lasted all the way through dinner. Impossible to hold a conversation because of the screaming. Impossible to eat with a small, inconsolably angry child ripping fully loaded place mats off the table and clinging fiercely to my right (fork wielding) arm.

Yes, that child.

God or The Universe or Whoever also seems to have ignored my *specific* request for a quiet, calm, girl child who would be content sitting in a corner and playing with dolls for hours on end. Instead, I got another one who must Move Her Body All the Time. Example:

She repeated that about 30 times, accordingly to our beloved babysitter, Patty, who shot the video.

It could be worse. She is awfully cute. And she is a little parrot -- repeats everything. Tonight she tried to sing the ABC song (after Peter's rendition), only without any actual words, just random sounds. She can carry a tune! And she LOVES her brother. The only way I can get her to change direction once she starts running (usually away from me) is to ask her: "Where's brother?" Then she STOPS immediately, looks around until she locates Peter, and starts running towards him. She rarely walks, preferring instead most often to go Full Speed Ahead.

Speaking of brother, he is doing surprisingly well with Daddy in Portland during the week, but is very much looking forward to the move, or at least the new house, but only after confirming that they do, in fact, have Christmas in Oregon. Tonight he wanted to help CLEAN, and so I handed him a spray bottle and a rag and he cleaned the outside of the oven, the kitchen cupboards, and the entire living room floor. He didn't want to stop.

Also, for you Willetts who may have been wondering whose sense of direction Peter inherited, we are happy to announce that Peter's ability to find his way around is very much a Kosina trait. We observed Peter jump out of an elevator (at a hotel in Portland) and RUN immediately, without any hesitation, around several corners, making various turns, directly to our hotel room after only visiting it once. This was while mom, of course, was still stumbling around across from the elevator, carefully reading the signs and trying to calculate which way to go for room 430. Phew!

Yes, folks, we were in Portland over the weekend, looking at houses and drinking very good (Stumptown) coffee. No, we did not find a house to buy. Yet. Erika is still trying to wrap her head around the many differences between Nevada City and Portland, and already waxing nostalgic about country living. Stay tuned for the final edition of "What I Learned from Living in the Country", which will open with bird calls (Erika can now identify the song of the Nuthatch and the cry of the hawk in addition to the more common calls of the crow, jay, and sea gull.)

15 months

Girls are different from boys. Or maybe Karolina is just different from Peter. This picture of my 15-month-old daughter was taken after she experimented with the scarf (pictured in her lap) to accessorize in a number of different ways. Completely over the head a la "ghost", then around the neck (more conventional) and finally just very casually in one hand, dragging on the ground. She strutted back in forth in the living room, trying out each Look, sometimes with a dance step, sometimes walking, sometimes running. As a friend of mine sometimes describes her (also adorable) daughter -- "weapons grade cuteness".

Also different from her brother -- the cleaning tendency. I've mentioned it before, but this particular proclivity seems to be getting stronger. Now she quickly wipes off any crumbs that hit her lap. I'm glad someone is cleaning around here. I took procrastination to new heights this week when, instead of cleaning the bathroom, I...made granola, coconut custard pie, 3 quarts of chicken stock, AND supervised lemonade making (Peter). (I did, eventually, clean the bathroom, but only because we were expecting extremely fastidious guests (ahem).

Peter has really gotten into cooking lately, after re-discovering his Pretend Soup cookbook (thanks Mamie and Papi!). This week, after the lemonade, he made "hide and seek" muffins practically by himself, and then tried (unsuccessfully) to interest guests Lindy and Piper in his homemade lemon lime soda. He's getting really good at using the juicer. He's been busy lately, and not just cooking. He is also participating in soccer lessons (45 minutes of RUNNING), swimming lessons, and juggling lessons, AKA The Art of Silliness. He also recently tried skiing for the first time, and loved it! Karolina, on the other hand, is suffering from serious "Second Child" neglect and is enrolled in zero classes. Maybe in Portland.

She has her own hobbies of course. Stealing (and eating) cat food (GROSS -- don't tell Pawlene). Singing. "Reading". Working on her language skills (She has added "hot" and "all done" to her vocabulary. Must be all that reading.

Mom's main hobby remains learning how to stay sane while raising two children with a husband who works very, very far away. I continue to make accidental discoveries that make a HUGE difference in how well things go, especially at bed time. This week I learned that moving dinner up half an hour makes an enormous difference in my mood for the rest of the evening because I can actually get everything done before 9:00pm and have a little time to relax and even read a book (!). I'm working on Bringing up Bebe -- thanks again Mamie and Papi. Lots to think about.

Portland

Are pigs flying? Has hell frozen over? What could possibly warrant a blog post that is MORE FREQUENT than my monthly updates on how Karolina has grown? Big news, folks, BIG news.

After five years, Martin has finally won the argument about moving to Portland. With the fate of his current position looking quite dire, he managed to secure a job offer at a start-up (!?!) in Portland, Oregon. And so, we will move.

Martin's first day on the job is February 18, and the rest of the family will follow some months later, after we find a house to buy, Erika transitions her school food job to the next lucky person, and Peter celebrates his 5th birthday with the little preschool buddies that he has spent the last two and a half years running around the playground with.

We will certainly miss all the folks we have been lucky enough to hang out with in Nevada City -- the neighbors and farmers, all the mommy mentors with older children who have taught me so much and passed down SO many goodies, and, of course, the Johnstons:

That was us, this morning, practicing for Portland by hiking in the drizzle.

There is a long list of other stuff we will miss (don't even get me started on our Bay Area clan), but here are five good things about Oregon:

1. We can afford to buy a house that is a short public transportation ride from Martin's job.
2. The food scene really is outstanding, and has gotten even better in the last five years.
3. Good bread.

   Ok, ok, non-food related things. Thanks to Amy for these two reminders:

4. They pump your gas for you.
5. No sales tax!

One request: PLEASE don't mention "Portlandia" to me. Yes, I have seen clips from it. Yes, it is hilarious and very accurate.

That's all she wrote.

14 Months, Leaps and Bounds

While Karolina (14 months old today!) is growing up just as fast as she can, Peter, who has been sadly neglected in this blog as of late, is making his OWN cognitive leaps!

This photo (and all photos in the last two blog posts) courtesy of Martin's iPhone, since our camera finally bit the dust and we have not yet replaced it. Sigh.

Peter now attends preschool five mornings a week, and he LOVES it. Phew! Those of you who were kind enough to send him a Christmas gift should have hopefully received a thank you note by now with his trademark signature -- Yes! He can write his name! It's all very exciting.

He is still obsessed with all things cars and trucks, but has progressed into the Lego phase. That kid LOVES his Legos. So does his dad, but that's another story. He builds amazing wheeled contraptions, all with an elaborate story to go with them. We still butt heads on a near daily basis, but he really is a sweet kid. He loves his little sister more than anything.

Yep, that's Karolina, on her first trip to the snow (the jury is still out on whether or not the white stuff is really worth all the trouble of bundling up). At least she likes her snow boots (not pictured). When I first tried them on her to see if they fit, and then took them off to replace them with a pair of shoes more appropriate for gallivanting around the library, she immediately went and got the boots, brought them back to me, and waited until I put them back on her feet.

Her other new interest is cleaning. This must be the Jana gene -- she looks more and more like Jana every day. Give her a cloth, and she wipes down her high chair tray. A broom, and she starts sweeping. She loves to clean! And speaking of clean, she actually *asked* to have her diaper changed the other day. She walked to the stairs, pointed up (where her diapers are kept), and once upstairs, handed me the wipes. This bodes well for potty training.

In other news, Peter lost his tonsils and adenoids this morning. He was an excellent patient, and is currently enjoying a DVD marathon and his 4th popsicle of the day (Thanks, Amy!). We are hoping this surgery will help with the snoring/drooling/nasal dripping/other associated general unpleasantness. His tonsils were SO large, the anesthesiologist joked about having no space to intubate the poor little guy. Now we have to figure out how to keep him "still" for 10 days. He will really miss soccer on Wednesdays -- it's been great for him to have a chance to just RUN for 45 minutes once a week. Luckily, he starts juggling lessons in an "Art of Silliness" class a week from Thursday -- that should distract him.

The rest of us are just trying to keep up with a host of exciting job-related changes in our lives. Erika was just promoted to Program Director of School Food at the nonprofit where she has been working for the past year, just in time for Karolina's babysitter to quit (and thankfully replace herself in the same breath). One of the job perks is emceeing the "Food" Film Session at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival this Friday night. Woo hoo!

Martin's job changes are still top secret (and TBD), but look for big changes in the Kosina household some time in the next month or two.

Pawlene is still holding steady, looking for the sunny spots, sleeping a lot, ignoring the deer (who recently decimated our winter garden when Peter left the garden gate open), neighbor cats, and any other invaders of our yard until the weather warms up. No snow at our house yet, but not for lack of low temperatures. Our next house is going to have a more efficient heating system, but for now we have all gotten used to sleeping in a pretty chilly environment (no heat in the bedrooms of this dear old house) and paying a ridiculous amount for heating oil each year (our heater runs on diesel). At least we are warm and dry, and have a phenomenal new cafe within walking distance. The Curly Wolf's "lavender flat white" (my new favorite drink) ROCKS. That, in addition to Polly's Paladar, an underground supper club (in tiny Nevada City!) that I recently discovered, have GREATLY improved the food scene here.

Happy New Year!

All Grown Up at 13 Months

At thirteen months, Karolina likes to accessorize. Except for socks. She hates socks. She is WALKING and I'm sure it won't be long before she requests her first pair of heels. She is also talking. Her first word was "brother". She loves her brother. Her favorite word, however, is "uh oh". I seem to remember something similar with Peter. Walking, talking, accessorizing, what's left? Stay tuned.