Snow Days!

Winter finally descended upon Carbondale this week, doing so in the form of 3" of snow. That was just enough for Zachary, his mom and dad, and some of his friends to get to play. Here are some videos.

1. Look at all the snow piles!
This was officially Zachary's second time to play in the snow, the first one coming last year. But because it was so cold then, we stayed outside maybe ten minutes, tops. No sledding, no snow angels, not much fun. This time it was much warmer.



2. Forecast: a light dusting
The snow was too powdery for snowmen or snowballs, but Zachary does his best here to put some on his dad.



3. In which the wheel barrow punks (?) apart
Mr. Big Britches demonstrates why it is that only he can handle the important job of snow removal.



4. Hitting the slopes
Living on a hill is no fun when it's time to mow the lawn. When it snows, though. . . .





You can see Zachary's friend, Grace, in the background of this video, and his friend, Alex, on the sled in the next one. They came over with their moms, Maureen and Wendell, on Friday morning.

Christmas 2006

Here are some pictures from this year's Christmases, one in Alabama, the other in South Carolina.

Candy Cane Lane

Jeremy has long thought that the fates intended him to live in southern Illinois--what, with its being half-way between the region whose literature he studies, the South, and the region in which he learned to study it, the Midwest. Amy has never bought that argument. Until now. We spent tonight in West Frankfort, a little town about a half hour north of Carbondale. It's where Amy works occasionally at a branch office of her clinic. More important, it's the home of Candy Cane Lane, a local tradition that began a few years ago when one family decorated their home and, over time, the rest of the neighborhood joined in. It's now a kind of museum of recent trends in kiddie pop culture, with displays ranging from Ren & Stimpy to Lilo & Stitch to Shrek & Donkey to the Incredibles.

Here, then, is a guided tour of the neighborhood that, at least for one night, has made us happier to live in the middle of nowhere.

Presidential Aspirations?

Jeremy is now old enough to run for president. (Hard to believe with parents so young and naturally beautiful huh?)

Saturday. In the Park.

You'd think it was the 4th of July. Almost. It was certainly warm for mid-December, much to Zachary's delight.

Christmas Party

Two videos from the Christmas party Zachary and his parents attended last night. Kind of dark, but clearly: the big guy in red is Santa.

Holiday Magic On The Mountain

Friday - We took Doree, Katie and Guerin to this on an extremely cold night!