christmas recipe

our tree in a sea of gifts thanks to our generous families

Like all good dishes, our recipe for Christmas is a work in progress. Some of the ingredients that we had this year are, in my book, essential.

#1 Children. Tim, especially, has made this Christmas the best I've had since I was a child. This is his first year to know Santa Claus, to learn and sing Christmas songs, and to take part in decorating the house. It's been a season of smiles and laughter thanks to him. And Luke has added his own bit of magic to the mix. He is becoming aware of his greater surroundings instead of fixating on toys and people, and this discovery has turned him into an explorer. Nothing is safe from his curiosity.

#2 House guest or guests. Nick came to stay with us for Christmas and added just the perfect amount of strange and new for both Tim and Luke. He's great with kids, comfortable in the kitchen, and a fantastic conversationalist, so Paul and I felt like he was one of our Christmas presents.

#3 Mild weather. Last year was a winter of snow, which was beautiful and exciting. This year has been mild. We haven't had snow on the ground in weeks. Even though I love snow and I love a white Christmas, the mild weather has made everything easy, especially dealing with the children who have been able to play outside several times this December. This ingredient is entirely dependent on the next ingredient. Without #4, I would want weather more in keeping with the season.

#4 Night at the condo in Breckenridge. Our friends who own the condo in Breckenridge are having the bathrooms remodeled. It was supposed to be done in November. Their frustration with the workers and delays meant that we got to spend Christmas Eve at the condo, and Paul and Nick got to spend Christmas day on the slopes. I can't ski until I get new ski boots. I thoroughly enjoyed being away from home where the mess of Christmas (we opened our gifts Christmas Eve morning before we left, something we probably won't be able to do next year when Tim's awareness of dates may be in place) would have had me spending the day cleaning. This trip gave us a gloriously white Christmas. As I said, ingredients 3 and 4 must go together.

it's a good thing we captured this on camera because they don't share toys


this is as close to sharing as they get.

tim opens a gift with brother watching


nick on horsetooth rock

nick up front with dad on a sightseeing flight over fort collins


nick, paul and tim before their flight


sledding at breckenridge


nick skiing at breck

There are ingredients missing from our recipe this year such as having our family in South Africa with us and our friends who are now scattered to places like England, New Foundland, Australia, and such. As I said, it's a work in progress.

siblings

Paul's company party was last Saturday afternoon, a family affair centered around children. Tim knows all about Santa Claus this year, but was still a little shy about sitting on his lap. Once there, he managed a smile. Luke screamed as soon as I put him down, but we expected that. We didn't even attempt to visit Santa when Tim was that little. I guess that's part of being a sibling: experiencing things before or after our time for the sake of the other sibling.

happy halloween

our house


our pumpkins

Halloween has long been one of my favorite holidays. My elementary school always made a big deal with a parade on Halloween day or the closest day before it if it fell on the weekend. Each class would take a turn walking single file through every classroom in the school. We'd have a party in our classroom and play traditional Halloween games like bobbing for apples. The school held a carnival one night close to Halloween but never on Halloween because we were all out trick-or-treating. There was a cake walk. One year, I won two cakes! A booth with ducks in a plastic pond that you tried to throw rings around. And, of course, a haunted house. I loved being scared. Often they would make a maze out of cardboard boxes taped together. With the lights out and holes made in strategic places, it was thrilling.

Junior high and high school were too academically minded to have parades, but we were still allowed and encouraged to dress in costume. Most of my teachers dressed up as well. In high school, we had costume parties. I was probably 14 the last time that I went trick-or-treating. In college, I went to a Robert Palmer concert on Halloween night. Before the show, they had a costume contest. More than half the crowd was dressed in costume. This was the 'Simply Irresistible' tour, and the local DJ's (all male) were dressed as the 'Simply Irresistible' girls from the music video. It was a memorable show.

When I was really little, I remember that I wore fairy wings one year, and a Casper the Friendly Ghost plastic mask another. I can still remember the way the condensation from breathing inside the mask built up around my nose and how good it felt to lift the mask up and breathe. In the fifth or sixth grade, my best friend Nancy and I made dice out of cardboard boxes. It was the first year that I had a boyfriend at Halloween and so did Nancy. We went trick-or-treating with them and tried to hold hands in our costumes. Our boxes were so big that only our hands stuck out of the holes.

Halloween parties as an adult were never as good as the ones held in the campus houses in Sofia. The Americans hosted the party and the Bulgarians showed us how to rock the night away. We danced and sang all night long. This is when I learned all the words to 'Alice.'

But none of these Halloweens were as good as tonight with my wonderful family. Paul has noted my enthusiasm for the holiday and joined in the spirit by carving a pumpkin, wearing a hat, and helping with decorations. Timothy's pure, unadulterated delight at everything from the decorations, to getting candy, to giving candy brings me such deep joy. I think this is a peek at what Christmas will be like this year, another favorite holiday of mine.


our family

steamboat springs and aspens at their peak

Paul took Friday off, and we spent a long weekend with my childhood friend, Amy, in Steamboat Springs. It's a ski town/cow town almost due west of Fort Collins, not far as the crow flies, but a three hour drive through some of Colorado's most beautiful country, especially at this time of year when the aspens in the high country were at their fall color peak.

aspens along the poudre river, about 1.5 hours from home

We took our time leaving the house and driving to Steamboat on Friday, stopping at Walden for lunch. The weather was perfect, and when we got to Amy's place we made ourselves at home, played at the playground about 100 yards from Amy's condo, and made dinner. Amy had to work until late, so we didn't see her until after the boys were in bed. It was great to share some wine with her and catch up on our lives.

Amy left for work early on Saturday morning, and we spent a day like people on vacation. Her condo is like a holiday home, located in the middle of 100's of condos built for the lucrative ski season. We had a late breakfast and went into town where we found a park for Tim to enjoy. From there we walked on the path along the Yampa River, then went back to Amy's. The boys took a long nap at the same time. Paul said seeing a Dodo was more likely than ever having that happen again. We read, napped, watched TV and sat on the balcony watching the leaves fall. It was so peaceful.

a rare sight

Amy recommended an Italian place for dinner where kids get to shape their own pizza dough. We helped Tim make a Mickey Mouse head. They put cheese, sauce and bacon on it and baked it for him. The waitress came to the table several times between when she took it from him and when she returned it to him cooked, and each time he asked for his pizza, please.

Again, Amy had to work late. She works at a resort, selling plots of land on a working ranch that doubles as a resort for owners and friends only. It's 1700 acres of cattle ranch with 17 horses, too many cows to count, a full time cowboy, fly fishing guides, a lodge with a beach entrance pool, a mini theater, mountain bikes, fishing gear, cross country ski gear; you name it. Owners can stay at one of several 'cabins' and use all the facilities. A few of them actually build homes on the land that they buy. When Amy has prospective buyers in, she works around the clock. This group left on Sunday, and she gave us the grand tour.

the ranch barn. the loft is used for an annual barn dance. this is where owners and prospective owners meet the cowboy for horseback riding, steer roping lessons and much more.

Paul even got to borrow some waders. One of the guides rigged a rod for him, so he got to use his rod and a ranch rod to fish the Elk River. It was a scene right out of A River Runs Through It.

fly fishing on the elk river

amy and the boys at our picnic sight along the elk river
lunch beside the elk river

We may not get to go to other countries on long weekends like we did when we lived in London, but living in Colorado allows us to spend time in some beautiful places with some great friends. Thanks Amy!

tour de fat

dad and tim after the parade

My sister-in-law Melissa arrived from Cape Town last Friday morning after her flight out of Amsterdam was so delayed that she missed her connecting flight and had to spend the night in Minneapolis. She'd given us the OK weeks earlier to join us for the annual Tour de Fat, but I don't think she knew exactly what she was in for. None of us did.

The Tour de Fat is a take-off on the Tour de France; it's a bike parade instead of a bike race. It's sponsored by the New Belgium Brewing Company, an award winning micro-brewery that supports sustainable energy. Their most famous beer is Fat Tire, named after the tires on the bike that the founder road through Belgium when he was inspired to start a micro brewery in the early '90's. Participants dress in outrageous attire, from bought costumes to home-made creations.

the parade

paul and the boys in the parade

more parade

and more parade

and more parade. That's melissa and me in the top left of the picture wearing green grass skirts and walking the bike. too crowded to ride.

and still more parade.

one of our monk companions in the parade

Everyone meets near the brewery and cycles through the old part of Fort Collins. It's grown so big that we had to walk our bikes for most of the parade this year, and skipped half of it when we learned that the front of the parade was already back at the park enjoying beer and listening to the bands play while we still had more than half the distance left to travel.

08:00 and ready to go

ready for the big ride

We started by riding our bikes over to my friend Jen's house at 08:00. That is a major feat in itself as getting four of us dressed (3 in Hawaiian costume), fed, and out the door at that hour takes the work of three adults. Melissa and I rode the tandem bike that my parents bought back in the mid-seventies, a dinosaur. We both hated it by the end of the day, but it was fun to have for the parade. Jen and Chuck gave us their bike trailer and Paul towed the boys in that. Tim loved it for most of the day. Luke mostly slept in it.

At Jen's we imbibed in some morning drinks: Bloody Mary's, Fuzzy Navels, and Mimosas. But not too much. We had a long day of riding ahead of us. Jen's family and friends were dressed as Monks and Nuns. The fifteen of us cycled from their house down to the start of the parade in Old Town North. That took at least an hour, twenty minutes for the ride and forty minutes to get a through the masses of cyclists to the start of the parade.

We were in the parade for at least two hours before we gave in to the call of more libations and pizza. Finding some shade, we parked ourselves on some blankets and took turns walking around the fair. There were bands, carnival games, food and drinks, and hundreds of people in crazy attire. They also hold a funeral for a car that someone donates but we didn't see that. BTW the brewery is powered by wind.

our hawaiian mascot at the helm of paul's bike

smile!

spiderman

crabs!

By mid-afternoon, we'd had our fill and headed back to Jen's for a little apres Tour, but we didn't make a bee-line. Instead we took the path along the Cache La Poudre River, meandering out to the east side of town before heading back to the south central area where Jen lives. We hung out there for long enough to sooth our back sides before heading home.

bike parking

can't have a costume party without at least one elvis.

an action shot of melissa

fancy

yummy pizza


that's our boy. (the cup is made of corn.)

We rode at least 18 miles (30K). The only good thing about the tandem is that it has large comfy seats. Still we were saddle sore, hot and dirty. Melissa may not be so willing to agree to what we suggest in the future until she knows the details, but she must not have been too miserable because she went for a bike ride with Paul the next day.

all in all, a good day

great sand dunes national park

great sand dunes national park

When Paul told me that he'd booked a weekend at Great Sand Dunes National Park, I wasn't as enthusiastic as I generally am about family camping trips. Firstly, I hate sand. I hate the way it feels, the way it tastes, the way it smells, the way that it invades every space no matter how tightly sealed or snuggly packed; I just hate it. The only sand I've ever liked is the sand on any Hawaiian beach. It's just different somehow. If you've been to one, you know what I mean. Other than Hawaii, I like rocky beaches, like Croatia. The other reason that I wasn't overjoyed was that he'd booked it for August. Going to the Great Sand Dunes in August brought to mind images of Death Valley: hot and dry. This turned out to be a misconception. Great Sand Dunes National Park is at 8200 feet, so it was cooler than here at home.

The first issue, sand, was not as bad as it could have been. Our campsite was sand free, nestled in a grove of low growing conifers surprisingly close to the Dunes.


our campsite

Also, my time in the sand was limited as Paul happily climbed the highest dune (700 feet above the river bed) in the morning while I watched Tim play with the other kids in the camp sites around us.


paul's morning walk


the boys


happy campers

When he returned, we stayed in the camp where the boys were happy to play and visited the visitors center until the afternoon heat dissipated. Then we walked about a half a mile to the river bed. I only had to walk in the sand for about 100 yards. I hated every step and complained incessantly. Tim loved it and Luke was oblivious. Paul pitched a shelter for Luke and I to hide from the sun while he took Tim to the lowest of the Dunes.

the river is still running, under the sand, which is slightly damp. in the spring, it's a proper river.


tim enjoying the sand


impressive

I could hear Tim's squeals of delight as he run full bore down the dunes. He didn't want to leave and still asks to go back. The sand was what some people would call gorgeous: clean of debris, soft as silk, and ankle deep. Yuck.

Our view of the night sky was spectacular and we enjoyed some star gazing after the boys went to sleep. We both saw the same shooting star, the longest and most brilliant I've ever seen. Maybe it was a meteor, part of the Perseid. I don't care if I never walk on the Great Sand Dunes again, but I'm very happy that I got to do it and very appreciative of my ever-enduring husband.




an afternoon snooze

in the blink of an eye

the family

My in-laws have returned to Cape Town after a four-week visit. It feels they were only here for a few days. It took me a while to cope with the shock of having to deal with the kids and the cooking. Tim and Luke miss the love and attention that they lavished on them. I'm counting down the days until they come back. I went through photos from Paul, Neville, and Jenny for this post, and they were on two different computers. They had to be down-sized and some of them cropped. It was a big job getting through them. Trying to keep them in chronological order was too much, so I've posted them by event, which is how Paul organized them.

arthur's rock
Fort Collins has a reservoir just west of the city in the first row of foothills. There are many hiking and biking trails that Neville explored. He and Paul took a walk one evening up Arthur's Rock. They had a nice walk and enjoyed beautiful views of hills and lake. They unknowingly woke a sleeping rattlesnake, who startled them with his rattle. They believe that both of them stepped over him.

neville walking uphill

rattlesnake

views of horsetooth reservoir

maroon bells
These peaks are the most photographed spot in Colorado, and I've heard that they are the most photographed outdoor spot in North America. I've wanted to see them all my adult life and they didn't disappoint.


maroon bells and maroon lake

We camped about three miles downstream of the lake in a pretty area where a doe visited us a couple of times and golden mantel squirrels were regular visitors.

doe a deer, a female deer


our home away from home

The Bells are only about twelve miles from Aspen, so we went there for lunch and a walk around the pretty mountain town. It's full of shops with things I can't afford and people whose lives I can hardly comprehend, but it's a pleasant place to visit.

the ski slopes in summer

aspen's charming streets

a water feature that's great for kids

We took the long way home from Maroon Bells and stayed one night in Steamboat Springs. A school friend of mine, Amy, lives there, and she joined us for dinner. After dinner, she and I went out for a drink and everyone else walked back to the hotel. One their way home, a bear cub ran across the street, down the hill, and across the bike/walking path in front of them. They decided to leave the path and walk on the road just in case momma bear was around. A couple from New York picked them up and took them to the hotel. Tim was so excited that he kept telling the couple that he'd seen a bear. Amy gave me a ride home. Our hotel was called the Iron Horse. Iron Horse is a nickname for a locomotive. At 01:00, it became clear why the hotel chose the name. Just past the parking lot is the river and on the other side of the river is the railroad track. It's less than 100 yards from the room to the tracks. I don't think it was necessary for the engineer to blow the whistle.

fourth of july parade

We had a late breakfast amidst the Fourth of July parade and finished just in time to see the four F14's fly over. Then we drove just out of town to see a pretty waterfall and home via Walden and the beautiful Poudre Canyon.

waterfall near steamboat springs

vedauwoo, wyoming and the cabin
When Jenny and Neville were here last year, we drove up to Vedauwoo. This year, we made the trip from the cabin, via Laramie where we saw another parade that was part of their week long Fourth of July celebrations. Wyoming is mostly high plains, so Vedauwoo, with it's rock formations, streams and ponds, is a nice change of scenery.


tim doesn't like to pose for photos any more

one view

We spent the weekend at the cabin, each of us enjoying it in our way. Paul did as much fishing as he could and Neville walked up the hill behind the cabin several times. Jenny and I did things with the boys. It's always nice to be there, and it's the place I miss the most when I'm away from the US.

on a game drive

the braai
We spent a good deal of our time in the backyard grilling and eating meat. Jenny's friend in Colorado Springs has a butcher that makes boerewors (a South African specialty sausage), and she bought enough to keep us satisfied during their visit, after their visit, and for Melissa's visit in September. Thanks Jenny! We have both a gas grill and a charcoal grill, so we cooked South African style and American style. It was all yum, yum good.

Both South Africa and American have strong grilling traditions. (Let me interject that I have only grilled with people of my own socio-economic backgrounds; hence these observations.)

The biggest difference that I can see focuses around the meat. South Africans always have three or four meats to chose from. Boerewors is essential. Lamb chops are a big favorite. Pork chops often make an appearance. Ostrich is common. Chicken is almost always there, but I don't understand why. It takes forever to cook, is often dry and chewy, and no matter what you do to it, it's still just chicken. I've seen steak a few times. Never hamburgers. American grilling tends to be one kind of meat. Steak is the most popular. Brats are getting a strong following. Hamburgers and hot dogs are popular amongst people with families. Pork chops are grilled as is chicken, but beef is king in the US. We took lamb chops (my favorite) to a BBQ party the other day. It caused quite a stir.

The second biggest difference and maybe the most significant is the apparatus used for grilling. South Africans use wood and charcoal. It's a half-day event. They prepare the grill, prepare the wood, prepare the charcoal, light the grill, tend the fire, stoke the embers, and on and on. All the men who will be eating take part in this ritual. However there is the man-of-the-grill(house) who is in charge. To take over the grilling from the man-of-the-grill is taboo; however advice and criticism are expected. Americans use gas. Ten minutes before we want to cook, we turn on the grill, run a brush over the grate, and start cooking. Because of this, we tend to grill several times a week all year long. Having a meal on the BBQ or braai is not an event. When we have a party, we generally make it a 'bring your own meat' kind of thing. In those cases, people usually bring brats, burgers or dogs as they are the easiest to eat on paper plates. The men still talk about the grilling, but usually each man tends his own meat. Since only the cooker tastes the product, there can't really be any judgement. In both traditions, the women prepare the salads and sides. The South African women tend to talk about the meat a lot. The American women talk about whether there will be enough food.

The last significant difference is the treatment of the meat. South Africans take great pride in marinading. The man-of-the-grill makes the marinade. From what I've seen, it's supposed to be done without any apparent thought, naturally I suppose, and the ingredients come from whatever is in the pantry (the only time he'll be seen in the kitchen during the whole day). Because it takes so long to prepare the fire, the meat has plenty of time to marinate. Americans have been spoiled by choice cuts of meat. We don't marinade unless the meat is cheap or wild like bear.

When it comes to a social event, I prefer the South African way of grilling. When I want to eat tasty meat, I prefer my meat naked and quick.


see all the different kinds of meat?


paul cooking South African style

because they cook with charcoal and wood, they can make yummy things like baked onions. put a whole onion in foil and stick it in the coals. divine