our house 2

We moved in on August 21st, and we still aren't settled. Besides the big things like new carpet, there are all the little annoying things to be done like organizing the shelves in the closets, sorting through Tim's old clothes to get them ready for the baby, and fixing the holes in the walls from where we've removed drapes, shelves, or pictures. This weekend, though, we got enough done to feel like we can share some photos. Keep in mind that the carpet will go one of these days. It's circa 1988, high-low, in a strange shade of either blue or gray depending on your perspective. It's too bad the color is so intolerable to us because it's thick and bouncy, a very nice grade of carpet, and perfect for cushioning little boys who fall down.

The house is a split level, which means that the three different floors are not stacked on top of one another but placed beside each other, sort of. If you haven't been in one, it's hard to imagine, but they are very common in Colorado. The main floor is accessed by the front and back door. On it are the kitchen and combined dining/family room. If you look at the photo below, the front door, front windows, side bay window, and porch are on this level. The ceilings in these rooms are vaulted as there is no floor above them. The basement is below them.

front and west side of house

We made two changes to this level within the first week of moving in, which had a significant impact on the feel of the place. The obvious change is painting the blue wall a warmer and softer tan. It had the effect of making the room feel bigger, yet more inviting. The second change, which we feel was even more dramatic, but which doesn't appear so in the photos, is that we moved the wooden cupboards above the kitchen bar from below the crossbeam to above the crossbeam. This opened up the kitchen making it feel like one large room.

this is the living room, dining room, and kitchen prior to purchase

this was taken just after we moved in. tim claimed it straight away

this is how it looks now. my friend, jen, has given us a new light fixture to replace that hideous brass and glass thing. eventually we'll get some bar stools with some style, and the dream is to replace the work surfaces and cooker.

The TV room is our favorite room. The layout allows both the TV and the fireplace to be focal points, and the room is large enough that the decadently huge 50 inch TV doesn't dominate. The gate will come down someday, when little boys no longer insist on turning the knobs on the stereo system. I call it the Africa room, as we've decided to put all the items that we, mostly Paul, have collected in Africa. The paintings, knick-knacks and masks come from South Africa, Tanzania, and Angola. Paul calls it an attempt at a sub-Saharan Africa theme. The exceptions are the rug, which I bought in Bulgaria, and one mask, which Paul got in Peru.

the tv room prior to purchase

the tv room after we moved in

the tv room now. we'll get some end tables and maybe a coffee table in the near future. new flooring will come someday...

This lower floor is accessed either through the garage or by going down a short flight of four stairs from the kitchen. There is a 1/2 bathroom just out of the photo in the upper right corner of the photos above. There is a coat closet across the short hall from this bathroom and the door to the garage. Behind the love seat on the right side of the photo is the staircase going to the basement.

this is the tv room as seen from the main floor. it might help you imagine what a split level is. the room is open to the main floor so that someone in the kitchen still feels like they are part of what is happening in the tv room. above the tv room is the master bedroom. along the banister on the tile floor, we keep a folding table. tim eats here and we pile all sorts of junk on it.

Upstairs are the three bedrooms. The master bedroom is in a state of constant mess, so we don't have any photos of it other than the one posted by the real estate agent prior to purchase.

pre-purchase master

We've got our bed in the same spot. The wall opposite the bed and out of the photos houses the doors to the large walk-in closet and the master bathroom. It's a big room with plenty of room for a bassinet and later a bed for the baby for his first six months of life. We don't like the green paint. Once we get it painted and organized, we'll post some pictures. The windows look out on the back garden.

In the hall between the master bedroom and the two other bedrooms is a bathroom and a linen closet. These rooms are directly above the garage. Tim's room is the largest of the two. I didn't choose his decorations, but rather used the things that he likes to decorate.

pre-purchase: they used it as a guest room

tim has a nice shade tree in the summer. in winter, he gets a good view of what's happening on the street.

the orange ribbon looking thing is a Hotwheels race track. it can be put together in a multitude of different ways. he is still sleeping in his crib, but we've removed the front side of it so that he can get in and out of bed on his own. the quilt that kelly made for him is covering the throw pillows from the sofa that we've placed there for when he falls out of bed. there is a safety gate at his door that we close at night. when he wakes, he doesn't make any noise until he gets to the gate, so if he is falling out of bed, it hasn't hurt him yet. he still doesn't sleep through the night.

My paternal grandmother made the quilt on the wall. He loves to point out the different machines. The helicopter is his favorite. His Great Aunt Cath made the quilt on the floor. It has a safari scene on the side showing. Tim makes animal sounds now when he points out the lion, monkey, snake and etc. He does this at least once a day. The other side is a patch work of vibrant colors that he particularly liked as an infant.

the previous owners used this room as an office

this photo was taken the day that we moved in. until recently, it's been piled with kids clothes, boxes, linens and such.

we've moved the changing table out of tim's room even though we still use it with him. we want to start making changes now so that they don't all come at once when the baby arrives, which might give him negative associations with the baby. we've got an air mattress set up in here now for nights when i can't sleep because of my pregnancy rhinitis or when tim comes to bed with us. we still need to hang some posters up in here, and we'll probably put up some low shelves like we've done in tim's room.



This photo was taken not long after we moved in. There is a gate on the east side (your left in this photo)of the house that opens to the back yard and a door from the garage on that side as well. The upstairs window that you see is the master bedroom and the two windows below that are in the TV room. The door is in the kitchen. The thing under the black cover is a gas grill that is attached to the gas for the house. Paul still uses a Weber when he wants to braai, but we do a lot of dinner meals on the gas grill because it's fast and easy.

Just after we bought the place, Dad flew us over to have a look at it from the air. It's hard to spot because of all the trees.

If the road is an 'L', our house is in the inner corner where the two lines of 'L' join together.

If you can't find the 'L' of our street, look for the nursery school with a brown roof and parking lot in the lower left hand side. follow the parking lot up until it intersects with a street. that's the bottom of the 'L' of our road. Our street is called Hampshire Square because it is a square, actually a rectangle. This is nice because we only get local traffic. The larger road on the left side of the photo is Drake, a major east/west road in Fort Collins.

the viners visit: stuart, laura, and james

Paul and Stuart have known each other since high school. Being Paul's flat mates in 2005-2006, they were the first of Paul's friends that I met. While I was living in London, they moved and bought a house in Leeds, and we made several trips to see them there, even helping with some of their DIY projects. They came to see us whenever they were in London. Laura fell pregnant the first time just one month before me, and James is exactly one month older than Tim. She's pregnant again as well, due in April. It was great to have them here, to watch the boys play together, and to spend time with people who are so easy to get along with.

stuart and james on the suspension bridge at the environmental center

laura and james having a cuddle at the environmental center

in front of jenny lake


jenny lake again

stuart and james on the dock

laura and james on the dock

While we were at the cabin, we had a bonfire near Jenny Lake. We roasted marshmallows, and I introduced them to s'mores, which are a sandwich made with a graham cracker (sweet), three pieces of chocolate bar (Hersheys), and a freshly roasted marshmallow. A mess, but so good that you want some more. Stuart and I took the boys inside after they'd had enough, and just as Paul and Laura were about to come inside, they heard animals on the hill across the lake. There was just enough light to make out two moose walking to the salt lick that Dad keeps there for them and the deer and elk. They talked of coming to get us but decided the animals would leave as soon as they moved so they just watched them. However, more moose arrived, so they joined us in the cabin. It was nearly dark, but there was enough light that all of us, including Timothy and James, saw all seven moose: three males with huge antlers and four either females or young. It was too dark and too far away for the cameras, so you have to take my word for it.

No trip to America's wild west is complete without a little gun shooting.

annie get your gun

she took some teasing about the position of her legs but i think she looks stunnig

yes, that's a handgun in stu's hand

serious business

While the Viners were here, we had all four seasons. They arrived and departed in snow, visited the cabin in fall, braaied in summer, and hung out in old town in spring.

having a braai in the back yard

Thanks for making the the journey out here Stuart, Laura, and James. We'll try to get your way in 2010.

cape town: the west coast and around cape town

We took a drive up the west coast to Langebaan, which boasts a stunning lagoon. We had a picnic lunch and then ate extra large pieces of cake at a charming inn. The day was hot and clear but the constant breeze kept us comfortable. The landscape took a dramatic turn almost immediately after we left Cape Town, a vast expanse of sand and scrub. We were treated with regular views of ostrich with their chicks but none of them were close enough for photos.

tim is running around an abandoned house that sits on a hill above the lagoon.

when he wasn't running around, he was eating sand and dirt, earning a case of worms for his effort

our picnic

this position allows him to get the optimum amount of dirt in his mouth and up his nose

Tim's Great Aunt Cath warned me about worms in the Western Cape, so I bought de-worming medication the morning that we departed. It can be given even if worms aren't detected. I didn't want to give it to him while we were traveling. Two days after returning home, he started to constantly scratch at his bum and was very restless at night, kicking and squirming. We never saw the worms, tiny white threads, but I'm sure that he had them. After the three-day dosage, his discomfort disappeared. Thanks Cath!

around cape town

Aunt Melissa organized a play date for Tim with the children, Sarah and Ollie, of two of her friends. We met them at the Blue Train, a small train that children can ride around a park beside the sea. The train was being repaired, but with a few rand from Grand-da, the men that were on duty pushed Tim up and down the platform. Lissa and Gran rode with him.

all aboard!

lissa and tim on the train



Sarah has a large vocabulary of animal sounds and through her example and the expert tutelage of Aunt Lissa, Tim began to produce 'roar' for lion and 'sssss' for snake on demand.

play date with Lissa's friends

tokai forest and the barnyard for lunch

Wanting to limit the amount of travel that Tim had to endure so close to the long flight, Jenny and Neville suggested an outing at Tokai forest. We planned to eat lunch there, but the restaurant was closed. We took a short walk through the lush forest of mostly alien and towering trees. We all decided that Tim looked like Christopher Robin as he walked along the path and, you guessed it, ate dirt.

christopher robin?

Because the Tokai restaurant was closed, we went to a farm with all kinds of animals for children to view. Tim was able to play in the large sand pit as well as see pigs, goats and all kinds of birds. It's the perfect place to take kids.

enjoying the animals with grand-da

the spur

The Spur is a restaurant in South Africa similar to Red Robin in the United States. They serve great burgers, and Tim recommends their milkshakes. The theme is an American West theme, dominated by pictures and statues of Native American Indians.


yummy milkshake

probably wouldn't get away with this in the america, but tim and i enjoyed it

The flight home was almost a replay of the flight over. The long flight from Jburg to DC had more people on board, so we didn't have as much space to spread out, but Tim did get his own seat, and we were in the section where there are just two seats: one on the isle and one window seat. He slept, but I didn't. Our stop in Dakar was interesting in that the plane was treated to a high security search. Every unoccupied seat was thoroughly searched, including removing the cushions. We also had to take our baggage out of the overhead bin and stand next to our seat with it. Obviously, the US has strict security procedures that South Africa doesn't have. The jet lag was a little easier. I do better going west than I do east. It helped that Tim was in his own bed and in his own room. Paul was a dear, getting up in the night and early in the morning even though he had to work. Being pregnant certainly made the travel and the jet lag harder, and I wouldn't do it again, but watching Tim with his family was worth every bit of lost sleep and every ache and pain. As the only grandchild, he is the chosen one. It was a joy beyond words to watch Tim with his Great-Gran. Every member of Paul's family lavished him with attention and love. Jenny and Neville, thank you for bringing us to Cape Town and giving us this priceless gift.

cape town: the tygerberg

tim enjoying the view of cape town and table mountain

The Tygerberg is a nature reserve just north of Cape Town. Neville does a lot of tree cutting, getting rid of alien vegetation, there and it offers great views of the city and the airport. We hoped to watch the jumbo jets on their approach to the airport, but we arrived just after the morning 'rush.' The first time that I came to Cape Town, we flew so close to The Tygerberg peak that I recognized it from Neville's photos. We didn't see any of the planes coming in from Europe but on the side facing away from Table Mountain we saw several coming in from Johannesburg. Tim was duly impressed. The wind that we've had all week, died today and we had summer like weather. Our lunch was a yummy break at a wine farm not far from The Tygerberg.

cape town: the aquarium

melissa, tim and jenny in front of the shark tank

Timothy's grandparents took Timothy to the Cape Town Aquarium and invited his Aunt Melissa and I along. It's a great museum with tank after tank of beautiful fish, artificial waves for the penguins, a hands-on area where you can touch things from the see like seaweed and shells, and a play area with sand. Tim was very impressed with the whole place. He sat for a long time on Melissa's lap watching the penguins. All of us were using 'Wow!' to describe new tanks, and at one point Tim piped in with a very clear 'Wow!' of his own. He hasn't repeated it, so I'm not counting it as a first word.

the 'petting zoo' with Aunt Melissa and Grand-da

watching the penguins

WOW

cape town: onrus
Friends of Jenny's, Lizzie and Alister, live in a beautiful old cottage in Onrus, a coastal town not far from Cape Town and very close to Hermanus where whales are often seen this time of year. We spent the day with them yesterday, playing on the beaches, eating a fabulous lunch, and even going in to Hermanus and seeing whales. Jenny's friends know as much about Timothy as the family, and I think of them as part of the extended family. They showered Timothy with attention and gifts. We had a delightful time with them.

timothy and jenny in hermanus with whales swimming behind them

timothy on the beach at vermont

cape town: the long haul

Paul's mom, Jenny, lasted about a month at home after leaving Timothy here in July before she broke down and bought a ticket for Tim and I to come for a visit over her September holiday. Without this visit, she'd go all the way until June 2010 before seeing him again. Monday 21 September, Paul drove us down to Denver International Airport for our 08:40 flight. We had a theory about how I'd get through airports with all the luggage, most of it Tim's, but this was the first test. The medium sized bag, piggybacks on the largest bag, and I drag these. Tim goes in his stroller. The car seat hangs from the stroller. The carry-on goes on my back. Whew. Don't forget, I'm five months pregnant. It worked but I wouldn't want to do it for long distances. After checking the two bags and car seat, things got much easier and I didn't have to do it again until Johannesburg.

tim waiting to board at denver international airport

Timothy is a fantastic traveler and what could have been a nightmare trip was only the usual drag of traveling for over 30 hours. He did not have his own seat booked on any of the flights, but he only had to share with me on the first one to Washington DC, not pleasant. We had a three hour wait in DC which just gave us enough time to have lunch and run around before getting on our seven plus hour flight to Dakar, Senegal. The agent told me at the check-in that she'd blocked the seat next to mine so that Tim could have a seat. This had a huge psychological impact on me. Suddenly it seemed I was on holiday instead of a mission. Once on board, our luck turned even better as it was half empty and we commandeered a row of four at the bulkhead. Neither of us slept, but the extra room gave Tim plenty of space to move around without getting in the face of our fellow passengers. Paul bought Tim a portable DVD player for the trip and I got it out on this leg. He sat for the whole of Madagascar which gave me a nice break. He played with his toys and with the seats, which have their own video machines that come out the arms and all kinds of buttons. He only summoned the flight attendant once. At Dakar, we let a few people off, gained a few people and refueled. It took an hour; then we were back in the air for seven plus more hours to Johannesburg.

discovering all there is at the DC airport

We both slept for about four hours on this flight. The meal services entertained Tim. They gave him the same meal as everyone and he picked at different things, but mostly played with the containers for each dish. Tim didn't want his stroller at Jburg. I can't blame him after being confined for so long, so everything went on the baggage trolley. I had a long walk through customs and up to the normal check-in for my flight to Cape Town. No one helped. I could have got a porter but had worked up inertia when I spotted them and soldiered on. Tim ran after the sniffer dogs, but mostly stayed near enough to me that I didn't have carry him until the end. Jburg airport is bright and airy and easy to get around. It wasn't that way in 2006 when I was here. It's nice to see the change. They need to work out a better system for transfers, but so do a lot of other airports. It was much easier to get through than Dullus in Washington DC.

our original seats on the transatlantic flight

Getting on the plane at Jburg, which involves a bus and stairs (no jetway), was the first time I got help from fellow passengers. A man from a group of Afrikaans men who seemed to be on company trip carried my bag and Tim's stroller. He put my bag in the overhead and then carried it off the plane and collected the stroller for me. His mate got me a trolley at baggage claim in Cape Town and then they went on their way. As I was the most tired and Tim the least agreeable at this point, the help was most appreciated.

Jenny and Neville were at the airport to meet us and after a quick phone call to find them, we were on our way home. We all stayed up until midnight, when Timothy took a bottle and crashed. I joined him and we slept through 'til morning. It was so nice to stretch out on a bed. I had some trouble reconciling the date. It felt like Tuesday to me but it was Wednesday morning. We lost a whole day in the trip.

cape town: family
Tim's Aunt Melissa came over after lunch to spend the afternoon with him. She bought him a toy airplane and an airplane book. Both big hits. She also bought a Billy Goat Gruff book, but it's a bit old for him. I left him on her lap and went for a nap. When I woke, his Great-Aunt Cath was there with her daughter's boyfriend Damian. Tim was asleep, had fallen asleep on Melissa's lap. He was asleep when Cath arrived and she was twitching with impatience. Fortunately, he woke and they spent some time together. Before dinner, we went to the park with Melissa.

tim and his aunt on the see-saw

We went to bed after dinner but Tim got us up at midnight and we stayed up until 04:30 then slept until 11:30. The whole family was due for lunch at noon so I rushed a shower and managed to be ready. Tim put on a great show, interacting with everyone. It was lovely. Tim's Great-Aunt Cath and Great-Uncle Chamie were there with their grown children: Michael, Leigh who had taken a bus in from Grahamstown for Tim's visit, Nicci and her boyfriend Damian. Tim's only great grandparent, Jenny's mother, was there. Melissa came over and of course Neville and Jenny were there. Tim and I were wide awake and feeling good until we crashed at about 16:30. Tim's Great-Gran said that Tim was just as she has imagined from his photos and videos. This is good to know as it means that she's getting to know the real him even at such a tremendous distance.

the whole family

cape town: kirstenbosch
Tim had a great night's sleep, from about 23:00-06:30. I was awake from 03:30-06:00, but Jenny took him and I went back to bed. Neville watched him while I slept and Jenny went to Curves for a work out. I was up at 08:00 and after breakfast we went to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens to see the flowers and run around. The weather forecast called for rain, but it held off and we enjoyed a cool breeze with patches of sun and cloud.

tim in the gardens

I thought Tim and I were turning the corner early on the jet lag, but we took a nap when we got home and slept more than five hours. Tonight, I expect we'll go to bed after midnight. But that's what holidays are like and I have loads of help from Jenny and Neville. I just wish Paul could be here.

las vegas

As Paul and I trudged down the Las Vegas strip in the 109F heat ten days ago, the phrase ‘Only in America’ came up, and he noted how differently this phrase is used depending to which country it’s being applied. (If you can't handle gross generalizations, skip to the next paragraph.) In England when someone says, ‘Only in Britain,’ it’s in reference to something embarrassing, shameful, or disparaging about the place. Friends of ours have just moved to China where they seem to apply OIC (only in China) to things that are backwards or inconvenient. In Bulgaria, it almost always references something corrupt, dodgy, or just plain illegal. When one says, ‘Only in America,’ it refers to something over the top, excessive but impressive, or relating to a guilty pleasure. Vegas is all three of these.

We arrived at 08:00, and our shuttle stopped at numerous hotel/casinos on the strip before depositing us at the somewhat shady and past-its-prime Sahara Hotel and Casino.

the strip by day

our hotel

This ride took us past all the places we planned to visit: the sinking ship at Treasure Island, the volcano at The Mirage, the gondolas at The Venetian, The Eiffel Tower at Paris, the Statue of Liberty at New York New York and more. The attention to detail in the creations and recreations of these places is remarkable. We were duly impressed, delighted, and pleased.

Our friends, Budge and Kirsten Franz, were staying at The Venetian, one of the best examples of re-creation on the strip. The Doges Palace never looked so good. I’ve been to Venice several times, and it’s always been under scaffolding, probably will be for another ten years. Not here. Here, it serves as the main entrance to the Hotel/Casino with the Rialto Bridge connected to the arched balconies and leading to the tower on St. Mark’s Square and a pristine ‘river’ for the outside gondolas.

the venetian entrance

The foyer boasts barrel vaulted ceilings and marble floors that bring to mind the inside of the Vatican, and the shopping area flanks a canal with gondolas compete with singing drivers.

the foyer with check-in at the end near the fountain

The shopping area has a ceiling painted to look, very effectively, like the sky just as the sun sets, and the lighting is set to match. Walking into this area has an immediate effect on the psyche. It’s fantastic. The place is truly over the top and excessive.

shopping, eating and gondola rides inside the hotel/mall where it is always sun set

We watched the real sun set from the Franz’s suite and had our first look at The Strip at night. Cheesy, gaudy, and extreme waste are just a few descriptives that come to mind. It’s a real guilty pleasure.

the ship of the sirens

the sinking pirate ship. the deck is almost completely submerged and it tilts on its side before the show is over and it's resurrected. all this occurs in front of the hotel and is free to passers by.

the volcano at the mirage hotel and casino

Over the course of our stay, the seedy side of The Strip began to take an equal standing with the spectacular side. I would have liked to stay at a 5 star like the Venetian, but staying at The Sahara made our visit more realistic. Our casino waitresses were all past their prime, their uniforms cut wider in the hip and lower on the thigh. Apparently, a fat convention was being held at The Sahara as we had a disproportionate number of obese people roaming our halls and beaching themselves at our pool. The place reeked of cigarette smoke. The Nascar shop and restaurant adjoin the place, attracting people with missing teeth and incomprehensible grammar. We rode the bus to The Venetian because the walk in the heat was deadly, so we saw the homeless and the drunks, both visiting and local.

When the sun was well set, we left the cool of the casino and joined the masses on The Strip, lit up like a birthday cake for someone turning 1000. Was the Hoover Damn built just to power this place? It was party central and fun even for a sober pregnant lady.

the fountain show at the bellagio with caesar's palace in the background

paris hotel and casino

mgm grand hotel and casino from the excalibur

excalibur

The bus ride back to our hotel at 02:30 wasn’t pretty though. Most everyone on board was dealing with the consequences of their excesses. It is true that as long as you are gambling, the drinks are free. That's all drinks and any kind of gambling, even penny slots. Getting sick and fighting were the two most popular activities at that point.

I’m glad we went. Seeing the Franz’s was the best part of the trip. Las Vegas ranks among the top five ‘Only in America’ cities, and I’m glad we went. But I don’t need to go back.

paul, me, kirsten and budge