fun at camp

Greetings from balmy Santa Fe! It got up to 94 degrees today (34 Celsius), and my parents and I definitely noticed the heat on our hike this morning. Since they arrived last week, we've gone hiking every day that Rowan has had summer camp (AKA daycare). It's been a lot of fun even though we've been limited as to the number of trails we can hike. Santa Fe is currently experiencing a drought, and the dry conditions have created a high risk of fire in the nearby forests. Many trails have been closed as a result, although fortunately a few are still open for us to enjoy.

Brenda is in the middle of her final dress rehearsal for Candide right now, and my parents are there in the audience cheering her on. It sounds like it's a great production with a great cast. I'm really looking forward to seeing the first performance on Friday.

Rowan seems to love summer camp. Seeing as this is his first daycare of any kind, it has taken him some time to get used to the idea of being away from mom and dad for a few hours, but he's getting more comfortable with it all the time. He is engaging well with his teachers and fellow campers, and when I went to pick him up the other day he didn't want to leave. I took that to be a good sign.

My parents are here until early next week and then Drew, Rachel, and Iris come to town. We love having all these visitors!

Until next time, have a great week!

it's good to be back

Hello all and greetings from Santa Fe! We arrived almost two weeks ago and have quickly settled in to our home for the summer. Brenda's parents arrived a couple days after us, and we all enjoyed being together again and reintroducing Rowan to some of the toddler highlights around town. Brenda has just three weeks of rehearsal left before Candide opens at The Santa Fe Opera. She is working with some really good friends, and I get the impression they're having a lot of fun during rehearsal.

 My brother, his wife Tracy, and my nephews and niece came up to Minneapolis for a visit the day before we flew to Santa Fe. It was so wonderful seeing all of them, and we're very excited to have our home within driving distance of theirs.

 We were not looking forward to leaving Minneapolis because we get so little time there this year, but as soon as we arrived in New Mexico we were quickly reminded of how much we enjoy our summers here.

 I've been trying to go outside every night to watch the sunset, and so far I'm doing pretty well.

 Brenda's parents and I took Rowan and our friends' daughter to an outdoor sand play event last week. Rowan had a blast so I took him again today, and he loved it just as much the second time.

 Brenda's parents kindly looked after Rowan one morning while I hiked, which is one of my favorite things to do in Santa Fe.

This is what the sky looks like pretty much all day every day.

It's time to call it a night. I hope you all have a great weekend, and we'll talk to you again soon!