Wendell joins the team

This handsome fellow became the newest addition to the family last Saturday.  He was a rescue from Miami, FL, though with his love of the snow and cold you'd never guess.  He's a Belgian Malinois and just under a year old.

Whidbey was not happy with the new arrangement, but we've been careful with introductions and they are now coexisting rather peaceably.

2015 begins

We're home -- in Vermont -- and it's wonderful.  2014 was filled with so much change, distance, and not-knowingness.  The two of us are together again and, since the holidays, we've done as much as we could with the house to make it a home (while staying sane):

• Repaired and repainted the whole first story (including ceilings)
• Rerouted phone lines
• Rebuilt a wall (aftermath of the sofa/doorway fiasco)
• Built a hearth out of riverstone we harvested last autumn
• Built some odds an ends (a hallway mirror out of reclaimed materials, a hanging lamp for the dining room, a coatrack)
• Made or bought curtains for four rooms
• Refinished our butcher block countertops (without chemicals)

A few other projects are in the works, but I'll leave that for later.  We've scrounged the secondhand and antique shops of the greater Burlington area for furniture to fill the various spaces that needed filling.  In most but not all cases, we've managed to avoid buying new.  Erin's done a wonderful job decorating the place, including unpacking many of my travel things that have been collecting dust for a decade.  Mixed in with that was a long overdue holiday: 2.5 weeks in Ecuador.

To the present.

Winter's on its way out and we're excited for springtime!  In a few days, a box containing 40+ varieties of organic seeds will arrive.  Soap making has begun again.  We've taken an introduction to beekeeping course and will be getting our own hive in May.  The debate is still on about backyard chickens.  I'm a month into a fantastic woodworking course at a local craft school.  Future refinishing projects include making from-scratch milk (casein) paint and experimenting with chalk paint and beeswax-based polish.  I've a small pile of reclaimed wood -- including a gorgeous 3x8 beam -- that I'll be transforming into a console and some shelving.  All will be future postings!

Ecuador escape

After spending months apart during the immigration process, Brian and I needed a bit of a "reset". When we first met, we had grand plans for travel that would take us through numerous countries over the course of many months. But with the big move, new jobs, school, etc... an extended trip together was just not in the stars for this year, but a two and a half week getaway was possible. So not three weeks after I arrived in Vermont, we packed up our bags and headed to Ecuador. We had a wonderful two and a half weeks of reconnecting, hiking, mountain climbing, surfing, and relaxing. Here are a few of the highlights:

Imbambura Volcano - our first acclimatization climb to 15,000 feet. While in town, we had the pleasure of staying at Casa Aida. Aida had some wild stories about Bob Dylan and others who came in search of the wild magic mushrooms that grew in her fields.

First climb (mostly) successful, sleet and fog turned us back a very short distance from the top.

On to acclimatization destination two - Quilatoa Loop.

We decided to hike a few hours from Quilatoa to our next destination. Maps were hard to come by and needless to say we were both a little surprised when we thought we only had to cross a river, but then realized we'd have to make our way down and up the canyon. The best two dollars spent on the trip were spent here (in Erin's opinion) to show us the safest way down.

On to THE climb - Volcano Cotopaxi (19,300 ft). Even though we didn't make it to the summit (altitude sickness set in for Erin at close to 18,000 ft forcing us to turn back), it was an amazing experience.

After spending a week in cool temperatures, rain, and snow, we were ready for something a little warmer. As soon as we got off the mountain, we and headed out towards the coast to enjoy snorkeling, surfing, and sun. Visiting Isla de la Plata was a high of the trip for Brian who spent hours looking at boobies..... blue footed boobies that is.

All in all, a fantastic trip to celebrate being together once again!