a three kings journey . .

nor'easter . .

it's very cold out today. accuweather says it's 19 degrees, real feel 1 degree. we have the remnants of a nor'easter that is hitting canada and maine. just cold and wind for us, no snow. k went out to meet her friends at union square. i remember hanging out on cold days outside of school . . well, i gave her money for a coffee shop . . m and c are playing with their friend in the bedroom . . it's nice. they haven't had a chance to play since august. days have been too busy with work and classes. speaking of work and classes . . ! the week after this one is so loaded with parties and opera concerts and dance classes and ice skating . . that i fear for my sanity . .

good-bye little snowchild

watching the ball drop . .

and eating shrimp and tater tots and drinking sparkling cider . .

skating on green pond in the snow

we heard there was to be rain later on today, so we got up early (7 am!) to get some more skating in before the pond started defrosting. well, as we were skating some snowflakes started falling. . . . . . and falling and they got bigger and bigger and more and more plentiful until it was a regular blizzard! it was beautiful skating in the snow, though we did stay away from the ends of the pond as we heard definite loud cracks happening in the ice. there must be a slow current underneath that heats things up quickly, as the pond really isn't that deep. 

 i was a little worried about driving home. plows and salt had not gotten out yet and we took it really slow. it was a cold white world we drove through. 

 

skating on green pond

every year we visit my mom and dad in the wintertime, and the annual question is: is green pond frozen? well, weren't we in shock when we drove out to east hampton today and it was! i never saw two girls get their skates on so fast. 

 

skating was so fun and so beautiful, and so cold . . we skated for hours and then went to warm up in the east hampton library before heading back to nana and nonno's for a delicious chicken soup dinner.

 

and what is happening in other family member's worlds?

fourth day of christmas

we're at my mom and dad's on montauk and it's incredibly windy. m and c got hoops for christmas from my sister and my mom and they were going to run with them along the sand today (again). . but it's way too blustery. we couldn't even walk back along the water . . the sand was whipping right into our eyes. we had to go back by the road. we even had to take care opening the car doors and the trunk . . . . . . . . 

 . . . . . we're at the library right now. it's very cozy with the sun shining in. before we left the house this afternoon a pretty little grey and white kitty came by to say hello. the girls gave her some milk and chicken. i just don't want her to get too comfortable . . jack will be a lunatic when he sees her. she would actually come inside if we let her . . . . i'll try and take a picture of her. i'm sure she's still a kitten. 

 well, i noticed in the archives that we were on montauk last year for the fourth day of christmas, also. it's a nice place to be.

the sea the sea . .

the ocean was incredible today . . just white froth and spray . . i think this photo is a current favorite. i love the wind and the clouds. 

 m and c tried rolling their hoops on the sand. m was very excited and repeatedly asked me to watch her with the hoop. when i finally stopped snapping shots and complied, she rolled the darn hoop right into the sea. she had to run in and catch it, or it would have been swept away. well, i missed that shot but i have it forever on my brain. her shoes and feet and tights were sopping wet and we had to go back home to change before heading to the library.

hoops

the girls first saw these hoops at sturbridge village. i don't know where and how they've gotten in so much practice time! here is my sister and i trying them out . .

and this second movie is m and c . .

hmmm . . such finesse!

. . hand that man a dish please . .

 

is this the line for a plate of mussels? 

 

twelfth day

twelfth night

the tenth day of christmas

" . . and where is the hot chocolate?"

the ninth day of christmas

we were at the brooklyn museum today for a dance performance with lori belilove and company. afterwards, the museum hosted an evening of waltzing. some people danced, and some people didn't.

the eighth day of christmas

k is on the way to sudbury mass for her ferry beach reunion. g will be helping out with the chaperoning. they have their sleeping bags and pillows and cell phones and books and sandwiches and marshmallows and chocolate and knitting and journals and hand cream and toothpaste . . clean underwear . . ?

the seventh day of christmas

the sixth day of christmas

i love being out in a snowstorm (when you have a warm room to go to and hot chocolate to drink afterwards). i remember some blustery ones during my childhood, and the memories always involve trees. the trees are breathtaking and alive and they dance in the wind and they keep all the creatures safe in the embrace of their trunks and roots.

the fifth day of christmas

we have three sets of libary cards: manhattan, montauk, and cape cod. i tried for a fourth set in marlborough, connecticut (where my sister lives) but they said to just use our new york cards. (darn!) actually, we have a set for southampton but we don't use them there quite as much. (though they have nice knitting books.) i also still have our set from brooklyn . . i haven't used those in a long time either . . . oh dear . . that's five sets! and of all these sets, the cape cod library is the friendliest.
i love the feeling of walking into a library . . especially a library i've never entered before . . oh the corners and aisles and shelves and books to be explored! one of my favorite libraries was the donnell. (sniff). they had the most beautiful old children's books. old books are so precious. sadly, many old books get sold or retired into the reference section and a person cannot take them home. taking books home with you is a special privilege and one i greatly cherish. one of our last "finds" at the donnell was the land of right up and down by eva-lis wrurio. we took it home and curled up on the bed and were lost in a new and beautiful land. one special book i've only recently held in my hands for a few moments is the lost queen of egypt by lucile morrison. i'll never forget finding it on the shelf at plainedge public library when i was about 11 years old. hopefully, one day it will be republished and we can read it together at home. i've yet to find the hours for us to sit in the library and read it. but it's possible! and that's a good thing.

the fourth day of christmas