Recap, Part 1

We've been off the radar for a month now, without much good excuse except that 1) it is spring and mudlucious so we never accomplish anything; and 2) our Internet modem is usually non-functioning and we're too lazy to replace it. Now brace yourself for a hefty update.

Here's what we've been up to:

Rachel had a birthday. (Thanks for all the wonderful birthday wishes!) It was closely followed by a timely quarter-life crisis. I received not one but TWO antique coffee grinders, and have been grinding up a storm. (Sadly, yesterday I dropped the 8-pound tub of peanut butter on our French press, so coffee will be on hold for a few. Please do not ask why I keep 8 pounds of peanut butter.) Jake likes this picture because it looks like my arm is spinning at lightning speed. Jake and our pal Kenny officially kicked off the 2009 Swimming Season by jumping into Emigrant Lake on April 22. If you look closely you can see snow on the mountains behind them. They're not as smart as they look. Ashland loves bicycles. This weekend was the annual Ashland Bike Swap, conveniently held at the community center across the street from our apartment. People queued up for an hour to rush through the gates and grab bikes as fast as they could. It was two-wheeled madness. Jake didn't get any new toys, and pouted for much of the day. Also this weekend, nearby Medford held its annual artists fair, where they featured lots of kitsch and absurd not-art. However, there was a little old man selling cacti in the garden section, and Rachel bought the coolest plant ever: the "Hobbit" variety of the succulent Crassula. If we can keep it alive, we'll consider ourselves qualified to one day invest in children. This quarter at the art academy Jake's class started oil paints, a big change from charcoal and an exciting transition for him. They are painting in three or four tones only, because color theory is a whole different game. They will likely start with colored paints in October. His school is year-round, besides a month break in June, so check the Art Works photo album for the latest. Jacob and his art pals (three of whom recently moved in next door--yay, new neighbors!) are really diggin plein air painting, and Ashland has no shortage of gorgeous vistas to inspire them. Every few days they pick a new spot to set up all their painting junk and frantically slap paint onto a canvas for an hour, while Rachel lies on a blanket with gummi bears and poetry.

In other Jake news, he is taking advantage of a slow spring season at the workshop to build his very own viola de gamba. It started with some boards and a detailed pattern. Check out the progress in the Music Works photo album. This week he is helping his boss, Steven, give an ethnomusicology presentation at the University, thus our house is full of priceless museum instruments that Jake has to learn how to play in the next three days.

Rachel loves her job and is learning lots of new things. Also, she gets to sit near the door and can frequently escape to the backyard to investigate cool birds and stray cats.