Hugh V | Katja Patersonová

Climbing

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 10:52:00 +0000

Climbing at skinners butte

Went with friends to skinners butte. Hugh absolutely loved it…. Katja did too.

Hugh V was the first to summit.

Skyjo

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 16:15:00 +0000

Hugh V and Katja playing Skyjo

Birthday on the beach

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 19:33:00 +0000

Just turning six

A family birthday celebration at the Oregon coast.

The coast

Radwagon 4 Collapse

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 18:54:30 +0000

My kids and I started using our Radwagon 4 this year to commute around the Belle Mead area of New Jersey.

Often we make the trip into Princeton. Today we got our things loaded up on the bike and just as I had started the electrical assistance the front tire tore off and we crashed at the end of our long-ish driveway. To be clear our front quick release axle was tight before departure (departure on our 40 second trip). Also we are evidently not alone in this experience.

Our use is rather low as we have just started using the bike about two months ago and are at 279 miles.

We are concerned for two reasons.

First we are sad about what happened and desperately want to know how to fix the broken parts. My son expressed it in the moment like this:

Second, we’re not entirely sure how this happened and we are concerned that it might happen again. We travel roads and there are cars on those roads so we want to be sure the equipment we use is not going to fail. Damage to our bodies included scrapes, bruises, and jarring. But the bike sustained moderate damage including a bent disc break in the front, a bent drive wheel, a broken front splash guard and scraped paint in several places including the front basket and back runners.

The front wheel ended up under the bike.

We were all scraped up.

Hugh’s Back

My Hand

My Elbow

My Leg

Bend to the back cage.

Front disc break completely bent

Demolished front fender

Dented and bent front drive chain

From what I read on the internet I see that the front axle doesn’t have “Lawyer tabs” which would prevent the axle from moving out of the forks. This seems to be a design flaw but the design around the forks is short and there isn’t really a way to add my own. A newly designed fork, like those mentioned here, would be a welcomed addition.

Park reviews

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 10:19:01 +0000

We are in the throughs of evaluating parks in new areas.

Hilltop park has a skate park and Hugh rates it 5/5 while Katja rates it as 3/5.

Blueberries

Sat, 06 Jul 2024 21:38:09 +0000

So I buy blueberries for my kids and they leave them til they mold. The neighbors’ bush goes ripe and they pick three quarts and eat nothing but blueberries all day.

Here is what’s left

Remaining blueberries

Christmas in July

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 19:10:00 +0000

Our original Christmas plans were interrupted this year and we developed new Christmas plans on the fly. We had selected these tricycles for our kids and I didn’t wanna put them inside and I wanted to build a enclosed area for bikes and such but that has not happened. Nevertheless, we waited and waited and waited with the gifts on our fireplace hearth. So we decided to have Christmas in July, probably should’ve had Christmas in June.

Fireworks on the fourth

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 10:34:59 +0000

Hugh and Becky

Becky and Katja

The Hughs

This was the first year we have gone to see 4th of July fireworks as a family. Hugh V likes them more than Katja, or at least he has in the past. Oddly I was excited to go. Other than being beyond tired the kids fared well. We went down to the Springfield bridge.

We went to see a fireworks show which was simple and for its type, well done. However, as I take my family to observe the fireworks in the present, it makes me wonder how many Americans really connect the 4th of July celebration to the events and social context of over 200 years ago. That is, do they associate the fireworks with the rocket’s red glare, with the bloody cost and toll of human suffering? How many know and understand the story of our country’s origin–all of it–not just the “freedom from England” part? I noticed people of different ethnic origins enjoying the fireworks. People speaking different languages. People with different social values and personal itineraries. It made me wonder do people understand this country–really, especially first and second generation nationals. Can people in Junior High really articulate the story of this country and what would they say. Or is this festival of fireworks understood through the lens of understanding fireworks and their social context as experienced in other parts of the world, e.g., East Asia and Latin America? It occurs to me that unless the oral history of our country’s origin is repeated that the origin story can’t be heard by the next generation regardless of their origin. How is that history supposed to be passed down by playing the 1812 overture–a masterpiece of music–but one that celebrates France’s defeat at the hands of the Russians? And while the 4th of July seems to celebrate the freedom from the British Royal Crown, is it in some way the consummation of a continuing policy against the peoples who lived in, on, upon, and from the land? And if this is the land of the free, home of the brave what freedom was being granted in the same breath that freedom was being claimed. At some level I still believe in the Constitution, especially when I say we need some additional amendments and to clarify some points via an act of Congress. However, is the foundation of that Federal organization morally valid–either as secessionists or oppressors?

As I think back to my childhood, the history of our country’s origin was not hid from me. It was specifically narrated through events, monuments, and military history. I wonder how should or can I narrate that for my kids. Frankly, the challenge is that if I don’t valorize one side of the story, then it looses its novelty. And yet, sometimes I wonder if the colonialists should have rather marched on London to overthrow the king! How different would our world be today, India, Australia, Canada, South Africa, and even the Middle East?

Hendrix Park rhododendrons

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 21:20:00 +0000

Hendrix Park in Eugene has many rhododendrons, all sorts of varieties. We had the opportunity to visit it while it was in bloom.

Hugh V

Katja

Second Annual Paterson Winterfest

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 18:04:00 +0000

Fondu night

Sledding

On the golf course

Bobsled team Hugh

The unpowered lunch

Willamette Pass

Skiing

We made it home.

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 11:32:00 +0000

We made it home Saturday night. Thanks a good friend in Portland for keeping our minivan while we were away. By Sunday the kids felt at home.

Living room climbing wall

Forever changed

Sat, 25 Nov 2023 12:06:42 +0000

This summer changed my kids forever. My son now asks for biscuits and tea. My daughter eats cheese and crackers with no end in sight.

Brunch

Happy birthday

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 10:15:00 +0000

And eight comes only once.

Uncle David made a special cake.

Aunt Moriah made a special hairstyle!

Hugh V made himself a special companion!

Ghent castle

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 03:03:00 +0000

We made it as far as the castle.

Of course it was under ice cream power.

Oostende

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 05:11:00 +0000

Boat anchor

North Sea shipping

No one really likes to just stand in the sun.

How hard to port can we turn?

The boats!

Olives were the best snacks!

It was everything he wanted till the ride ended.

Brussels

Sat, 05 Aug 2023 03:27:00 +0000

I guess we did all the things that tourists do in Brussels. What do non-tourists do?

Mini-Europe.

There was no visible oil residue in the water near the oil rig… odd.

Nice architecture.

Photobombing.

The grand palace.

Local French fries… but are they French?

Seton Sands Holiday Park

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 08:24:00 +0000

Becky and I decided to extend our time in Scotland and use that time at Seton Sands Holiday Park. It is an interesting place, from business model to target clients. Becky and I had three goals all of which were met:

We needed to make a quick decision for a place to go with preference for Scotland over England. We had eurail ticked and could go anywhere there was a train station.
We have kids ages 3 and 7. Most of the places in the highlands that were interesting to us had explicit “no kids” policies—what is it about the culture here that excludes children from most places?
From a young person perspective we needed interesting things to do and learn about.

Seton Sands was our choice. We knew very little about it so we gave it a go. It had a pool, playground, an walkable beach, and archery. We did it all.

Without a car our range to engage with the surrounding community was curtailed. The bus is not cost prohibitive, I just didn’t find out about it till late. (We did take the bus to the Edinburgh Waverley station for only 5£ which was a great price for 4 people.)

Bus schedule.

Therefore a significant amount of people watching ensued. How people engage with their environment is beautifully amusing. How did such a place come into existence? And what is the life of people like who find the seton sands value proposition satisfying?

From a US perspective Seton Sands is a 400-500 place trailer park. Here they call them static caravans. That is they think of them as closer to fifth-wheels or camper-vans than homes. This makes me suspect that there are significant tax advantages to running a “resort” this way. It is as if they can do without building permanent infrastructure or land improvements. The trailers are made from the finest grade aluminum and plastic that investment dollars can buy. No doubt it is an interesting entrepreneurial solution to a gap in the prevailing tax code. I’m concerned with the longevity and long term sustainability of the business model. That is, these materials in the USA have a life expectancy between 15-20 years. So what kind of profit margin allows for this many trailers to be refurbished that often? If the long term business plan is to build a more permanent structure at some future time then why are they selling timeshares and full trailers?

It seems then that the “public” is a victim of a profiteering scheme under the auspices of the offer of a holiday service and hospitality industry. Then the same “public” will later be straddled with managing these homes (or trailers) via the garbage disposal process in 25 years. In my childhood many of these types of structures were used as primary housing facilities in the region my mom was from. Families were of unmotivated to spend the money to remove the structures from the property and let them rot in place for an additional 30 years. It is just now that some more permanent structures are being built in that area and some of the older trailers are being moved to landfill locations. When we look at the rest of Scotland there are building going back centuries.

In my view there is something grounding and calming about homes and furnishings made from natural fibers, wood, metal, and stone. In a way these materials connect Scotland (and its peoples) to its heritage and projects Scotland’s capacity to thrive into the land’s future.

With regards to the service that Seton Sands offers, I have mixed impressions.

We arrived early to check-in knowing that there was no early check-in but the cleaners were still hard at work an hour after checking time. When we did get in there were crumbs on the floor, and counter, a broken hanger in one of the closets, a dripping heater in one of the bathrooms, and some left-behind articles in one of the foot rests. Then the key we were left for our place didn’t fit our lock and we had to get that sorted as well.

As a parent I have found that my attitude is often reflected back to me via my kids. So we did the best we could with these issues and moved on quietly as possible. It has been our experience as AirBnB hosts that that the people hired to be cleaners are doing honest work, it is just that the type of people filling these roles generally aren’t the most detail oriented. The overall condition of our place was clean and comfortable.

As international travelers we didn’t have access to UK mobile networks at reasonable rates and therefore relied on Wi-Fi at the guests services building and the local grocery store. We bought a local SIM card for the network 3. Reception was 3 bars of 3G or one bar of 4G. To make matters worse setup process involves an app. Their app only accepts credit card payments from cards with a registered address in the UK. We got around this by transferring a payment via the service Ding.com.

From an US perspective the minimart was well stocked for a campground store and reasonably priced. It was branded by a local grocery chain and therefore carried familiar products beyond the typical “holiday” opportunistic purchase snacks.

The Haven staff were all polite and friendly. Even if they had never encountered a credit card that required a signature or a declined credit card because the issuer doesn’t allow the holder to declare that they are leaving the country or going on a trip (sorry USAA you used to be the best).

The fellow guests and target audience of the haven is interesting. Maybe it is Scottish people, but it might be the people who visit the haven. It seems that everyone smokes or vapes. COVID was not too long ago. And social medical conditions common to industrial nations such as diabetes and cancer are common. It is amazing how many people pretend they are locomotives with their vaping devices. The smoke/vape is crazy. Just waking behind these people I feel trapped. And then to know that all of this vape was either in their lungs or mouth. The public consciousness and/or concern for others is a bit of a cross-cultural cognitive hurdle. Would the haven loose customers if they banned smoking from their premises? I went down to the main building with the Restaurant and people line the doorway to smoke. Then the Restaurant plays loud music inside the facility. I was looking for a quiet place to write and work for an hour or so. Towards the back of the restaurant is an outdoor patio. To my disappointment it was reserved for smoking.

My final hope is that the wasp nest in the roof of the building outside the front door of the arcade is taken care of before someone is stung.

With regards to people watching, it was interesting to see the kind of inter-body touching, (hand holding, kids and parents, hitting, etc.) expressed. It was also interesting to watch the speech dynamic and learn the local understanding of “shouting”. That is, shouting is the name of a speech register. In our US based context shouting and yelling are collapsed in meaning and just mean loud voice. It was then interesting to see how dads discipline their kids. One kid I saw was scolded with strong swearing words. Another 7 year old who had acted out was picked up and carried off for scolding. Discipline actions were received in different ways. The kid who had acted out continued to be obstinate, while the kid scolded with strong swearing amended his ways. What tools do parents have really? Gentle yet effective parenting seems to be as rare as well prepared organic meals. It is amazing how many kids here consume candies. Both kids and parents seem to think it “normal”.

Narrowly missed rail platform

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 14:52:00 +0000

Traveling with Becky is always an adventure. This time she narrowly missed the magical platform at 6 and 8/9ths.

Tradition & Deer Trails

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 18:47:02 +0000

This week my family spent a week with extended family. This was a great opportunity for story sharing and communal reflection. Kids from different age clusters were able to engage with each other in what we hope are the beginning of long term relationships.

We were able to tell happy stories and painful stories. Pain and trauma is something many families encounter. I wonder how many families in New York encounter the kinds of inter-generational trauma found in my family. We joked that we should hire a therapist for our family reunion. Maybe one year we actually will. However, in the meantime someone made the sign below. It seems the script allows for a different reading.

in one sense the joke isn't a joke, but in another sense the topic shows that at some level we realize that we are broken—at least as a community and we don't want to be broken even if we also don't want to fully embrace a healthier solution.

I had several reflections I think are worth sharing. One was that tradition is those things that we do over and over again with purpose. Tradition has a connected meaning—possibly a socially grounded meaning but an overt meaning. However, sometimes we do things over and over again without any cognizant connection to meaning. This is more like walking down a Deer Trail. The meaning behind our actions in these cases is more like learned socialized norms, but not clearly articulated or connected to meaning—a historical way of doing things but not with overt significant meaning.

For example, we don't have a tradition of drying pool towels in the electric dryer but we do it because we follow the dear trail and do them with the other laundry the same way we stick them in the dryer and turn it on. Then we chat and talk about the summer heat and record highs. Little thought is given to the possibility stringing up a clothesline and setting them via solar power. Even further removed is any discussion of coal burned to create the electricity and then the heat generated by the dryer or the scale of several million people on Long Island drying their towels the same way.

By separating out tradition from deer trails, it gave me pause to wonder if my family is representative of all of Long Island families. That is, the trauma, the way we communicate across generations (or don't communicate), the defensive posture in speech, the swearing, the extreme frustration, the disregard for others responsibilities and wishes that leads to deep hurt and resentment — what part of my experience in NY is highly unique to my family, and what part is representative of the larger social context?

How many families are matrilineal? And how is dominance in these context established, maintained, or negotiated?

While many of our activities could be classified as deer trail activities, it made me ponder and hypothesize that across our group of 20 -/+ that we really have very few shared beliefs. Our opinions and understanding of medical conditions including underlying causes are different, our understanding of social media technology and its influence is diverse, our awareness of how to lead our children as parents is varied. Not to mention variations in political or religious beliefs.

I find myself under equipped relationally and time wise to have conversations with all these people on these topics, and yet I want to have these conversations. While there are loud broad cultural voices that call us to celebrate diversity in our culture, I am reminded of the many civil war families that were divided for generations based on which ideology they followed. That is, does celebrating diversity really work?

If traditions are grounded in beliefs, then what beliefs do we have among us that are common? What traditions are there really and what do we have to hold on to?

It is with all seriousness that we play games together. This is one thing that all of us enjoy!

31 Hours of Driving

Sun, 09 Jul 2023 19:23:48 +0000

Finally after a week of packing and cleaning we are out of Baker and on our trip! 31 hours of driving has put us in St. Louis! Google Map of our route.

Continental divide in Wyoming.

The workout!

Stop at little America.

Preparing for leg stretching exercises upon arrival!

We’ve started…

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 21:09:00 +0000

We started our trip across the country...

We, well I, anticipated a July 1st departure. Lots of complex reasons for the delays. Including moving things out of our house after a temporary rental situation fell through.

Hope fulfilled

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 18:59:00 +0000

Several years ago, I planted blueberries with the anticipation that my kids would be able to pick them. I planted figs with the same hope. Today was the fulfillment of that hope

Awesome kids

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 12:45:00 +0000

For Christmas I got Hugh a puzzle game. This morning he was following the instructions to arranging the pieces in the suggested shapes. Total cognitive leap.

We went to the Bob Keifer center for climbing, but Hugh was more interested in playing soccer than climbing.

But Katja was all about climbing.

Climbing Kids

Sat, 17 Jun 2023 12:19:00 +0000

I took my kids climbing today. It was an early morning with a 7:15 am departure. Becky was there to cheer us on. Managing two active kids and setting top ropes is just beyond my current capacity. This was Hugh’s first time climbing with ropes. Katja, much more experienced has moved from being satisfied with half an assent to cheering when topping a route.

Thistledown

Sat, 10 Jun 2023 17:58:33 +0000

The most wonderful time of the year! Where the sun is bright and hot and the soil is sandy and the dust is present… and the bucket price is not the same as the per-pound price.

Eugene snow

Sun, 05 Mar 2023 10:25:16 +0000

Wonderful week. ICLDC is the week that it snows and Eugene. This time with ICLDC as an all remote conference I’m here to enjoy it with my kids!

Another Valentine’s Day in the snow

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 00:03:00 +0000

Fresh deep snow

The big three

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 23:59:00 +0000

Hat and cake

Craft day!

Sat, 07 Jan 2023 00:09:00 +0000

Katja is keen to remind me at Home Depot has a craft for kids on the first weekend of the month.

Katja

Hugh

Mountains and 40

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 18:05:00 +0000

We made it to the mountains shortly after my 40th birthday. Glacier national park. One of my favorite places in the world.

All of us!

The lovebirds.

Becky and Hugh V

Climbing walls

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 21:17:00 +0000

One of the things my kids enjoy are climbing walls or climbing gyms.

Part of the kids climbing area at elevation in Eugene.

Climbing together

Katja climbing

Hugh V trying to follow Katja

Florence Beach

Sat, 29 Jan 2022 23:32:00 +0000

My kids are my best.

Modeling at Nîmes

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 17:57:00 +0000

Subject

Photographer

Orange blossom cake

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 11:55:00 +0000

fougasse d’aigues mortes

We went to the southern French coast and they said that we should try the fougasse d’aigues mortes. We did. It was like an angel food cake with a sugar glaze. Much like a pineapple-upside-down-cake, but made with orange blossoms.

mortes fortress

Nîmes

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 13:08:00 +0000

Hugh V on a train to Nîmes.

While many in the world feel the pandemic is a disaster or a disruption, we have weathered the storm and found great things in this time. Hugh V was born just days before France shut down. Through that experience we met a mid-wife who blessed us beyond belief. Then I helped her move. At that event I then met her sister who invited us to stay with her and her husband in Nîmes. So during a school break we took a train with two kids and a stroller to a city we’d never been to before.

I loved taking my daughter to have hot chocolate.

During our stay I got sick but thankfully it wasn’t COVID. We still trudged through mostly empty streets looking at restored architectural wonders, leaning about the linguistic and cultural diversity of the area, and visiting museums.

The Nîmes colosseum

The Langdoc place.

These experiences would not have been possible without the generosity of our French friends or the logistic persistence of my wife.

One of the fantastically fun things I started on this trip was sketching with my daughter.