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

A new piano

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 01:23:00 +0000

Playing transformers theme

The new piano.

Language Documentation Gear

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 08:13:59 +0000

I have been investigating some new video equipment for language documentation. Currently highly recommended is the Osmo Pocket 3 and the GoPro Hero 11 (as this has GPS embedded whereas the GP12 does not). It is not entirely clear if the GP13 has GPS or not.

Also my microphones need some attention. I need some endcaps and some windscreens.

I have been thinking about using updating my capabilities for recording and regularly recording Katja Playing Music.

Hors d’oeuvre

Sun, 17 Nov 2024 16:34:00 +0000

Katja and I made some snacks

Toast with avocado and toppings

Snack time

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.

A List of French Language Resources for Young People

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 07:26:49 +0000

I put this list together for Katja's learning and exposure. The context is that she is 9 and has had 4 years of exposure and two years of bi-lingual education in French.

Bi-lingual stories in classical literature.

https://frenchwithstories.com

Numberblocks in French does translate to French well. Alphablocks in French does not. They speak French while all the visuals are in English.
https://www.youtube.com/c/NumberblocksFran%C3%A7ais

FouFou has some vocabulary building like this one for emotion words.

The Fable Cottage has a set of 5 stories:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheFableCottage

EFBA has a list of French PodCasts for Kids.
https://efba.us/blog/11-french-podcasts-for-kids

French with Elise is a bi-lingual vocabulary building introduction to cultural differences between France and the USA.
https://smalltalk.fm/pod/french-with-elise

Salut l'info! is a short kids oriented radio broadcast of news issues delivered as a podcast.
https://www.francetvinfo.fr/replay-radio/salut-l-info
an example episode:
https://www.francetvinfo.fr/replay-radio/salut-l-info/elections-europeennes-dissolution-et-decouverte-d-un-dinosaure_6604107.html

Radio Canada has a series centered around Arthur L'aventurier who goes to different places and discusses culture and Zoology. Requires VPN to Canada for access.
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/jeunesse/prescolaire/emissions/4124/arthur-aventurier-afrique/contenu/nosvideos

Au Maroc : Grand explorateur du monde, Arthur L’aventurier se rend cette fois-ci au Maroc afin de découvrir ce pays fascinant qui renferme des trésors uniques. En chanson, il raconte sa découverte d’une faune diversifiée peuplée de macaques de Barbarie, de bourricots, de fennecs, de cigognes et de flamants roses. Émerveillé, il relate son expédition dans le désert du Sahara à dos de dromadaire et sa rencontre d’un peuple fantastique qui possède une culture d’une richesse extraordinaire.

Au Zoo de Granby : Arthur L'aventurier part à la rencontre des animaux du Zoo de Granby : girafe, panda, lion, tortue, rhinocéros, lama, hippopotame ou encore tigre, effraie des clochers, rhinocéros et wallaby.

En Australie : Arthur L’aventurier réalise un grand rêve : découvrir l’Australie, ses magnifiques paysages naturels et ses animaux exceptionnels. Le voyageur préféré des enfants rend visite à sa grande amie Jade, vétérinaire au refuge Au bout du monde pour animaux blessés. Il fait également la connaissance de Matéo, soigneur animalier, et de Finlay, 5 ans, qui adore la nature. À travers un jeu proposé par ses camarades, Arthur partira à la découverte des koalas, kangourous, dingos, crocodiles et autres animaux typiques du pays.

Dans les Rocheuses : Arthur L'aventurier transporte les enfants dans un univers d'une beauté exceptionnelle rempli de trésors naturels : les Rocheuses canadiennes. En images et en chansons, les enfants découvrent les hautes montagnes, les lacs majestueux et les grottes.

Au Costa Rica : Être un aventurier ou une aventurière selon Arthur L’aventurier, qu’est-ce que ça signifie? C’est s’émerveiller, se laisser vibrer, affronter ses peurs et être accro au bonheur! Et tout ça, au Costa Rica!

Princton Rec Pool Lifeguards

Sat, 21 Sep 2024 19:10:00 +0000

The first time Katja swam with me at the Rec pool she asked me if this was a dangerous pool to swim at. The question caught me off guard. I asked her what she meant. She said that the life guards were on the same side of the pool and talking to each other instead of watching the swimmers. So today I took a picture of one guard on break behind me and the other two chatting with each other.

On break behind my shoulder.

In the far perch.

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.

Swimming

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 19:10:15 +0000

Katja, we don’t swim because some coach thinks we have skill, or because some race will be easily won, or because we like some teammate. We swim because the water needs a swimmer like us and deserves the fastest we can give it.

Fencing

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 16:27:30 +0000

Katja has been a big help getting the new fence in place.

Earlier this year I stained the boards

I needed a hat in the sun.

I dug the post hole

Stablized

I taught her how to use a clamp as a third hand.

We used the level to create an even bottom.

Inside completed.

Then she hung the outside boards.

New lights

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 02:22:00 +0000

Katja has been a great help in creating new lights and doing various house projects. It has been a lot of learning about tools.

Using a drill

Setting the lights

Lights in place

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?

Things to do for a dad and three-year-old

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 11:00:10 +0000

In 2019 Katja and stayed in Eugene from September to January without Becky. I needed a list things to do with her that changed and still had had a set of options that didn’t require me to “discover” new things with the limited amount of time and energy I had. I made a list of index cards.

Idea deck

The Lego Table

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 18:11:00 +0000

Back in April, I got the kids some Legos. We asked Katja what would make it more enjoyable to play Legos. That is, what would a good table? After iterating through a couple of ideas, this one materialized.

Our new Lego play station.

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!

In Innsbruck

Sat, 02 Sep 2023 11:10:17 +0000

I took Katja climbing today in Innsbruck.

10 meter indoor walls.

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”.

On the mark

Sat, 29 Jul 2023 05:33:00 +0000

Katja and I took the opportunity to try out archery for the first time. My results were much better than axe throwing last week.

I had a tendency to cluster my arrows. Shooting them into the yellow area makes for easier collection at the end.

Katja could hit the target well when she focused on body posture.

The distance was about 25 feet and the bow draw weight was between 35 and 45 pounds.

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.

Our First Concert

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 23:27:47 +0000

We did it. We went to our first concert! Katja’s violin teachers were in the orchestra. So Katja and I went for the full effect of seeing the violin in use.

The swimmers

Wed, 31 May 2023 22:28:21 +0000

Sometimes as a parent one has to encourage their child to do something their child doesn't want to do. That time can today. I had to pull teeth to get Katja to come to the pool with me today. I told her she only needed to swim 3 laps. After much cajoling we got to the car. By the time she got to the pool, she had a kick board and was off. I got a few laps in and she met me at the far wall of the 25 yard lane. She says to me: " I want to swim 12 laps". And so she did. So.. from poolside observer 4 years ago so swim partner today.

Print media

Wed, 03 May 2023 01:23:03 +0000

We are entering that new era, where notes are beginning to appear.

Ski gear

Sat, 29 Apr 2023 13:51:18 +0000

New inventory

Rockslide

Sat, 22 Apr 2023 21:16:00 +0000

There was a rockslide on the way up to Willamette pass on OR58.

The last ski or maybe Chile?

Sat, 22 Apr 2023 01:29:00 +0000

Hats and other things

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 23:40:00 +0000

Katja has taken a liking to skiing. the local rental shop will rent her a set of skis and boots for $129 for the season. As much as I want to help her have access to skis I want to help her understand money and entrepreneurship.

I put it out there that she will need to pay for the skis for next year (the ski pass is free till age 12). There was silence for a few minutes after which she said that she could make hats. She likes to crochet. I suggested that hand made hats might be in the order of $25-$30 and that six of them might generate enough income for the skis.

Since concocting this plan on Friday she has lined up training for hat making (a friend), and discovered where she can sell them (the annual ski swap event). This is going to be fun and interesting to support. Some time in the future we’ll take a look at the business model canvas.

All a board.

On the slopes

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!

Teaching skiing

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 11:23:00 +0000

It snowed all weekend in the mountains. The Willamette pass opened Wednesday. It was a clear day no chains needed. So I took Katja to get a private ski lesson and we spent the day skiing the slopes.

Katja’s second time skiing

She loves to ski.

Diamond peak

Implementation of the pizza slice

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

Filter order…

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 16:44:40 +0000

Today Katja wanted to vacuum her room for the first time. We had a small problem. Becky had disassembled the filter while washing it. Now we needed to reassemble it without her. To the encyclopedia of YouTube we go.

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

Afternoon snack

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 20:17:47 +0000

Katja and I had afternoon hot chocolate today. we talked about her work at school. She is learning about typography and letter height. Worm line, grass line, airplane line and cloud line. I showed her some of my work and some of the font things I’ve done and the font book we have here in the house.

Font lines and homework lines

Stirring milk for hot chocolate

South Sister Climb

Sun, 18 Sep 2022 22:32:37 +0000

I took Katja to climb South Sister. We made our attempt on September 17th. We left Eugene on the 16th and camped on OR-126. Made it to the Dee Wight observatory for sunrise.

Took a stop in Bend at the grocery store for yogurt for breakfast.

I wasn't sure if we were going to summit and down in one day or if we were going to camp around Moraine Lake and summit the next day. The camping area on T36 and the trail to Moraine Lake is slightly out of the wind but has lots of prickly grass. Not a super smooth place to camp.

Broken Top from T36

We started up TR36.1, joined TR36 and marched to the top — almost. We started at about 5500 feet elevation and ended just at about 8,000 feet with a distance round trip trek of about 3.84 miles one way (7.68 miles round trip). Great work for a 7 year-old! I need to bring us gloves next time and more food and more water. Finding a backpack for her would be awesome and take some of the weight off of my shoulders. She needs shoes that tie rather than velcro shoes.

Start: 1,44.03711822899115,-121.76427483558656,5479.003

Turn-around point: 4,44.08561748668657,-121.76805038005115,8028.215

Approximate trail. T36 is not visible through the woods on satellite view.

With the kids at Niagara Falls

Sat, 06 Aug 2022 02:46:00 +0000

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

Skinners Butte Columns

Tue, 24 May 2022 21:27:00 +0000

She looks small from the top.

This is the first time she went to the top!

My kids and I love the snow

Fri, 15 Apr 2022 15:36:00 +0000

We love the snow!

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.

The playground

Fri, 28 May 2021 17:48:00 +0000

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.

Swimming and not

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 18:51:00 +0000

Being a solo parent is hard. Sometimes it can mean taking your kids with you to do the thing you do.

I Swim in the mornings to keep my sanity. But this means figuring out what my little girl can do without me while I swim. One particular cold morning I helped her with her bag of things to do including drawing and music and my warm sleeping bag.

Katja and her things

Frozen deck at the pool.

New Fence

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 10:49:00 +0000

Before we move it’s time to take down the old falling apart fence and put in a new fence with some style.

Final new fence

Little helper

It’s a dad and daughter world

The dancing hammerer

With stairs in view

Pre-painting and painting

Maybe I used honey teak colored stain. That is what would be in the can

Crafting a abacus

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 02:21:56 +0000

Climbing the columns

Fri, 06 Sep 2019 02:19:29 +0000

Camping with Katja

Sat, 31 Aug 2019 13:26:00 +0000

Moriah joined us.

Mt Hood

Camping food

My little girl!

Solo dad making repairs

Wed, 28 Aug 2019 02:06:22 +0000

Sometimes I get to watch my little girl while I do house repairs. This is one of those times. I got to clear the paint off the glass while she was coloring next to me (on the inside).

Strawberries

Sat, 08 Jun 2019 19:36:00 +0000

Climbing at UO

Fri, 31 May 2019 16:25:36 +0000

Dad and Daughter Date

Sun, 19 May 2019 19:41:00 +0000

At the U of O library.

Date time!

Fri, 18 Jan 2019 08:38:00 +0000

I took Katja to Falling Sky Delicatessen. It was great. I love having my little girl around.

At the Restaurant

Christmas Eve Traditions

Mon, 24 Dec 2018 17:56:00 +0000

I'm really glad my family has some traditions with regard to Christmas.

Chinese food for Christmas Eve is one of them.

Fashion princess

Mon, 01 Oct 2018 18:02:00 +0000

Fashion princess?

Summer fun

Sat, 01 Sep 2018 15:13:00 +0000

Katja went on this water feature. they wouldn’t let her go with a life jacket. So we took it off. She could swim the whole length with it on. But sinks with it off. She made it as far as the arrow before I dove in to get her.

Bath buckets

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 15:09:00 +0000

Taking a splash in a bucket from the local hardware store.

New sentences

Thu, 29 Mar 2018 20:03:18 +0000

This week we hear new things from Katja:

I watched RA two times.

push me closer.

And what letter is that?

D

Mommy wrote it.

Wed, 21 Mar 2018 10:45:46 +0000

Today Katja and I were talking about a new mark on the tag of one of her dolls. She said: "Mommy wrote it." That is she used the past tense of an irregular verb! "Me excited!" to use another of her current phrases. This is a phrase I heard yesterday after she said that we needed to get the "ingredients" to make a "birthday cake".

Missing bear found!

Sun, 04 Mar 2018 12:59:25 +0000

Blue bear, which is actually a dog… has been found. Blue bear is Katja’s special companion. He goes everywhere. Last Sunday he decided to stay the week at South Eugene High. It was a rough week without him — especially at bedtime. Katja would tell us that blue bear was sleeping in his sleeping bag. However, this Sunday he was found and returned! Things are looking up.

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Ice cream

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 20:00:55 +0000

Biking to drop Katja off and then biking to pick her up has been great! I often pass this place and wish I had a $5 bill with me. Today I did!

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The old books

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 23:25:03 +0000

When I was in 6th grade my grandpa flew to Germany and stayed with us for a few weeks. He and I pulled out my dad’s train set and put it together. I remember the really old catalogs from the 1950s that my dad had.

Tonight Katja was sitting on my lap looking at my old LEGO catalogs. She must have sat there for 45 minutes going through them.

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Only chopsticks

Wed, 07 Feb 2018 21:10:07 +0000

It is funny. Katja only wants to eat rice with chopsticks now.

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Is and am

Tue, 06 Feb 2018 10:30:16 +0000

Katja has two verbs of note: is and am. Last night we heard “am” for the first time. We heard the response “me am” to “you should be laying on the pillow”. In contrast to new verbs “is” has been a long standing verb of location. “Me is up”, “me is down”, or “me blanket is”. Is is almost exclusively used along side ideas of location. And is often in phrase final position. As in “is mommy?” For something like “where is it mommy?” Whereas “mommy is?” would be “where is mommy?”

It is cute how her language choice evolves. The new lexicon is displayed, the old home speak word diaper, pronunciation evolves. In one way I loath the change. It is sad to loose the old forms. They are often so straightforward and morphology simple. Part of me says I should be recording this speech, but I’ll never review it. Maybe 5-10 minutes of it the night before she gets married. But in reality, not really ever.

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The climbing gym 2nd time

Thu, 11 Jan 2018 23:25:58 +0000

I took Katja to the climbing gym again. It is really fun to watch her. She gives it good effort. This time she really wanted to use chalk. It is really hard to belay your daughter and take photos. She got all the way up to H on the alphabet wall and then wanted chalk. I couldn’t give it to her so she got mad and then she couldn’t think about coming down clearly. The shoes are a bit big still.

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New family car

Sat, 06 Jan 2018 17:40:55 +0000

The time has come to look for a new car. I was out with Katja running some errands. We passed by this truck which of her own volition she pointed out to me. She said as we walked by:” Big truck”. My thought is that this might be a candidate for a new family car. It can fit a 4′ x 8′ sheet of plywood and a car seat in the back seat. Seems to fit our requirements.

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And when your kid prays for you

Sun, 10 Dec 2017 21:42:53 +0000

It is really a humbling thing when your kid prays for you. I hope it doesn’t stop or become the mundane. It was really awesome and really quite unbelievable to hear Katja pray for me and mommy. She barely has full sentences. She understands so much more than she can articulate. I mean that who is to say she does not have faith, or understand who she is praying too. So while I wonder what this act is, and is it real, and how deep is the knowledge of God and Jesus in her, there is no reason for me to not take for what it is – a simple prayer.

Color terms

Sun, 03 Dec 2017 13:08:45 +0000

I’m not really sure how my daughter started to learn color terms. How does one learn that the word is not a noun (the name of the object) and is the name of a color? I mean think about it as a parent you point to something and say “blue” or “red”. How does the child know that the parent is talking about color?

For about 4 months Katja has correctly identified and labeled blue objects. This is likely due to blue bear being such a prominent part of her life.

I think it was back in June and May that we started coloring with Crayons and writing with pens. This increases the exposure to color terms.

Somewhere along the line we started talking about the colors of the handholds on her climbing wall. I think her second color term about two months ago was “Black”.

“Black” quickly became overshadowed by “pink”. Katja has a special blanket which is pink. But there is her pink backpack, and shoes, and tonnes of other pink things.

Along the way “yellow” has been identified and pronounced in short sessions, like reading curious George. But as a color term has not been a stable self produced word. This may be in part to the challenge Katja has with pronouncing liquids.

This week “green” became a stable word and within a few hours red did too. Though there is a lot of phonological reduction going on right now.

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Thanksgiving celebration

Fri, 24 Nov 2017 18:06:21 +0000

44.0290922-123.0729189

Getting ready for pumpkin bread season

Fri, 17 Nov 2017 11:33:59 +0000

Pumpkin bread with chocolate chips is probably my favorite seasonal food. Katja endorses the making of pumpkin bread. I took opportunity of Becky being out of town to make a double batch.

Katja still has a little dificulty saying pumpkin but she manages and has known the word for about four months. Too boot, she has liked muffins since Nigeria when Blessing would make them for us. So i got some silicone muffin cups to make muffins with Katja. As it happened this time she expired before i could make them and she woke up the next morning to a mountain of pumpkin bread.

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Mom is away

Wed, 15 Nov 2017 22:35:48 +0000

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Chillin’

Sun, 05 Nov 2017 11:55:53 +0000

Some Italian taught her about style.

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At the coast with cousins

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 04:10:00 +0000

My brother and family visited from Portland. We made a day of it at the Oregon coast.

Hugh and Katja on the Oregon coast.

Snazzy.

Leaving Basel

Wed, 13 Sep 2017 20:59:28 +0000

Slides and fun

Sun, 03 Sep 2017 11:39:38 +0000

Butte’ing in Nigeria

Sun, 06 Aug 2017 12:29:37 +0000

11.22752235.3311652

Learning to carry water

Fri, 21 Jul 2017 15:30:11 +0000

Katja has been learning to Cary water. She has ample opportunity as we don’t have running water in our house and we have ample examples on how to do it.

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Swimming

Tue, 20 Jun 2017 13:05:48 +0000

The story goes, I was two years old and my dad put me in a life jacket and tossed into the middle of the pool and told me to swim to the edge. They say that my mother stood to the side panicked, but my dad was full of confidence that I was up to the task. To this day I still get up early in the morning to go swimming when I can. There’s something exhausting and refreshing about being in the pool. Today, I bought Katja a life jacket and took her to the pool for the first time in Eugene. We’ve been to a pool once before and shop housing when she was about 18 months old. Now that she is 21 months old, she loves going down the waterslide, she kicks her legs when I hold her trying to teach her how to swim, and she loves jumping off the edge into the water!

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Learning the word ‘boat’

Mon, 19 Jun 2017 10:50:55 +0000

Katja learned about rowboats. We were down on a lake in Florence, Oregon. Her fascination with moving vehicles does not disappoint.

Update: she remembers this event many months later!

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Strawberry picking

Mon, 12 Jun 2017 13:20:39 +0000

As an anniversary of last year, and the strawberry picking wonderfulness I took Katja back to the Strawberry Fields. This year with the impending departure to Nigeria we picked significantly less fruit.

It’s always interesting watching learning take place. After strawberry picking we played on the playground for a bit. She loves the tall slides. There is no fear. At the end when it was time to go home, I told her that it was the last one and that we wouldn’t be going again and then she wanted to go again. She ran over to the latter I told her to come back because we were leaving. In that moment she had a choice to either come with me or to go up the ladder. It took a bit of internal reasoning but eventually she decided to come with me.

Wedding trip

Fri, 09 Jun 2017 03:56:00 +0000

Katja is about to cross that magic age where airlines start to charge her full fare. My cousin is getting married and so I’m taking her on a trip! New Jersey here we go!

Nanny even danced, not at the weeding, but at roses house. Katja asked her to get up and dance with her and she did!

Sharp looking for a wedding.

I’ve got a girl!

Sat, 03 Jun 2017 12:10:42 +0000

Katja has recently taken up like in high heels. Not that I have done anything to thwart such a liking. This was probably most eloquently expressed when I took Katja to my cousins wedding in New Jersey. Blue bear was there so it was a great trip!

Butte’ing

Fri, 19 May 2017 16:00:21 +0000

Toys for Katja

Tue, 16 May 2017 12:05:20 +0000

Thanks to some friends we now have a dark horse, and a horse of a different color for Katja to play with.

They learn fast

Wed, 10 May 2017 02:45:59 +0000

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I might take up a career as a bishop

Wed, 19 Apr 2017 20:00:24 +0000

We took Katja to eat Phở

Sun, 06 Nov 2016 22:05:48 +0000

It is a bit funner feeding noodles to a 1-year old with chopsticks.

Earbuds

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 12:49:54 +0000

Today Katja discovered buds. In the past she has resisted anything on her head, on her ears or her eyes.

But today I was about to go for a bike ride and I took advantage of the fact that she likes to music, to show her that music can come out of earbuds because she was concerned with the things in my ears. It took a bit, but she started to hear the music by Coldplay. Within 3 minutes she understood how they worked and wanted the earbuds in her ears! It is fun to watch her learn.

Sing me to sleep

Sat, 24 Sep 2016 23:44:54 +0000

September 20th was our first day back. That night was our first night in our own bed in at least 53 nights. Katja didn’t sleep very soundly or very long. She was in her own room in her crib. Finally at about 5 am (8 am east coast time) we took her to sleep in between us in our bed. She usually falls a sleep and will sleep about two more hours. This morning was different because I felt she asked me to sing to her. Now, how can that be? A child with production capability of about 3.5 words asking me to sing to her to fall asleep. Well, when I would sing she would lay her head down. And when I would stop she would questionly look at me or start talking to me. And when I would coo/hum at her she would lay down with her head on her pillow. So I sang some made up song on the spot. More like sonorous German, than a song but nonetheless singing. After a short while she fell asleep. I felt that she wanted me to sing. While I do thing that she has quite a few homophones and really only very few words I think she understands many more words.

A few posts ago I was able to write about the mental concepts she had. Now there are way too many to list. She acquires more everyday. This week she started pointing to her own head when asked: “where is your head?” We promptly started asking her where her nose was. Now she knows her head, eyes, nose, and (my) beard. We were walking in Jerry’s hardware store and I told her to put her hand in mine and she did (with a bit of repetition), so I think she also knows what hand is.

Kajta has also taken to reading on our long road trip (120 hours of driving over the last 53 days). When I get to read she points to objects which are the same. Today she even pointed to a picture of a spoon and then smacked her lips (which is currently one of her communicative actions). It makes me think that she actually is “reading” or at least understanding g son of the imagery in her books.

While reading she will sometimes babel to herself.

Where is your head?

I must admit that it is more fun than I imagined to watch her read.

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Visiting the telescope

Fri, 26 Aug 2016 12:10:34 +0000

Today we visited the telescopes in Greenbank, West Virginia.

Mapping Katja’s mental concepts

Mon, 04 Jul 2016 23:01:52 +0000

I know I won’t touch all the mental concepts that Katja has right now. But here are some (more noun like concepts) that I can easily remember:

Beard
Bird
Bath
Blueberry
Ball
Bottle
Bye(-bye)
Dad
Mom
Water
<æ> for Andrew

She has some verb like categories or actions that I think are salient as well. Some of these things are tactile motor movement skills which require some sort of mental conceptualization, while others are directional in nature:

up (which is not just vertical, but might include “hold me”, or switch people holding me)
down
open (pull)
closed (push)
More (food)
Turn around to get off the couch or go down a step
Point
Wave bye-bye
Soft hands (as in gentle hands — when she is pulling my beard)
Dance
She also crawls and assisted walks
Feeds herself (we can assume that she can feel hunger)
Takes things off: She doesn’t like anything on her head, can take her pants off
She likes to reach out with her index finger and thumb and experience the feeling of hair
Reads a book while cooing to herself
Plays the drums
She is music aware
She is speech sound aware (she knows she hears a sound she is not making and that it is different than what she is making) for instance the difference between and but can not yet pronounce .

She has a sense of emotion that clearly includes:

Happy laughter
Empathy when others are crying

7 pounds to 7 kilos in 7 months

Wed, 11 May 2016 17:05:45 +0000

Was there any doubt?

Tue, 09 Feb 2016 22:55:04 +0000

And she does like chocolate!!

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Little feet big toes

Thu, 21 Jan 2016 18:39:29 +0000

Funny that. Her feet are almost as big as my big toe.

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First time with a spoon

Tue, 19 Jan 2016 23:23:38 +0000

Well, we have been tasting solid foods for about two weeks. There was apricot jam, toast, apple juice, carrots, apple, Moriah’s halla bread. So tonight we start with cucumber and avacado. She is well coordinated in getting the spoon into her mouth on her own though it seems that she is more interested in chewing on the spoon as teething relief than for its food content.