We've been up to some varied pursuits lately! The other week we were invited to a hangi, which is a Maori tradition typically undertaken in New Zealand where foods are wrapped in leaves, buried in the ground, and cooked with hot stones. Our city has a sister city in New Zealand, and we are lucky enough to have several Maori people here in town who speak, cook, and dance in their traditional ways. The food was AMAZING!
Clara and Elena have entered a new phase of sisterhood where they co-construct games to play together that have SO MANY rules and names that Steve and Christina cannot keep them straight. Somehow these two can, though. This one was a cat sleeping game:
And this was one that was the set-up for some kind of horse race.
We planted our garden a bit early (for us) this year, so that we have spinach, chard, and mixed greens already. This picture below was the product of a thinning venture, and there is loads more in the garden. Elena and Clara have been so helpful creating and maintaining the garden - the pick things to plant and get weeds out with us all the time. We'll have to post more pictures of those endeavors soon.
It has been raining here nearly constantly for the last week or two, but we had a break twice yesterday. We took one of those breaks to go to the Farmer's Market (to buy more plants for the garden - Elena picked six broccoli plants and Clara picked an eggplant) and the other to go on a hike up Waterworks Hill.
It was a gorgeous night for it - we went through the peace park (though Clara may have un-peaced it by swinging this bell instead of ringing it).
The girls were allowed to pick one of every wildflower so we could come home and identify them - this is the bouquet they ended up presenting Christina.
And they pretended to be cats (again! This is a frequent game).
It was Steve's good idea to head out on this hike - such a smart one!
We headed back before the clouds gathered too much again to dump yet more rain.
Sweet Elena, smiling back at the car.
And a happy Christina, glad for a little sun on her face! We hope there is more of that soon!
