Nesting

Jeff and I are getting ready for our next adventure -- parenthood. With this being our first child there has been much to learn and figure out, but the common theme through the whole process has been nesting. I just did not realize there were different ways to do this.

My nesting started out pretty gradually. It really wasn't until I flew back to Atlanta to visit family and friends in June that the pregnancy began to seem real. They threw me a baby shower and later my sister took me around town and helped me figure out what I needed, then helped me find a way to pack it all into a bag for the airplane ride back to Missoula.




Cloth diapers


Painting by Linda Hanks


Schmerker family cup and rattle


Jeff's first spoon

I started to change the guest room into the baby's room. I sold a bookshelf so I could get a dresser/changing table. This took some convincing of Jeff because the book shelf was apparently very loved and Jeff was sure we could change the baby on the kitchen counter--a whole new place to do this was not necessary. Fortunately I convinced him otherwise and found a cool dresser which I bought from a college student. The only problem was that it had layers of paint which had to be removed, but after much more work than I expected it turned out to be the perfect fit.


Before


After

Pictures I took on our trip from our trip and have in the baby's room

Bali, Indonesia


Isla de la Plata, Ecuador


Pinnewala, Sri Lanka


Borneo, Malaysia

Also complicating matters was advice gleaned from a birthing class, where the instructed said a baby could sleep pretty much anywhere -- even a drawer. This was not a good thing to tell my husband! After several conversations Jeff finally gave up on the drawer idea and let me take over on the getting things ready for the baby. He had his own plans anyway.

It all started out innocent enough. We needed more space in our small house, and with an imminent growing family Jeff built cabinets for our bedroom closet. Then the garage needed to be cleaned out, and while it was cleaned out, might as well paint the inside--and the floor. Getting in and out of the garage could use some help, so next on the list he decided to build a stone paver driveway, then add a pergola entrance into our side yard. Also, to keep the house warm, he got new front and back doors. With about 4 weeks of my pregnancy left, Jeff announced he was going to gut the kitchen and redo it. It hit me suddenly, Man-nesting! He wasn't trying to drive me crazy--it was just his way of getting ready for the kiddo. I supported his other projects (though couldn't really do anything but give my opinion, which he 'loves') but I drew the line with the kitchen. We both had our own ways of getting ready.


Jeff perfecting man-nesting

Now we have two weeks left till our due date. The tools are slowly being put away, and we got our first snow in the mountains. It will be time soon. I know now we are ready.

Love the beach ... but also the naan

For the last two years we have taken a vacation at the end of summer -- before I start back to school and when the weather is more likely to cooperate. This trip was really special too because not only was it our last trip before the end of summer but it was also the last trip before our son is born. Due to a number of things our options for where to go were a little more limited but we decided on the Oregon Coast. Of course, any trip that includes a visit to the 'big city' gives an opportunity to reload on all the things were can't get in Missoula. We brought an extra cooler just for this case -- to load up on foods imported from around the world that you just can't get at the Orange Street Food Farm in Missoula.

Along with our maps of campsites, hiking trails, and national seashores, we also had a lot of maps detailing where our other important stops were going to be: Indian, Asian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Ethiopian markets, Trader Joe's, and local farmer's markets.

Life was a lot easier when you could fly and bring liquids back with you. The first time I went to Texas to meet Jeff's parents were made an all-important stop at Spec's, which is like a grocery store where all they sell is wine, beer, and liquor. We returned to Utah with an old bag from his mom holding six bottles of his favorite wines. If I flew to Atlanta, my carry-on bag upon return would be overflowing with Indian masalas. But, with the changing rules about liquids on flights and the fees for checked bags, our import of ethnic foods amounted to some bags of powdered seasonings and spices--and, of course, no wine. That's not really enough to appease our appetite.

The things is, when you go to these shops you get a glimpse into interesting and different lives. When we went to the Ethiopian shop, there were kids in the back of the store watching football and we met a guy while checking out who told us about a special Ethiopian river where those who wash there will be cured of illnesses.

We love the different foods. For lunch one day in Portland we had Vietnamese sandwiches, coffee, sticky rice, and BBQ banana -- all for the same price as a stop at Subway. As our eyes teared up (not from joy but from the extreme heat -- Jeff mistakenly said medium spicy which is still too hot for any American) we remembered our trips to Laos where we munched on the same baguette at a streetside cafe. It keeps us connected to that experience of traveling and what were some of the best times of our lives.

I'm always torn when I go to a big city and all of these things are readily available. I think -- I could live here but, soon reality sets in and traffic grinds on my nerves and the number of people around you all the time make me thankful for my cooler. I can load up and head back to my small town in the mountains. I can still enjoy toasted seaweed and naan and be in a place I love. Meanwhile, if the flight rules change someday, life could be a bit different. Who needs bags full of clothes when going to a big city! One outfit will do and will make more room for what is really important -- a carry-on bag full of good food.

Oregon Coast


Mt. Hood -- heading into Portland


Multnomah Falls








Plott Hound at the beach


Barview


Jeff cycling the coast


Seal Rock


Devil's Punchbowl State Natural Area


Heceta Head Lighthouse




Sea Lions at Shell Island


View from Shore Acres State Park


Cape Arago


Coquille River Lighthouse


Bandon Beach


Cape Blanco Lighthouse


Sunset at the beach -- Humbug Mountain State Park

The Beauty of Car Camping

I love to camp. There is just something about being outside and sleeping in nature that I connect with.

When we traveled abroad we usually had a tent with us. Despite the extra weight it was always nice to know that we would always have somewhere to sleep. In Europe and the French Polynesian Islands, we camped to save money; in Australia and New Zealand, we camped during our cycling tours. We even camped when we moved to Montana, looking for jobs and getting re-established after being out of the country.


Christmas camping in Tasmania, Australia


Cycling the Great Ocean Road


Easter at Mt. Cook, New Zealand


South Island, New Zealand

Things have changed since moving to Montana. The camping has now been in the back of our truck. The wildlife is a little too wild here with the threat of grizzly bears, but it also allowed us to expand the camping season. We now camp and ski, too. The coldest night we have camped in is -10. We woke up to ice and frost covering our bags.


Grizzly crossing near Glacier


Just chased off the black bear


Black bear was no match for the grizzly


Where is mamma? Two grizzly cubs playing in Waterton National Park


Fox near Waterton National Park


Wolverine near Logan Pass, Glacier

I feel kinda wimpy now, being spoiled with not having to set up a tent in rain or trying to pack up and head out for an early morning. It makes things so much easier and comfortable -- except when you can only find a hill to park on. Then the plott hound slides down with you and tries to hog your bag. She is hard to move once she is laying on your bag.


Heading to our campsite, near Elkford BC


Sunset near Flathead Lake, MT


Not the best place to camp overnight -- Kokanee Glacier Provinical Park, BC


Getting ready for bed


Spring skiing basecamp at Jewel Basin, MT


Don't let the Plott Hound fool you -- she snores, kicks in her sleep and can really hog the covers.

So, perhaps car camping is not perfect. But it is free, and convenient, and means wherever the truck is, there we are, too.

Weekend Warriors

Most weekends are spent doing what we love: working in the yard. Out of all the home improvement projects on our list, we've saved the outdoor and landscaping part for last, I think, because it is our favorite.

I come from a long line of gardeners. Working in the yard was the thing my dad and I always did together. I loved steering the lawn mower while sitting on his lap and was thrilled when I was finally old enough to cut the grass myself.


Jeff and I gave him a Black Kow t-shirt for Father's Day. The Mature Manure.

Growing up, my dad gave me countless books about landscaping, gardening and, most essentially, pruning. For my wedding gift he gave me a special gardening shovel engraved with our names and our wedding date (He's second passion was dating items).

When we bought our first house we were still learning so much. My parents came up for what they thought was going to be a relaxing weekend in the mountains and little did they know we had plans. We wanted to build a pergola.

We had this strange concrete slab in our backyard which at one point probably was for a storage shed. Since the shed was gone, we thought about how could we turn it into something usable rather than trying to break apart all that concrete. We came up with the idea -- a pergola that would frame an outside dining area.

We went to library and looked up designs and when my parents arrived they barely had time to put down their bags before we were off to the lumber store.

My dad was an avid landscaper and engineer but more importantly he was an artist. He had ideas that were not written in the books, things only an artist would think of. Within the weekend, and after a few gallons of sweet tea, we finished.


Waynesville, NC








A lot has changed since then. We sold our house, we traveled abroad, moved across country and bought a new house that my dad was never able to see. He passed away in November and it has been a such a difficult loss, no words could express my sadness.

This past weekend we finished our pergola. We used all the techniques dad taught us. I think he would approve.


Missoula, MT


A work in progress -- landscaping and more work to be done.

I am still out in the yard working most days. Unlike my husband, it is not to attack weeds or complete the list of projects at hand, it is something different. Something I can't explain but it must have been the same thing my dad felt -- a connection with nature, a different form of art or just being outside and chatting with the neighbors that go by. I have no choice really. It is just in my blood.