30th birthday

After Traveler picked me up from the rowing regata, we made our way up the hill. He mentioned that our friend Ulrika was coming over for dinner. Adult conversation and a beer was sounding really good.

Then he asked me to look under my seat for my birthday present. When I pulled it out I teared up for the first of three times that night. Traveler had organized permission for us to get a dog form our landlords and selected a collar for the large dog we'll have sometime in the next few months.

When I arrived home I quickly sorted that it was a surprised party. So many dear friends carrying really thoughtful gifts. Traveler had cleaned the entire house and created a massive mountain of food. It was exactly what I needed.
This photo is for you Kristin - turns out that my food photos actually are entertaining for some:)

Then my friend Hazel requested that we go see the goats. She had been waiting for awhile I suspect for me to arrive. We quickly ducked out and around the back of the house and then I had my second waterfall of joyful tears:
Inside my very own chicken coop were the most incredible laying boxes. The whole design was very impressive. I knew that Trav, Dai, and Al had been scheming and building all weekend. When I called out thank you, Dai yelled down from the grilling area on the deck that the girls were coming the next day. They actually didn't arrive until today, but aren't they lovely!?!?
And they are already laying... or perhaps the people who shipped them thought it would delay complaints if they tossed in an egg for good measure... we'll see when additional eggs start appearing:

Which leads me to the third moment of tearful joy... at the party Hazel and Iris each played a song on their violins. Seeing Hazel's new confidence as she played through two songs, one the classic of early violin students - Twinkle- that she now knows all the parts to beautifully and one that she created herself. Then Iris stood up and shared Rosie, her violin, with the entire group. The sight of them playing brought tears to me eyes. Then their mother stood up and impressed me with Happy Birthday. I've been playing with her for the past couple months and know how long it takes her to learn a new song. Each one goes more quickly, but I know that she puts time and effort into learning each one. I am sure there will be encores throughout the year.

Return of T Bone

Acutally tonight we had salmon not steak.  

T Bone is a nick name of sorts for Traveler.  Well at least it was one day by one of my campers.  I mentioned to this youngster that my husband Traveler would be joining the group for a day later in the week.  I have found that autism and surprises do not always make a good mix.  I was trying to give him a few details and for some reason I mentioned that his friends in school once called him T Dawg.  He looked at what he was fiddling with and did not acknolowldge that I was speaking to him.  I didn't think it was all that important.

The next day Traveler walked in with my boss just behind.  The camper then looked up and said, "Look Boss... Teeeeeeeeee Booooooooone has arrived."  

Well there was no such fanfare this morning when I picked Traveler up from his Perth trip.  He told me tales of a far away land that really sounds like the edge of the Earth and showed me the single piece of photographic evidence from his week away:

I made dinner and then was completely entertained by him flying his new toy (which replaces the first one, which was pretty hopeless in terms of its crash to flight time ratio). This one is much better in that regard - although has a very whiny motor.   

I particularly love how he lifts his feet when it is about to crash as if to hint to the device what to do.

Also, in other news (since I am too lazy another post and re-import these photos) there has been some spring music in the air.  While I was watching my friend Susan's girls, I played my violin.  It was my I'm-too-sick-to-do-anything approach to babysitting.  They knew where I was because they could hear me and they brought me spring flowers (or squealed) every few mintues so I roughly knew where they were.  

We also were given an amazing wow present:

which had the added benefit of making me organize the study a bit.  Traveler will put his own mark on it shortly I am sure.

Traveler the genius

Well.. good think I posted that photo the other day. It is documentation that I did have my bus pass, at least at that moment. I managed to loss it within 10 minutes of posting it. Grrr, second month in a row that I've lost my pass before the month is over. I constantly check where it is now, and this last time I think I checked my pocket for it and then inadvertently pulled it out to fall to the street.

But there is good news in the Hauptman-Hennig household. Traveler was so frustrated with the lack of enchilada sauce – and my ridiculous attempt to substitute with taco sauce

(he muttered something about it being a fine condiment if you like mashed up over cooked salsa, but it is NOT for cooking) – that he has created his own enchilada sauce. It basically consists of chili gravy. Yes you take butter, and cook up flour in it then toss in some chili powder and I think the secret ingredient is beef broth. If you want the recipe, ask him now before he decides to make it a very top secret formula.

On top of this incredible feat, he 'invented' pie plate enchiladas with his 'genius' geometric solution:
 


All through this, he was baking me cookies. What a man eh?
I just sat in the corner smiling to myself at how lucky I am... until the next outburst along the lines of “this is f-ing brilliant.... its so amazing that it earns the expletive... are you documenting this, we need another action shot” was heard. Here is one of the requested “action shots”


Well enough documenting, I'm off to experience his creation