Took a trip last month with dad and brother to Bryce and Zion National Parks.  The highlight of the trip was a 16 mile hike through The Narrows, a deep canyon section in the Virgin River in Zion.  Hiking the Narrows was ranked 5th by National Geographic in “America’s top 100 adventures”.   Three-quarters of the hike is through the river, and we were told that we would have water up to our chest in a few sections.  They didn’t say that there were sections that we would be actually swimming with full gear on our backs.  (See last picture in slideshow above).   But the hike was incredible.  We were one of 10 groups that had permits to hike the full trail and camp overnight in the canyon.  The walls of the canyon are over 1,500 ft. in places which gives the trail a feel of complete seclusion.  While camping overnight, you can faintly see the giant cliffs above you, with a sliver of the most clear stars and moon through the peaks.  Growing up, our parents were pretty big into wilderness vacations.  But, to take a trip as adults and friends, not as parent and kid, was something we’ll appreciate the rest of our lives.  By the time we reached the exit of the park, I was already picturing the day I would bring my own son on this hike.  Thanks for a great trip, pops.

Dad tackles The Narrows (Viewer discretion- foul language from the old man)

Sometimes, it takes a break from the routines to appreciate what you’ve got in your life.  We took our second family trip down to Sarasota, and the home of Eli’s late great-grandparents.

A few highlights from the weekend:

• Eli falling asleep in my lap on the airplane down.  It was the power of Baby Einstein on my laptop.  I swear, those videos are like a drug for toddlers
• The eggplant parmesan from Caragiulous restaurant in downtown Sarasota
• Visiting the retirement community of our Aunt Irene, and watching the residents light up at the sight of Eli
• Watching the Super Bowl at a sports bar with Eli; him wreaking havoc on everyone and everything in the pub
• Our walks on the beach, and the look on Eli’s face the first time he put his feet in the sand….totally confused and frozen in place for about 10 minutes.
• The look on Eli’s face the first time he ate the sand
• The pure love he had for his beach pail and shovel
• Being together without distraction for a few days

This is a little video for us to remember the weekend and to capture that bond between Eli and his pail.  When we got home to Ithaca, he was still carrying that thing with him wherever he went.

Last month, Rachel and I took a trip to Austria, Hungary & Slovakia.  I was in Vienna for work, but Rachel came along and we traveled to Salzburg, Budapest and Bratislava during the 7 day trip.  A few highlights:

• The architecture in the city of Vienna, particularly the National Library, Schonbrunn Palace and the Opera House.
• The lakes region & drive from Salzburg to Vienna
• Sacher torte (bascially an amazing chocolate cake) from Hotel Sacher
• The beauty of the Vienna Opera house and listening to the Overture from Tannhauser – My mother, grandfather and great-grandmother’s favorite opera.
• Having dinner with Rachel at the outdoor Vienna Market after a visit to Schonbrunn & the zoo
• The Szechenyi Thermal Baths in Budapest – Saunas, hot pools, ice baths & mud baths
• The cobblestone streets and architecture of Bratislava
• Spending a week exploring, learning, laughing, and just getting lost in it all with my best friend and wife

When I sat in the opera house in Vienna and listened to the music from Tannhauser, it brought back memories of my grandfather.  This is the grandfather that Eli was named after, and we miss him very much.  So Eli, even if you have no taste for opera when you get older, you should at least know this one …

I took a trip to Milwaukee last weekend with my brother and a few friends, in advance of his wedding next month.

A few thoughts from the trip:

• Milwaukee:  My new favorite city in the midwest.  No hurt feelings, okay Chicago?  At least you have Carlos Boozer.  Overall, a nice-sized town, with waterfront, green spaces, great food, and a friendly people.
• Best Brunch:  Trocadero Gastro Bar – Great food, cool neighborhood and an awesome garden patio.
• Best Bar:  The Old German Beer Hall.  While you’re there, be sure to play a game of hammer-nail-into-stump.  It’s a pretty bizarre yet gratifying game.
• Cheese Tasting:  Wisconsin Cheese Mart. Conclusion? Wisconsin cheese good.  Very good.  German cheese bad.  Now I know why it was funny that my grandfather used to stick limburger cheese under my mom’s pillow as a kid.
• Frisbee Golf: We stumbled on a store after brunch called “Art Smart’s Dart Mart.” Obviously, we had to go in, and Art convinced us to take up the game of Frisbee Golf.  4 frisbee sales later, a city bus ride to the park, and we were on the first tee of an 18 hole frisbee golf course.  It was nearly as fun as regular golf, but much less frustrating-and free.
• Best Breweries:  Rock Bottom Brewery for best outdoor space on an inlet, Lakefront Brewery for best brewery tour and fish fry (so we’re told…we only tried the beer), Milwaukee Brewing Co. for waterfront patio and a real nice flight.
• My Brother: Could you really be getting married?  How can that be?  It feels like just last week that we were catching fireflies and playing GI-Joe football.  Natasha will have a life of fun and laughter living with you.  (Okay, there will be some headaches too).  But it was great to have a weekend to be kids again.  Congrats little brother.

We took a trip down to Cape Cod with my father’s side of the family.  It was my first visit to the area in 15 years and Eli’s first time to the Atlantic.  At a time when we’re living through the worst oil spill in our nation’s history, it seemed appropriate to bring him to some clean ocean water while we still have it.

While Eli is still only 7 months old, I’m beginning to understand what it means to live through your child’s eyes.  As I get older, and a trip to the beach gets a little less exciting, I now get to watch my own son go through all these experiences for the first time.  On top of that, we’re able to share his happiness with our parents and extended family.  And there was something about having him around that made everyone feel a bit closer.

Rachel and I took one afternoon for ourselves and a trip to a town called Wellfleet near the tip of the cape.  The town was recommended to us by a friend from the office where Rachel and I met each other.  Her family lives in the area runs a seafood business called Mac’s Seafood. Welfleet is a perfect little coastal town and Mac’s is a perfect little seafood shack.  We stuffed ourselves with fish tacos and fried clam strips.  Then we bought 4 pounds of scallops and cooked them up for the family meal that night.

All in all, a perfect break from the giant to-do list that keeps filling up at home and Rachel’s big work event in NYC coming up next week.  Eli- For the record, you hit a few milestones on this trip:  First toe in the Atlantic, first taste of watermelon, first meeting of the Clark family, and first 6 hour road trip.  You’re a blast to have around, little buddy.  Even after 6 hours in a car.

Two highlights from the visit:

1.  Dinner with my work colleagues at Arnauds with Ed Helms sitting next to us.  Just sitting next to Ed Helms (who plays our favorite Cornell alumni character as Andy Bernard in The Office) wasn’t the highlight.  The highlight was watching my wife go giddy star-stuck when he visited our table (she has a bit of a crush on ‘Andy Bernard’).  But when one of my co-workers offered to take their picture she got shy and said no.   After he left the restaurant and she was kicking herself for missing the photo-op, we discovered that he left his hat at the table.   So we didn’t get a picture of Rachel with Ed Helms, but we did get about 6 pictures of Rachel in Ed Helms’ hat.

2.  The performance from Elvis Perkins in Dearland at Jazz Fest.  We saw Perkins perform when we lived in Brooklyn, but there was something about the atmosphere of Jazz Fest and their energy on stage that made this an incredible show.  Here’s a video from their set, and that’s Maggie Gyllenhaal in the floppy hat standing in front of us.  (Yes, Rachel went speechless around her too).

Video is from iPhone, so turn your speakers down because the sound quality is a little rough:

Our Family Band Album Cover

Rachel and I visited my brother & his fiance in Chicago last weekend.  We spent the weekend exploring Bucktown; the area of Chicago they call home.  A few thoughts:

On Chicago:

• It’s a real city.  It has it’s own unique food, a recognizable skyline, classic sports franchises, and corrupt politicians.
• After reading Devil In the White City, I was pumped to visit the location of the Chicago World’s Fair and to see what remained of the beautiful lagoon described in the book.  The lagoon was a waterway and park designed by Frederick Law Olmstead (Landscape Architect/Central Park).  And I hate to judge the Chicago Parks after one visit to their historic site, but it was a mess.  There was  garbage everywhere and they’re going through a controlled burn of the park, but it just looks destroyed.  Fred Olmstead would be pretty pissed if he came back and saw what they’ve done  to his lagoon.
• It’s not worth going to the top of the Hancock Building.  Save a half hour and spend it drinking Chicago beer

On Bucktown:

• Love it.  It has an odd mix of historic and post-modern architecture.  But it has a small-community feel on the outskirts of a big city.   It reminded us of the tree-lined streets & brownstone neighborhoods in our favorite parts of Brooklyn.
• A few good restaurants:  Big Star for Mexican,  Piece for Pizza and Brewery, and Revolution Brewery for beer

On Brian & Natasha:

• Two thumbs up.  A very nice couple.  I would visit them again.
• Congrats, and welcome to the family, Natasha.  See you both in August for the big event.

I was down in New Orleans for a work conference this week.  This was my third visit to the city in the last 7 years, and my second since Hurricane Katrina.  A few thoughts from the visit.

1.  There is something I love about New Orleans.  It was the first vacation I took with my then girlfriend and now wife.  The architecture, the music, and the smells coming out of the French Quarter, transport you to another time and place. Then there’s my favorite street and area of the city:  Frenchman Street & The Marigny.  An area with great food and live music…and a little sheltered from Bourbon Street.  My favorite music spot from this trip was The Spotted Cat.  Here’s a video I shot (on my new iPhone!) at the jazz club.

2.  The city feels more like it did on my first visit than my second.  The second visit was still relatively soon after Katrina, and while the French Quarter and Jazz Festival seemed ‘normal’, they seemed like props in an otherwise wrecked city.  This time, most people I spoke to sounded like they were moving on.   While some felt they should rebuild in the 9th ward, most felt like it was best to just let it return to nature.  Oh, and they love their Saints.

3.  While these medical conferences can be pretty stilted and textbook by nature, this was the most interesting meeting I’ve attended.   It was a conference for the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons.  40,000 doctors and industry professionals descended on New Orleans for 3 days.  It felt like they took over the city and the city seemed to appreciate the business.  But the interesting thing about this meeting was an exhibit open to the public at the conference center.  The exhibit was about the earthquake in Haiti and the response from volunteer surgeons.  The exhibit featured a series of pictures, quotes and thoughts from surgeons that volunteered their time to help the people in Haiti.  The pictures were pretty wrenching; raw images of the mass amputations, and the crude equipment used to perform them.  Many of the surgeons commented on the horror of the experience, and the comparison to working in a war.  They wrote about the destruction, the lack of resources, the anger, and the amputations.  But then they spoke of the one thing that kept them going.

This was a quote from one of the surgeons while in Haiti:  ”…and I saw it many times, a sight more emotionally charged than the destruction spreading for miles in every direction.  A child’s smile.  Sound a bit sentimental?  Maybe.  But the sight of such simplicity, the essential human ability to feel happiness in dire circumstances, and the unbelievable sound of laughter – here on the backdrop of all this misery, well it changed me. ”  -Daniel Ivankovich, MD

4.  With that quote and those images in the back of my mind, it sure felt good to come home and walk through the door to this…

This was our last weekend before Rachel’s return to work and we wanted to spend it as a family somewhere warmer than upstate NY in January. So we took a short trip down to Sarasota, Florida to the home of Eli’s late great-grandparents on my mother’s side of the family.

Every morning we took the same 3 mile walk my grandparents used to take for years together.  We visited our Aunt Irene, and introduced Eli to his great-grandfather’s 100 year old friend Johnny Pipers.  At my grandfather’s funeral, it was Johnny Pipers that brought the tears out when he whispered, “I lost my best friend.”  We were invited to a happy hour with my grandparents’ old friends from the community.  The universal topic of conversation from those friends was that of the devotion and love between my grandparents.  And as if to reinforce the topic, I found a huge box of letters that my grandmother kept in her closet.  The box held love letters and poems that my grandfather had written to her for over 60 years.

Eli-  If this blog is still up and running by the time you can read and understand what I’ve written,  know that on this weekend in 2010, you visited the home of two people I miss very much.  Two people that I really wish you could have known, and would have loved to meet you.  Now I hope your mother and I can be even close to the model of love and friendship that these two were.

Oh…the picture.  Yeah, that was your mom’s idea.

Rachel and I took a day trip up to Skaneateles NY this weekend.  William Seward, Abe Lincoln’s Secretary of State, called Skaneateles Lake the most beautiful body of water in the world.  We went up for an art tour, and dinner at the great Rosalies Cucina.  During the studio tour, we visited this beautifully restored barn.  Take a look at that silo.  Have you ever seen such great looking rust before?