reflections on daddyhood (of many)

So, my life got a lot better this past week....

We'd like to introduce you all to 6 lbs, 15.1 oz of Phoebe Evelyn Wai Yun Gans.
She was delivered early last night with a full head of hair and a few cute but restrained baby cries. She and mom are both very healthy. Mom handled everything so well that the midwife immediately suggested we plan for 5 or 6 siblings. Dad did not faint.
Her favorite things to do so far involve eating and sleeping, but she does these in a very intelligent and stylish manner.
She's looking forward to meeting you!
-Will and Rebecca

 Previously, I had never understood why women go totally crazy over newborns. Rebecca would show me photos of babies and ask: "isn't she cute?", to which my response would invariably be 'looks like a baby'. But there is a lot of magic in holding such a fragile creature in your hands, especially if you are her dad! A tumultuous cocktail of emotions come flooding over you - the love, anxiety, responsibility, anticipation, and a deep feeling of gratitude and contentment. It really is surreal. And hard to describe without sounding like a prologue to 'chicken soup for the soul'. But, it is pretty much the best thing/moment/experience in my life.

Since then, we've been getting to know our new housemate and build an understanding with her. By 'we', I mostly mean Rebecca. Dad is still very much in the extraneous stage at this point. No milk production = not very helpful when baby is hungry. Thus, I've been relegated to diaper changes and the occasional burping session. Not that I'm complaining, but I am definitely looking forward to more parenting opportunity.

Sister-in-law Sabrina was with us for nearly 3 weeks, both before and after the birth. She left on Saturday, and we're still finding our way without her guidance and delicious cooking. It really was SUCH a wonderful help to have her around. We'll be working hard to find a way to repay her kindness! Thank you Sabrina!!!!

And now.. a few more photos from the first few days.

Rebecca in the delivery room (round 1, before we were sent home -- notice the relaxed look on face)

And a few short hours later... baby!! at the weigh in.

During a happier moment on Mom's lap

 Post feed sleepy smile

Thanksgiving

What a flurry of activity in the last few weeks! We didn't think that baby would hold out until thanksgiving, but, lo and behold, she did! We enjoyed a delicious meal with our friends' John and Carrie. We contributed turkey and sweet potato dumplings to the meal, which were pretty tasty. Our pre-dinner cocktail (cranberry collins) was also enjoyable, perhaps a little too much so for some (like yours truly). There was sage ravoli, fennel encrusted pork, lots of fresh bread, wine, roasted vegetables, pie...yummy.

Unfortunately, I was so caught up stuffing my face that I didn't adequately photo-document the hours-long meal, nor the annual viewing of a cheesy movie that took place the next morning (we had a slumber party). This year's movie was 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter". It was...unique. 

Anyway, here's a handful of photos. 

Cheese plate detritus

 Mid-dinner cameo

 Rebecca at the dinner table. Notice the empty plates.

The Tuesday after thanksgiving, Rebecca's sister Sabrina arrived to help us out with the baby and cooking and helping around the house and being all the things a good big sister should be. It's so great to have her around! We've been going out, eating really good food, and just enjoying each others' company now that we're in the home stretch. It sometimes feels like we're all holding our collective breath waiting for the baby to happen and 'our lives to change forever.' It's still rather abstract at this point, at least for me, but we know that the launch date is getting closer every day! I may just discover that changing diapers is really fun when you're sleep deprived. Unlikely, but you never know.

Below are the two ladies prior to going to the movie theater.

 Rebecca and belly, relaxing on the couch

 Rebecca, belly, and Sabrina, getting ready for bed

 Rebecca and belly, trying out new stroller (thanks mom and grandma!)

squeals on wheels

We finally got some wheels! It is with mixed feelings, as I alluded to before, but we decided to take the plunge and put too much money into a depreciating asset so that we can pay insurance, registration and excise fees (6% in DC!!!), and just generally worry about dings, scrapes, parking, and getting keyed. Wait, why are we doing this!?!

Anyway, some good friends of ours in DC, George and Maggie, were giving us crap for following in their footsteps by trying to buy a house and a car at the same time as the baby was due. Not true! Now, it's just the house! :)

Now come the hard decisions. (1) what to call it, and (2) what bumper stickers to put on it?

For names, a partial list is:

• Miguel (the name of my old car, mostly here for sentimental reasons)
• Thor (a personal favorite)
• El Guapo (made in Mexico, hence the theme)
• Gunnar (it is of German extraction)
• Scorpio (it just sounds tough, even though Rebecca says "that's a dumb name")

Like I said, it is a partial (draft) list. I've put a little more thought into the bumper stickers.
Some of my personal favorites:

1. Campers are in tents
2. Little lebowski urban achiever
3. If you can read this, turn me over (printed upside down)
4. there's no right way to eat a Rhesus
5. Learn Spanish! Jesus is coming
6. Be alert! The world needs more lerts.
7. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list.
8. My drinking team has a bowling problem.
9. Without ME it's just AWESO.
10. Your stupid!

As you can tell, I find the play on word things amusing. Feel free to vote and/or offer suggestions in this decision of great importance.

We're expecting!!

Yeay!! baby!! Okay, this is old news, I know. But I've been a slacker about putting photos up. Or, perhaps, I've been waiting to encapsulate the whole arc of pregnancy and show you photos at the end (5 weeks before the end).

The pregnancy has been really smooth so far; very little morning sickness, very little in the way of bad surprises....just the usual (we hear) discomfort and difficulty sleeping. The hurricane yesterday was rather exciting, and we were both relieved not to be trying to rush to the hospital in the middle of it!

Well, here's a few thousand words:

~ September (in Renwick Museum)

 ~ September

 ~September 23rd, at birthday dinner Korean bbq (those are photos of meat on the wall behind us)

 ~October

 ~October

 ~2 weeks ago

 last weekend

 yesterday (yes, Ipad is resting on belly!)

Special Deal for you my friend!

 As an upstanding citizen concerned with the well-being of others, you want to give people a break, and assume that they have the best intentions. You want to give them the benefit of the doubt: despite the horror stories and general sliminess of their reputation, car salespeople are actually honest and hard-working. They just want to succeed and feed their families. They are collectively the victims of bad luck and a few bad eggs. Like any sales profession, they're guilty of occasional crassness and tact vacations. They may push a little too hard, or suggest products or packages that customers aren't interested in. But, when it comes right down to it, they're good human beings, just like you and me.

 I used to espouse such views. That was before I emailed several car dealerships in the hope of using electronic communications to make the process more efficient and less painful than a day-long slog through suburban car-buying hell. I was foolish. I continue to be bombarded by a high volume of emails from 'customer representatives' and 'satisfaction specialists' at these car dealerships, along with (seemingly) their friends and neighbors. In case their subject lines are not catchy enough, these guys go the extra mile and use all capital text, highlighted, to get their point across. I hadn't known that the car salesman curriculum involves a stint of email-marketing class in Nigeria, but, apparently it does. I've included a small excerpt of some of my favorite quotations below. 

*Your new car is waiting

*WHEN CAN WE MEET?

*your feedback is appreciated

Landmark dealer still in the market

*appointment Sunday with Waleed

*new month- new deals!

*What will it take?

*Price quote

The content of the messages were all some variation on "Dear Will Gans - My name is (enter shady sounding name). I am a general sales manager at (dealership name).  I understand that you stopped by the store (____enter random date in the last week here ___) . I want to thank you for your interest in (____dealership name here ____ ).  We have every color available in the (enter model name here) that you want. I can put you into the car of your dreams at an unbeatable price! Please call or stop by when you have a moment."  

I realize that you guys all work on commission, so it is not surprising that they are overeager. However, it is a little annoying that 5 different guys send me an email from the same dealership in the hope that they can be the one to rip me off. I'm just glad that I gave most of them my wrong phone number!  

 Sunday is the day that I take the plunge and go try to get a car from these shysters. Wish me luck.

***** update

Sunday dawned clear and crisp, a beautiful fall day in the mid-Atlantic. In short, an awful day to spend shopping for a car! Rebecca and I ran a bunch of errands and then saved the 'best' for last, ending up at a dealership around 3pm. 3 test drives later, we were ready for the real action to begin. "Mark" showed us over to his desk to "talk over some numbers": He went into his computer and multiplied the price of the car by a very high number, then showed us the workup....The manufacturer prices this car so low already, you understand, and they move so quickly, that there are really no possibilities for a discount of any sort. 

This is what we were led to believe, anyway. We immediately balked, and asked for a much lower multiple, something - gasp - closer to the blue book value. "Mark" went away to check some numbers. I think that this actually entailed going for a cup of coffee and a drink, maybe cracking some jokes with his buddies, then playing some video games before coming back to us with the 'new numbers', only a smidgen below the last ones. "There is nothing we can do, you understand, the margins are already so low!" So this process repeated itself. He leaves, he comes back, he leaves, he gets the manager, they come back. After a couple hours, Rebecca and I were getting tired, so we hit the road, carless.  

Sigh. Car-buying is such a shady business, and it seems destined to stay that way. Stay tuned for the next sure-to-be-miserable installment.

the real Washington

For the last week of July, the Gans' clan all converged on Washington for a big family vacay. The 'official' reason was to scatter dad's ashes, but it was also a great excuse to get all the kids and family together in one place: dad was the leading proponent for family 'togetherness', and without his prodding and urging, it just doesn't happen quite as often. So, we all, with varying levels of grumbling, made it up to Lake Chelan. Rebecca and I flew in super late Friday night, so we could spend the next day with all of the Manson area fam. We stayed with cousins Keith and Adrienne, who were kind enough not to object when we told them we'd arrive around 2am. Yikes! Anyway we made it, spend the next day doing some grocery shopping for the trip, then relaxing over dinner at the lake.

The water was co-ho-old! Colder than I remember (and I'm not THAT old). Hobbie seemed to suggest that it was because a storm the day before had stirred up the water, so the normally warm upper level of the lake had been lost. Rebecca and I both jumped in, but didn't linger. Hobbie also suggested that I try windsurfing that afternoon: there are a few windsurfing boards and equipment at the boat shop. During one summer visit, in my more enthusiastic and optimistic youth, I had excitedly embraced such a suggestion. After launching the windsurfing board, paddling out a short distance, and falling in the water about 20 times while attempting to pull the sail up out of the water, I made the determination that there was not enough wind to propel a windsurfer. I came back into shore, only to learn that the whole idea was for Hobbie to watch me flounder around in a vain attempt to go windsurfing! So, I now take certain types of advice, especially concerning watersports, with a grain of salt.

The next day (Sunday) we met the Gans fam at the boat terminal for the trip up to the end of the lake. There was some confusion regarding travel itineraries, and the end result was that Rebecca and I ended up driving other folks rental car up to Fields Point (another ferry stop) so that we could park the car there. It worked out though, as we were able to catch the fast boat up with Eric and Kristin, and meet Mom, John, and Heidi an hour later on the slow boat. Lisl and Rhodri arrived the next day (Monday), and the vacation commenced (I'll spare the details about figuring out lodging arrangements). The week featured a hearty dose of fishing, hiking and camping. Grandma graciously arranged for us to get a professional fishing lesson (I tried not to read too much into it) from one of the local guides in Stehekin. We all got to put on waders and go romping around in the river. We even saw a bear! I caught a nice 17-inch trout, but the state currently restricts the keeping of cuthroat trout in that part of the river, so I had to put it back :( It was really fun anyhow! Thanks Grandma!

The next day (or was it the day after - vacation is always a blur), a few of use decided on a backpacking adventure. Rebecca and I, Kristin and Eric, and Lisl trekked up to Cottonwood and camped for two nights. We didn't arrive until about 3pm on the first day, so the afternoon was mostly spent doing short hikes and fishing. The second day we went big - hiked up to Horseshoe Basin, then Lisl and I made the trip up to Cascade Pass and back to camp about 5pm. It was a big hiking day. The trail in the valley was in pretty miserable shape, so Eric and I took it upon ourselves to do some trail maintenance with various sticks that we found alongside. I'm afraid we didn't accomplish all that much, but it is amazing how primal and satisfying it can be to knock down big weeds. I guess I know why George W was so keen on brush clearing at the ranch. The weather was supreme, and we took many photos throughout the day. I nabbed a couple fish for dinner, so that was another bonus (there had been a lot of snow and rain, so the fishing was not so good this trip).

And bears! There were 4 bear sightings on this trip: one during the professional fishing lesson, one on the way up to Cottonwood campground, when Eric and Lisl started down the trail to fill waterbottles but quickly turned around and came back (!), a third during a day hike when Rebecca and I almost walked into one on the trail, and a fourth up in Horseshoe basin. I'm sure there were more than that around, there was bear poo all over the trail throughout.

Other exciting events - a heavy rainstorm on our penultimate day caused rainbow creek to flood over its banks and wash down the road. Even more amazing (especially to those of us living in DC) is that a couple road scrapers and tractors were out there within 30 minutes doing cleanup - even though the power was out!

Towards the end of the week, we had a nice ceremony for dad, mom and Grandma said some very thoughtful words, and we all thought about him and his huge impact on our lives as we basked in the sun on a beautiful morning. It felt sad and happy all at the same time. I followed it up by fishing by the river, which is pretty much the perfect way to spend a lunch hour. I didn't catch anything, but then that hardly matters... the bubbling, rushing water was just the thing. Later that day, perhaps out of some familial guilt at not being able to attend the annual Harvest Fest in October (where the community and family get together to pick apples from the Buckner orchard and do some maintenance), or perhaps because city slickers do silly things like volunteer to dig ditches, I spent a few hours helping out with various tasks around the orchard. Eric arrived late and left early (no surprise here), but we me managed to make a dent in some projects, and I managed to work up some pretty good blisters. All in all, a satisfying afternoon!

 The rest of the trip was relaxing and uneventful. Rebecca and I caught a redeye back to DC on Saturday night, spent Sunday unpacking and recovering, and were back at work before we knew it on Monday morning. Now, some photos...

The latest in outdoor fashion styling

 Beautiful fish, shame about the regs

 Will, Lisl, Eric in mouth of Horseshoe Basin Black Warrior Mine

 Mandatory self-take from high mountain vista

 Lisl and I during our return back to camp after going up to Cascade Pass

 Rebecca looking pregnant and happy in the lower meadow

Vacationing in vacationland

It's strange to think that the summer is already so close to over. Time's gotten away from me a little bit - here it is the middle of August and I haven't even posted anything about 4th of July! Well, let that mistake no longer go uncorrected. This being a Wednesday 4th of July year, and therefore not very conducive to travel, Rebecca and I decided that we would leave town anyway! This had the advantage of being relatively low on crowds, and easy to book. So, on Tuesday afternoon, we sneaked out of work early and made an evening flight to Boston. There, we met with our friends Nick and Jess, who have a 4 month old gal. We had a really nice dinner with them and took furious notes about child rearing and what small creatures require in terms of care and feeding. Nick and Jess were so generous, it was a treat to stay with them and have some time together. Unfortunately, my camera stayed put so no photos of them and cute little Josephine this time around.

The next morning, we took a bus up to Portland, ME, where we planned a long holiday weekend with the coolest islanders we know, Carol and Jackie. They met our bus, then we hopped the short ferry out to Peaks Island, where we arrived in time for an afternoon wander and some bevvies. We enjoyed a lovely dinner (the first of many), and decided that we had worked so hard that we should watch the fireworks on TV rather than schlep over to watch them in the rain with the semi-drunken revelers on the other side of the island. I think that it was a good decision. The next two days Rebecca and I worked during the day (from the Peaks Island office), but spent the evening relaxing and enjoying great conversation and company. I was able to break up the day with a run around the island on several occasions, which was great fun. One afternoon, Rebecca and I even picked through the beach boulders and found several pounds of mussels, which we then took home and enjoyed for dinner!

On Saturday we chillaxed around the house, did some reading, did some walking, and (of course) did some eating. We enjoyed a nice dinner at a restaurant overlooking the bay. Although the weather was unseasonably hot (this is Maine, afterall), we toughed it outside on the deck and were rewarded with an awesome view.

On Sunday we set off early and drove up the coast to Brunswick environs, drove down to the end of one of the finger-like peninsulae, watched fisherman coming and going, and had a delicious lunch next to the world's only cribstone bridge. Some gelato capped off the afternoon.  We were super sad to leave that afternoon for our bus back down to Boston, but we have memories of lobster dancing in our heads until the next great Maine getaway!

Lunchtime on the deck (Carol, Jackie, and Rebs)

 Hunting among the rocks for mussels.

 Lobster for dinner (bought, not caught, but still delicious!)

 Jackie jamming on the piano with Carol in the background. Rebecca and I were treated to a few small mini-concerts, but we always yearn for more!

 A bunch of troublemakers: group photo by the beach.

Jackie and Carol awaiting us at the dinner table

NZ - final day

After two lovely weeks on the South Island, Rebecca and I caught the ferry north to Wellington, faffed around Tongariro for a few days, then dashed up to Auckland for a few more before we left. It was a great trip. Looking forward to the next one!! More photos below and on Picassa here.

The view from the lighthouse at Cape Campbell on the Northwest Coast of the South Island, which was one of our favorite campsites. The beach hike was ~8 clicks from the campsite to the lighthouse, which was a decent afternoon's workout, and felt like punishment on the way back (:-)

V-for-Victory for making it to the dang lighthouse, which, it must be said, was very scenic (and could only be reached via the beach walk).

A group of cormorants basking in the afternoon sun (and blocking our path home).

Our campsite view in the morning. Yes, that is the beautiful sandy beach 10 steps from our tent. No, there wasn't anybody else camping nearby. Best $10 permit I've ever bought!

View of the coastline near Kaikora on the South Island. Ok, really this photo is all about the 'stache.

Kaikora beach. That sign tells us all about seals and how they should be given a safe distance. That seal a few feet behind the bench seemingly can't read. There were also a handful of seals littered about the car park, basking in the sun. Not very shy creatures!

Now to the North Island...on the road to Tongariro, we saw the most amazing double-ended rainbow. It was too close to fit it all in the same screen.

Later, we drove up to the famed 'hot water beach'. Hard to see here, but some folks on the left have dug themselves a hot tub filled with sea water, and these gents on the right are warming their feet. That is water vapor coming off the sand. The effect is created by geothermal activity which comes very close to the surface near the beach. In certain spots, when standing on the sand or poking your toes underneath, it was hot enough to be scalding! One had to be very strategic about where to find the right amount of 'hot' water!

Then to Auckland. Beaker poses near the big skytower - aka 'the syringe'.

At the Auckland Art museum they were a very interesting exhibit with a mirrored floor and vertical lines painted on the walls. We had fun shooting photos.

West Coast (NZ take 5)

One of our favorite places in NZ was a stretch of the West Coast on the South Island. We had a few magical hours where we wandered a deserted beach, took photos of birds and sea stacks, and collected delicious mussels that we later had for dinner. It felt as if we were truly and completely alone. Except for Beaker. I guess that is the point of a vacation - but the setting sun and views made this seem like an especially nice place to spend a vacation. That one afternoon was probably the thing that put the trip over the top.

I was reflecting on what makes a perfect vacation to me, and I've isolated several important ingredients: tasty food and prettiness are on the list, of course. But instead of checking into a fancy resort with good views and food, I really enjoy foraging for food in beautiful settings, and then enjoying the rewards for dinner. Perhaps this is reflection of time spent in the Cascades, but my favorite meal is collected, picked, or caught while surrounded by rivers, mountains, (or in this case) crashing waves. Anyway, buy your ticket already!

Rebecca through a sea arch. The road is partway up the cliff in the background - reminiscent if PCH in California.

Sunset between the sea stacks.

On another day, we did a hike in a long-abandoned mine and railway called "Charming Creek". Here Rebecca and Beaker pose in old train cars.

Some dude and Rebecca near a waterfall. Man, that's a nice 'stache!

Our lunch spot at the mouth of Charming Creek. There I am engaging in a post-lunch frollick.

Fiordland to the West

After our jaunt down the East Coast, and some RnR in Dunedin, we got into the mountains. Our schedule was somewhat flexible, so we waited out the bad weather on the East Coast, then shot to the mountains to get some hiking done.

First stop: Milford Sound. The whole Southwest of the country is a big NP, with a couple large Fiords. Milford is the more accessible of the two, so we headed there on our first day. Unfortunately, it was still spitting a little rain in the afternoon, so we decided to camp in the valley next door and hope for better weather in the morning. Gunn's Camp, as this neighboring valley is called, was the site of a Depression era labor camp which was going to build a road to the West Coast. War came first, and the road was never completed all the way, but the setting is gorgeous. There are funky old miner's cabins to stay in, and we did a nice afternoon hike to a waterfall.

The next day was perhaps the most action packed of our stay. We woke up early and headed for Milford Sound. We lingered and shot photos for an hour or two, then drove back to a hike called Miriam lake, which is a hanging lake about 3 hours round trip from the road. We capped the afternoon off with a hike up to a lookout called Key Summit, which sits at the confluence of the coastal mountains and the Southern Alps. My cursed photo file snafu means that all photos from Milford Sound, Miriam Lake, and Key Summit were lost. My electronic gremlin was very choosy and took the most dramatic photos from me, but Rebecca got a lot of the same ones and I'll put a link up once she processes them.

In the meantime...

Some dude in front of Miriam Lake

The 'blue pool' river on the way to the West Coast.

More of the blue pool, notice Rebecca on the bridge.

Fox glacier terminus with ranger cutout.

 Mirror lake viewpoint near fox glacier. Unfortunately, only the bottom half of the photo came out :(

 Further up the coast, and automatic gold panning raft - just hook up the hose and away it goes! (Rebecca didn't think it was so cool, she stayed in the car).

 Icy Beale Valley hike near Arthur's Pass - I had this to myself ;)