The Orchard and the Pasture...

No closer place to Sylvan Harbor, that we could imagine, out here in the desert hills. Our wonderful new home in Reno. Who would have thought that it could be so green here in the desert of Reno. We are so thankful!
Our landlords, Jim and Darlene, keep everything immaculate and green and we love it. The right picture is to the south, what Jim calls "the Orchard", and the left picture is to the north, what Jim calls "The Pasture". Molly and Lady, their two black labs have a run of the place, and they are always there to greet us when we play outside with Anya. We've had a bunch of visitors already and everybody loves it here. So, if you have the itch to take a drive, come on out and see us.

Life in the Bunker.

Check it out! We were pretty excited about our underground house before coming to Reno. Little did we know it would blow away our expectations. It was like 105 degrees outside when we showed up, but as we descended the steps into "The Bunker" the temp dropped off the Reno charts to 75 degrees. Nice. We would have named it the "The Cooler". The place is spacious and well-lit, perfect for a curious little bear-cub to roam and explore. We love it down there, but we do surface from time to time. We provide evidence of this fact. Please see exhibit D for "diapers", the picture on the top left. Lindsey loves drying (and sanitizing with UV) Anya's diapers in the Reno sun. Our landlords quickly asked us if there was something wrong with the new dryer they installed. Lindsey said, "No. Just like saving electricity is all!"

The Long Winding Road.

Well, here is the bear-cub snoozing out one section of the road. Can't remember how close we were to Reno when this one was snapped. A crack up during the trip was the "teething biscuits" Lindsey made Anya for the road. Well, the biscuits weren't funny, but the little munchkin that was gnawing on them sure was. Notice the thick wad clutched in the palm of the sleeping infant. Perhaps you can see faint streaks of cookie on the cheeks too. These bricks made of flour and Lindsey's secret ingredient, prune juice, were Anya's favorite thing on the trip. Of course the basil plant was intriguing too.

On the Road...

The Thomas Trio ready to head out. What was this? August 4th or something. The Volvo was loaded down with everything for the long trip across the Sierras. You can see Anya's glee at the thought of staying cooped up in her car seat for 8 hours! The 299 Hwy was beautiful and Lassen National Park was beckoning, but we pushed through. The trip was smooth and got hotter and hotter as we zeroed in on our destination.

"Do or do not. There is no try." --Yoda

This is what we are doing: In about a week the 3 of us will head out for Nevada soil. On Monday Aug 4th in the spirit of all nomads we begin the first leg of a journey that will span several years and perhaps that many continents. For me moving is old hat but this time my family is in tow. Linds is excited about our basement apartment on 1 acre with a garden and Anya, if she could speak, would probably say she's looking forward to wearing only a diaper most the time. Me, I'm just praying I'll get stoked about school. Yep, we are headed to that rain-shadowed wonderland on the high desert plateau. Reno.

Spring, then comes summer...

Check out Lindsey here ...about 4 months pregnant... pumping water last summer in Olympic National Park. It was a sweet trip up the Dosewallips River to Honeymoon Meadows, which was apropos for us. Lindsey was a trooper, following me up this crazy trail

at the end of our trip only to stay holed up for a day in our tent while it snowed and rained outside. The last day of the trip we picked wild strawberries all the way out. The hope is that the munchkin will be up for some outings this summer. Maybe even some time on the PCT. One can always hope. Oh, and Happy St Patricks.

Niger bound?

Well, we love California. Here are family, friends, and the most excellent backpacking. We'd stay if it weren't for some friends we have on the other side of the globe. The Wodaabe are calling to us. We could be back with them by March of 2009. The other option is the University of Nevada Reno grad program in Hydrologic Sciences for Sean. On va voir.