Happy New Year!

As Topel once sang, Tradition! How we got from the shtetl outside L'vov to Buca di Beppo on Scottsdale Road is a matter unto itself (first novel, anyone?), but suffice to say that plates of eggplant parmiagana bigger than truck hubcaps compel one to focus only on the here and now. This is year two of the family in Arizona (whoever happens to be around, which seems to be a growing group) celebrating New Year's Eve at this grottoed Italian eatery and pretty short story rendered even shorter: It's a lot of fun. The kids can make noise, the food pleases everyone, it's an ideal place for socializing with a large group. Enough said, except: Happy 2009!

Squaw Peak

As you can probably tell from these pictures, Squaw Peak is the real deal. The boys moved up that mountain with relish. My father-in-law Don (Bop to the kids) joined us for a "boys day out" and the weather was spectacular for a stroll up the mountain, at least as far as we got. Nice day.

Crackerjax

As the kids get older, I'm beginning to realize that on vacations (like many other things in life) the adage that if ain't broke don't fix it applies. The boys love putt-putt golf and there's a spot we found in far north Scottsdale called Crackerjax that they couldn't get enough of. I think we went at least three times in six days and I don't believe they would've said no if we offered it up every day.

I'm sure that in its heyday Crackerjax was a shining beacon of contemporary miniature golf technology. While it lacks the massive infrastructure commitments of waterfalls and (what I thought was mandatory) windmill, it still combines three long courses with a reasonable amount of challenge, if not ingenuity. But however many years hence, it is now a dilapidated, sunwashed shell of its former self, the turf threadbare and hole numbers barely visible on the blanched concrete. The place is a tiny piece of Americana, the kind that Richard Ford might make part of a small scene if he ever went west of New Jersey.

For Ben and Zach, though, it was just fun in the sun. Starting with the monumental decision of which color ball to choose (this task was not taken lightly) to who would go first on each hole, they just liked being out there. And I liked being out there with them. Zach's frequent technique of just dragging the ball into the hole with his club might raise some eyebrows among the officiating committee, as would his mendacious claims over the occasional "hole in one" (Ben engaged in some highly creative mathematics as well). But who cares. 70 and sunny. Outside. Kids laughing. I'd take it every day, too.

Uncle Sheldy

During our Arizona trip, we overlapped with my uncle Sheldy for a few days, as he was in town packing up Baboo's house. Always good to see him and catch up over some beers.

Papago

The boys and I had some really good times hiking in Arizona over our winter break. Typically our "hikes" are just long walks somewhere nice, but on this trip we tried to push the envelope a little bit by going off road.

Papago Park is one of my favorite places, it being only a few blocks from my grandparents' old place in Scottsdale. It's a very central location between Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Tempe, but despite the convenience (as well as both the car and air traffic in the distance), it's quite serene and you quickly feel as if you've got some isolation, some peace and quiet. I couldn't begin to count the number of times I've been over the years.

So with all that, it's been a treat to introduce the boys to Papago and we've already been there several times over the years. Indeed, somewhere we've got pictures of us walking down the main road with a tiny Ben in his stroller. Fast forward to today, Ben had been talking a fair bit about wanting to go hiking on the Arizona trip and Zach, who seems to have grown much more than a year's worth in the past year, was game, too.

The fun thing was this time that the three of us chose our path off the main road with each taking turns being the leader. The main hill that we climbed was actually quite steep. We all slipped a few times, but talked a lot about keeping your balance going uphill versus downhill, how to catch your fall (and shake it off!), and the importance a hat and water even when it's not too hot out. The boys were soooooo into it. They talked constantly, interacted so nicely with each other, and tried really hard. I have to say that I had a ball. We ultimately got to a pretty high perch from which we could look over the valley and you could tell that they had a nice moment of accomplishment.

A few days later, we hit one of the biggest mountains in Phoenix, Squaw Peak. Pictures forthcoming....

Baboo (con't.)

Baboo was in pretty good shape when we saw her during our Arizona trip between Christmas and New Year's. We had a couple good visits with the kids, whom have learned to scream at the top of their lungs (Sarah excepted, who just walk around saying Babooooo...) to get heard - if not remembered. My grandmother's short term memory is still largely shot (cf. August post), but the occasional episode of lucidity is really nice. She's still a sweet lady with a lot of love for family, so it's great for her to connect in some way with her great-grandchildren. So for now, Baboo, keep on keepin' on.