Graduation weekend 2013!

Our garden has started blooming already!  One of the camellias has been blooming since the late fall, but the photos shown above are new arrivals.  From the top:  Golden Lotus Strain Hellebore, Hellebore Foetidis, Pink Quince, and White Quince.  The two quinces were in the yard when we purchased the house and are in need of a good prune.  The hellebores are new, and we're thrilled at how well they're doing!

13 days!

Fall Utah hike today in Big Cottonwood Canyon with Michael and Bob.

Summary of our lives for the past week - not including the travel to and from Cleveland, Ohio, which was actually a surprisingly nice drive both 12-hour directions!

First Saturday in June at our house!

DONE!

Michael, Pika, Nacho, and I went for a hike at the Walls of Jericho a couple weeks back with Diana and Dave - it was fabulous!  The hike was different than I thought it would be - judging by the name, I thought it was going to be more walled-in the whole way.  However, it was really open and forested until the very end.  

Early spring hike from March 17, 2012 - first hike of the year with shorts and t-shirts!

We went climbing a couple weekends ago at Sandrock, AL and had a great time!  Michael and I had not been climbing for years (although we did meet at the Georgia Tech climbing wall!).  Katie was in town from Colorado, too, which made it extra special!

Work has been intense.  The images above are from late February.  The top photos are of our two quince bushes, which were especially beautiful this year.  The cabbages in the lower left are also doing great - we just need to eat them!  Michael has been making really good progress on putting up fence posts.  Now we just need to find time to put up slats.

Tuesday afternoon at the front door.

Best granola ever.  Recipe here from Orangette / Food52 / Early Bird Foods.

Friday afternoon in the lab.

My allergies have been insane this past week with the unusually warm winter weather.  It was so bad last Monday I went home sick from work an hour after arriving at my desk.  I spent my sick day studying dynamics and differential equations for my Analysis of Engineering Systems class and hanging out with the dogs.

The family took a muddy (but great!) hike this morning on the Wild Flower Trail before it started raining again.

For my MAE 455 Design of Thermal Systems class, I am participating in a team project to develop a system that transfers heat from the waste energy of a John Deere diesel generator to a greenhouse in order to grow food in the winter in Point Baker, Alaska.  My team is focusing on capturing waste energy from the coolant and modifying a prefabricated greenhouse to be warmed in order to grow produce!  

Old-Timer Joe is back home with his family, who were so excited to see him!  Michael and I enjoyed our time with O.J., and we miss him terribly.  However, it's probably for the best as is.

No word from anyone on O.J.  He seems to be enjoying himself here at Hacienda Middlewood.  Pika and Nacho think he's okay - not good or bad but okay.  Nacho was a real help yesterday while I was trying to make up the bed - putting new sheets on the bed and cooking are his favorite household chores.