Baby Crumpet info dump

It's long overdue for an update on the life & times of Baby Crumpet so here it is.

She will be three years old on Jan 19th next year

She is now potty trained (gummy bears did the trick)

She is an Elite level traveler on Northwest Airlines - having been to Mexico (twice), Vancouver (3 times), Boston (twice), San Francisco (3 times), New York, Las Vegas, China (once, but going again next week), Italy, Amsterdam, Geneva, France & the Alps.

She is a very polite girl.

She is a good eater. Favorite food include: risotto, salmon, dover sole, salami, rice, miso soup & cheese. Sucks down dim sum like there is no tomorrow. Plan to introduce sushi soon.

Morning ritual: warm milk with her favorite blanket while sitting on mommy/or daddy's lap in the rocking chair

She helps to set the dinner table & takes in the garbage

She is very good with her alphabets & is better than her dad (me) in puzzles

Loves movies - favorites are Shrek and Max & Ruby (did not like Finding Nemo - thought it was too scary. Says she likes ''happy'' movies

Loves books - favorites series are Martha Speaks, Max & Ruby, Captain Raptor, Pinkerton, Angelina Ballerina

She is a good swimmer. Loves dogs. Still can't get our own cats to pay attention to her.

Loves dressing up as ballet dancer and/or fairy (with wings). Likes to dance ballet and knows 3 moves.

When throwing a tantrum she loses her ability to speak and is known to crumple to the floor & pound with her feet while her cynical parents (us) tries hard not to laugh.

Hello Kitty rules.

Whole hog!

Baby Crumpet prepared a whole roasted pig for A's birthday party.

We picked up the 50 lbs piglet from Kau Kau restaurant in Seattle. They roast it Chinese style with crispy skin & a touch of soy sauce. An outdoor bar completed the festive setting.

Thanks for all of our good friends who joined us for the good time: Collins, The Gaynors, Jen Risko, Lily, Braden, the Brings, Greg & Astrid Bear, Fleetwood, Pierce, Tomoko & Desiree, Gracie & Justin, Leah, the Beidlers. A's brother Ivan & his wife Heather & kid Abby (who lives in Boston) also joined us right after the family reunion in Montana.

Leah's boyfriend - who is in a punk band - took home the pig's head planning to bite it during a concert the next night.

Would love to roast my own piglet someday.

Log Show

Baby Crumpet took us to the Deming Log Show.

Seen: lots of shirts about bass fishing and the American flag. A comedy skit involving the shooting of a spotted owl.

Not seen: Obama signs.

Great fun. Log rolling. Speed climbing. Family relays (including a pregnant mom handling the chain saws; lots of teenage boys cutting stuff in baggy shorts & no shoes).

My favorite event: log truck backing up contest - a race to see which truck driver can back up the truck the fastest & straightest.

Yummy outdoor BBQ - next to a hog raffle - where you win the pig.

Now where did I put my gun?

Crumpet @ Pike Place Market

Baby Crumpet enjoying chicken adobo at our favorite Filipino restaurant in the market

Baby Crumpet took us to the Pike Place Market Cheese Festival (we ran into Don McQuinn). Always the annual event for me to pick up Cougar Gold cheese.

Montana 2

The story is this - uncle Lynn & aunt Paula has had a vacation home in Montana for a few years. They loved it so much they kept building additions, including a massive compound just finished this summer so they invited everywhere for a family reunion.

We were there, as were A's parents, brother Ivan, his wife Heather & Mia's cousin Abby. Grandma Dot + host of other uncles, cousins....etc.

It made for a boisterous time with all the kids & dogs running around and the adult lounging around drinking wine or enjoying the host's $4,000 espresso maker (you press a button and it does everything for you including foaming the milk).

We volunteered to cook a few meals including cedar plank salmon & halibut & baby back ribs.

One day we went off to the country club for some outdoor BBQ, swimming, croquet and a hayride pulled by Clydesdales. Another time I went with A's dad in search of ''jerky'' and found exactly what I was hoping to find - a roadside shack with a dude in white wife beaters who claim to have been making jerky in this spot for 33 years. After we purchased some wonderfully smokey buffalo jerky & summer sausage he gave us some moose bones for the dogs. I think I'm the dog's new best friend.

Eating, drinking, shooting, riding, swimming, hanging around outdoors. Leisure life in Montana can be very addictive.

Montana 1

Baby Crumpet took us to the Bitteroot Valley in Montana to visit uncle Lynn & aunt Paula.

We spent plenty of time on one of their 7 ATVs + one Yamaha Rhino (sort of a Jeep ATV). These things can go anywhere. We had a ton of fun crashing through the forest and going up & down into ditches & rivers.

We also shot clay pigeons using a variety of shotguns. I had never done it before but clearly had beginners' luck as I connected on 4 out of my first 5 shots at which point I quickly retired to protect my reputation.

Bow shooting with compound bows were also a lot of fun. We shot at a multitude of targets including a wooden deer. I had no idea how heavy these bows were.

A went off with another crew to go fly fishing & was the winner with 4 trouts caught.

For a few brief shining moments we city folks can pretend to be outdoor people. I think the Crumpet had a lot of fun riding the ATVs.