Archive for the 'The Redding Life' Category
July 2nd, 2010 by Mike Redding
MilePost 86
Anna, Crowley and I have been taking day trips from our home in Roanoke to destinations in the Blue Ridge. Our most recent was literally on the Blue Ridge Parkway: Peaks of Otter. Which sounds like an alternative rock band but is really three mountain peaks with a lake between. The peaks are Sharp Top, Flat Top and Harkening Hill. The man made lake in the valley is called Abbot.
A very long time ago Thomas Jefferson thought the Peaks of Otter were the tallest mountains in America. Not even close. A couple of guys named Lewis and Clark found some slightly taller ranges farther west.
We had a great lunch overlooking the lake and Sharp Top at the Peaks of Otter Lodge. Worth every dime!
Before lunch we took an ill advised hike to “The Johnson Family Farm.” Ill advised because we had a baby in a stroller and this was a dirt path made for horses and bear. But we made it! Sweaty. But good. It’s an old farm house where nothing in it has been altered since the early 1900s. It was beautiful, that’s for sure. And it gave us a truthful look at how hard life was for families in the country back then. I’m pretty sure i couldn’t have lived like that.
The National Parks Service owns and operates the farm.
The Johnson Family Farm
We had a great time. Save for the gnats. It was gnat hell at points. Know clue why but there were swarms attacking us. No idea how many I inhaled or swallowed. Good times. The Park Ranger said it’s been an unusual year for gnats. Perhaps it’s the recession.
Anyway you can learn more about the Johnson Family here.
Perhaps they were drawn to my organic deodorant… MR
July 1st, 2010 by Mike Redding
At work Wednesday I noticed an awful smell.
It was about 2 p.m. I hadn’t noticed the odor earlier in the day. I figured it was something I tossed in the waste basket after lunch… a banana peel maybe.
Every day about 3 p.m. reporters start coming to me with their scripts for the 5 and 6 O’clock news. But it seemed they we not sitting quite as close to me as usual as we talk through each story and how it was written, what elements they have. The reporters seemed in a big hurry. More than usual. That’s when it hit me. It’s me. I smell.
Anna replaced my regular deodorant with some organic stuff the other day. It’s working well for her. But she smells like flowers all the time anyway. I tried it. It felt good NOT poisoning my armpits with whatever was in my old chemical wax stick. The organic deodorant smells nice and seemed to go on well and did remarkably well… for about seven hours. Put it on a 7 a.m. and at 2 p.m. turn into a pumpkin. Or in this case a rotting pumpkin.
On the way home last night I stopped at the local pharmacy and picked up my old faithful. I’m all for organic everything (my car is made of hemp and runs on grass clippings)… save for this one thing. I draw the line at my armpits.
Today I’m no longer disgusting. Rejoice all ye reporters and producers! I smell like daisies!
I guess not everything in my life is organic yet. I’ll keep trying… MR
June 30th, 2010 by Anna Redding
Summertime means adventure time for Crowley, me and my boyfriend, Bob. (By the way Bob is the best boyfriend I ever had: quiet, strong, great looking and carries the baby everywhere. I’ll admit he is a stroller, even so…he’s still the best.) Anyway, as I learn about Crowley’s busy little brain and how it works…I can tell he likes to keep moving. New environments seem to light a fire under the little man’s development. So, since we are working on the words for animals, I thought, let’s go see them. So off we went to The Natural Bridge Zoo.
Crowley making friends
It’s about 35 miles north of Roanoke in Rockbridge County. Privately owned, the zoo has everything from zebras, bears, tigers, monkeys, giraffes to elephants (Crowley said ‘elephant’ for the first time). His favorite animals, by far, were the baby goats.
Crowley's goats at The Natural Bridge Zoo
If you have kids and are in the vicinity, should you go? Why not? It’s $8 for an adult, Crowley was free. Is this how I would spend my free time if not teaching a child how to talk? No. This is a place with tremendous potential but they don’t put a lot of effort into the exhibits or even educating you about the animals. That said, I am glad we went and Crowley had an up close encounter with so many animals. Friendly to off-roading strollers like Bob. He’s so dependable.
After we toured the The Natural Bridge Zoo, we headed down to the The Natural Bridge.. which is an enormous rock formation, carved out by a river to form a… well… a natural bridge. Also privately owned, you’ll have to fork over a whopping $18 per adult to see the thing. It is handicapped accessible which means they load you into a rickety bus (think camp from your childhoods) and head down a bumpy, curvy road… bouncing all the way. Not a great idea to wear a low cut top, especially if you are still nursing. There will be a wardrobe failure.
The happy (and sad) part is, they have paved the whole path up to and under the Natural Bridge. This makes it a breeze for Bob but the pavement takes the nature right out of natural. But it is an awesome site. Absolutely enormous. And cool.
Crowley, Anna and Bob... Natural Bridge in the background...
The tree canopy and water made this spot about 10 degrees cooler than the 97 degrees in Roanoke… which was a huge relief. And while this great natural wonder loomed over our heads, Crowley was more interested in talking an elderly lady out of her walker because that walker looked like a really good time!
Crowley eyes a walker and makes a play for it!
Farther down the path is a historic recreation of a Monacan Native American Village. The path trades in the pavement for gravel which with a little elbow grease, Bob still handled well.
Crowley feeling at home in the wigwam
My feelings about the Monacan village? How can you disparage the very place where your son falls in love with a wigwam. And yet, I am going to. Again, major failure on the education front. Who were the Monacans? Where are they now? What happened to them? Etc.? I still have no idea the answers to those questions. There was a tool maker present and some college students dressed as Native Americans. So, it was fun to watch Crowley run around and explore, but would this village excite and adult brain? Sorry. Probably not.
We stopped at a little cafe at the foot of The Natural Bridge. And while the view was beautiful, better to bring your own food. I have never had a hot dog bun that was both chewy and wrinkled… until now.
I know this isn’t a glowing review. The truth is we had a wonderful time. We blocked out the onslaught of tourist chachka for sale and focused on all the natural we could find, having a good laugh along the way. Time well spent, another adventure in our catalog.
Crowley, Bob and I are home until the next trip… Anna
June 28th, 2010 by Anna Redding
Crowley’s 15-month-old check up went well. Height… above average. Weight… average. New round of vaccinations. Everything normal until I asked this question.
“By the way, what were the results of Crowley’s lead test from his 12-month check up?”
“Let me check,” doc says as he flips through Crowley’s chart, “He scored a 4. Nothing to worry about. We worry at ‘5′ and above.”
All I heard was, “He scored a ‘4.’”
And so the journalist in me bolted to the surface and the grilling began.
A ‘4′?
How could he have any lead in his blood?
Where is it coming from?
That’s only one sample, what if this blood sample represents the beginning of lead exposure and the number is climbing?
What kind of developmental issues occur at even low lead levels?
Will it clear his system?
And on and on and on and on. Even after I left the appointment the questions continued one after another in my head, growing louder and louder and truly deafening by 3 am.
Let’s start with what we know. According to my doctor, a level of ‘4′ is not harmful to Crowley’s development. That being said, it would be a good idea to find the source of exposure and eliminate it. The doctor recommended we look at the water in our house, drink bottled water in the meantime and gave us a prescription for fluoride. He also said that, in time, the lead will clear Crowley’s system.
On the way home, I cried. I don’t care what anybody says, anything above a ‘0′ is not okay with me. I felt like I failed in protecting my child. It was hard to get perspective. It just felt heavy. Totally unacceptable. And as I began to do my homework, I realized that fixing the problem wasn’t going to happen overnight… which I hated.
And so the search began. We live in a house built in 1925. I sent a water sample to a lab for analysis. (Helpful tip: when picking a lab, pick one that doesn’t sell equipment to fix a lead issue. That way you can be sure the results are straight forward and not part of a sales pitch).
Whenever Crowley napped or went down for the night, I got busy researching lead. I devoured medical journals and policy papers, including the Federal government’s exhaustive resources about lead. Here’s what I learned. There is NO safe level of lead in a child. Even so, most medical guidelines say anything greater than ‘10′ requires immediate action. But not that long ago the threshold was even higher. Which tells me something: the more they learn about lead, the lower that threshold becomes. This only spurred me on to find the source in our house and eliminate it.
We tested all of the interior paint. We tested all of Crowley’s painted toys. We tested his crib. Everything tested lead free. We were stumped. It had to be the water. But that test won’t come back for 10 days! An eternity. And then it hit us!… Continue reading ‘Unleaded, Please…’
June 21st, 2010 by Mike Redding
This is Puppy. I'll explain later.
Every year at this time I become the world’s biggest hypocrite. (The rest of the year I’m the run-of-the-mill hypocrite.)
I tell people all the time how much I loathe birds. Hate isn’t a big enough word. Then Sunday we find a bird nest in one of our front porch planters and I turn into St. Francis. (For the heartless, he LOVED all animals.) Anyway, we do all we can to allow any baby creatures -that happen to be born on our property- the chance to live to adulthood. Sort of the opposite of BP.
We found a nest of tiny Pine Siskins (little peeps, basically) in one of our Junipers. I think it’s a Juniper. We are very excited. Showed Crowley. Chirped out our acceptance -in my manly way- to the mother and father Siskins watching our every move. They chirped back. We’re all on the same page.
Save for a red-haired cat that up until today had been cute to us.
We walked outside after dinner and on our front steps a dead baby Siskin. I wasn’t positive, but the amount of blood told me this was more than a baby dropping from the nest. The missing head was a hint, too. Sorry to upset you. That damn cat.
Early this morning I ran to the grocery for (human) baby essentials and when I got back
Puppy stands guard next to the Geranium just below the Juniper...
the evil cat was sitting on my steps glaring at the Juniper. There’s only two baby SIskins left!
I don’t have time to go buy a wire fence to protect the nest from the cat. I must run to work in minutes. All I have is Puppy. I reached inside the front door and grabbed one of my son’s favorite friends, Puppy!
So Puppy will stand guard until I can go to the hardware store and get some wire fence.
Good luck today baby Siskins. May the circle of life not catch up with you just yet… MR
June 2nd, 2010 by Mike Redding
More red wine, please?
Thanks to moving twice in 60 days and to teething Anna and I are “sleep training” Crowley again.
And by “sleep training” I mean baby boy sleeps when he feels like it and trains us to sleep only during those intervals. It’s working out so well I’m going to write a book called, “How to sleep train your parents in 5 easy steps.”
Technically, I’ll be the ghost writer.
The five steps? 1. Be adorable, 2. Learn to cry-yelp like you’ve had a horrible nightmare, 3. Keep crying like only your tear drops will lift us our of this recession, 4. Look miserable while gnawing on your fingers, drooling and blowing booger bubbles out your nose and 5. Repeat steps one through four ad nauseum.
People tell me I don’t look my age, 49. And there is probably some truth to that. But I finally feel my age. I never have until now. Some mornings I feel like someone beat me with a stick during the night. I woke up this morning in the fetal position, crying, drooling and blowing booger bubbles out my nose. I wish I could combine the wisdom I have now in raising a child with the energy I had in my twenties. It’s a cruel joke that when I’m finally mature enough to understand some of life that I am also incapable of speaking in complete sentences because of sleep dep at my advanced age.
Anna says she sees improvement. Little man is staying down longer. Crying less.Progress. I don’t know how long this will take but I’m committed to the outcome. About the time he sleeps through the night again I’ll be nothing more than a babbling, shaved ape. About the time we get him our of diapers I’ll be wearing them.
I have to go. I’m nodding off as I write this. Which means it’s time for Crowley to wake up… MR
March 30th, 2010 by Mike Redding
The Lee Chapel, where Robert E. Lee is buried, is directly behind me as I took this picture Of Washington & Lee University.
On our road trip over the weekend we headed North on I-81 and ended up in historic Lexington, Virginia: You know, where Robert E. Lee worked after the Civil War. True Story. I guess I never stopped to think about that. Even the General who loses at Gettysburg needs a job when the war is over. Lee was President of Washington College, renamed Washington & Lee
Forgive the glare. This is a photo of the photo of Robert E. Lee's funeral in 1870 at Lee's Chapel. You can see what was then Washington College to the left.
University after Lee’s death. He was buried there too.
This town is a historypalooza.
It was a great day. Lunch at the Main Street Bistro (delicious organic burger). Ice cream across the street from Washington & Lee University. I had Guinness Ice Cream in a waffle cone. You heard me. Guinness beer ice cream. We strolled up and down the narrow street and around every corner a piece of history that makes you shake your head.
If you make the trip, here are the places we conducted very lengthy taste-tests:
The Bistro on Main…
Me and Little Man in front of our lunch place...
Cozy warm atmosphere. Great Service, courteous and fast. Easily accommodated our giant stroller and the chef served up a cheese quesadilla for Crowley. Anna loved her Oyster Poor Boy. Southern Living says this restaurant has the best hamburger in Virginia. We agree.
The Lexington Coffee Shop…
When you are ready for a pick me up, we got a java fix at The Lexington Coffee Shop. Their cappuccino stood up to our beloved morning cup of Illy! 9 West Washington Street, just around the corner from our lunch spot and a block away from Stonewall Jackson’s house. The punched tin ceiling, hardwood floors and wall of mugs (stored by regulars) gives this place tremendous
A half block from the Bistro is this humble abode... where General Stonewall Jackson lived.
character: a laid back vibe in a historic setting. We like! We found that most of Lexington is pet, baby and stroller friendly. Phone: (540) 464-6586
Cocoa Mill Chocolateir…
I bought enough chocolate to fill a little someone’s Easter Basket with their beautifully made chocolate bunnies and chocolate carrots. This chocolatier also sells the old-fashioned sugar Easter eggs that feature a peephole with a spring scene inside. Remember those?
This company ships their chocolate all over the world. With long wooden counters featuring glass display cases… you’ll feel like you stepped back in time when you shop here or simply stop in to try their free samples! Want a virtual visit? Check out their web site and order a gift basket… for me!
115 West Nelson St., Lexington, VA 24450
800.421 6220 or 540 464 8400
Sweet Things Ice Cream Shoppe…
Across the street from the Washington & Lee campus, you’ll find
Their Guinness ice cream is a must try. But not for the lightweights! The parlor pours two bottles of the dark beer in their Guinness ice cream! The service is friendly, but forgo the lack luster atmosphere of this ice cream parlor for a stroll to the
The Redding clan on Main Street in Lexington, VA. Right above that car on our right you see a cement colored building next to the church steeple, that's VMI, Virginia Military Academy. VMI is across the street from Washington & Lee University.
Lee Memorial Chapel, ice cream in hand.
106 West Washington Street, Lexington, VA -(540) 463-6055
Take in the charm of the residential neighborhoods…
Lined with glazed brick sidewalks, Lexington’s Downtown flows into picturesque neighborhoods filled with colonial, Victorian
and Federal style homes. With Crowley in tow we strolled up and down the streets and alley-ways, feasting our eyes on a level of architectural detail that was designed to engage passers-by. We loved it. Crowley passed out!
Enjoy… MR
March 13th, 2010 by Mike Redding
Two peas in a pod...
I’ll keep this brief. I have always loved Saturdays. Who doesn’t? But lately, Saturday has stepped it up a few hundred notches and become my nirvana.
After missing my baby boy all week at work, Saturday is Redding boys time. I like to give Anna a break. So we boys will play all day. We’ll start right when we wake up sharing a Cheerios breakfast. Then we’ll hit the ground crawling. Both of us down on all fours following each other around the house. He squeals when we crawl together! It’s a hoot.
When the crawling tires me out we’ll settle in on some toys… and possibly take a mid-morning nap. After that it’s lunch and then an outdoor adventure.
Little man crawls so fast I call him "The Blonde Bullet!"
Strolling if the ground is too wet. If we’re dry we’ll play on the lawn. We have a lot to explore. We moved here in November and got zero time to discover the front and back yards. We’ll be covered in dirt by the afternoon.
There’s a playground a block away so we’ll hit that too. We might make a trip to the hardware store. Another nap around 2:30 PM.
Snack time! And then chillicious time watching a little college basketball on the tube.
We clean up nicely...
Anna and her Redding boys will end up in the kitchen together making dinner. Crowley plays with a bunch of cool kitchen cooking tools like a flour sifter and a rubber measuring cup while Anna and I cook. We’ll eat together and then head upstairs for bath time.
Wind down with a pop-up book and cuddles and then Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Saturdays.
I can’t get enough… MR
March 9th, 2010 by Anna Redding
One year old today! About this time last year… I still had 12 long hours to go!!!! Look for that edition of The Baby Diaries tomorrow. In the meantime, I wanted to share Crowley’s birthday with you!
Nobody rocks the birthday cake like Charlotte baker Haines Barksdale, owner of of For Goodness Cakes! The cake looked awesome… and tasted even better!
Aunt Rebecca sent the table runner for Crowley which added such a festive and thoughtful touch! Here’s a pic of the Birthday Boy!
The only two people who enjoyed the Birthday song more than Crowley…Mom and Dad!!
Many of you have been right along with us for most of last year! Thank you for celebrating this day and all the ones before!
Last pic… what happens when Mommy isn’t watching…
February 14th, 2010 by Mike Redding
Anna sewed several layers of felt into this hart for the front door. Spoiler alert for the neighbors: We're dorks!
I have to admit from the get-go Valentine’s Day did creep up on me this year.
Anna makes a wicked good pizza crust! These are homemade heart-shaped pizzas.
It’s partly because we’re still settling into our new lives in Virginia and partly because we now have a baby who turns time into a blur. At least for me. Anna and I love each other very much but at this point in Crowley’s young life he is so adorable, we’d rather spend an unromantic weekend at home with the baby than get a sitter and go out. We’re those losers!
Yes, we’ve heard all the expert advice about rekindling the romance
The baby's asleep and I'm out of red wine! A wild bunch we are not.
after the baby is born: “Go out at least once a month! make sure you get time for yourself.” Yadda yadda yadda. We’re not really worried about that. We’ll make time for that… TRUST ME! We will make time for THAT!
Where was I? Four years ago I was in Rome, Italy, shooting a story on Valentine’s Day with a beautiful Italian girl who said, “I hate this day for I have no love!” Been there. Haven’t we all? Some of you are there now. Hang in there. It’s gets worse before it gets really, really bad. And then whammo! Love lands on you like a meteorite.
For the Redding’s this is our first Valentine’s Day with little baby boy. He exists because of our love and our commitment… and some great red wine! Anyway, he’s a part of our Valentine’s celebration. If he could just stay awake!
We made heart-shaped pizzas, drank a great red wine (uh-oh) and played with Crowley until we all fell asleep.
As Valentine’s Days go, this one will be hard to beat… MR
