summertime fun

Summer is here and in New England that means blow-up kiddie pools. So, we rolled ours out and let the kids take a dip. Here they are on July 4th taking in the sun and surf. The other naked kid is Henry - Elliot's good friend from daycare.



Elliot is making an offering. It's a brown rubber turtle.


But it's not all kiddie pools and backyards, there is also a fairly large ocean nearby. And beyond that, there's this thing called Cape Cod. We took a boat from Boston to the tip of the Cape - a little town called Provincetown. Or as it is lovingly known by the locals, P-town. P-town is a pretty fantastic place - it's family friendly, Massachusetts style. We happened to go to P-town during "bear week." Here bear does not refer to honey-eating, picnic-basket stealing wildlife. These bears, as the captain of the boat said, are OK to feed - but they like the expensive liquid kind of food.

Anyway, here's the port of P-town. That tall thing in the background in the pilgrim monument. The pilgrims landed in p-town before heading to Plymouth. They took one look at the place and said, man, the new world is a "freakin' sand dune" and continued on their way.

Another pic of the port from the perspective of the ferry.


We only had a few hours to spend there, so after eating lunch, we went promptly to the beach. It was a great, north facing beach, with a 360-degree view of water. Truly spectacular. But, what was more spectacular was Elliot's yellow pale. Here's Justeen getting him all set up.

And here's his yellow pale.

And here he is pouring freezing ocean water on me.


Oh yeah, and our friend Mindy was visiting. She was on her way back from Africa and decided to stop by Boston again. She stayed a week and we're already looking forward to her passage next summer.

Elliot's Mikvah

We had a Mikvah and naming ceremony for Elliot at the Temple we've been attending here in Boston. Basically, the mikvah was a formality. As Justeen is not Jewish, Elliot's identity would be in question to some lame people who care about such things. So, we went through the process so that there would be no confusion. It was actually a nice little thing - three rabbis came to a nice warm bath and Elliot got to play in the water.


The next day, we had the naming ceremony during friday night services. Here's what I wrote and what the rabbi read:

Elliot's hebrew name will be Eliyahu. The reason we named him Elliot, and the reason we would like his Hebrew name to reflect his English name, is because of our understanding of the significance of the prophet Elijah. We are both intrigued by this figure - his understated wisdom, his modesty, his deep sense of justice. We want our son to be successful - but we measure success not simply in economic terms, we measure success in his ability to be self-sufficient, and in his understanding that all actions of the self are situated in the actions of the community. Elijah understood that individuals only exist in societies, and individual actions are social actions. We want our son to have a deep respect for self, but an even deeper respect for the society he lives in and the communities that embrace him. We want our son to respect authority, but like Elijah, not to be afraid to question it when he knows its wrong. This is also the relationship we want him to have to Judaism. We want him to respect its traditions, but never blindly. We want him to take comfort and solace in its community; but never at the expense of his ability to think freely.

Finally, each year when we leave a cup for Elijah at the Seder table, we understand it as a symbol of hope - as the impossible pursuit of redemption. And the figure of Elijah reminds us each year that redemption isn't something that just shows up. It takes hard work and perseverance. The messiah will not come until peace and social justice are restored in the world, and it is we who must strive for and work towards creating a society that is fair and just for all. We give our son a name that is at once utopian and pragmatic. We give him a name that embodies our hope in him, our hope in the world, without burdening him with impossible expectations.

California Without Dad

While I was home working on my book, Justeen and Elliot went to California for a visit. Most importantly, Justeen braved the solo travel with toddler on a six-hour flight. She is truly a brave soul. So, I don't have narration to this pics - but I thought in the interest of documenting Elliot's life, I would post them.

Here's Elliot and Maryann. It's blurry, but darn cute.


Here they are struggling over rights to the very annoying Pets.com toy. Ah, neither Maryann or Elliot are able to let go of the swingin' 90s.


Terry and George came up for a visit. I don't know what they're doing. But it looks like a good time.


And, one of Elliot's favorite pastimes - swinging (not in the 1970s sense).


Justeen: "I could have had a V-8"

DJ Baby

Just who needs the sound canceling ear phones?

Some Pictures from Daycare

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