Our family on an American adventure

 Hi again. I'm back as Goose. I wanted to update you because today was really fun. In the morning we ate breakfast then we went....Oh, wait! I forget to tell you when we arrived at the campsite it was really dark. We got such a fright because we heard a coyote!!!  Through the night the coyote howled. But in the morning it ceased. Now back to what we did in the morning. We went swimming in the lake. Mom wanted to run on the cool tracks here. A few minutes after she left, she came running back shouting that she had just seen a bear. We all put on our shoes and rushed to the spot where she had seen it. Dad and I saw it sprinting into the trees. We kept watching to see if there were any more but there weren't. On the way back, I spotted a cute little toad. Later it started to pour with rain so we jumped into the car and drove to this little shop to get pizza. After that, as we were driving back, mom spotted a blueberry picking farm. We went in and we picked so many blueberries that

“Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.” I love that bit in the Velveteen rabbit. Becoming real is a process, and it can sometimes be uncomfortable and leave us feeling worn and shabby. I've been in the washing wheel of an accelerated and painful phase of becoming real. Of learning not to seek external validation, but to find internal worth. I'm guilty of seeing myself as good, or valuable, and worthy of love because other people think I am, instead of deeply knowing it within myself. Recently I've had a painful experience of losing a special friendship, partly because of what I did wrong, and I can only hope that the shabbiness of love and vulnerability will make me more real.    This weekend we were camping in Vermont and I spent time thinking ab

It’s felt like a bit of a gamble buying a car in the budget that we planned- the cars are old and have plenty of miles on them. Holding thumbs the old girl we chose (a 2007 Volvo XC90) takes us on some fun trips to explore this beautiful country.  This weekend we are planning to go camping in Vermont. We brought over the bare minimum camping kit and we aren’t exactly experienced campers, but let’s see how it goes. I will remember to pack bug spray; sat outside for a few moments last night and was eaten alive by mosquitoes. The heat is unbearable, the real-feel temperature with humidity yesterday was 40 degrees. Theo is emotionally labile and has been super sensitive the last few days. My easier-to-read kid. Makes sense, a lot of change, missing the dogs, and he is probably not getting enough sleep (early riser!). I think the summer camp is also a bit of a stretch for him, he's one of the youngest. Right now though, he is super happy, has found a little friend and is soaking wet aft

Hi. I am Goosey. Many of my friends will know me by 'Iris'. But in this adventure, we make the rules. So, I will be known as 'Goosey' (or Goose).  As the oldest kid, I am thirsty for independence. For quite a while, I would look for ways to be independent. But when we moved to America, I got WAY more independence. In America, we can walk to the parks on our own and we can do many more other things (even stay at home on our own for an hour or two).  But there were some challenges along the way. Like our bunk bed, it was a pain to find and it took 4.5 hours to build. Our bikes were hard to find too. And Goat and I sometimes argue. If you haven't heard of Goat, he is known as Theo. Like I said, we make the rules.  But enough about our unfortunate mishaps (or misquacks) along the way. I will now talk about the differences we now face. For instance, cars drive on the wrong side of the road and the steering wheel is on the wrong side too. The food is different here too. I

We are living in Brookline, which is technically a different town from the city of Boston. With the growth of Boston, it is now completely surrounded by suburbs of Boston but it still has its own mayor and public services like the Brookline police and libraries.  Brookline was first settled by European colonists in the 17th century. The borders of the town are two brooks, which explains the name! It's now an affluent suburb, with good schools and known for its safety and plentiful green space.  In the 1841 edition of the  Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening , Andrew Jackson Downing described the area this way: The whole of this neighborhood of Brookline is a kind of landscape garden, and there is nothing in America of the sort, so inexpressibly charming as the lanes which lead from one cottage, or villa, to another. No animals are allowed to run at large, and the open gates, with tempting vistas and glimpses under the pendent boughs, give it quite an Arcadian air of rural fr

 Hi! Thanks for reading along, I am excited to share our ordinary days, highs, and lows with you and to journal this special time in America.  Why elephantwarthog.com? [Disclaimer: cheesy but needs an explanation] We've been Warthog and Elephant since 2002. Our story goes like this. Once there was an elephant, who fell in love with a warthog. Quite an unlikely combination, but what a pair they made! 'Ele' is patient, takes his time, and likes to do things in his set ways. He is gentle, kind, a good listener, and can be stubborn.  Warthog has itchy feet, she is on the lookout for fun and sometimes gets into trouble diving headfirst into things. She is spontaneous, generous in heart, and a quick-thinker. The pair have a lot of fun, are a productive team (and occasionally drive each other nuts). They've had offspring (fortunately without trunks or tusks) and live a pretty ordinary life. They both enjoy an adventure - Warthog is usually the one seeking it; Elephant pretends