Trees on Fire

People said autumn in Asheville would be pretty, but we had no idea how spectacular it actually would be. I find myself gasping repeatedly during my commute or being compelled to pull over to photograph a tree that will be bare in a couple weeks. It's hard to show the intense color in pictures, but some trees look almost neon. Thanks for the eye candy, Mother Nature!

Pioneer Girl

Dearest Mia,
Last week you turned FIVE years old! We can hardly believe it. We celebrated your birthday with new friends this year, and you had a blast. (Photos here.) The past eight months have been a roller coaster ride, and you handled it amazingly well. You had a lot of goodbyes with friends and family, first in Portland, then in Miami. That was the hardest part, but through it all, you never stopped smiling.

Here are some fun facts about Mia at five:

1.  You are as headstrong as ever, and you are proud to be able to do "big-girl" things such as tying your own shoes. But, Canela, your precious, still goes everywhere with us:

2.  You love pre-K, and you are making friends fast at your new school. You've started reading and writing! Your favorite classes are science and art.
3.  You have a penchant for drama. You LOVE to play pretend, but you are not big on improv. You prefer to write everyone's lines when you play. (We think what you really want to do is direct ;)
4.  Your favorite TV shows are "Phineas and Ferb," "Atencion Atencion" and "Sid the Science Kid."
5.  Although you have quite a few "fancy" toys, the allure of a cardboard box is still irresistible:

6.  Your favorite color is still blue... (and purple and pink and green...)
7.  You still love books, and for the past six months you were obsessed with the "Little House on the Prairie" series and pioneer life. You even went as far as to make us call you Mary Ingalls on a daily basis while Canela played the mischievious Laura. And you insisted on calling us "Ma" and "Pa." (Refer to #3.) I think the story resonated with you because the main character is a four-year-old girl whose family moves cross-country :)
8.  You started school about a month ago, and you've had a runny nose ever since (not-so-fun fact).
9.  You LOVE music, and you love to dance. You like salsa and reggae and rock! The other day you said, "I love any song with a guitar in it."
10.  You continue to crack us up with your great comedic timing. For example, recently you said: "Mommy, I am grateful for everything you do... Well, not so much the timeouts."

Happy birthday, Miamor! We love you!

La Odisea: Part 1

Media Alert! This blog is back "on the air" and reporting from beautiful Asheville, North Carolina, after a long hiatus and cross-country odyssey. Here is an update on what we've been up to. Links to photos throughout.

After 12 years, it was tougher than we imagined to leave Portland and our wonderful friends and family there. The last couple of months were a series of dinners and gatherings as our "peeps" came out to help us move and wish us well. We felt very fortunate and very loved :)

Our dear friend Kenji flew all the way from Osaka, Japan, to accompany Keenan on the "great American road trip," from Portland, OR, to Miami, FL, carrying with them very special canine cargo, our boxer Mona. Kenji, an excellent documentarian, took many photos of their trek across 16 states in 12 days with "layovers" in Asheville and New Orleans.

Then I got to be a tourist in the city I grew up in and show Kenji around Miami, which was a blast. We'll have more photos to share soon, but these should keep you busy for a while! :)

MUCH LOVE,
Team Bartscher

Feliz Cumple, Papi!

You're still my hero. Te quiero mucho y lo voy a cantar de las montanas :)

"Those schoolgirl days, of telling tales and biting nails are gone, 

But in my mind, 

I know they will still live on and on, 

But how do you thank someone, who has taken you from crayons to perfume? 

It isn't easy, but I'll try,

If you wanted the sky I would write across the sky in letters, 

That would soar a thousand feet high, 

To Sir, with Love..."