House Willis

Fourth Birthday - Part I

Porter and Fallon recently turned four years old. I can look back at photos of them from only a few months ago and I realize how quickly they are growing now.

This realization has made Toni and I more aware of how important these days are with them. I guess that's why family photos become so important - they capture these events and stories in midstream, allowing us to revisit them more easily when years have passed and the kids have grown up.

We celebrated their birthday on two separate days: one with just us, on their actual birthday; and again the following weekend with all of their friends. This entry is only about the first celebration. I'll add another entry later to chronicle the weekend festivities.

Until then, we hope our family and friends enjoy this entry about the family's celebration of their fourth birthday.

Home Coming

Toni, Porter and Fallon visited their grandparents at their mountain home in North Carolina a few weeks ago. I stayed here in Washington in the meantime.

I have to say that I've never slept better...but on the other hand, it was awfully quiet and a bit lonely in the house. It did give me some time to relax and organize my thoughts a bit.

Independence Day 2008

We had a great 4th of July yesterday. The day started with a walk to downtown Issaquah where we watched the family 4th of July parade. The kids had a great time trying to get all of the candy that was thrown in their direction. Most of it seemed to go right into their mouths without having time to be put in their pockets.

Families can register to walk in the parade with their pets. Every year someone brings their pet chicken, but mostly its all kinds of dogs. Maybe next year we'll walk in the parade.

Tokyo in High Definition

This is a very cool HDR photograph (by yongfook) of a sewage canal in Tokyo.

The imagery that this photograph creates, fits the somewhat romanticized perception I have of Tokyo, Japan. I've always been fascinated by Japanese culture, especially food, film, history, and popular culture.

For film experiences that create similar imagery, check out the movies of two of my favorite modern Japanese directors:

Sion Sono (Jisatsu Saakuru, Noriko no shokutaku)

Takeshi Kitano (Hana-Bi, Ano natsu, ichiban shizukana umi)

Unusual Attachments

Fallon and Porter always seem to get attached to certain toys or other objects, as the case may be. Lately, Fallon cherishes her My Little Pony collection, as well as a small catalog with pictures of small model horses.

Today, after we returned from a small outing, she spent about half an hour tearing individual pages out of the catalog and then asking me to tell here the name of each item on each page. This evening, she went to sleep in her bed with a handful of the torn-out pages snuggled close to her.

She's also enjoys propping a book open on her bed against the wall and then falling asleep. Books (especially her fish encyclopedia) and her horses are her favorites to curl up with.