Figs

This year's fig crop has been quite abundant.  It continues to amaze us the size of this tree and the amount of figs it can produce.  We went with larger jars this year and reused two of our recipes from last year - the peppered balsamic vinaigrette and the strawberry-fig preserve. We also tried a few new recipes including a bourbon fig preserve, lemon honey and a whole fig preserve. Ben is planning to trim the tree back more significantly this winter for easier access, but there should still be plenty of figs every year. If you really enjoyed one of the preserves we gave out at the wedding, please let us know and we'd be happy to send you more!

Chicago

We had the wonderful opportunity to go back to Chicago in June for the AIA National Convention.  This has always been one of Ben's dreams to attend and when we saw it was in Chicago this year we immediately booked our trip. After checking in at the hotel we headed over to McCormick Place to register. We knew this was going to be a big event, but nothing could have prepared us for the sheer scale of the convention hall.  The exhibit hall measured 900' x 900' and classrooms were spread over 4 levels. That evening we attended an advocacy reception.

  

Thursday was a packed day for Ben with the opening keynote and a full schedule of classes to attend. Johanna spent the day relaxing and touring the Art Institute of Chicago at a more leisurely pace than our last highlight hitting tour.  Thursday evening is the alumni receptions. We started at the NC State Design School reception and then headed over to the Clemson Reception. It was fantastic catching up with many people I haven't seen in years.
Friday started off with a tour of the Aqua Tower with Jeannie Gang. This was an amazing experience to be able to tour a new icon of the Chicago skyline with the award winning architect. The fog had let up that morning, providing fantastic views of the building and surrounding Chicago skyline.

 

 Afterwards we walked around the Expo Hall. It was impressive to see companies with their full scale booths, which often featured working display units. Friday evening was the South Atlantic Region Reception followed by the official "Party" at the Art Institute of Chicago. This was an incredible event with thousands of fellow architects from all over the world.

 

Saturday morning Ben went back for one more class on Disaster Response for Historic Properties. It was a highly engaging class and highlighted a desperate need in South Carolina.  If Charleston takes a direct hit from a hurricane, a system needs to be in place to secure and protect historic buildings.
After the session we meet up and went for a walk through Lincoln Park to the Chicago Zoo. It was great to see a free public zoo in such an urban area, but in some ways the zoo seemed dated and the enclosures way too small. For dinner that night we went to Sable a restaurant we had stumbles upon on our last visit to Chicago. They are famous for the their huge bourbon collection and serving small sample portions of everything meant to be shared with your companions. Afterwards we walked around Chicago, enjoying the first clear evening since we arrived. We hated leaving the next morning, wishing for just one more day to explore this amazing city.

 

 

Happy Independence Day

Wishing everyone a festive 4th of July. Please be safe and remember many many brave men and women died to make this possible.

Beach Days

We are currently sitting on the beach at Litchfield by the Sea with Johanna's friend Sarah who came into town for a visit on her birthday. The first full day of summer is beautiful, though the notorious southern heat has already reared her head.  The beaches are packed, families of all types gathered in a sense of communal worship of the ocean. Many writers have gone on much more eloquently than I to describe the allure that continually draws us back to the water. But I have always found the attraction of water to a land based species quite intriguing. The land that makes up the beaches of the Grand Stran was once considered worthless except for the timber. Now lots sell for a million dollars. Is our love of the ocean a success of tourism marketing? Or has something deeper been there since the beginning of mankind? 
A coworker's son died this week much too young. He was the type that always lived free. Whether pursuing his dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail or traveling the country finding work to support himself but always leaving the door open for the next adventure. I think it's his life that shows why we find ourselves time and time again at the water's edge. It is the horizon just beyond our visual expanse. It is the belief that something larger than us is at work, something that offers endless possibilities. 

Southern Snow and Ice

The last several weeks have been a roller coaster ride of weather. It can be 70 degrees and sunny on the weekends, and by Tuesday we have freezing temperatures with frozen precipitation. Round 1 and Round 2 were almost night and day storm systems, resulting in drastic differences.

Round 1: Snow and Ice, January 21-22

This was a nice little winter weather storm, even though the roads were a little icy. There was minimal damage in the area. No power outages at our home. No limbs down. 

 First Snow in our new home

 Little Icicles

 Beautiful bare fig tree

 Some long icicles

 The only snowman to be found

Frozen!

Round 2: Freezing Rain & Ice, February 11-12

This was just gross. It has been so cold, rainy, and wet. As the day progressed, the trees got coated in ice and the rain continued to fall. Limbs of trees began to fall. Power flickered at the house and at work. Trees and power lines were down on our street and in the country club. We were lucky to just have some limbs fall, but our poor storage shed fell victim to a brutal blast from a falling limb.

 Our driveway covered in fallen limbs

 One of our oaks snapped into our neighbor's yard 

 Little shed was not as lucky :(

 Frozen fig tree

 Pelican icicles

 More limbs down - smelling the fresh scent of pine 

Live oak touching the "Loop"

Thankfully, through all of this, we are safe and came out mostly unscathed. Our cars were not damaged. We didn't lose any trees completely. We have consistently had power and heat. We think ole Punxsutawney Phil was right in his prediction of six more weeks of winter! We have definitely been experiencing the "winter blast."

Wedding

We wanted to thank everybody for making our wedding truly special.  It took a year of hard work and planning to make it all happen, but seriously it seemed like the day passed in an instant. We had such a blast and hope to have many more to share with you in the future.
-Ben & Johanna

TPLO

I should probably count myself fortunate.  We made it 10 years with no serious injuries, no tennis balls swallowed, no daring leaps that resulted in broken bones, no drinking tasty chemicals, or any other accident that always seems to be looming on the horizon with creatures that don't seem to think for themselves very well.  However Dakota, master of faking leg injuries to get treats, has finally become his own boy who cried wolf.  I began noticing the slight limp in the right hind leg and the shaking after we walked a couple months ago.  I attributed this to his impending 10th birthday - 70 years old!  The door bell rang one evening and Dakota jumped up in a fit of excitement at this chime that announces the arrival of another member to his pack, and more importantly potential treat opportunities. I knew immediately something had gone wrong. He pulled his leg up in a very tight ball and wouldn't put it down at all.
The vet confirmed my fears, Dakota had torn his Cruciate Ligament (same as ACL in humans).  The procedure recommended was the Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO). Actually it's a rather ingenuous procedure where they cut the tibia bone, re-orient the geometry of the bone, and bolt it back together with a plate. Once healed the knee no longer needs the cruciate ligament to function properly.
We had the surgery done on July 31.  Dakota stayed overnight at the vet's office.  Picking him up the next day he was beyond pitiful with the large cone on his head, shaved leg, and square shaved in his back.
The first couple days having him at home have been quite challenging.  Just because he had knee surgery certainly didn't change his personality.  We have tried to contain him to the living room, but naturally he still wants to hobble around the whole house.  The coffee table is sitting on the couch to prevent him from trying to get up there, and he is having to sleep in his crate at night to prevent him from thinking he can still jump on the bed.  If the surgery wasn't several thousand dollars, it would be kind of amusing to see exactly how a three legged dog would jump on the bed!
His ankle joint has swollen up badly, but I'm told this is normal and a cold compress can help help reduce that. Continuing his physical therapy, which consist of flexing his knees for 15 minutes. Anybody that knows Dakota well, knows that 15 minutes of touching is way too much for his aloof attitude.   I caught him this morning testing his foot on the ground which is a positive sign.  Hopefully a full recovery is only 8 weeks away!