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Asher’s favorite song is All Together Now
by the Beatles.
Asher visited Argentina
for the second time in August 2001. He enjoyed the zoo in Palermo,
where he got
into a hornet’s nest. He also joined his
parents for twilight drinks on Ave 9 de Julio. He also visited
Colonia; the
sights were boring but the ferry trip over
with his
friend Ayalet Drazen solidified their
(already
close) relationship. But less fun than
driving a truck at a Uruguayan ranch!
Asher enjoys socializing with EAP offspring; here he see-saws
with Roxy Wilcox.
Hiking in California
is still fun for Asher; here is a
high-resolution image of him enjoying a poetic moment in a field of flowers.
Asher joined his cousins Denny and
Ella in Ontario in August 2001 to enjoy the lake, the beach, rafting, and
whining (Denny
and Ella
are champs). He enjoyed swinging, reading with his cousins
(a lot),
his grandmother,
and sleeping with his aunts Charlotte and
Lisa. Then he stayed in New York’s
financial district for a week, but luckily took a train to
Washington on September 9, where he got to ride a motorcycle,
spend time
with the Green family, hang out chez Jeanne,
see the reflecting
pool from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington
monument.
In October 2001, Asher moved on to his first trip to Tuscany
for a month in Florence. We stayed centrally; here’s the
view from our window. He likes Santa Croce
(though he
earned a memorable “time out” there), the Boboli
gardens, and especially hanging out at I
Fratellini, reading while his mom and dad drink
wine on the street; Fiaschetteria
Vecchio Casentino is another acceptable wine bar. He enjoyed his
mother at the Museo dell-Opera del Duomo (and posed in front of Luca
della Robbia’s cantorie), though he tried to escape from the
Bargello. He has hung out in the Piazza del
Duomo, at
the Uffizi, in
front of the Loggia, and the Piazza della
Signoria, likes San Lorenzo
(especially the
cloisters) and has admired the view from the
Piazza Michelangelo. All this
romance can
make a young man amorous (he had a date at
Santo Spirito with Alice Seabright). Still, the
frescoes at Santa Maria del Carmine did nothing for him; he prefers simpler joys like
sliding, the
swings, the
carrousel (especially
the carrousel!), and imitating Charlie
Chaplin with his mother. Fresh Belgian
chocolates are also acceptable, as is reasonable
champagne (he has learnt how to say “cheers”). He does not seem
to suffer from the reduced size of the bathtub, and still loves
reading (here
at the Palazzo Strozzi).
Asher had a great day in Fiesole in late October and
loved hanging out with his parents in the ruins: the Roman amphitheater was a real treat; he
also enjoyed the
temple and
a column. He tried to head for the
Roman baths, but ended up in his
own (bath). Still, in the
meantime, he
posed on
an Etruscan wall, waited for the
bus after walking down the hill, and enjoyed his
dinner. The trip ended with a fun meal in Milan; here’s a
cute high-quality picture of the man at a Milanese playground.
Asher’s second trip to Israel
was in November 2001. He hung out in
Tel Aviv watching
Israel children’s TV (mesmerizing), eating bambas on
the boardwalk, and mostly playing: on Sheinkin; on the beach,
in the surf,
close to the
surf, on
the sand, … you get the idea.
He also got to Haifa
to meet his cousin
Eyal, spend time with cousin Dave
(while his mother
visited the Baha’i gardens), and visit Akko with his
cousin Lesley (Prices all). He got to visit Jerusalem for the first
time, and after preparing
himself with a ritual bath, he visited the Old City, strolling the Walls, the Souk, and
the Cardo,
playing
and acting
cool. He enjoyed his first sight of
Al-Aqsa mosque, and liked studying at the
Western Wall.
Asher’s first trip to Asia
was in December 2001. He visited
Hong Kong for a week and enjoyed dim sum (almost every
morning, and in large quantity),
the Star Ferry,
a great
playground, hanging
out at the harbor, showing a new
friend the sights, and having an apartment with a real bathtub
and window
seats. Asian
children’s TV was enough to make him philosophical but visiting the
Tsing Ma bridge was not a success.
He enjoyed visiting the
10,000 Buddha temple, hanging with
Yin-Wong Cheung, visiting Stanley,
and showing
Uncle Barry Eichengreen and the Wyplosz’s how to eat seafood at Lei
Yue Mun (his
advice was taken). He has also
been to mainland China with his surrogate mother
Naomi, where he found an anonymous new
admirer (and
her friends), was unhappy at the
big Budda on Lotus Mountain and tried to escape
from Sun Yat Sen auditorium. He enjoyed visiting
a temple (very cute!), and laughed at the
sight of his father taking a picture of the
Wyplosz’s taking pictures of each other.
Back at home for the rainy 2001 Christmas holidays! Here is the sprog posing on his chair, in
reasonable
and high-quality
formats. He still enjoys reading; here he is with
his maternal grandparents.
Asher greeted the Euro with his first trip in 2002. He bundled up to
train up
to Antwerp and see the Scheldt,
before enjoying fresh
Belgian chocolates and a bath with
friends (nice smile!). He also took the train to
Amsterdam where he and his
parents indulged in a coffeehouse, and enjoyed the canals. He flew back as
easily as ever, and enjoyed discussing
airplane technology at Dulles.
Asher’s first experience with snow took place at Lake Tahoe in
early February 2002; he liked sledding with his mother,
playing in the
snow, and making his own snowman. He spent the following Saturday hiking on the Sky
trail at Pt.
Reyes with his parents and Aunt Alisa, which is hungry work;
he enjoyed
spending the next Saturday at
Totland. Here’s a
cute picture of sprog smiling.
Here’s a short movie of
Asher making his first bow (well, second actually, but who’s
counting?). You can also seem him looking cool in
shades; and see
his first kiss (at least the first with Alisa Bayoumi).
Asher spent much of February and March 2002 with the Greens
in Florida, where he enjoyed the beach,
learned how to
use his potty (cute), and spent time with
Grandma Phyllis at an aquarium
watching
manatees. He then hung out in Washington
for the Cherry Blossom festival and dined with the
Bayoumi clan and joining
“Bobby” Flood on wheels.
Back in California,
Thomas the
tank engine took sprog for a ride in Old Sacramento. Asher also
suffered through another international finance conference, this time in
Santa Cruz. He has also been hiking and to the beach
at Pt. Reyes, where he also learned to help pack clothes.
Asher returned to France
in May 2002 for Paris
in the Spring. He hung out with his friends
Antonio and Pedro at the Luxembourg
gardens where
he rode the old-fashioned merry-go-round and then cooled
off. Sprog loves the
Luxembourg garden
rides, but sometimes earns a time-out. He also likes the zoo at Bois
de Vincennes where he met a new friend, rode a new
merry-go-round, and then cooled off. He lived in Bouron-Marlotte where he
enjoyed hanging
with his mother, “making tents”,
and earned a
memorable time-out at the chateau. He tasted champagne at Roger Coulon,
liked the
machinery at Launois, and slept with the
now-indispensable Buzz Lightyear (cute). Down in Provence, he has cut grass with
Charles Wyplosz, swung on the Wyplosz’s
swing, dined
in Chateauneuf du Pape, strolled the
bridge in Avignon, and ridden a new
merry-go-round. He loves spending
time at the
INSEAD garden, and has aspirations for
the Fontainebleau merry-go-round. Hanging out in
Beaune is still fun, especially over
drinks, or before tasting in
Chassagne Montrachet. The sprog
also got to play
in Thun Switzerland, although his enthusiasm
lead to a “time-out” (a frequent
occurrence; here’s one in Pontarlier). He really enjoys
driving cars
at the Parc Famille, but is less enthusiastic
about the trampoline.
As always, the lake has its attractions, including
hanging out
with his cousin Denny, reading with
Uncle Dave, submarine-racing
with Mom or by
himself, and sharing champagne on the
rock. His Canadian
(advance) third birthday celebration was not a success though; he screamed,
while cousin Ella was bored. Denny and Ella are
still prime whiners.
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