tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76802537978579655102024-10-19T00:44:11.580-06:00Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.comBlogger247125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-60010502974089421342019-03-20T03:09:00.001-06:002019-03-20T04:33:50.672-06:00

We have been in Australia for more than six months! It's time we updated this little old blog. home life First day of school in the new school year! Wardrobe choices are easy when one wears a school uniform. At the school bus stop on a chilly morning (with Juke). We all enjoy our walk or bike ride to the bus stop in the morning and afternoons. We listen to the birds, scope out

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com6Wickliffe VIC 3379, Australia-37.6762507 142.7075582-37.877249199999994 142.3848347 -37.4752522 143.0302817tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-12079692846598995422018-09-26T05:33:00.000-06:002018-09-26T06:18:45.876-06:00

Australia at last! Our last few weeks in New Mexico were full of good friends, family and warm weather. We appreciate it all so much.  Aaron's platypus pinata. The May-Gutierrez family and the Bixby-Zeek family hosted a marvelous farewell party (and a little bit of a birthday party). Thank you! We also had a massive party with all the fish folks, but

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com9Wickliffe VIC 3379, Australia-37.6762507 142.7075582-37.877249199999994 142.3848347 -37.4752522 143.0302817tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-38094070920735403932017-12-20T20:48:00.002-07:002017-12-20T20:48:52.895-07:00

  Happy holidays to you all! We hope you have had a wonderful year and a warm holiday season. We have missed giving you updates on the blog this year, so here are a few highlights.   A walk to celebrate the new year in the mountains yielded a big snowman surprise! Although our little brown dog (Semilla) is no longer hiking with us on earth, we have found some

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-75386741543104097892016-02-06T21:31:00.000-07:002016-02-06T21:31:56.173-07:00

Wildlife viewing While we were in Australia, we tried to find an echidna. Unfortunately, we had no luck with that (I did find a couple of porcupines in a tree last week though). But we did spot some other animals. Of course, Howard went looking for fish. He checked minnow traps in the Hopkins River every single day. The girls were roped in to hunting for fish. And we found gudgeon!

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com0Victoria 3379, Australia-37.5195066 142.61727659999997-38.3246436 141.32638309999996 -36.7143696 143.90817009999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-71969472099820316082016-01-22T08:05:00.001-07:002016-01-22T08:05:29.066-07:00

THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE.... AT RIVER BEND! After a few days enjoying the big lights of the city (Geelong), we headed home to the farm. And that's where we stayed for the rest of your vacation.  Grandpa quickly put Howard to work.  We found a few moments for relaxing on the beach. The view from the back door.  We enjoyed a beautiful sunset dinner from the

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com0Wickliffe VIC 3379, Australia-37.6929373 142.72468749999996-37.893935799999994 142.40196399999996 -37.4919388 143.04741099999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-40692135695432407552016-01-19T09:26:00.002-07:002016-01-22T08:06:18.767-07:00

The Journeyers, Back to Australia  Loading up, buckling in,  and reading the safety features of the Airbus A380. It was one of the seemingly quickest and easiest flights we have made so far. Touch down in Melbourne 14 hours later. The first week we spent with the Atkins. Paloma and Imogen got to hang out with and spend some wonderful times with their sweet cousins, Rachel

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com0Geelong VIC 3220, Australia-38.1485437 144.36134790000006-38.198492699999996 144.28066690000006 -38.0985947 144.44202890000005tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-66139029568087670262015-11-28T19:12:00.000-07:002015-11-28T19:12:25.145-07:00

The beasts of all hallows eve.... Born from the bones of a rotting bird corpse, and from the ashes of a fallen unicorn, the spirits rise for Halloween.... Bwa ha ha haaaaaaa..... The Bird Skeleton hits the trick or treat trail. The Ghost Unicorn needed a little help navigating the trick or treat trail.  Thanks for the pumpkin, Auntie Cathy!

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com0Albuquerque, NM 87107, USA35.1338614 -106.640919835.0299874 -106.8022813 35.2377354 -106.47955830000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-80160445063018068962015-05-31T22:28:00.000-06:002015-05-31T22:45:46.991-06:00

A Ride down the Rolling Rio We had been planning some sort of raft trip in May and after many iterations of location we settled on the Middle Rio Grande. The weather leading up to the trip did not consist of the usual sun parched summer days. We had weeks of rain and all of New Mexico's rivers were swollen. The Rio Grande was true to name sake. So in two cars we set out south to escape the

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-10685309230614703002015-03-09T23:51:00.000-06:002015-03-09T23:51:00.049-06:00

Every year, our preschool celebrates "Spirit Week" by encouraging the kids to dress up every day. Some days, they are asked to wear a certain colour, or wear pyjamas to school (always a hit!). Other days, the dressing up is more elaborate. One day, we dressed as our favourite cartoon characters: Popeye: Butterfly:  CRAZY HAIR DAY!!! Having crazy hair is serious business..

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-86187001126079186532015-03-08T23:30:00.000-06:002015-03-08T23:30:00.995-06:00

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-82730569907933027712015-03-07T23:30:00.000-07:002015-03-07T23:30:42.020-07:00

It finally snowed in Albuquerque! It snowed in our front yard!  And in our backyard! Some of us were more content to stay inside (mainly because she doesn't like hats and jackets). Our new xylophone survived the snow. Semilla had a great time bouncing around in the snow. So did another little girl...  Meanwhile, inside, towers were being constructed...

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-54186205286552221492015-02-22T17:38:00.000-07:002015-02-22T19:10:50.123-07:00

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com0Wickliffe VIC 3379, Australia-37.6929373 142.72468749999996-37.893935799999994 142.40196399999996 -37.4919388 143.04741099999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-8177197048962700852014-12-20T22:43:00.001-07:002014-12-20T22:43:10.418-07:00

 Happy Holiday from the BrandenBurdetts We completely value the Christmas 'card' (i.e.delivered through the postal system). Sent to us from many wonderful family and friends, we religiously compile them on the mantel this time of year. It is also really fun to open a Christmas card! That is why this is a little less anticlimactic, however, here is our "Christmas/Celebration of a New Year"

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com3Albuquerque, NM 87107, USA35.1338614 -106.640919835.0299874 -106.8022813 35.2377354 -106.47955830000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-20791244816788454152014-12-16T21:47:00.000-07:002014-12-16T21:47:00.504-07:00

We thought it would be fun to take a look back through 2014 and see what has been keeping the Brandenburdetts busy.

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com0Albuquerque, NM 87107, USA35.1338614 -106.640919835.0299874 -106.8022813 35.2377354 -106.47955830000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-91183794574377659102014-12-13T23:27:00.000-07:002014-12-13T23:27:54.421-07:00

This year for Thanksgiving, we made grand plans to go to Big Bend, TX. I don't know where the idea came from, and why we decided that this year was the year to do it, but we did. We spent weeks planning the trip - menus, camping gear, best locations for camping, dog-friendly hotels on the way... The night before we left, I packed the food and Howard packed up the truck. By 10pm, we were loaded

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com1Stronghold, Coronado National Forest, Cochise, AZ 85606, USA31.9253333 -110.038166600000015.841397299999997 -151.3467606 58.0092693 -68.729572600000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-87458218599416992252014-12-11T22:16:00.000-07:002014-12-11T22:16:00.331-07:00

Brandenburg's turn..... About once a year I have a hand at this blog, this time around I thought I would post some photos of our latest and greatest camping adventures....isn't that what I usually post on these blogs??? in the words of Ayesha, "anyhoo" One such grand trip was our canoe trip UP the Rio Grande from Cochiti Reservoir. Needless to say when one attempts to paddle upstream it

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com1Cochiti Dam, New Mexico 87041, USA35.6107 -106.31329.5267485 -147.621794 61.694651500000006 -65.004606tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-89137322538133667162014-12-10T21:13:00.000-07:002014-12-10T21:14:48.112-07:00

Happy Halloween! Yep, I know it's December, but here's a quick recap... Paloma decided that she wouldn't be Snow White (again). This year, she wanted to be a robot! In the meantime, Imogen decided that she wanted to be Imogen..... (This photo says so very much about her personality!) After making costumes, the girls needed to limber up a bit with some yoga.  And then it

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com2Albuquerque, NM 87107, USA35.1338614 -106.640919835.0299874 -106.8022813 35.2377354 -106.47955830000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-60080201597960196832014-10-09T22:31:00.001-06:002014-10-09T22:31:43.028-06:00

In preparation for Halloween, Paloma and Imogen delved into the dress-up box last night - and look what they found! The infamous spider girl dress that everyone loves: Do you like it better with blue sunglasses? And how about some dance moves? A Halloween costume is nothing without a wig.... Have you ever heard a witch cackle? Have you ever heard a princess giggle?

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com1Albuquerque, NM 87107, USA35.1338614 -106.640919835.0299874 -106.8022813 35.2377354 -106.47955830000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-37621980116208445252014-09-21T21:16:00.000-06:002014-09-21T21:39:41.606-06:00

While we were in Australia, we also spent a fair bit of time at the river. Howard desperately wanted to find more fish, and he religiously checked and re-checked his minnow traps every day. After much checking and rechecking and checking again, he struck gold: a flathead gudgeon. And while we were there, we found some other interesting creatures.... Like this tiny

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com1Wickliffe VIC 3379, Australia-37.6929373 142.72468749999996-37.893935799999994 142.40196399999996 -37.4919388 143.04741099999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-27109350787727589382014-09-13T21:53:00.000-06:002014-09-13T21:53:07.612-06:00

We got back to Albuquerque a few weeks ago after three very wonderful weeks in Australia. People keep asking me what we did and we did so much and so very little.  The first couple of weeks were spent on the farm, just hanging out and enjoying the cool weather.  Here's a little bit about what we did there... Paloma and Imogen enjoyed riding around on the 4-wheeler. 

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com2Wickliffe VIC 3379, Australia-37.6929373 142.72468749999996-37.893935799999994 142.40196399999996 -37.4919388 143.04741099999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-59425639777999078132014-07-02T13:09:00.001-06:002014-07-02T14:07:26.496-06:00

Howard has a new surface for painting...

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-86092035681416220682014-06-21T21:13:00.001-06:002014-06-21T21:14:14.635-06:00

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-38796560235028014902014-06-16T21:55:00.001-06:002014-06-16T21:55:26.349-06:00

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-8470109429191967962014-04-09T22:14:00.002-06:002014-04-09T22:14:48.243-06:00

Tonight, I tucked my little one-year old girl into bed for the last time. It's hard to believe that when she wakes up in the morning, we will be celebrating her second birthday. It doesn't seem so long ago that she looked like this: And then this: And who could forget this: And now she's running around and bossing us all about. And talking up a storm! She has gone from saying, "

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com0in our hearts35.1338614 -106.640919835.0299874 -106.8022813 35.2377354 -106.47955830000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680253797857965510.post-40109500698986848162014-04-05T15:02:00.000-06:002014-04-05T15:08:19.940-06:00

Sometimes, people ask me if Paloma and Imogen are similar. I think they are very different - Paloma is more serious whereas Imogen is a little goofball. But, sometimes they are very much alike. Yes, they both like to eat melon. And, yes, they are wearing matching clothes. And they love it! It was Paloma's great idea and Imogen thought it was just fine. But in reality, these two

Ayesha + Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775521571481498036noreply@blogger.com0our house35.1338614 -106.640919835.0299874 -106.8022813 35.2377354 -106.47955830000001