I haven't paid any attention to this blog since 2013. I really forgot that it existed. You get busy, and life goes by. Blink an eye and six years pass.
I wouldn't have thought of my blog now, but I noticed the Blogger icon on the National Park Service's site for the Wright Brothers National Memorial. We're planning a vacation soon, and the hotel is practically across the street from the memorial. I clicked the icon . . . flashback.
I reread a couple of my posts, and the memories made me smile. I still talk about that last winter on The Mountain. That was crazy snow, and I doubt I'll experience anything like that again. The kids are MUCH bigger now, and there are a lot of memories filling the years since 2010. By the way, my prediction came true for my daughter; she cheers for snow days now.
I'm feeling nostalgic these days anyway. My wife lost her dad in October. I lost my uncle two weeks ago. I was close to my father-in-law. I've known him since 1993 when I started dating my wife. He was a retired physics teacher, an ordained minister, and a hell of a father figure. He lived for his family, and that included me. He treated me like a son. I want to tell him how I feel.
I wasn't as close to my uncle, but he was a great man, too, and I loved him. He was a Seabee in the navy in the 1960's. He loved his Seabees hat. He loved Virginia Tech. He loved coaching sports, and he was good at it. He continued to coach even when he had to use a wheelchair. Mostly, he was a great dad and a great husband and a great uncle. I feel bad for my aunt and cousins.
Losing people is obviously sad, but life goes on. My oldest is close to getting his license. That's scary! My middle child is a freshman in high school. He is perfecting the art of being a teenager. My daughter starts middle school next year. They all sing in school choirs and play instruments (and video games) and drive their parents batty. That's the way it's supposed to be, right? These things make me smile.
I also smiled when I read one of the nicest comments I've ever read on a blog. A very nice gentleman left a very nice comment on one of my posts. Imagine, a positive, inspiring comment on the internet. His comment inspired me to make at least one more post on this dusty, old blog. Maybe this post will inspire positive memories (and some sad ones) in 2028.
14 April 2019
The Last 2.75 Years
Written in 2013 - time does indeed fly.
So time flies. Everyone knows this, but you don't internalize the thought until you look at your blog and some 33 months have passed since your last post. When last I posted, we were getting ready to move. Now we've been in the "new" house for more than two years. My commute is much better than it used to be, but living on the mountain was WAY cheaper.
So time flies. Everyone knows this, but you don't internalize the thought until you look at your blog and some 33 months have passed since your last post. When last I posted, we were getting ready to move. Now we've been in the "new" house for more than two years. My commute is much better than it used to be, but living on the mountain was WAY cheaper.
13 July 2010
If at First . . .
It's been awhile. I ran the mini-tri and finished the dumb thing - mission accomplished. Since then, we've been pretty busy. We have a contract to sell our house. We have a contract to buy a new house: a short sale.
Now we pack and hope we have someplace to put all of our stuff when moving day arrives (in two weeks). I imagine that our stuff will be going into storage. Oh well. We definitely need to get the housing thing squared away in time for the kids to settle in before school starts next term. They will be changing schools, and we want to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Now we pack and hope we have someplace to put all of our stuff when moving day arrives (in two weeks). I imagine that our stuff will be going into storage. Oh well. We definitely need to get the housing thing squared away in time for the kids to settle in before school starts next term. They will be changing schools, and we want to make the transition as smooth as possible.
24 February 2010
On Vacation
We're on vacation: a week in sunny not snowy (yet) Williamsburg. To be fair, Sunday sported temperatures near 60 F with opaline skies and shades-required sunshine. I am now officially ready for the Vernal equinox and the arrival of Spring! The rest of the week? Grey with rain. And SNOW is forecast for tomorrow! Oh well, I did ask for it (just don't tell my wife).
In the sunshine of Sunday, we toured Jamestown settlement and the ships. Way cool! We were able to board the Susan Constant and the Godspeed (the Discovery was closed). On the Godspeed, we toured the cargo hold (also the passenger cabin). The men slept on the barrels and crates. I do not envy the intrepid souls who made that journey.
On the Godspeed there was a particularly wonderful guide. He showed the boys how the windlass (the winch for raising/lowering the anchor) works. He then let the boys operate the windless. He discussed the bilge pump and scuppers (slits in the side to let water drain from the deck). My older son helped square away part of the rigging and learned how to tie stuff to a cleat. An awesome education! When we get home, the boys will probably want to practice coiling rope and tying knots.
The terrestrial part of the tour was cool too. We were treated to a match-lock demonstration, discussions about yehakin construction and Powhatan culture, a cooking demo, and many other cool things. Even standing in the recreated fort, it is hard to imagine the daily existence of the Jamestown founders.
The kids even liked the museum. Walking through, one progresses in time from the late 1500's to the end of the 17th century. Built for the quadricentennial, there are lots of artifacts, huge recreations of homes and an entire London street to help contrast English and aboriginal American culture.
And we can't forget the visit from Grandma! We toured the Yankee candle factory and dipped some candles. My favorite bit was the Christmas village. It snows every four minutes there, but I think even my wife was able to overlook that flaw. That is a neat place, but wax has gotten expensive.
Yesterday we rode the Jamestown-Scotland ferry. Not quite as big as I remember it from my childhood, but it was way cool (literally and figuratively). There was a bald eagle perched on a buoy in the middle of the river. I snapped several pictures with my T1i, but sadly none of the pictures turned out as I would have liked, and I didn't have time to make adjustments and reshoot. I'll still be grumping about this one for a long time to come. I did get some nice shots of other birds. Oh well!
As for Williamsburg? So far, so good. I'll keep you posted on the rest of our journey.
In the sunshine of Sunday, we toured Jamestown settlement and the ships. Way cool! We were able to board the Susan Constant and the Godspeed (the Discovery was closed). On the Godspeed, we toured the cargo hold (also the passenger cabin). The men slept on the barrels and crates. I do not envy the intrepid souls who made that journey.
On the Godspeed there was a particularly wonderful guide. He showed the boys how the windlass (the winch for raising/lowering the anchor) works. He then let the boys operate the windless. He discussed the bilge pump and scuppers (slits in the side to let water drain from the deck). My older son helped square away part of the rigging and learned how to tie stuff to a cleat. An awesome education! When we get home, the boys will probably want to practice coiling rope and tying knots.
The terrestrial part of the tour was cool too. We were treated to a match-lock demonstration, discussions about yehakin construction and Powhatan culture, a cooking demo, and many other cool things. Even standing in the recreated fort, it is hard to imagine the daily existence of the Jamestown founders.
The kids even liked the museum. Walking through, one progresses in time from the late 1500's to the end of the 17th century. Built for the quadricentennial, there are lots of artifacts, huge recreations of homes and an entire London street to help contrast English and aboriginal American culture.
And we can't forget the visit from Grandma! We toured the Yankee candle factory and dipped some candles. My favorite bit was the Christmas village. It snows every four minutes there, but I think even my wife was able to overlook that flaw. That is a neat place, but wax has gotten expensive.
Yesterday we rode the Jamestown-Scotland ferry. Not quite as big as I remember it from my childhood, but it was way cool (literally and figuratively). There was a bald eagle perched on a buoy in the middle of the river. I snapped several pictures with my T1i, but sadly none of the pictures turned out as I would have liked, and I didn't have time to make adjustments and reshoot. I'll still be grumping about this one for a long time to come. I did get some nice shots of other birds. Oh well!
As for Williamsburg? So far, so good. I'll keep you posted on the rest of our journey.
09 February 2010
SNOW
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! If my wife hears me say that, she WILL do me bodily harm. We've already had more than seven feet of snow this winter, there are about three feet on the ground, and it is snowing - RIGHT NOW! My wife has had her lifetime quota of snow. To boot, the kids are off from school for the rest of the week (it's only Tuesday).
How does everyone feel about all this snow? The Kids . . . well . . . the boys are ecstatic about the snow days. My wife has a tenuous hold on her sanity! For the record, my daughter is opposed to snow on moral grounds, so she can't support snow days: this would hurt her political stance. I suspect that her views will change once she actually attends school, but for now she's staunchly anti-snow.
I like the idea of having one last "real" winter before we move off the mountain, but even I have to admit that this is a lot of snow. I'll be working weekends in the near future to make up the missed time. Until then? Let it snow!
How does everyone feel about all this snow? The Kids . . . well . . . the boys are ecstatic about the snow days. My wife has a tenuous hold on her sanity! For the record, my daughter is opposed to snow on moral grounds, so she can't support snow days: this would hurt her political stance. I suspect that her views will change once she actually attends school, but for now she's staunchly anti-snow.
I like the idea of having one last "real" winter before we move off the mountain, but even I have to admit that this is a lot of snow. I'll be working weekends in the near future to make up the missed time. Until then? Let it snow!
14 October 2009
Mom Returns
Beck returned from her three-day cancer walk last Sunday evening, and I'm very happy to report that all survived, the house is still standing, the dishwasher was even run once: mission accomplished!
Saturday, we were all up by 8:15, and breakfast went reasonably well. We had an eleven o'clock appointment for Books and Barks at the library, and we left the house by 10:35. We arrived on time (early by a couple of minutes) to discover that the event was canceled. The kids took the news well; we looked around the kids section for awhile.
Braden wanted to find books about volcanoes using the computer catalog, so we had an impromptu library lesson. He was very excited to get to type v-o-l-c-a-n-o and click the mouse. The librarian helped us find the juvenile non-fiction section and pointed us to the shelf with 551 call numbers - volcanoes are 551.2 - and we found several acceptable volumes.
After the library, we headed to our favorite Mexican eatery for lunch. We each had our usual, and lunch was painless, but Emma refused to eat more than a few pieces of cheese. Please note, do NOT attempt to feed Emma a tomato. I handed my daughter a tomato, and she even placed it in her mouth. After that she started convulsing and spit the tomato out violently. Afterward she was not happy with me.
After lunch, I was persuaded to take the kids to the orchard to pick apples. There were hayrides, a corn maze, and caramel apples; orchards are expensive before you ever pick the first piece of fruit. Fun was had by all, and the hayride was a highpoint because we were the only people on the trailer. We got to ride to the farmhouse to get cow food (apple remnants from the cider press) and watch the farmer feed the cows. Emma was quite impressed by the cows, and she didn't even call them neigh-neighs!
Sunday we stayed home. In fact the kids were still wearing only underwear at 1:09 PM. We lazed around, ate meals more-or-less on time, and managed to keep the peace until bedtime. The kids were in bed on time, and Emma and I were reading a book to the boys when Mom arrived home at about 8:30 PM. A car door slammed shut, max started barking, and Alex asked "what was that?"
"I think that is your mom," said I.
Emma started yelling, "Mommy! Mommy!" and all three started sprinting for the door. When Beck walked in the front door, Emma was yelling "Run! Run!" and sprinting down the hall at full tilt. Pandemonium ensued, and I dashed out the door for my hockey game.
The walk went well, but Beck's mom has several blisters on her feet. Beck walked all 60+ miles without even one blister. She credits her toe socks and liberal application of lotion. I'm proud of her performance, and you can see some pictures on flickr (mine or hers).
Welcome home Mommy!
Saturday, we were all up by 8:15, and breakfast went reasonably well. We had an eleven o'clock appointment for Books and Barks at the library, and we left the house by 10:35. We arrived on time (early by a couple of minutes) to discover that the event was canceled. The kids took the news well; we looked around the kids section for awhile.
Braden wanted to find books about volcanoes using the computer catalog, so we had an impromptu library lesson. He was very excited to get to type v-o-l-c-a-n-o and click the mouse. The librarian helped us find the juvenile non-fiction section and pointed us to the shelf with 551 call numbers - volcanoes are 551.2 - and we found several acceptable volumes.
After the library, we headed to our favorite Mexican eatery for lunch. We each had our usual, and lunch was painless, but Emma refused to eat more than a few pieces of cheese. Please note, do NOT attempt to feed Emma a tomato. I handed my daughter a tomato, and she even placed it in her mouth. After that she started convulsing and spit the tomato out violently. Afterward she was not happy with me.
After lunch, I was persuaded to take the kids to the orchard to pick apples. There were hayrides, a corn maze, and caramel apples; orchards are expensive before you ever pick the first piece of fruit. Fun was had by all, and the hayride was a highpoint because we were the only people on the trailer. We got to ride to the farmhouse to get cow food (apple remnants from the cider press) and watch the farmer feed the cows. Emma was quite impressed by the cows, and she didn't even call them neigh-neighs!
Sunday we stayed home. In fact the kids were still wearing only underwear at 1:09 PM. We lazed around, ate meals more-or-less on time, and managed to keep the peace until bedtime. The kids were in bed on time, and Emma and I were reading a book to the boys when Mom arrived home at about 8:30 PM. A car door slammed shut, max started barking, and Alex asked "what was that?"
"I think that is your mom," said I.
Emma started yelling, "Mommy! Mommy!" and all three started sprinting for the door. When Beck walked in the front door, Emma was yelling "Run! Run!" and sprinting down the hall at full tilt. Pandemonium ensued, and I dashed out the door for my hockey game.
The walk went well, but Beck's mom has several blisters on her feet. Beck walked all 60+ miles without even one blister. She credits her toe socks and liberal application of lotion. I'm proud of her performance, and you can see some pictures on flickr (mine or hers).
Welcome home Mommy!
09 October 2009
Mr. Mom
Beck is walking to cure breast cancer this weekend, so I'm playing Mr. Mom. Currently the boys are in school and Emma is napping, so I'm taking a moment to update my blog.
I was a little nervous about getting the boys on the bus this morning without the help of Beck - she's the pro after all - but things went better than expected. Braden and Alex both ate breakfast without incident and then brushed their teeth without prompting. The boys even found the tangle spray and a comb, so I could help with their hairdos. We walked out of the door at 8:35 on the button as reported by the Anniversary clock - that translates to 8:30 EDT: that's right on schedule.
Emma ate most of her pancake for breakfast and downed her milk in true early-morning coffee fashion. We've played with trains, blocks, and stuffed animals, eaten a snack and lunch, and started nap on schedule. I'm knocking on wood as I write this ;) Maybe I'll let you know how the rest of the day goes if I get a moment tomorrow.
Beck will be back Sunday and everyone misses her, but I'm enjoying being Mr. Mom.
I was a little nervous about getting the boys on the bus this morning without the help of Beck - she's the pro after all - but things went better than expected. Braden and Alex both ate breakfast without incident and then brushed their teeth without prompting. The boys even found the tangle spray and a comb, so I could help with their hairdos. We walked out of the door at 8:35 on the button as reported by the Anniversary clock - that translates to 8:30 EDT: that's right on schedule.
Emma ate most of her pancake for breakfast and downed her milk in true early-morning coffee fashion. We've played with trains, blocks, and stuffed animals, eaten a snack and lunch, and started nap on schedule. I'm knocking on wood as I write this ;) Maybe I'll let you know how the rest of the day goes if I get a moment tomorrow.
Beck will be back Sunday and everyone misses her, but I'm enjoying being Mr. Mom.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
