NotFortyTwo

This was from Valentines Day 2004 - the kids have grown!

Allan really enjoyed playing with Robotics at LegoLand. At Disney’s California Adventure he and Rob rode the California Screamer roller coaster 7 times.

Annika was content with any Merry Go Round or ride like the Tea Pots.

We ended out the trip on the pier in San Diego looking at a boat museum, which included a real Russian submarine.

Click on the picture above to see the photos!

Allan received three awards: A Smile+Positive Attitude Certificate, a 9.0 Club Certificate (you get this by achieving a 9.0 or higher in any event in a competition), and a Team Plaque.

Click on the picture above to see the photos!

The second was a swim and pizza party, which everyone enjoyed.

Click on the picture to see the photos!

Click on the picture above to see the photos.

We left Durango, CO, on Monday and headed to Angel Fire, NM. Although pretty, and a good ski resort, Angel Fire didn’t have much in the way of activities. So, after looking around on Tuesday, we decided to head up to Colorado Springs.

With the Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, and many other attractions, it has turned out to be a very good change. We also ran into a couple of Kim’s cousins in Colorado Springs. Allan and Annika were ecstatic.

We visited the Olympic Training Facility yesterday, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo today, and will take the Cog Railroad up to the summit of Pikes Peak tomorrow.

Enjoy the pictures - just click on the image above.

Click on the image to see the pictures!

We also stopped by our friends, the Lockes, for a quick visit, which was the best part for the kids. They both picked grapes and played in the garden. Annika made several trips to a local playground, while Allan learned to shoot a pellet gun. We probably don't need to eat for a week after all the good food!

The picture will get you over to our photo gallery. Enjoy!

With the cold front it was too windy to do the fancy mass balloon launches, but they still showed quite a few, and some still flew.

Next year we'll be back, but for the evening flight and burn shows. From a picture perspective that will put the sun to my back! Taking pictures at dawn into the sunrise, but not of the sunrise, is a losing proposition.

Click on the picture to see our photos!

Click on the picture to see the photos.

Allan and Robert spent the first day at Universal Studios. It was fun, but not so exciting that they'll be going back any time soon. Kimberly and Annika spent the day relaxing at the pool.

We headed down to Vero Beach on Sunday, stopping at Ron Jon Surf Shop. As many billboards as were posted on the freeways, we had to check it out. It's basically the Home Depot of beach life.

The rest of the week was spent on the beach, at camp fires, and swimming in the pool. Both Allan and Annika took advantage of the many activities. Rob and Kimberly even spent one evening at a wine tasting class.

Click the image to see the photos.

The entire family is having a great time playing Wii Sports - even the grandparents can take part.

Enjoy the pictures - there are only a few this year...

In the end both Allan and Annika are ecstatic - they are finally getting decorated rooms! For Allan it's all about surfing, and for Annika it's the jungle (no surprise there).

Click on the image to see the photos.

I'll have more shots tomorrow, but I was really pleased with how this shot came out.

In order to get the book on release day we had signed up weeks ago, but we didn't realize that when you arrived you had to get your passport. We were a bit late and ended up in the last group to get the book, Group D. It was past 1:30a when we finally got home, but everyone enjoyed the experience. Click the picture to see the photos.

The only question now is how many days it will be before Allan emerges from his room!

The main driver behind the slicer is our beef jerky production. We make a lot of it, and our local grocery store stopped slicing raw meat. Of course, it will also slice bread (Kim makes a lot of bread), cheese, homemade roast beef, and just about anything else.

The search was painful. We purchased a "pro" slicer from Cabela's, but it was somewhat "sloppy" to use - lots of flex in the mechanism. It also had an issue that solidified our primary decision criteria - cleaning must be easy. The Cabela slicer required a screw driver and removal of the blade to clean, a very dangerous project. It was also setup so that any juices from the meat would run straight into the inside of the machine. Many of the units on the market have that design.

So, when you look at the pictures and think, "that thing's huge", you're right. We basically had to buy a real commercial slicer to get the safety and cleaning features we required. It was a bit surprising when it shipped via Roadway freight, and even more interesting when we picked it up. They used a fork lift to put it in the back of our SUV. I really wish we had thought to get video of that moment - what are the chances that will happen again?

We fired the slicer up and made our way through about 28lbs of meat. It is a dream to use, the cleanup was easy, required no tools, and no kevlar gloves.

Storage is still the big question, but even though we were a bit nervous at first, we are now convinced it's going to have a long and busy life with us. Click the picture to see it unboxed.

I suppose I'd have to jump back slightly to clarify that all laps are not equal. Chong has attached himself to me and wants my lap above all others. He'll jump in my lap when I kneel down to pick something up off the floor. He'll even jump into my arms from the ground - with me standing.

So, recently I've started using my laptop in the living room. While Kim is in the kitchen doing other things, we can chat as I peruse the online world.

Chong has taken note of this; he'll bark at the laptop in my lap. He'll sit in the corner of the couch glaring and whining. Over and over again, he'll put himself between me and the laptop, making it impossible to use.

Can't we just be friends?

Now if we could only find a bug that would eat Nut Grass...

They're carpenter bees. Sounds bad! But from the research I did to do the identification, it turns out they're critical to the pollination process, and should be protected... That probably won't make my neighbor who has them living in his deck happy.

The site that helped me quickly figure this out is What's Buzzing in my Garden?.

For now that's it for my bug pictures. No promises, but I should probably get back to pictures of the kids...

We had never been fond of the Pilot, it just wasn't something we enjoyed driving. We tried every vehicle we could find that would seat at least seven, and the Land Rover LR3 was our favorite. It's extremely quiet, comfortable to drive, and has personal audio for the kids in the back.

The whole process made for an interesting Thanksgiving break, but we're very happy with the outcome.

It turns out that that's expensive too...

After a couple of broken needles and much effort, the bed was finished. It took a few weeks for Chong to start using it properly, but he's now very happy to be able to be near us in the kitchen while keeping warm.

It was held at the new Frisco Athletic Center. They were a bit disorganized, as they had just opened, but the kids didn't mind.

After way too long, due to procrastination, I finished Kim's garden plant starter stand. There's probably an official name for it, but I think that gets the point across. It's made of mostly scrap wood from projects long ago, which helps justify my "never throw anything away" policy.

So far we've planted a few varieties of tomatoes, peppers, and tomatillos. The first tomatillo plants are coming up, which is why I had to finish the project. We had a small celebration, as they are our first garden plants. Even Chong was excited.

Now we just have to figure out where this garden is going to go in the yard. I see more work in the future.

So, Kimberly took to the internet again to find a better way. Since we never do anything the easy way, it should be no surprise that rebuilding an old piano quickly became the route of choice. Especially since we really want a Steinway.

We located an 1871 Steinway, which after some research by Kimberly turned out to be a Style 1 Grand. It is 7'2" according to the Steinway records, but 7'4" according to a tape measure. It was originally shipped to Cincinnati on June 6th, 1871 finished in rosewood.

About 50 or 60 years ago, a rebuild changed the legs to the art deco straight spade design and covered it with a black finish. Our refit will restore the original style legs, although they are difficult to find, the fretwork music desk, and the rosewood finish. The pictures of the shiny piano in the gallery are of an 1873 slightly smaller piano that is representative of what ours should look like. The only major difference will be the color, which will be a bit more red for ours.

The blocky picture titled "Fallboard" is the logo we plan to put on the fallboard, which is the underside of the keyboard cover.

Click the image for the gallery. It's exciting to think we can breath new life into a 137 year old artwork.

By the way, we intend to have a party when it turns 150 in 13 years.

We called around looking for a tall ladder, but no one rents a 20ft a-frame. Fortunately, the fire department was there to help. They came out, cut the wire, and eased it down.

Allan and Annika thought it was great getting to look over the fire truck. It was the most exciting thing on our street in a while.

The show lasted for two hours and included some rather dangerous stunts, all performed over a concrete parking lot. The kids were mesmerized the entire time.

Click on the picture to see the photos.

So, a busy weekend ends as we start to gear up for another busy work week. Click the image to see the photos.

On the to do list is we still have to find the proper bench (I know, this seems simple) and figure out how the cheek trim will be restored. The best option so far is the duplication of a cast of the trim from another Steinway using a laser cut machine. We're really hoping this will work out, as the alternative is an off shore manual duplication.

Over all we're very excited as the piano has entered the shop and there is finally progress! As more photos and information is available we'll post updates.

And yes, we have considered that this could possibly be overkill for the kid's practice piano. It's been our goal to have a piano for the front room since we purchased our house, so it serves multiple purposes.

Thanks to our wonderful piano teacher both Allan and Annika are making great progress through their lessons and really enjoy playing.

Enjoy the pictures and feel free to share in our anticipation of further progress.