Spent the weekend close to home. As usual, it just wasn't long enough.
Friday, both Russ and I had to work. We took a break from the norm though, and had lunch together by the little
pond here on the base. We do that every once in a while, and it is really nice. We stopped by the environmental
building on base to buy a used mulcher from the head of the department. When we walked in he must have been in the back. We
looked at the snakes and a turtle that appeared to be stuck on his back. When the gentleman came out he said "dang they are
having sex". He got them seperated and the poor female was an injured turtle with a damaged shell that he super glued and
gave her anti-biotics. The male continued to try and get at her even after she was gone. Now that was different. We purchased
the mulcher none the less. Sometimes we'll drive to the other side of the base and look out on the bay.
We also got to leave work a little earlier than usual, so we took advantage of the extra time. Russ mowed the front
lawn and then we decided to go kid shoe shopping at JC Penny's. I'm so glad we did. After using the actual foot
measurer, both kids proved to go up a size! Jaxson actually skipped a size! Alas, they didn't have the Spiderman
shoes in his size, but he seemed appeased with the Lightening McQueen (Cars) shoes instead. They are really cute, in
a gaudy, light-up kinda way, but at least they fit better, and the velcro is a big plus for a sleepy dad in the mornings!
Jaxson too got some velcro sneaks in plain ol' white. He was more interested in exploring the store anyway.
Then after a bite to eat at Applebees, we stopped by Wal-Mart. Russ needed a new belt, and we ended up getting
a Dart Board too! By the time we got home, it was certainly close to bedtime. Jaxson had already fallen asleep
in the van on the way home. It wasn't too difficult to get Liam in his bed either.
Russ and I were too tired to hang up the dart board, so we just spent some time watching little video clips on YouTube.
It doesn't take much to entertain us, but this has become a Friday favorite.
I was up reasonable early with the kids on Saturday. We all had a simple breakfast, and then I started in on sorting
things in the laundry room to free up a table to use for our upcoming Garage Sale.
Yes, I said Garage Sale. We've decided to get rid of a few things - especially some baby items, and some things that
Marcie, Russ's mom, wanted to get rid of too. We figured we'd just set things up in the garage, and we'd just open up
the door early on Saturday morning. It would mean having to park the van in the driveway all week, but it's worth it.
So I got a few items around, and then let myself get sidetracked by putting up the Dart Board in the basement.
I'd moved some shelving around the week before, so now we had a perfect spot.
Once Russ got up, we went to get groceries. There was just no way around it. I didn't even have peanut butter!
When we got home, we all had a little lunch, and I got the kids down for a nap. Russ helped me out in the
garage by sorting and pricing some of the items in the garage. We were actually surprised by how quickly the tables
filled! When the kids got up, they tried to help, but I tried to keep them occupied with outside activies.
It wasn't long before dinner time rolled around though. Then we played with the kids a little more before getting
them in their beds. Afterwards, Russ and I tried our luck at Darts and managed not to lose any eyes. It's a pretty
comfortable set up we've got down there in the basement, so I hope we can someday add a pool table too!
Sunday morning was a liesurely one. I played puzzles and games in the living room with the kids until Russ got
up. Then I took the big dogs to the dog park again. It was pretty hot, but they had a good time playing with a
white husky that was there too. Our venture is usually no more than an hour, but Cleo really enjoys it, and Ashy still
loves to sniff around. It also gives me a little time to myself.
Later that day, Russ mowed the backyard. It looks so nice now. We've had a bunch of rain lately, and things have
greened up again. We still have a mole problem, but I have no idea how to tackle it.
I continued to work on setting up things for the garage sale - dang I have a LOT of boys clothes!! Russ and Liam
watched the race, and Jax and Cleo played in the backyard. It's so funny. Cleo keeps a good eye on that boy!
I think she's becoming "his" dog.
I lost track of time, and soon Russ is suggesting that we order pizzas for dinner. It wasn't hard to agree.
By the time I got the boys in bed, I was exhausted. Russ, too was worn out. Sometimes I think Sundays are
truly a day of rest, just because our bodies wouldn't have it otherwise. We cuddled on the couch for a bit and
watched some episodes of the Ice Truckers on the History channel. Around 9:00 I suggested we go upstairs to watch the
next episode, and I don't think I made the first fifteen minutes.
Another weekend gone. I hope to work on the stuff for the sale bit by bit this week. It's another long one,
but fortunately, next weekend is a three-day one because of Labor Day. Kinda sad to see Summer ending, but it's really
been a nice one!
Oh what a wonderful way to escape the beating heat... go to the breezy beach! Even better... visit relatives at
the breezy beach!
On Friday morning, we headed South (for once!) to Nags Head, NC. We planned to arrive in the mid afternoon at the
Rich and Kate's Dolphin watch. The trip wasn't too bad, even though the sky was cloudy and the temps still pretty high.
We took a time detour (since it wasn't off our path at all) to the GraveDigger "Museum." It's a Monster Truck thing.
The kids loved it, and Russ and I kinda enjoyed seeing the big rigs in the garage.
We still managed to arrive at the dock around 3:00. Kate met us with a big smile and we took a bathroom break and
hung out in the shop for a bit (so Liam could become obsessed with getting a pirate sword) before following her to their apartment
in nearby Manteo.
We got settled in and just took a break on their balcony that overlooked the sound. Russ was just about to ask
what it was like to witness storms out there on the water, when we all witnessed a bolt of lightening, and noticed the growing
number of whitecaps out there. A storm was definately brewing, but the breeze felt wonderful, and the rain was light,
so it was kind of relaxing in an ond way. It was then that we noticed a small boat out in the water. It was floating
along parallel to the waves, but did not have it's motor going. We couldn't tell if it was in distress or not, but Kate
made a couple of phone call's just in case. A little while later the Coast Guard copter flew over, but by then things
had calmed quite a bit.
As the sun began to peak out a little, Rich got home, and Russ threw the burgers on the grill. Kate and I made
a pasta salad, and the kids just enjoyed playing with the dogs, Oberon and Titania. We kept reminding Liam that he had
to be good, or he wouldn't be able to get his Pirate sword the next day.
After cleaning up from dinner, Kate wanted to take the dogs for a walk, so I went along too. Russ stayed behind
with Rich, and got the boys ready for bed. By this time, the temps had cooled considerably, and we had a really nice
walk.
Once we returned, Russ had the boys all ready, and it was easy to get them settled in. They'd had a busy day, and
it wasn't long before they were both sound asleep.
Then we watched a show that Brian & Jo had given to Kate on DVD. It is a British show called
Black Books. It is amazingly quirky, and hilarioulsy witty. We really enjoyed watching a few of the episodes. I wanted
to watch more, but I was pretty tired, so I had to excuse myself for bed. I noticed that Russ soon followed.
We couldn't sleep in too long on Saturday because we were all scheduled to go on the morning's Dolphin Watch. Nothing
better than a job where you can "take your family to work!" So, we got a bit of breakfast, got everyone dressed and
ready, and headed down to the dock. Our departure was slightly altered, however, because the previous day's wind decreased
the water level a bit, so that we had to board at the public dock about a half mile a way. (Little did we know that
we'd be returning to this very location to grab a geocache later in the day!)
We boarded the boat and Rich and Kate began their procedures. It took quite a while before we spotted the dolphins,
but their trivia and area knowledge combined with a relaxing boat ride made for a very enjoyable morning. Eventually,
we did manage to spot quite a few dolphins, and the sightings never seem to get any less exciting. It is just amazing
that these animals are so comfortable around the boats. Our trip was even extended just a bit so that we could have
lots of time for actual "dolphin-watching." I appreciated the opportunity so much, and Liam really LOVED seeing the
dolphins. Jaxson had a good time too, although the lull of the boat actually put him to sleep.
Once we finished our trip and Liam finally got his much desired sword, we headed back to the apartment for lunch.
We tanked up, and then planned to hit a couple nearby geocaches. We actually ended up right where we started our day...
at the boat launch! We hit another one in town before heading to Pea Island for some real beach time.
We had a great time on the beach. The waves were pretty big... almost lost Jaxson at one point... but we enjoyed
dipping our toes in, and playing in the sand. Even Oberon helped with the digging even though he'd gotten into a scrap
with a molting Loon. Liam absolutely loved the water, and became braver and braver with each passing minute. After
we'd spent a as much time as we'd dared there, we figured we'd better head back so we'd be able to go out for dinner.
We arrived back at the apartment around 5:30. On the way, we'd noticed that our planned restaurant looked really
busy, so we opted for a less traveled route for dinner. It seemed to take forever to get the sand out of our britches.. and
hair... and toes... and ears... and... well, you get the idea. Finally, we were clean enough to enter a restaurant,
and set out. We ate at the Full Moon. Russ had a really good steak accompanied by scallops, and I had some sort
of seafood Au Gratin that was really good too.
After dinner, we took a nice walk along the board walk, and over into the historic nearby park, where Liam got to see
a "Pirate Ship." The evening was cool and comfortable, and we just really enjoyed some nice conversation. We even
found the same geocache that I'd hit back in 2003 when I'd visited with Mom and Dad. It was a great evening, and just
as it was getting dark, we decided we'd better head back. Russ and I were already "Jonesing" for more Black Books episodes!
Kids were in bed quickly. Actually, Jaxson fell asleep on the short ride home and remained asleep as I put him
in some pajamas. Then we got some bowls of ice cream and settled in for a couple more episodes of Black Books.
Again, I wanted to watch more, but was soon drifting off. I perked up for a bit, as we got into an interesting conversation
about good days and bad days on the Dolphin Watch. Finally, I just had to crawl in bed.
On Sunday morning, we got to sleep in for as long as the kids would let us... about a whole half hour later than normal.
Then I began getting stuff organized and repacked, while Russ got the kids bathed and dressed. Soon we were all up and
cooking a dandy breakfast of blueberry pancakes an the usual sides.
After breakfast, Russ, Kate, the boys, dogs and I went for a walk down towards Fort Raleigh and where the Lost Colony
performs. It was another really nice walk. We just took our time, and meandered through paths and conversation.
The boys got pretty tired on the way back, but thanks to the three of us, carrying them wasn't so bad.
Once back at the apartment, we knew we really had to say our good byes and get on the road. The weather was SOOOO
nice, and the breeze SOOO relaxing, and the company SOOOOO warm.. that it was SOOOO hard to pile everyone back in the van
and head back to Maryland. It was a great visit even though a short one. Short and Sweet would be quite an understatment.
The trip home was excruciatingly long. We actually weren't doing to badly until we reached the Potomac River Bridge
to take us from VA To MD. Traffic slowed to barely a crawl. It took us nearly an hour to go 4 miles. We
finally arrived home around 7:30. I skipped baths knowing that Russ would be home with the kids in the morning due to
daycare being closed. The boys reluctantly went to bed, but were asleep within minutes. I stayed up for just a
little while to view pictures with Russ. I know he stayed up much later than I trying to curb his Black Books fix with
some snippets on YouTube. He's totally addicted to that show now!
Thank you, Rich & Kate (and Obie and Tania) for a wonderful time!
Its the dog days of summer.
It was a VERY hard time getting back to work after all of the fun with family out in Wyoming. It took the kids most of
the week to get acclimated to Eastern Time.
We had a quiet hot weekend. Friday night we went to Applebees and then Erin and I watched
Music and Lyrics after the boys went to bed. It was a cute movie but what's up with Drew Barrymore's mouth. It gets more crooked with every
movie. I actually googled to see if she has had a stroke.
On Saturday we ran a few errands. One of which was to mail out our photos to family from the wedding. We forgot Zack's
address so we will need to get that one out later this week and we will just take Kate and Rich's when we see them this coming
weekend.
We tried to find a replacement pool for the boys but only KMart had plastic ones and nobody else had any. Too late in
the season I guess. We can make do with the old one that leaks both air and water. Erin got it set up for the boys and they
spent some time in it.
I cleaned out the crack at the bottom of the driveway and patched it. It was three inches deep in some spots. The patch
has cracked some but seems to be adherinig so I may lay a strip of tar before the end of the summer.
We had Crab and Sushi for dinner and when the kids were to bed we watched a silly movie called
Reno-911 Miami. Parts made us a laugh but it was another show trying to stretch itself into a movie.
On Sunday we puttered around the house. The grass is still not really high enough to cut. I was excited to see the Michigan
Indy Race. Unfortunately it was raining in Michigan so I played with the kids. Erin took Ash and Cleo to the Dog Park and
then baked some pies in the afternoon and tarts for the kids. I am trying to talk her into entering a pie in the county fair
later this month. She just may.
The Indy Car race got moved to ESPN Classic much to my chagrin so I ended up watching it on the computer on a little
tiny screen.
Right about that time we got a tornado warning that torndaic activity was heading our way from the north side of the
county. The kids were already playing in the basement so they were in the right place. I started watching that and the race
at the same time on the computer and then the power went out.
It was becoming an eventful afternoon. The power came on witin a few minutes and the Warning was downgraded too a TStorm
Warning that rolled in right about then with buckets of LONG NEEDED rain. What we really need is an all day soaking rain although
by the looks of it I better start the mowers this week.
By this time we just got Chinese delivered to the house while I hooted and hollered over the most exciting race of the
season. Danica Patrick was vying for the lead with Marco Andretti and Tony Kanaan when she got a flat with 14 laps left.
Dario Franchitti (Liam's favorite driver) was unscathed when he flipped in an incredible 6 car wreck. Kanaan one with Marco
in hot pursuit. I finally got towatch it on the big screen last night after taping a replay while I was at work Monday.
After we got the kids off to bed Erin worked on her recipe book and then we tried to watch a
Mystery Science Theatre 3000 flick about Santa Claus and the Martians. MST3K must jsut be good for Saturday or Sunday afternoons cause neither one of
us could make it up to watch the whole thing. We both turned in early.
So next weekend is a our big mini-trip to see Kate and Rich down in Nags Head North Carolina. We really are excited about
Liam getting to go out with Uncle errrr Captain Rich and Aunt errrrr First Mate Kate to see the
Dolphins. It should be a good time and on the way back on Sunday we will try and catch the
Gravedigger Museum. Next Monday and Friday we will be juggling due to Daycare being closed. Actually it will be Friday but we are off, Monday
we will split the day me morning, Erin afternoon and the Friday after next is still TBD.
Oh and Dixie sent us a great link to Noah's Senior pictures for school next year. Here are a few we like.
