Monster Truck

Most people are going to wonder why after averaging only one post a month I am putting two in one day.  Well, I just decided that this was worth another short post.  Our friend Pete got a a big 4 wheel drive Ford with oversized tires and lift kit.  As soon as Jake saw it he fell in love with the "monster truck".  Every guy wants to use his truck for whatever he can like in the comercials so when I told Pete I hated the two trees in front of the deck he offered to come try and pull out the stumps with me.  I am kicking myself for not taking some pictures or video of the whole process but other than a burnt finger from touching a hot part of the chainsaw it was actually kind of fun and gratifying to rip tow treestumps out of the ground.

I still have some more cleanup work to do but the view from the deck is much better already.

Summer Berries

Jake Mandy and I got this in about 30 minutes

One of the thngs about growing up in the northwest was that berries are part of the summer harvest.  I grew up a short bike ride from several strawberry farms and we always had our own supply of berries in the summer that my mom would use to make jam and pies that we had year round.  I actually laughed the first time I saw a pint of blackerries on sale on the east coast for about 5 dollars years ago.  As James said they are pretty much a weed here in the Northwest and I spent a significant amount of time destroying them in our yard growing up.  Since we have enough room I decided a few of the blackberry bushes can live as long as they don't get too close to anything else I am growing.  Additionally the road is lined with bushes that just started producing.  We have been picking them the past several days and what you see above is just the tip of the iceberg.

Part of the eventual plan is to grow our own strawberries and raspberries.  Along the perimeter of the property we found several bushes that look like they were planted but were so overgrown it was hard to be sure.  They were producing what looks like some kind of black raspberry.  I have never seen them before but they are pretty good.  Matt and I cleared around them and found some old irrigation tubing so I am pretty sure they are not wild.  I found some posts while clearing some areas and we strung them up so they will hopefully start doing better next year.

Anyone know what kind of berry this is?

Berry vines after the posts and wire are installed.

In other news we finally have all the planned renovations in the basement here is a picture of the kichenette with all the appliances and sink installed.

Another Day, Another Project

I have been off of work the past week and have been able to get a lot of things done around the house.  Most everyone knows that we have more than enough projects to keep us busy all summer.  Show up and you are likely to get assigned a small project.


Gretchen, Colin and their two daughters were visiting this weekend before going on their cruise. After they left this morning I decided to tackle one project that has been bugging me ever since we arrived.  There is a nice play gym that came with the house however it doesn't appear that anything has been done to maintain it for many years.  The paint is faded and mold moss and mildew was growing everywhere.  The same goes for the picnic table right next to it.  About 5 hours later I had both pressure washed, the table sanded and painted however I ran out of paint for the play gym and I didn't want to go back to Ace hardware for the 3rd time today.  Mandy was encouraging though and she and Jake convinced me to try and finish it tonight.  They both were a big help and we got done just before dark.  I still have to bolt some of the handles back on and find some rope for the climbing wall but so far I think we all made a huge improvement and just may squeeze a few more years out of it.

This is a picture from the springtime.  I wish I had taken one before I started today.

The final appearance after powerwashing and painting

Looks much better after washing, sanding and staining.

Gretchen, Colin, Hope, Phoebe and Jake at the Beach

Getting Settled

Well it has been about 6 weeks since our last post here and as I type this I am wondering if anyone is still reading it. We made the long drive from Atlanta to Gig Harbor and along the way got to hang out with Mandy's parents in the RV which was a huge help. We celebrated the 4th of July and Sam's 1st birthday with more family in Newton Iowa before stopping to visit Mandy's Grandmother in Sioux City. After that we made our way through Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone which was a first time for me and the boys. I wish we had a few extra days to explore but we had a good time and got some great pictures along the way. We have been here in Gig harbor for a about 3 weeks now and are still getting settled but things are slowly getting put back in order. Being a homeowner is a shock again with all the additional projects that I are on my to do list.

Sam at the Newton Iowa 4th of July Parade

Mt Rushmore

Yes that is a snowball that Jake threw at me.

Sapphire hot springs in Yellowstone

The boys watching TV with TOMTOM in Gig Harbor.

Happy 11 months (belated) and River Madness

Sam turned 11 months on the 4th of June so I figured I would post the monthly photo even if a little late.  He has started to stand up without assistance from other objects and has become the speedy crawler.

I can sense that the first steps are only a matter of weeks away.  The question is whether Mandy will be back in time?

Atlanta has been pretty darn hot the last few weeks with no let up in sight.  Jake and I were invited to go down to the Chattahoochee river with one of our neighbors.  The water was nice and cold but didnt seem to stop them from having a blast.

The Scooter Gang

Jake is a member of a notorious gang of troublemakers in the neighborhood.  They are usually seen riding scooters between houses and terrorizing the local plants and earthworms.  Below is the first known video of the gang in action.

Kids and Fountains

It is already getting hot in Atlanta and the pool a Piedmont park doesn't open until Memorial day but fortunately there is a really nice new fountain that has not been discovered by many people.  Both the boys had a blast getting soaked and cooling off.  There is a nice grassy area right next to it as well and we have been having a picnic the past 2 weekends.

Better than a shower

The new camera takes great action shots

wrestling with a random kid

baby + water = happy face