Monthly Archives: July 2011

Storyland, Part 1

Posted on July 18, 2011 by joel
On Saturday afternoon, we went to Storyland with Grammy and Grampy. They have a deal where if you buy a ticket after 3PM, they'll give you a pass to come back another day for free. They've got a new ride this year - Splash Battle. We all got thoroughly soaked, but it was good fun. Near closing time, the crowds really thinned out at there were almost no lines for any rides. We rode the polar coaster, and the operator let us ride three times in a row, because there was no one queued up. We're planning to go back to the park later this week.

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Arrrrrrrrr!

Posted on July 15, 2011 by joel
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Walk at Maudslay Park

Posted on July 15, 2011 by joel
This past weekend, we all went for a walk at Maudslay State Park. We even took Sadie this time! She hasn't been on a decent walk since Texas, and she was eating it up! While we were there, the kids kept asking about a specific tree that they remembered from our last visit. It's got 5 trunks that all meet a few feet above the ground, and the kids can go right in there like a little secret hideaway.
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Stuff on the Shelf

Posted on July 10, 2011 by joel
Here are photos of a couple of things I've made recently and forgot to post. From left to right: a weed pot made from some hickory burl that I cut last year, a new piece of origami, and a small vessel made from another chunk of that hickory burl. All three are on display on a shelf in our living room. I really like that I'm starting to display some of the things I've made around the house. I normally give away so much of what I make that I don't keep anything for myself. For example - in high school, I was really into sculpting stone. But even though I made several pieces while I was there, I don't own even one of them - they've all been given away to family and friends. Which still makes me happy, just in a different way.

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Sunset at the Beach

Posted on July 10, 2011 by joel
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Lori and Carter

Posted on July 10, 2011 by joel

Lori is always very concerned that she isn't in enough of our family photos, as she's usually the one behind the camera. But even though she'd like to be in more, the kids usually don't want to sit still long enough to pose with Mom. It typically turns into an exercise in frustration, because no one will sit still long enough to actually get a nice photo with her, where everyone is smiling. What I like about this photo is that from a distance, it looks like we finally got one. But if you look closely at Carter's eyes, she's looking sideways at the ocean to see what her brother is doing, and she's 2 seconds from bolting back into the waves to join him.

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Kung-Fu Carter

Posted on July 10, 2011 by joel
Sorry for the graininess of this photo, but I just had to share. I really got a chuckle out of this shot that Lori caught while we were at the beach, waiting for the 4th of July fireworks to start. It looks like Carter is practicing some kung-fu out there! Leaping Dragon Technique, go!

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Fireworks at the Beach

Posted on July 10, 2011 by joel
On the Fourth of July, we went to Hampton Beach to see the fireworks. It was a pretty warm night, so we let the kids play in the ocean while we waited for the fireworks to start. This was their first visit to the ocean this year, so they couldn't wait to play in those waves!

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Ryan’s Birthday

Posted on July 7, 2011 by joel
I was looking through the pictures we took at Ryan's birthday party last weekend. Most of them weren't anything special. But for some reason, I really like this one.


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42 Words of Wisdom: #17

Posted on July 6, 2011 by joel

    "I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies:

  1. Anything that is in the world when you're born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
  2. Anything that's invented between when you're fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
  3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things."

- Douglas Adams

I think I've hit stage 3. While I find a lot of new technology interesting, I don't find it quite interesting enough to actually take part in it. This is probably why I can't muster up any enthusiasm for facebook, twitter, smartphones, tablets (like the ipad), or any of that sort of stuff. Gosh dernit, you kids! Get off my lawn!

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