Happy Engagement Anniversary!
last update: 02/16 @ 21:35

We had a very nice, celebratory dinner last night at Josephine’s.

They even brought out a sparkler candle to help us celebrate.

I am super lucky to get to spend my life with Sarah, we’ve had so much fun with more to come!

Happy Birthday!
last update: 12/10 @ 14:59

A nice, mellow birthday. While I thought I might get on the river, the forecast kept getting less and less appealing over the last several days. The rain has held off and the temp did make it to the mid 40s, but the breeze has been pretty stiff and clouds thick.

That said, I’m now in possession (well.. will be soon) of a lifetime national parks pass.

And Robert found a CD which I’m sure to enjoy, Scottish Cowboy Ballads by Sam Shackleton. How can you go wrong with Early American Folk Songs in a strong Scottish accent? I have to say, it’s a great reminder of the importance of migration to our country — an important lesson these days.

Back from a lovely wedding
last update: 11/19 @ 18:30

We really enjoyed the fantastic wedding of Elise and Martin last weekend.

And we enjoyed the flexibility to tour around a few extra days in (not so) sunny Southern California.

The time to catch up with Sarah’s family, and meet Martin’s family was really special.

But not as special as the rainbow that popped up right after the wedding!

More photos in the trips section.

Happy Birthday Patrick!
last update: 10/20 @ 19:28

Sarah and I went to celebrate the birthday of Patrick, from the Pod Squad last night.

In addition to fantastic chili, cornbread, cake and cookies there was Foosball. Nathan v. the world — in this case Pocket.

It was a very fun evening with great folks.

And always astounding to me that such good people came together years ago, in the height of the early Covid days, to help out their neighbors. And that the core group still really enjoys hanging out together.

Patrick has lots of friends — and a recently married daughter — so there were several groups of folks there to celebrate. The Pod Squad took advantage of the perfect weather to enjoy his porch.

(And I feel the need to clarify that I’m a groupie — I did not volunteer for the Medical Reserve Corps to help with education, testing, contact tracing or vaccinations; I am, however, a beneficiary of their work.)

Happy Birthday Loren!!!
last update: 08/04 @ 16:41

We had a great, but much too short trip to Atlanta to Celebrate Loren’s 70th B-Day! It was great fun (less the traffic on the road there and back).

Extra bonus prize: a morning visit with Kate, Sean, Margo and Adeline!

More photos of the celebration in the travel section.

Birthday week
last update: 05/25 @ 20:40

Epic Mother’s Day Gift
last update: 05/11 @ 10:56

For Mother’s Day this year, Robert mapped all the previous Mother’s Days with photos of the two of them.

So, of course, I need to add a photo of the two of them looking at that gift for this year’s Mother’s Day.

Sarah was very moved — it really was a great and unexpected gift (and proof he’s in the right program at UW — and maybe something I should look at for use here on the blog…).

Pre-Mother’s Day
last update: 04/28 @ 21:56

It was a perfect day to take the Baseball Boat from Alexandria to see the Nationals play.

And they were playing the Mets — Sarah’s home team, and her mom’s favorite.

And just to celebrate the day and show off for Sarah and her mom, Lois, the Mets stomped the Nats: 19 to 5.

As I said a beautiful day for game (and trip up and down the Potomac).

But maybe not the Nats best showing so far.

We were both surprised to learn that they used up all their pitchers so for the last inning, the third baseman was pitching.

That really gives you perspective on how good and specialized pitchers really are.

And going for an afternoon game on a weekday was an extra treat.

Retirement really is very nice!

The Baseball boat is highly recommended!

It got us there in time to find the presidents so Sarah could get a picture.

Another busy weekend
last update: 09/30 @ 13:56

We’re back home after a brief trip north (and keeping on eye on family recovering from Hurricane Helene south of here).

With the recent (perhaps questionable) shift of the UW Huskies from the Pac12 league to the Big10, the planets aligned and they played Rutgers, where Sarah grew up.

Sarah picked up tickets and talked her brother into joining us (he and their mom were the football fans back in the day — Robert has gotten Sarah and I much more interested in college football than we were).

It was a good game and closer than many expected, but the Huskies lost by 3.

And Rutgers put on a great show: the marching band had LEDs they could use to draw out words and maps during halftime (with the stadium lights out). And they had a brief drone show!

The next day, Sarah, David Z. and I walked around Highland Park including going by their old house. It was great fun to hear the stories of them growing up.

That evening was Sarah’s high school reunion — more fun stories of growing up.

The next day (Sunday), we drove into Brooklyn to have a great brunch with Ian, Sophie and David.

And after brunch, we headed to Manhattan for an engagement party of one of Sarah’s classmates’ daughters.

As I said, it was a fun, busy, three day weekend.

Life of a retiree
last update: 08/27 @ 18:05

It’s been 30 days now and I felt the need to gather my thought a little bit.

I had a great sendoff from USPTO; a lovely lunch with coworkers (and Sarah). I was pleasantly surprised by some former colleagues who joined in as well. Also I was surpised by the number of folks who came as USPTO was finishing up our recovery from the CrowdStrike issue. (I don’t want to presume anyone would be OK with me posting their image, so I’m just using this photo of Sarah and me.)

One of those former colleagues made this great kayaking cake. She just happened to guess at the boat color and it’s perfect.

I’m enjoying being able to manage my time as I’d like to, not needing to be as aware of what time or day of the week it is. I’m taking advantage of that flexibility to paddle more (just watch this space). And I even did some work on the treehouse this week. And I smile just realizing that I can read the paper in the morning, rather than only having time to scan the front page.

My brother and sister-in-law stopped by for a visit, it was great to be able to take them on river without waiting for the weekend; not feeling rushed to get our visiting in on just the two weekend days. And real surprise, I managed to win at Scrabble (I lost at Catan, though).

I do have some short-term plans: I finished up a project of recreating a slideshow of my 1994 Grand Canyon trip (that was part of a present from Sarah this year). I knew for that, I wanted an easy way to just view the photos (something others have asked about for some of the pages here). That demonstrates one of reasons this seemed like the right time to retire. Writing that bit of JavaScript is exactly the kind of “make the web useful” work I really enjoy. I don’t need USPTO’s website to play in that space (although I don’t have as many folks to help ensure “useful” really is useful).

There are a few more IT projects I have on my agenda. And, of course, there will be more travel. Watch this space. I’m still comfortable that my gradual approach is right for me; I don’t believe I need any big bang trip or change in scenery to help solidify this new life stage I’m enjoying.

Thank you Robert
last update: 07/30 @ 15:01

For my retirement, Robert gave me this set of Aston Martin F1 lego cars.

Appropriate as we have been watching F1 since Drive to Survive during the pandemic.

And I have a soft spot in my heart for Aston Martin ever since James Bond.

I thought, as a retirement gift, it would be only proper to take the time to build the cars on a normal workday (for those not yet retired).

It still hasn’t really sunk in for me.

I think, mentally, I’m seeing this as a staycation at the moment.

It’s nice to be able to get some normal things done during the week.

And to have time to read the paper and my book.

And Sarah and I are getting excited for two trips: this fall to visit with family in South Carolina and this winter to head the Galapagos!

I have some more retirement photos to post in the next couple days. In between reading, boating and relaxing :)

I’m not from the Government anymore …
last update: 07/26 @ 17:26

It’s been quite a ride over the last 16 years.

Clearly I had more hair and way less gray. (But the hat helps to hide the missing hair — not that I really had that much more then).

Now I have way more experiences.

And lots of memories of working with a great team on some fun (and less fun projects).

Oh, and I have bionic eyes now since I got new lenses. (Hidden by the overly large sunglasses.)

I’m sure to have more to say and I have some great photos to share as well.

But I wanted to be sure to post this “day of.”

I wasn’t unhappy starting my job at USPTO, but I was much more serious then than on my way out the door for the last time.

Happy Birthday Alexandria!!!
last update: 07/13 @ 22:27

It was a little hot and steamy out, but a lovely display.

And it’s hard to beat being able to walk down the waterfront to see the fireworks up close.

This time we were in Founders Park, just downstream from the stage and bigger crowds.

That seemed to work out well; but I would have paid for cold bottle of water if there had been any vendors around.

It’s Official!!!
last update: 05/31 @ 16:30

I turned in my SF 3107 (and related forms) yesterday afternoon and had confirmation this morning that I did it right. My last day of federal service will be July 26th. I’m sure I’ll have more to say closer to the day.

Wedding!!!
last update: 03/09 @ 11:30

Reese and Danni’s wedding celebration was fantastic!

Michelle and Sarah met in college and have remained very close since then. Reese is one of Michelle’s sons. And now she has a new daughter.

So we were happy to help celebrate.

And celebrate we did!

The fog on the dance floor was a nice touch.

Everyone seemed to have a great time.

Reese and Danni clearly enjoyed being surrounded by family and friends.

And, as you can see, Sarah and Michelle loved the time together for the happy occasion.

We drove up on Saturday (stopping to visit with Ian and Sophie) and came back Monday. That led to very nice and relaxed day to cheer on the happy couple.

And to enjoy some of Long Island’s classics: a huge breakfast at Hauppauge Palace Diner and a lovely lunch at a very nice Italian restaurant (queue Billy Joel): Mannino’s.

Before that lunch on Monday, Sarah took us to Sunken Meadows State Park.

Even on a gray day, it was lovely and a great way to stretch our legs before getting the car.

Best of luck to the happy couple and all thier friends and family!

Happy 2024!!!
last update: 01/01 @ 00:51

Hoping for a GREAT year!

It was fantastic to have Robert join us for the fireworks, grapes under the table, sweeping the porches and running around the house.

You know, the usual :)

Also very nice to be invited to Will, Rob, Christine and Cassie’s house for their balloon drop party.

Thanksgiving part one
last update: 11/23 @ 14:30

Robert didn’t think his schedule would allow for coming home to Alexandria for Thanksgiving.

But his schedule changed and Sarah was able to find him flights and so we had a perfect reason for the first fire of the season.

A nice warm game of Catan — when Robert smoked us in surprisingly short order.

It was fun, but too short a game (from my point of view) — I could have gotten longest road back if he didn’t swoop in an win so fast.

And, following the tradition of recent years, David Z. arranged for hockey tickets. The seats were great and the game excellent: we didn’t think the Caps had a chance.

A game tying score in the last two minutes sent it into overtime.

And a game winning score with 3 seconds left in overtime was an astounding conclusion!

Father’s Day
last update: 06/18 @ 22:08

Sarah is still out in Seattle with Robert. While they slept (3 hours later there than here) I got out on the Potomac at Angler’s Inn. It’s pretty low and the water is so clear because it’s been a while since we had any rain.

But it was still a fun time. And a beatiful day.

When I came home we video called and I opend my Father’s day packages. Robert got me an Aston Martin shirt (which I wore later watching the F1 race) and Sarah got me a lovely cheese board and an offer for Double Gloucester, the next time it’s in stock at our local cheese place.

A very nice day, but it would be nicer with family in the same time zone.

Tradition continues
last update: 05/27 @ 12:33

Well, it continues for us. Sarah and I celebrated her birthday dinner at Los Tios as we have for years now.

But, inquiring minds want to know what new tradition Robert will start. He’s got plans lined up to stay in Seattle this summer so he’ll have his birthday out there.

We’ll learn more in a couple months…

We found a giraffe!!!
last update: 05/22 @ 11:14

We were coming back from Taylor’s graduation in New York and found this small zoo in northern Maryland with… a giraffe. So of course we stopped.

It was a fun way to recognize Sarah’s birthday!

A few more photos in the vacations section.

Mother’s Day
last update: 05/14 @ 16:20

It’s not the same with Robert off in Seattle.

He sent Sarah a very nice “Best Mom Ever” shirt in Mariner’s colors that she wore when we went to see the game today.

For Sarah, it was a win-win: Nats vs. Mets. In the end the Nats won (which made us both happy).

Perfect day for it and nice time, but we still have some adjusting to do to Mother’s Day with Robert on the other side of the country.

Pod Squad
last update: 04/20 @ 22:23

Apparently, Peep jousting is not universally known.

That was news to us but helped spur us on to a Pod Squad gathering.

Sarah called an educational meeting of the Pod Squad.

Of course, dinner was part of the agenda.

And quite a dinner it was…

Thank you all for the fantastic food (not least the bulgogi Sarah grilled.

Then we got down to the serious part of the evening…

The main attraction was introducing Peep jousting to the uninitiated.

Peeps are on sale now that it’s after Easter, so Sarah made sure we were well prepared.

And someone brough Halloween Peeps to contribute to the games.

In the end, Pocket was declared winner, though Nathan was in it until the very end.

If you have to ask…

Yes, it’s real thing; even getting an article in Smithsonian, proving the bona fides of Peep jousting.

Conspiracy theorists may note that article is written by a Sarah Z. But not our Sarah Z., not THE Sarah Z. so just move along now…

Merry Christmas!
last update: 04/20 @ 22:10

One of the many nice things I got for Christmas was tickets to see Graham Nash. Of course, he wasn’t playing around here at Christmas.

But Sarah and I went to see him last night at the Birchmere.

It’s the perfect Covid bookend: Just before everything shutdown, we saw him at the Birchemere and as he was on stage he said, “This may be the last time we’re together for a while.” There was a lot of Covid news then and the next day, they closed the schools and sent everyone home from work.

Now we’re back; hopefully with most of Covid behind us.

Lyle Lovett
last update: 03/11 @ 18:48

Sarah arranged for Lyle Lovett (and his acoustic band) tickets for the Birchmere last week. While Lyle had a bit of cold, the band was great and it was an excellent show.

Happy engagement anniversary to us :)

It’s great to have the Birchmere so close by; we’re looking forward to Graham Nash next month.

And Sarah gave me…
last update: 12/17 @ 23:08

Not this huge wheel of cheese. Yes, I’ve been known to bring back a wheel of Gouda from Bonaire, but this is clearly too much cheese for one household.

Sarah gave me a cheese tasting at Cheesetique which was great fun.

And Jill, the owner and cheesemaster, noted they would be “cutting the cheese” today. It was a 55 pound wheel of Gruyere lovingly hand crafted.

So, of course, we went by to watch, taste and buy some. And I also picked up a bit more of a couple cheeses from the tasting.

More great tastes for my birthday!!!

That’s Jill taking the picture of the cutting. I imagine it will show up on the web site or in advertising for the next cheese cutting session.

The trick is to first score the rind then use the wire garrote to slice it half. Then you can use the open face to further slice it with the wire.

Birthday pressie
last update: 12/17 @ 11:51

Robert gave me a perfect present this year: A&W Root Beer mugs.

He even picked up some ice cream so we chould have root beer floats in them.

Absolutely perfect! Great flavor treat from the past.

And photo by Robert, I was too focused on tasting it to think about taking a picture.

Staff Infection!!!
last update: 12/13 @ 18:48

One of the many cool things Robert has done at UW is sign up as an intramural referee.

That got him trained up on the rules and reffing duties for volleyball and flag football.

It also got him paid (thank you Seattle for a more realistic minimum wage).

And it got him on the referee’s team: Staff Infection.

And they got to play in the intramural final in Husky Stadium (AKA Alaska Air Arena).

And They Won!!!

Photos by Katie Carroll.

Fame continues
last update: 09/18 @ 10:54

Robert and crew made it to the UW Facebook page celebrating the unexpected UW win over Michigan State last night.

We’ll see if that photo stays around as long as one of Robert running across a bridge at his elementary school — that was in their ads for years.

(If you need help, he’s front role, second from left.)

Birthday festivities winding down
last update: 07/31 @ 20:15

Robert had the excellent idea to celebrate his birthday at The Sandy Springs Adventure Park.

It had been years since we were here last.

It’s still here and still lots of fun.

Sarah Z. was under the weather and not able to join us.

We thought Pocket (Sarah P. from the Alexandria Medical Reserve Corps) might be able to join us, but she also had to drop out.

But Robert, Will, Abdel and I had blast.

Robert and I, obviously, had been there before.

Will had as well (though not with us).

Abdel was new to this kind of craziness.

Abdel’s timing was perfect. Coming home from an early start program at college just in time to take Pocket’s spot on the trip.

We started with a green to get used to the park — actually Robert and I on one and Will and Abdel on another.

Then we joined up for blue (which was slowed down by someone ahead of us who couldn’t calm down enough to get across one of the “features”).

Clearly not having fun, one of the staff came up and helped her bail out mid-course.

Watching how that staffer made that feature look really easy was deceiving. There is clearly an advantage to familiarity.

After that, we split up again. I went back to a fun green (with thoughts of a blue afterwards). The boys, who heard that the double black really should be first or you’d be too tired, opted for the single black.

I choose to watch a bit from the ground rather than pushing for that last blue.

The black seemed to have lived up to it’s reputation looking at the boys as they came back; smiling, but gassed/

We finished the day with the excellent cake Sarah made and watching the Hungarian F1 race.

A very nice way to celebrate Robert’s 18th.

Continuingthe tradition…
last update: 07/23 @ 23:42

We went out to Tysons Corner Mall to the Lego store today.

I think this is the first time Robert added his own, hard earned cash from being a summer camp counselor to the pot to get a more expensive, more engrossing set.

After his trips to Kings Dominion and Six Flags recently, this seemed perfect.

Robert has discovered his inner roller coaster fan (thanks Will).

And this is a perfect companion to this summer of coaster.

After a lot of research, he decided this is what he wanted for his brithday.

And it’s really cool. Check out Robert’s Twitter feed for vidoes of it working.

He decided it was worth extra cost for the motor, and I agree.

It’s a quick ride, but apparently, pretty accurate.

Of course we had to stop by the sushi-go-round for lunch afterwards.

It was a great way to spend a very hot day indoors.

(Maybe not obvious in these photos: he started in the early afternoon; it was dark when he finished — a fun set to build and more fun to play with.)

Happy Birthday!!!
last update: 07/22 @ 23:32

The traditional Los Tios birthday dinner capped off with a round of Happy Birthday while wearing a sombrero.

What could be a better way to celebrate?

Kind of amazing that we’ve been doing this for half of Robert’s life.

With Robert turning 18 and looking west for college, we’ll have to see if he gets this treatment again.

Sarah and I will uphold the tradition though :)

Speaking of tradition: we have plans tomorrow (after F1 qualifying) to head back out to Tysons, peruse the Lego Store and go by the sushi-go-round.

Should be a nice day.

Looks like that’s even the same sombrero from 2013.

It’s good to know we’re not the only ones who are consistent.

Birthday!!!
last update: 07/10 @ 22:32

Not a family birthday.

Alexandria chooses not to compete with the DC fireworks. We celebrate the city’s birthday the following weekend.

This is the 273^rd birthday for the city of Alexandria (246 for the country).

Alexandria really puts on a good show.

And it’s much more approachable than The Mall for DC’s fireworks.

Pocket, from the vaccine PODs is back in town. We got host the POD crew last night to celebrate her return (temporary return) from studying abroad.

And we happened to run into her and Nathan at the fireworks.

Maybe not small world, but small town, anyway.

A perfect topper off to a lovely weekend.

Second wedding success of the summer
last update: 06/27 @ 15:27

We had a really fun trip up to New York to join in the celebration of Ian and Sophie’s wedding. On the way, we stopped off in the big city to see a show and enjoy the Cloisters. More photos in the vacations section.

Voters!!!
last update: 06/21 @ 10:18

Now we’re a family of three voters!!!

Since Robert will be of age when the general election comes around in November, he was eligible to vote in the primary today.

Just one race this time, a challenger we’d not heard of or the incumbent who answered Robert’s (and others’) questions in the AP Goverment class earlier this year.

Back from Flagstaff
last update: 06/20 @ 15:20

Many more photos of the fun weekend we had in the vacation section.

College Bound!!!
last update: 06/04 @ 18:21

Robert is on his way now!

The graduation was an excellent conclusion to a difficult high school tenure. The graduates really deserved this chance to celebrate.

More photos in the vacation section.

Dirt Track!
last update: 05/22 @ 00:33

Robert took Sarah to a dirt track race for her birthday.

Sarah agreed that would make a nice present.

We had planned to go back to Hagerstown (where Robert and Will and I went), but they have been hosting — or at least serving as basecamp — for the “Peoples Convoy.”

That was a turn off. So Robert found that Winchester, pretty much the same hour plus from Alexandria, had races on Sarah’s birthday. (You can ask him about the app the next time you see him.)

I think that Sarah will agree: sprint cars are weird.

It turns out this was the first time sprint cars had been back to Winchester in eight years. Clearly, the planets were aligning for the birthday celebration.

And it wasn’t just sprint cars, they had a full evening’s entertainment lined up for the dirt track racing fans.

It was a most unusual birthday celebration (even announced over the PA system).

Prom!
last update: 05/07 @ 22:47

Pretty astounding all things considered that Robert is off to his high school prom.

It a was just a little while ago that he went off to school.

And now his off at the prom (word is that he’s having a good time) and has plans to go to UW in a couple months.

I guess that’s what they mean by time flies…

Of course he has consistently been rockin’ the hat.

And no, the disc did not to with him to prom.

Latest NHS member…
last update: 03/31 @ 22:23

…Well, not quite.

There were two people behind Robert at the induction ceremony for the National Honor Society tonight. (Pesky alphabetical by last name)

We’re very proud of Robert for this recognition.

And it looks like he’s in good company.

Maybe the planet will be OK after all.

(Gotta love the stylin’ MacNaughton wear!)

We have a Winner!!!
last update: 03/14 @ 23:08

Robert accepted the admission offer for University of Washington!!!

Now we have a Huskey in the family!

CONGRATULATIONS ROBERT!

Presidents’ Day
last update: 02/21 @ 16:21

It seems like it’s been a really long time since we’ve had a parade.

This was a very nice one.

The weather was perfect; the frigid temperatures of the last couple days have passed.

And the sky was a crystal clear blue.

A perfect day for George Washington to pass by to cheers.

And a really perfect day for hearing some bagpipes.

And Alexandria’s Pipes and Drums band did not disappoint.

There were, of course, politicians and police and military troops on parade.

But I do really enjoy the sound of a marching pipe band.

Parade part 2
last update: 02/21 @ 16:21

There were revolutionary soldiers.

These guys even had a canon.

But I noticed it was staged a few blocks from the finish (so they didn’t need to roll it the whole way).

They did fire it off for the reviewing stand and it was as impressive as you would expect a canon to be.

I’m sorry I didn’t get a shot of the smoke clearing over the street — that, too, was impressive.

And the Shriners were there. They had both these cars and equally small minibikes.

It’s always impressive to watch their close order drill.

I was only a little worried for my toes and nose taking this photo.

I’m glad the full-sized exotic and antique cars did not try these sorts of tricks.

And I think it’s clear by this this set up that Alexandria was ready for a good, old fashioned parade:

A parade.

Perfect weather.

Pipes and Drums.

Maybe we really are turning the Covid corner.

Happy New Year
last update: 01/01 @ 00:49

It was a bit subdued this year: the normal King St. / Old Town First Night festivities were cancelled due to Covid. But the fireworks went on.

And were great, as usual. Thank you Alexandria.

From the Masonic Memorial we could see about 9 other fireworks displays in the distance in additon to Alexandria’s.

It’s a nice way to ring in the year (along with the 12 grapes under the table, champagne, sweeping the porches and running around the house three times).

Birthday!
last update: 12/11 @ 09:35

Robert and Sarah arranged for a Master Class from Henrietta and Rare Tea for my birthday. That was a couple days early last weekend.

Last night, on the big day, we had the traditional Los Tios birthday dinner.

And, of course, that comes with the sombreo and Happy Birthday sung by the staff. Along with Tres Leches cake; very tasty!

A wonderful evening capping an interesting, but getting better year. I know Omicron is sweeping the world, but I really hope it’s going to burn out quickly and we’ll be back to the summer / fall Covid levels before long letting us continue on a path back to normal.

Thanksgiving in person!
last update: 11/28 @ 16:27

Halloween!
last update: 10/31 @ 21:36

Guess who carved the F1 and NASCAR logos into their pumpkin this year?

Pretty cool — and excellent freehand work.

Fun, busy weekend
last update: 09/06 @ 21:12

We started the long weekend by smoking some ribs, chicken and salmon. It was Robert’s idea and he was in charge of the sauce and keeping the temperature right in the smoker (when he wasn’t napping).

It was a perfect way to bookend the summer as we had the smoker out as 11th grade was winding down at the start of the summer.

This time we had two of the four Gaughs over (rather than the MRC crowd) so there have been more leftovers.

And today, I enjoyed the perfect weather and higher water to get back out in the canoe.

The river was high enough to make the ferry to the Virginia chute a bit of challenge.

(I didn’t give any thought to trying to get up the center channel.)

All-in-all, a great, long weekend!

Speaking of tradition…
last update: 07/23 @ 16:38

… This was the scene yesterday morning. Robert got Irn-Bru (favored Scottish soft drink), several Lego cars to build and a new XBox (driving) game for his birthday.

Looking back at previous years, I see Legos are a theme.

And Saturday, we’re going back the Lego store in the mall, in person (and to have sushi from the sushi-go-round restaurant). Many traditions continuing.

Tradition!!!
last update: 07/22 @ 21:00

Back to Los Tios for birthday celebration!

Robert is now 17, driving and looking at colleges.

It’s been a while since we started celebrating birthdays with a Los Tios sombrero.

Slightly delayed
last update: 06/25 @ 20:49

Amazon did not instantly deliver my Father’s Day gift. And then I needed time to build them. But the cars (Lambos) are really cool. And they go well with Robert’s Jags :)

My phone camera is having some trouble with the green of the Urus — it’s not as yellow as it looks.

Sadly, Robert will have to wait a couple weeks before he gets to see the Urus in person. He was here for the Huracán. But he and Sarah are off to Huntsville and Space Camp! Something Robert has been looking forward to for quite a while.

This time, we believe he’ll get to dive in the zero gravity training pool. Last time they did some work in the pool but on the surface. This time he has a scuba card. Should be lots of fun.

Storming the castle
last update: 06/14 @ 19:08

We missed doing this for Mother’s Day last month.

And with Robert now gainfully employed, he missed the trip yesterday.

But, Pocket one of the folks from the vaccination PoDs Sarah has been working since the vaccine became available, joined us this time.

The weather was pretty perfect. Plenty warm but with a brief bit of rain to keep it from getting too summer-time hot.

And most interesting: Pocket, (who’s real name is also Sarah with an H but adopted Pocket for… reasons) brought her foldable kayak.

She has an Oru Kayak.

It’s pretty cool: fits in the back of car, folds together in a couple minutes (gathering a crowd of interested onlookers), and works well.

Pocket was first across the river each way. I credited her longer boat with more of keel to track straighter and go faster. Sarah credited Pocket’s upper body strength as she is an avid rock climber.

It was fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

And if you’re interested, Fort Washington is back to firing off their cannon on the first Sunday of the month. Alas, yesterday was not the first in month so we missed it.

Happy Birthay!!!
last update: 05/22 @ 16:27

We’re liking the crazy big balloons for celebrating.

Yesterday for Sarah’s birthday!!!

And, in a nod to getting a bit back to normal, we had birthday dinner inside at Los Tios.

We even had a guest, Seileen joined us to help celebrate.

The sombrero tradition continues…

Next year, bigger, more normal party.

But still at Los Tios, of course. Because, the sombrero, right?

Quick trip to Richmond
last update: 05/02 @ 20:50

We told Robert we were heading down to Richmond to see a flower show. And then he and Sarah thought it might be good to show me the track they visited a couple weeks ago.

I think this was about the expectation we set: the Japanese garden in Maymont. Sarah said this was going to be our birthday present for her.

But actually this was the second part of our quick Richmond trip…

Psych!!!
last update: 05/02 @ 20:49

Robert thought we were just going to look around and he could show me the racetrack that he and Sarah went to a couple weeks ago. (I turned down the offer to join them and took the canoe out on the river instead; I’ll join them on the next NASCAR trip.)

Robert started to suspect when Sarah and I pointed out the Rusty Wallace signs to follow.

We ended up in the infield and went to go get our jumpsuits and helmets!

Five laps at 130-140 miles per hour is both quick and slow.

The wall is really flying by when you’re going that fast, that close to it.

But you (well, at least me) are also wondering what happens if you touch the wall or a tire blows out, or one of the amateur drivers gets in the way…

Of course, none of those things happened. You’re just going really fast around the track.

You can tell by our smiles that it was a lot of fun — and a lot of adrenaline.

Richmond Raceway
last update: 05/02 @ 20:48

Part of the package was a photo.

Actually, a photo plaque ready to hang on the wall.

Fortunately, the photos can be slipped out for easy scanning.

So, of course, I did.

It truly was a blast; fastest ever in a car for any of us.

And, really, faster than you ever need to go in a car.

The trip back up 95 was a sad return to reality; there was a lot of stop and go traffic.

And hungry kitties to feed when we returned.

That’s a memory that will stick around for a long time…

And a great early birthday present for Sarah.

The tradition continues…
last update: 04/04 @ 13:11

The Peep-o-rama tradition is back…

This year, fittingly, Sarah opted for a vaccine Point of Delivery.

She has been working PoDs over the last several months (and Robert and I got to see her in action yesterday).

Note all the details: vial of vaccine (courtesy of yesterday’s PoD), humongous syringes (jut kidding), poster for the CDC V-Safe app…

The masks add the special touch (and were hard to put on). Note how they cover both nose and mouth as recommended by the CDC.

When the that front wall comes up, you even see the traffic flow pattern: in one door, out the other.

Kind of sad that Sarah has all the details down, but the Peep-o-rama is really cool.

Robert’s Rocket
last update: 04/04 @ 13:03

This year, Robert’s Peep-o-rama is rocket based.

But not just any Rocket….

…That’s clearly the rocket from The Martian.

And not just that…

Blue Martians coming to check it out.

And points for the red planet’s red surface.

With more time, some rocks would have added to it.

The antenna to communicate back to Earth seems very apt as well.

(In the background, Sarah is working hard on her PoD.)

Easter weekend
last update: 04/02 @ 23:00

We had plans to join Loren and Susan on Ocracoke. But Alexandria is pretty adamant in recommending limited travel over spring break.

And now Robert has a vaccine appointment on Saturday; so it’s for the best, long term, to stay close to home and plan to do our visiting later in the year.

At least the vaccine is here, getting into arms and visiting is a lot less questionable this summer than last.

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