Not what you see everyday…
last update: 08/20 @ 14:25

Part of the promotion for the crazy Indy Car race in DC was bringing this car in on Metro — “Because Metro is the best way to get to the race!”

It didn’t stop for us, but it was cool to see it roll down the tracks.

Happy Birthday, Robert!
last update: 07/30 @ 16:52

We celebrated Robert’s birthday with the now traditional baseball game and moving him into his new, Seattle apartment (check out the rooftop patio)!

More photos in the vacations section.

Even hotter!
last update: 07/04 @ 17:55

We drove down to Jones Point to see if we could see the flyovers.

We could, sort of; they were a long way away.

But it did offer shade under the Woodrow Wilson bridge.

Which was important as it’s really hot out there.

After that excursion, we’re happy to be back in our air conditioned home.

The Fourth of July in DC is very unappealing this year.

Beyond the heat, there is extra security to get onto the mall as part of the extremely underwhelming “State Fair.”

And then the fireworks coming later than normal this year are trying to break the world record for most shells exploded. That provoked warnings about extremely unhealthy air quality with all the smoke and particulates likely hanging around under the heat dome.

We’re happy to skip that.

GRADUATION!!!
last update: 06/18 @ 16:59

We’re back from celebrating Robert’s UW GRADUATION in Seattle. It was a fun trip, great to meet more of his friends and to see him conclude this phase of his educational journey.

There are many more photos in the travel section. But I’m not sure any others turned out this well.

Lyle Lovett
last update: 06/01 @ 15:23

Finishing out Sarah’s birthday month, we headed to The Birchmere to see Lyle Lovett last night.

It was great fun and a good show with some new to us music along with some old favorites.

And we had a small world experience:

We joined a couple in the waiting area (outside the main music hall) while we waited for our number to called to find a seat in the main hall. (At the Birchmere, it’s open seating; you show up and get a number before the main doors open, then get to find a seat (all are good) when your number is called.)

It turns out they live in Fort Hunt and know Tom and Emily and Ken and Nancy from the swim team the kids all swam on.

We were about 25 spaces ahead of them in the seating order (A73 vs. B00). But just after we ordered dinner in the main hall, they sat down at our table to join us again.

They also tend to go left after they get into the music hall :)

A fun evening and good pre-show conversation.

Happy Birthday!!!
last update: 05/22 @ 09:38

Fun Day Yesterday!

The Mets were playing the Nationals here on Sarah’s birthday, so, of course we went to go watch.

And we got there early enough to catch all four racing presidents for photos.

(Abe won the race during the game.)

And most importantly: The Mets Won!

In a 2 to 1 nail biter — the Nats almost tied it up in the bottom of the 9th.

We went from mid to high 90s early in the week down to 60s yesterday and it was threatening to rain.

But the rain held off and by not going into overtime, we didn’t feel the need to retreat inside to warm up (it was nice to have that open in our back pockets).

Metro treated us well (as expected) with easy trips in and out of DC. I’m sure it helped being a 4pm start on a weekday — you can see it was sparsely attended.

We’ll get back to Los Tios at some point for the sombrero hat celebration, but Uncle Joe’s had a nice Chocolate Mouse Cake. And they were happy to give us a candle as well.

While Los Tios is not yet scheduled, we do have tickets to see Lyle Lovett at the Birchmere in a few more days.

It’s Sarah Celebration Month!

May is always fun to look forward to (the wedding last week was an extra bonus).

Back from a Great Wedding
last update: 05/19 @ 17:57

We had a great time helping celebrate John and Grace’s wedding. And took advantage of our free time to enjoy some of the sights on the way to and from Brant Lake, NY.

One of those sights: Sarah Street in Stroudsburg, PA.

More photos in the trips section.

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.

Giving Thanks
last update: 11/29 @ 18:39

This Cornoavirus year, I’m thankful for a happy, healthy family. Our nuclear family is doing fine; school and work are generally treating us well.

Our extended family is almost all well; some troubling news from the west coast. But overall, we’re doing very well.

Thankful for a lovely meal, with contributions from each of us. I am quite fond of Robert’s cornbread. And the Turkey Sarah pulled off is great!.

(Present tense because with just the three of us, there were plenty of Thanksgiving dinner leftovers.)

Thankful to see Robert fully licensed (provisional) as a driver. He and I took a final check out drive together on Friday to complete a program with our insurance company to give us a small break on teenage boy car insurance rates.

He’s cautious and aware and will be fine on his own. But we’re not getting the WRX STI rally race Subaru…

And thankful for a beautiful set of vacation days. Robert was biking on the mountian bike trail, Sarah getting her five mile walk around town and I was having fun mostly staying warm enough on the river.

Now if we can get that vaccine out and stamp out this virus, we’ll have a really great 2021!

Distant Halloween
last update: 10/31 @ 18:29

In normal times, I like to give out the Halloween candy while Robert is off Trick or Treating. He’s starting to think he may be getting a bit old for that.

And with a pandemic still in control of our lives, we put the candy out for the (very likely very few) kids who come by.

Not to be deterred, Robert made this awesome chicken walker costume. He is wicked good with cardboard. And he had an invite to a socially distant Star Wars themed party this evening.

Robert is also pretty handy with a pumpkin carving knife. That’s his dinosaur skull on the top right (he’ll likely add a comment with its proper name).

Sarah did the cat with wiskers.

The crazy face is mine. (And Robert rounds us out the with styling snowball lantern.

Another Coronavirus Birthday
last update: 07/26 @ 13:57

Robert invited a couple friends over to play video games. We’re sorry that Will was under the weather and missed out.

It’s early yet, but possible that there will be some of the sub sandwhich left by the end of the day.

The kids seems to happy to have a chance to meet in person, even in masks.

And the gaming is going well.

Maybe Robert will leave a comment here about who was the overall winner…

Happy Birthday Robert!!!
last update: 07/22 @ 21:42

Robert is 16 now!!!

It’s crazy!!!

And this week he’s in a virtual program with NASA Wallops that is running about 12 hours a day. So he was still a bit groggy this morning as he was unwrapping his presents.

You may notice that we had more of the huge balloons. But fewer than for Sarah’s birthday.

Teenagers stay up later than moms (often), and so I missed his help inflating the balloons (after he’d gone to bed) last night.

And with the 12 hour days of his schedule this week, our celebratory Los Tios dinner was carry out rather than at the restaurant.

We have been there to eat outside, but Robert was short on time tonight. Maybe he’ll get to wear the hat later…

Look what I got for Father’s Day!!!
last update: 06/21 @ 14:04

I have a new tea pot, Rare Tea tea to go in it, a new shirt, and…

More wooden train track!!!

Now we have enough to go all the way up to the table (and we had one ramp to spare).

It was a pretty awesome collaboration between Robert and me (I did the ramp).

But, alas, I wanted to get one more picture and hooked my ankle on the tracks and brought most of it down.

But not before several round trips proving it was stable and actually workable. I’m sure there will be future versions…

Yes some of those wooden blocks were mine several decades ago (and my brothers’ before that). The core trains and track came from cousin Aaron.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there.

Odd Birthday
last update: 05/23 @ 11:21

To celebrate without our traditional Los Tios sombrero, Robert harkened back to my dad’s 80th and declared we should have balloons strewn about the place.

I thought big balloons would be fun.

But I didn’t realize how big big could be. These were huge balloons!

And the expression on Sarah’s face when she came down in the morning was great; we almost bowled her over in surprise.

And speaking of surprise, Robert thought to sneak her gift, two wooden Red Line metro cars, into a balloon. Before I realized how big these were (including inflation collar), I thought that would be impossible.

However, that was the most unique wrapping ever!.

That pink balloon in front of Robert has the two train cars in it.

While Sarah was volunteering at the health department, answering calls about the coronavirus and I was working in my covid-19 basement office, Robert baked Sarah this great cake with both dark and milk chocolate frosting.

And note how it’s surrounded by the train cars.

Flyover
last update: 05/02 @ 19:51

We decided to try the Washington National Airport parking deck to see the flyover today. That worked well — we were not the only ones but it’s a big space.

I’m not sure this is really the best use of federal government dollars in the current situation. But no one asked us so we enjoyed the beautiful spring weather and the show.

And yes, we kept our distance from others and wore our masks as recommended by the scientists.

Afterwards, we came home to read books on the porch — continuing to enjoy the great weather. But we’d really like to venture further afield and get back to more favored outdoor activities.

Hunt for The Egg
last update: 04/12 @ 11:43

We are all enjoying the Lego Masters show (and are waiting the the final show this week). We gave Robert a small Lego set for Easter and that formed a key element in his Peep Diorama.

The mech is trying to get The Egg back from the land of Peeps.

And it’s not going well…

…at least not yet.

The Peeps are bravely defending The Egg but the mech looks really strong.

Who will win out in the end?

Where will the Egg end up?

Which came first, the mech or the Peeps?

I mean, clearly the Peeps have The Egg now, but did they steal it from mech and he (or she) is coming to get it back? Or is the mech trying to steal The Egg from Peeps, who clearly are quite fond of it?

Peep One
last update: 04/12 @ 11:35

And we’ve been watching the Netflix series, F1 Drive to Survive, and that was clearly an influence on Sarah’s Peep diorama this year.

(I prefer to think it was the show and not Robert’s learner’s permit that supplied the inspiration.)

Red Bull is one (actually, two) of the teams in the Formula One circuit that the show has followed over a couple seasons.

Here, played out in Peeps…

Clearly there are some non-peepy elements to this diorama.

But the hot wheel track, cars and Ferrari model really give it some authenticity.

And pit row and reviewing stands bring it all together.

(Just ignore the sink and dishes in the background.)

Easter Eggs
last update: 04/10 @ 23:34

We dyed eggs tonight.

And this time we found the candy color dye pack: it includes a gloss to layer on after the dye dries.

And Sarah and Robert heard about using regular food dye as a drizzle or painted on.

And then Robert got the idea for an eye.

And Sarah tried to talk him out of it.

But I said, see how it looks.

Now this Easter egg needs to make it until next Halloween…

George Washington’s Birthday!!!
last update: 02/17 @ 19:22

And Alexandria did not disappoint.

We had George and Martha (several Georges, actually).

We had the Shriners little race cars.

And pipes! Alexandria can’t have a parade without bagpipes.

There’s just something about good pipe and drum band that warms the heart.

I’ve not fully adjusted to the new parade route; I like it better going straight down King Street. But I expect those who want to get through town or to any of the shops much prefer the new, cross King route.

Momentous Day
last update: 01/30 @ 20:31

Sarah got this great picture of Robert and his temporary learner’s permit!

Look out; he’s on the road, behind the wheel now.

And pretty excited about it.

We just have at least 45 hours of driving time with an adult and 9 months before he can be driving on his own (and we can stay home and worry about him).

It’s possible there may be a road trip coming up for spring break…

New Year, New Decade
last update: 01/01 @ 23:10

We were invited to a New Year’s Eve party with one of Robert’s friends a block and a half away. Will has a younger sister, so the party was geared to her group and had a balloon drop at 9pm (New Year’s in Greenland).

That gave us time to come back and relax before meeting the boys to go up to the Masonic memorial.

New this year, fake foxes (you can see some in the background). A bit off-putting at first, until you see what they are. And they seemed to work as there was less evidence of geese on the path or lawn.

The location is great for us. With the recent move of the Old Dominion Yacht Club, the fireworks were right down King street.

Alexandria does a very nice fireworks show. And having a great view 2 blocks from home makes it even more special.

The year, the weather was cool but dry and no fog. The fog last year made it seem very eerie: just flashes of color in the fog.

This time, the view was spectacular! We could see “our” fireworks and several Maryland cities across the river.

After the show, we did the normal:

Ran around the house three times with (empty) luggage.

Swept our troubles off the front and back porches.

Ate twelve grapes under the table.

And toasted the New Year!

Here’s to a happy, healthy, safe year and decade to come.

Christmas!!!
last update: 12/29 @ 16:26

Robert was very patient waiting for the full family to gather in Decatur to open presents on Christmas. We enjoyed too brief a trip but took advantage of the time to catch up.

And play Catan.

And play Dominion.

And eat and drink lots.

The cousins had their night out; we enjoyed a fantastic Christmas eve lasagna, and an outragous Christmas dinner with beef and all the trimmings topped off with a croquembouche. More photos in the vacations section.

Christmas Tree
last update: 12/08 @ 23:21

We walked over to our favorite tree lot yesterday.

Not quite as planned, it was no longer light as we had some kitty calming to do before we could go: Panzer had found a paper bag and…

Trapped himself inside it. There was a brown, paper bag streak racing through the house; downstairs, then up.

We found some of the bag. But there was still a rope handle wrapped around him as he was hiding under Robert’s bed.

We got him out with treats, checked him over, gave him some dinner, then went to get the tree.

So the decorations went up today.

I think we did well.

And I think Panzer agreed.

Robert is working on replacing the Christmas train around the tree with a Christmas Hot Wheels track.

But he’s still working on getting the curve and loop to work as he’d like.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

And we can barely wait…

Onions, Stat!!!
last update: 12/01 @ 12:04

We had a great Thanksgiving meal at the Hargadons, following a fantastic Wednesday dinner here and before the now traditional Caps Hockey games on Friday. Which was followed up by a lovely feast at Lee’s house on Saturdy (after the traditional billiards games).

As family branches make their ways back across the country, Ian stopped by before his flight and he and Robert picked up Overcooked. It sounds like a great game, but will it translate into more self-sufficiency for Robert in the real kitchen?

Passing of a friend
last update: 11/25 @ 21:00

We drove down to Richmond last weekend for Martha Mabey’s memorial service. She was a family friend of decades and I’m sorry that she’s gone now.

But it was not unexpected to her or her family and friends.

She did all she could to make the arrangements ahead of time to make it easy on her family, and to exert her sense of style on the service.

Because her life (and her husband’s) was so intertwined with my parents lives, Loren, Susan, Steve and Helen also traveled to Richmond for the service.

That gave us time to play Catan, enjoy several nice meals, and tour the James River rapids Steve and I grew up on (and Loren had some occasion to enjoy).

It also gave us time to remember Martha and Gordon and all the shared memories with our parents.

Jessica, her daughter, seems to be handling it well and has lots of support in Richmond.

One thing Martha did was pen a book of Contacts about her friends and what they meant to her. That included a a page about my mom, which I’ve added to related information about her.

And if you’d like to know a little more about Martha Mabey, she wrote THE LAST DOCTOR IN AMERICA about coming to terms with a life threatening medical issue. Something which clearly helped to motivate her to plan for her end of life.

I like to think she would have enjoyed the serendipity of running into a parade in Ashland on our way home. And of the flexibility of the organizers to deal with a parade route cut in two by train tracks.

As she and Gordon lived in Ashland for a while, they may have enjoyed the parade (and the trains) years ago.

Doing well in school
last update: 11/21 @ 23:12

Robert continues to do well in school.

He made all A honor roll this semester at TC!

Group Muse
last update: 11/01 @ 23:07

It’s like this, see…

Sarah arranged another Group Muse for us. And we invited Will and Anna (and parents).

Before the musicians started to play, the teenagers had a contest to see who could make the best Nationals logo. I think Will won (but John thinks Anna won).

However, I give Robert props for most creative — baby shark (with pacifier and baseball cap).

Which is pretty cool.

But not as cool as the musicians: we had duet to start with.

And then a quartet.

It was great!!!

About a quarter of the audience were musician friends. About a quarter found the concert on group muse and came by.
About half were our friends.

It was great mix. We all liked the music; the musicians seemed to enjoy the audience.

It was a lovely way to wind down from a long week and celebrate Dia de los Muertos — Martha would be proud.

And we managed to get some of the excess Halloween candy eaten :)

The Haul…
last update: 11/01 @ 18:06

Much of this is courtesy of the cross the street neighbors who saw the writing on the wall: not too many kids trick or treat on our street and the tornado warning was signaling an early end to the evening.

9.7 pounds should keep Robert in candy for another year…

(Photo by Sarah — I was early to bed last night.)

Halloween!!!
last update: 10/31 @ 20:12

It was crazy warm for Halloween.

Robert’s Walter White tyvek suit just about melted him.

Sarah was a ping pong game — she added the net after we took to the photo.

Again, not many folks on our street but they had a good time walking the neighborhood before getting too hot to keep going.

Now we’re waiting to see what the powerful storms do on their way through to lower the temps.

Oh, and the haul? That’s a whole ‘nother story. The new neighbors across the street saw the low interest and storm coming and dumped a huge load of candy into Robert’s bag…

Busy Day: Burgundy Fall Fair
last update: 10/19 @ 19:28

Robert gathered with the rest of the alums for the annual photo. He ended up in the front, with many of his classmates by the time all the organizing and shuffling was done (after my phone battery died).

Quick trip to Wiltshire
last update: 10/14 @ 16:20

We took a quick trip across the pond to check out Stonehenge since we missed it on our England / Scotland trip this summer.

Actually, it’s Foamhenge as erected at Cox Farm for their fall fair craziness. It makes as least as much sense there as the aliens who crash-landed in the hay ride field.

It was a pretty crazy warm fall day.

And for the record, Sarah won the slide race.

Birthday Celebration Conclusion
last update: 08/04 @ 09:51

We concluded our traditional birthday celebrations with a visit to the Sushi-go-round (Wasabi) and Lego store.

After a haircut, we started with sustenance to ensure no one passed out in the Lego store.

That was plenty of sustenance :) I’m sure we eat more, but also try more different things in the conveyor belt model.

And it is fun.

Robert had been eyeing this particular set since it showed up in a catalog. And we’ve moved to a new model where he’s paying part of the cost directly.

Initially he was disappointed that the store didn’t have what he was looking for, and he started debating getting something different, getting something small and ordering what he wanted online, or trying the store in Pentagon City (which lacks the sushi appeal).

And then he realized someone had put back a non-Star Wars set in the Star Wars section. Moving that out of the way revealed the Tantive IV he was looking for.

Several hours later, he had it put together and ready to show off.

Which was great as Jenny was visiting to finish out a week of conference here after moving to Tennessee last summer. We miss them and it’s been a nice visit.

Back from Great Britain
last update: 07/30 @ 20:19

We celebrated Robert’s birthday in style, with haggis, as requested.

We saw some sights in London, Cambridge, Edinburgh.

And we got all the way to the Brough of Birsay on Orkney!

Palaces, Castles, lochs, coasts and more…

The photo on the right, from our walk around Edinburgh, when we did have some typical Scottish weather, was just a couple hours before the photo below of the old chapel of Holyroodhouse.

The weather was much like that for our trip: changeable but generally outstanding.

No snow, but rain, wind, fog, sun.

And we came back with suntans.

There are many more photos in the vacations section.

Honor Roll again
last update: 05/24 @ 21:54

Robert has been keeping his grades up and made all A honor roll again for the quarter. He’s starting to look forward to school winding down and summer travel (and work at the Smithsonian) picking up.

Happy Birthday, SZap!!!
last update: 05/21 @ 21:03

We started celebrating Sarah’s birthday this morning with some fun presents.

The new tub made for an extra layer of wrapping.

And the cards came with glitter, as requested :)

Of course, there were Legos involved.

And this evening we met up with Seileen and Mary at Los Tios for the ritual wearing of the silly hat.

I thought it was nice birthday, and Sarah’s smile makes me think she did too.

Wedding Finery
last update: 05/08 @ 20:00

Including these of us. I think this is when Carolee got her shot of us rocking our hats.

And this one of Robert and me is excellent.

Steve and I coordinated which worked well as MacNaughton became the dress code for parking assistance. He and I had directions on where cars could park — Loren and Susan don’t really have parking at their house for 100 guests.

But by being on a small island, getting the word out that parking was tight, and having a church around the corner and one othe beach house down the street rented, there was plenty of space.

The MacNaugton parking team’s job was easy.

Family hats…
last update: 05/07 @ 17:23

Robert and I decided to represent the MacNaughton clan for the festivities.

Thank you for the picture Carolee!

Beach Wedding photos
last update: 05/06 @ 20:42

Beach Wedding
last update: 05/04 @ 11:04

Perfect day for a beach wedding yesterday. And everything was great! Kate and Sean are now legally married (the most important part). And Loren is down to only one daughter engaged :)

And family and friends are enjoying the company on Ocracoke.

Second Place!!!
last update: 03/17 @ 20:36

It was a very nice awards ceremony and TC was well represented.

Robert’s second was the best of his group.

We’ll see if science fair is on tap for next year, and if so, do we get to use more of the argon we still have under to porch?

The next step
last update: 03/16 @ 18:55

Robert took his science fair project to the Northern Virginia regional competition today.

He’s been through the TC Williams science fair and moved on the all Alexandria science fair. We’ll find out tomorrow if he moves beyond the regional (I think state is next).

All based on the idea that argon will help a wetsuit insulate longer than room air. (Spoiler alert: it will.)

I posted a picture of the setup in December.

Thank you MIT and scuba diving for the idea. (I guess the navy gets some credit too: they are hoping to keep divers comfortable longer in the water.)

Happy Birthday Yuri!!!
last update: 03/10 @ 19:52

Always good to have an excuse for cake, and when the excuse is tied to space exploration, that’s even better!

Happy Birthday, Yuri, “Let’s go!!!”

Still doing very well…
last update: 03/05 @ 19:30

… Check this out: two awards this time around: Top Achiever and All A Honor Roll.

His parents could not be more proud of how seriously he’s taking his high school studies and how well that shows.

Happy New Year!!!
last update: 01/01 @ 00:55

Unfortunately, the fog was still with us.

It was pretty, but not very fireworky. We did see some of the finale lighting the sky a little bit.

But mostly, it looked like this, but with cool sound effects.

As you can see: it’s pretty neat and colorful. But…

…I feel like the coming year is just about this clear.

Fantastic Friday
last update: 11/24 @ 10:44

David Z. arranged a great post Thanksgiving day for the extended family today:

We met up at the Folger Library for a tour. Apparently David ran into Michael Witmore, the Director, in Seattle and so arranged a tour today.

Not just any tour, but they managed to pull together some very cool artifacts from their collection for us to look at including a 17th century map (Sarah the geographer was thrilled) and a block print from down on the river in the winter including a proto-hockey player.

We toured the theater (where Robert performed twice as part of the middle/high school competition) and the reading room — seen here.

Then, in the founder’s room, they had laid out those items from the collection for us to peruse. Note the first folio in the foreground. One of 82 in the collection — they wanted enough to be able to track the corrections made during printing.

And then we took a quick turn through the Library of Congress on our way to see the Washington DC Capitols beat the Detroit Red Wings.

Beside the Haragadons, who all play hockey, the recent addition of Holtby (the Caps goalie) to Robert’s old school gives us another connection to hockey.

Michael was great, enthusiasic and obviously well versed in the library, theater and all things Shakespeare; he called on Rachel, one of the two lead librarians, who pulled the items from the collection and told us all a bit about them.

Proof of better times…
last update: 11/24 @ 10:44

… and worse times.

One of the manuscripts Rachel brought out for us to look at. The “rocket cat.” Actually a cat (and bird) drawn with petards as part of a castle siege. I think a plan thought of but never actually used: the bird can’t carry that much weight, and anyone with cats knows they wont run where you want them to…

But note the amazing colors still striking after hundreds of years. The benefit, Rachel told us, of velum rather than wood pulp paper. (And possibly poisonous dyes, I’m guessing.)

Perfect Day …
last update: 11/04 @ 20:25

A great wedding in a lovely spot under a blue sky.

And with games!!!

And the aftermath…
last update: 10/31 @ 20:34

A crazy huge haul. We measured a bit over 7 pounds!!!

Too much to histogram on the table (and it would have taken a while). Just sorting was impressive…

Halloween
last update: 10/31 @ 19:47

That spooky time of year!!!

Fortunately, we have George the Giraffe to look after us.

This year, Robert decided that the kitties pumpkins needed to be carved (as well as the full-sized ones).

And he took that on free hand,

One Pinker….

…One Panzer.

For the full-sized pumpkins, we have (starting at the top)

The fancy scroll work is all Robert; he may have found his calling.

Sarah is doing a great job of being Dolores from Westworld, the first season, before she started killing everyone.

Robert is a coral reef restoration diver. Good think we opted for the waterproof cast (hidden on his right hand).

The weather was perfect, no need for coats and Robert in shorts was fine (Sarah may even have been a little over dressed).

Happy Father’s Day!!!
last update: 09/15 @ 00:10

Sarah and Robert got us tickets to see Paul Simon.

He put on great show.

Sarah was dubious about any updates to his standards; I thought they were great. If you get the chance, GO — this may really be his last tour. And if you applaud a lot, you too may get three encores.

I hope to be having as much fun when I’m 70+.

Thank you to Sarah and Robert for a great Father’s day gift!

Sombrero!!!
last update: 07/29 @ 16:02

Actually, we had time this afternoon before taking Sarah to the airport for a Los Tios birthday brunch. After picking up a new bike, Robert’s final birthday gift this year, he and Sarah rode over.

Of course, there had to be a sombrero picture of the birthday boy!

With that, the week of Robert birthday fun is winding down. Sarah is off to LA for a few days for work. The Los Tios sendoff is hard to beat!

More Tradition
last update: 07/28 @ 19:41

New this year, Robert had his birthday money to sweeten the pot. He has spent all afternoon putting together the City Ice sets we picked up for this birthday.

I’m sure he’ll spend weeks playing with them as they get merged in with the rest of his cool creations.

We had a busy birthday that included taking some schoolmates (alas, former schoolmates) to see Princess Mononoke followed by sub sandwiches, chips, cake and video games to really break in the addition to the house.

That means when Sarah gets back from her work travel, we’ll head to Los Tios for the traditional donning of the sombrero.

Alexandria’s Birthday!!!
last update: 07/07 @ 23:31

The weather was much cooler today so it was a no brainer to walk down to the waterfront for the fireworks. Alexandria put on a GREAT show!

If the weather is like this next year, we’ll have to go earlier to enjoy the music more.

Birthday Week Winding Down
last update: 05/28 @ 21:50

More Fame
last update: 05/27 @ 11:37

Robert was interviewed for this NYT Kids article on cool summer camps. As far as I can tell, it’s print only so I can’t find a link to it.

They quoted Robert and Dottie Metcalf-Lindenberger, the first Space Camp grad to fly in space.

Birthday Quilt
last update: 01/07 @ 10:18

It’s GREAT!

There may be more in our future.

I was worried about the deterioration of some of my old favorites; this seems like it will help them stick around for several more years.

Happy New Year!!!
last update: 01/01 @ 12:10

It was pretty cold this year for New Years with the temperature around 15 or so. We mostly stayed at home in front of the fire.

And with Robert’s help, we celebrated New Years in Kathmandu, Istanbul, St. Mary’s Canada, San Juan Puerto Rico and then Alexandria.

In Alexandria, the city did a very nice job with the fireworks. We left our fireside about 11:50 and walked up the steps at the Masonic Temple to check them out at the foot of King Street.

That got us back home to run around the house (thank you Norman’s for not minding us cutting across your yard), sweep our troubles off the porch and eat our grapes under the table.

If asked, Robert will report that there are way more jokes about grapes than raisins.

Hoppin John and getting ready to go back to work and school are on the agdenda for today — indoor activities as the temperature is not expected to get above 25 today.

Here’s to hoping 2018 is a more sane year and we can turn the corner on the political craziness.

The Chef and her Goose
last update: 12/25 @ 14:10

Sarah doing an excellent job cooking the goose.

Yesterday, she was on tap to cook two . I wondered aloud if it was possible to do a goose on the grill — two in our oven is really a tight fit (we’ve not remodeled the kitchen yet).

She put on her researcher hat and lo and behold: it is, and it is really good, and maybe even easier than in the oven.

There could be more goose in our future.

Complete!!!
last update: 12/25 @ 14:06

The Saturn V is complete — one day and before we leave for dinner. That’s just too fast :)

The complete rocket is a meter tall.

It comes with the cool display stands.

And the lunar lander and splash down mini-displays.

With mini-astronauts.

Opening in Earnest
last update: 12/25 @ 11:45

Robert let us sleep in a bit after a fantastic Christmas eve meal and party at the Hargadon’s. And then we got on to the serious business of unwrapping all the great gifts that were in the stockings (and next to the stockings) and under the tree.

Robert got the next size up PJs from this Atlanta kin; the whole Williams clan has matching PJs.

Sarah got some books off her list. And also from her wish list: a new Scan Pan (currently in use on goose gravy for dinner).

I got tickets to see Sweet Honey in the Rock when they come to The Birchmere.

But really, it was very Legoy Christmas…

We each got a stocking stuffer set to build. Robert got his parents cool sets (I have a drilling truck now).

And we got Robert the Saturn V rocket, crazy big set.

He’s already halfway through building the rocket.

Early present opening…
last update: 12/24 @ 12:19

Robert and Ian both got Sphero minis; the cats lives will never be the same.

Thank you David Z.!

Looking a lot like…
last update: 12/03 @ 20:18

We picked up our tree today.

We are a little earlier this year as our local (walkable) tree guys sold out last year when we waited longer.

Then I ran to the river for a quick paddle — it was 55 and bright and sunny.

Robert and I moved the tree in while Sarah was off singing the Messiah.

Then we all reconvened for lighting and decorating.

(And dinner.)

Robert had the great idea to make a tree for his cubby at school.

And a couple more for favored teachers.

His has lights, their Chrismas trees have ornaments but we didn’t have any more of the micro lights.

Maybe we can see them in place at the big winter show in a couple weeks.

All very cool in my book.

Stanley Clarke
last update: 11/21 @ 08:29

And an excellent start to the Thanksgiving vacation season.

We’re looking forward to a quick trip and visiting with lots of family and friends over the next week.

Maybe even some more live entertainment.

Good Fun
last update: 10/31 @ 21:25

An excellent Halloween was had by all.

We were a little late in picking up our pumpkins, but that meant no time for the squirrels to get to them.

And Robert’s cool, jack-o-lantern eating a pumpkin held up really well.

Sarah and Robert even picked up special lights for George the giraffe.

Extra fun this year: Robert’s classmate Travis and his brother Austin came by.

The boys were pretty tireless in their quest for even more candy.

Actually, in about 30 - 45 minutes, they were ready to head home with pounds of sugar in their bags.

And then Robert did his sorting — too much variety this year for a good histogram.

There are way worse problems to have.

Traditional Birthday Dinner
last update: 07/28 @ 08:59

I got back to Alexandria early Thursday morning (about 2:30). So we celebrated Robert’s birthday dinner at Los Tios as we have for several years.

They have the best birthday sombreros!

And very tasty food as well.

Teenager
last update: 07/22 @ 10:33

This is from our drive out to Idaho; we stopped a Devil’s Tower (after watching Close Encounters before we left.

This was all the Park Service had on hand recognizing the role Devil’s Tower played in that movie.

Happy Birthday!!!
last update: 05/22 @ 19:33

With the Mother’s Day trip to New York, we’ve done a lot of celebrating this month.

That’s a good thing!

I think Sarah is rocking the sombrero this year. The blue really pops out.

One of the ways Robert’s school raises funds is the annual auction. And one way the middle schoolers participate is by offering a service for sale at the auction. This year, we got the cake creation by Kenna. And Sarah choose her favorite birthday cake: yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

Kenna’s baking skills did not disappoint :)

(And Robert’s camera work is first rate — I was lighting candles.)

Mother’s Day in NYC
last update: 05/15 @ 21:30

We took the train up to New York for the weekend. It was a chance to say, “Hi!” to David Z., Ian, Elle and Sophie and family. And Sarah cut some secret deal to let her brother pick up the last ticket to Sweeney Todd in exchange for Hamilton tickets for Sarah as a Mother’s Day / Birthday present.

While the weather could have been better Saturday, we made the most of it with a visit to the Tenement Museum (which has been on Sarah’s list for a while) and back to the Math Museum. We looked for the cool number line that they brought to the Math Festival last month.

While we didn’t find that, we did find plenty to keep us entertained and out of the rain.

Getting to visit briefly Saturday night with David Z. before the show was an unexpected a treat. (We knew we were going to get together for Sunday brunch.)

The weather was much better Sunday and we had time before brunch to hang out in Bryant Park and play Scrabble. Not to gloat (at least not too much), but I lucked into a 68 point queen play…

Sarah can’t have all the fun on Mother’s Day, right?

Speaking of Mother’s Day fun… Robert and I stopped by the M&M store that was just a block from our hotel. They had custom printing while you wait. So Sarah has a small cup of Happy Mom Day M&Ms (not enough space for Mother’s Day).

That was a pretty fun surprise. The M&Ms came out of the printer and filled up the cup in what looked like a fire hydrant. All-in-all, it was pretty cool.

And, of course, Mother’s Day brunch was great! We got to meet Sophie’s parents and sister. And Sophie seemed to really enjoy the games Robert picked out for her birthday: Timeline and Swish (both highly recommended).

Cloister Heather Gardens
last update: 05/15 @ 21:11

On our quick trip to New York over Mother’s Day weekend, we stopped by The Cloisters. This is the Heather Garden where we sprinkled some of Lois Zapolsky’s ashes many years ago.

It seemed perfect to visit on Mother’s Day and add some tulips, surreptitiously, to the grounds overlooking the Hudson and GW Bridge.

It was pretty impressive how quickly a storm blew in while were there, started to chase us out, then cleared completely to let us spend a bit more time in the garden.

TYSODTWD
last update: 04/27 @ 18:04

It looked like fun to me (and I enjoyed having Robert there).

Easter
last update: 04/16 @ 10:27

We have a new technique for our eggs this year: Robert and Sarah found Painters, paint pens.

Clearly a step beyond our previously adventurous rubber band wrapping. Sarah’s flowers are great!

They were a very cool addition.

Perhaps not completely traditional, but fun nonetheless.

And helps to make it worthwhile to really stretch to get that last egg hidden by the Easter Bunny.

It promises to be a hot Easter this year (something we should be getting more used to I suppose).

We’re finishing up our Tax Day letter (check back on Tuesday, thanks to DC’s Emancipation Day holiday). Then we have a couple outdoor excursions planned.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo!!!
last update: 03/14 @ 22:35

Sarah called it a late St. David’s day present. Robert and I just called it great! With the recent snow and questionable roads, it wasn’t sold out. We all had a great evening.

Thank you SZap for the excellent Tuesday evening entertainment (and Robert photo)!

Christmas Presents!!!
last update: 12/26 @ 16:52

But there were some nice things under the tree as well.

I have an etched MacNaughton crest for my office courtesy of Robert’s Tech Shop camp last summer.

Sarah got a cool game from Robert (courtesy of the game club at school).

And Robert got a cool Lego set (thank you Santa) and Xbox (which is even now downloading games).

His expression opening the Xbox was well worth the extra packaging and wrapping to make it harder to guess (he actually bought half of it with his saved up allowance — so it might have been only a partial surprise).

And the Lego set called to him strongly after we cleaned up the wrapping paper. (Note the Star Wars PJs that he opened on Christmas eve.)

Sarah’s game, Tsuro, is recommended for a fun quick strategy game.

Tree Up
last update: 12/11 @ 21:11

And, as Robert noted, it’s really good for offering spots for Lego guys to hang out in the tree…

Ahh….
last update: 12/11 @ 20:36

Happy Birthday!!!
last update: 12/10 @ 23:17

It was great fun!

The evening relaxing by the fire on the first really cold day of the winter was the perfect way to cap off the day.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like…
last update: 12/05 @ 19:48

We’re going for outside lights; a whole new thing for us. George really does seem to like it :)

Next up, we need a tree…

Happy 18th!!!
last update: 11/28 @ 22:39

It was great. We have a special family and I’m so glad we do.

PS: Sarah’s facebook page has Costco Man helping to rake the leaves — the complete video. Go check it out.

Turkey Trot
last update: 11/25 @ 10:46

After showers and bit of a break, we had a great Thanksgiving dinner at the Hubbards with their family.

A good time was had by all (and Robert enjoyed the cousin time almost as much as Sarah and I enjoyed the in-law time).

King of Candy
last update: 10/31 @ 22:45

And yet, the haul is pretty impressive.

This year, we weighed it: 115 ounces (a bit over 7 pounds). We’ve divided it into foreseeable future consumption and two bags in the freezer we hope to forget…

Let’s see if there is an update to this story in March or April

(By the way, the tie is part of the Fitz, Agent of Shield costume. But he does rock it!)

Getting Close…
last update: 10/30 @ 18:55

Robert’s Agent’s of Shield seal looked better before the pesky squirrels ate the eagle’s head off.

And Sarah did great things with PumpSuvias, the volcanic Jack-o-Lantern.

I stuck with my traditional, sharp teeth look,

Birthday Traditions
last update: 07/29 @ 20:48

The very nice present from Harry was from his wish list, so something he picked out, but then had to hope for.

And if go to the Lego store at Tyson’s Corner, you are morally obligated to go to the Sushi Go-Round (Wasabi).

The correct order is Lego store (get a couple small thing in addition to whatever big set (or sets) you settle on and then stop in for sushi.

That way you may be able to work your new Lego creation into the milieu of the meal…

Case in point:

Maybe some police support to things orderly.

Because, really, you need that conveyor belt to keep moving and bringing you all that tasty sushi…

Of course the real birthday tradition (beyond the presents, party and general celebration) is the dinner at Los Tios (not the same day as Wasabi.

Because of course you need your sombrero time…

Birthday!!!
last update: 07/29 @ 20:37

So the timing seemed perfect, on the last day of camp, he’d be old enough to use the machines he would learn how to use in camp.

Then they changed the rules, in a good way: now, with an adult, you can get in at 8 years old.

(That seems a bit young to me, but only, I guess, because Robert is 12 now. I bet it would have been fine back when he was 8.)

So he’s been using laser cutters and 3D printers now.

For the record, his parents have not used either — yet.

He made this cool logo for himself and this nifty dogtag. Note that he’s a commander with NASA and all set to be an astronaut and check out mars.

(I’m not sure his parents are down with that long a trip for him, but that’s another matter.)

On the actual day (July 22) he woke up to a big blue bag with, among other things, this cool Lego set from the Star Wars universe. Thank you Harry.

Busy week
last update: 07/29 @ 20:12

Robert has been 12 for a full week and I’ve neglected to post any b-day pictures yet. I’ll start with this, proving it’s been a busy week (look closely, he’s practicing the fine art of reading with his eyes closed — reading with his mind, he says).

And I’m sorry say no pictures from his party this year. With the release of the new Star Trek movie, Robert opted for a movie birthday party. Sarah gets mad props for arranging assigned seats and finding a place with table to put out the cake after the movie.

I think everyone had a good time.

Fireworks!!!
last update: 07/09 @ 22:35

We decided to head up the steps of the Masonic Memorial (AKA: Castle Roberto) to catch the Alexandria Founder’s Day fireworks.

It was a clear night, warm but not oppressive; perfect for summer fireworks.

Robert had this cool glow-in-the-dark tic-tac-toe set that he decided to bring along. It was just the thing to keep us entertained before the show.

There were also some Maryland communities shooting off fireworks that we could see across the river.

Not as up close as being down at the park (as we done before), but not nearly as crowded either. There was plenty of room on the steps.

July 4th Beach Trip
last update: 07/09 @ 14:55

But this year the heat got to us and we left early. It was just too hard to sleep with the temperature staying as high as it was.

On our way home Friday, we passed a time/temperature sign saying it was an even 100 degrees. While the beach may have been cooler, it was not a whole lot cooler.

That’s our pair of tents in the foreground — note the lack of air conditioning.

We do enjoy the company and the waves, though.

And the sand, did I mention we enjoy the sand too? Best place for building castles.

This year, Robert was digging on the beach and stumbled onto this cache of soldiers. They were in pretty good shape so we don’t think they’ve been around too long.

They quickly turned the castles into forts.

But as is often the case, the water eventually overtakes the sand castle/fort.

Then there is nothing left to do but get out into the water…

Tradition continues…
last update: 05/21 @ 21:02

Birthday Girl!!!
last update: 05/21 @ 11:20

We had plans to celebrate with her book club friends at a cabin on Antietham creek. But the weahter turned against us.

The day started with biscuits, coffee (tea) and Nerf Bows!

Next up, Jungle Book and meeting friends at Los Tios for birthday dinner.

It’s like this see…
last update: 04/14 @ 22:41

…Robert is in school so he should be able to do the math, I just made a bad assumption: If this is 2016 and the first Tax Day letter was 1996, this must be the 20th Tax Day letter, Right?

That’s what it says (in the last sentence). The problem is, that’s what I said in last year’s letter. Turns out, that’s a classic Fence Post Error. This is the 21st year for Tax Day letters.

So I apologize but I’m going to let it stand without correction (other than this). And hope that those who are interested will enjoy the letter (even knowing the last sentence is an unintentional lie).

Feel the Fork
last update: 02/15 @ 11:14

Star Wars Pilot
last update: 01/01 @ 16:59

That idea may have come from either the first or second time we saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Christmas!!!
last update: 01/01 @ 16:55

Happy B-day
last update: 12/18 @ 23:30

He’s got a pretty mean looking stern face these days.

Halloween
last update: 10/31 @ 22:34

We had an excellent and healthy dinner.

We put our jack-o-lanterns on the steps.

Added a bowl of candy.

(Which turned out to be way more than we needed. Sarah, once again correct, that I expect many more trick or treaters than we get on our street.)

Sarah morphed into Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons.

We headed out to see what we could see.

After doing the round in our neighborhood, we headed down to Lee St., known as Halloween Central around here. We saw lots of costumes but were a bit late by the time we got there.

No matter though…

We should have stomach aches covered for weeks; and all our discretionary income is earmarked for fillings.

(Notice how full that big is.)

Starting to look like…
last update: 10/30 @ 19:31

We’re a bit late with our carving, but they look good. And I think (maybe, possibly) we have enough candy to give out (put out while we go around).

Traditions winding down…
last update: 07/26 @ 16:40

(Normally, Robert picks up his food and brings it to his mouth…)

Traditions…
last update: 07/22 @ 22:05

Harry and Elle sent the very cool Lego train set. And Robert let us both help build parts of it. I got to build the tanker car and Sarah got to build the livestock car.

Expect a photo or two once we manage to get get it up to Robert’s room (where it will take up most of the floor).

I don’t know if he’s going to take a break or launch into building the Ultra Agents set tomorrow.

And after camp and work, we headed to our traditional Los Tios birthday dinner.

(Yes we think he is still allergic to dairy, but it’s getting better; we traded the birthday ice cream for sopapillas.)

Festivities Continue
last update: 07/20 @ 20:19

We saw these characters on our way in and snapped a photo or two. (Sarah found out after the fact that there were small fans in the costumes — a good thing as it was the hottest day of the year).

We had Robert’s favorite seats: up in the rafters were you can see the whole game. And catch a breeze. And be in the shade.

It was a nice time even if we did loose.

We ended up leaving while it was still resptable (1-0 Dodgers) and stopped off at the water park. By the time we got there, the score was 5-0 and I was too hot to think about getting a photos of the guys in the wading pool.

That’s Robert, Travis and Will (we’re sorry that Will is heading to a new school next year).

First Pair Birthday
last update: 07/18 @ 16:36

We kept with our current strategy of air conditioned indoor parties and headed back to UltraZone for laser tag.

Robert’s team won three of three battles!

And somehow it seemed appropriate that during the traditional signing of Happy Birthday…

… a balloon got too close to a light bulb and popped. That got everyone’s attention.

(I’m not sure how we lucked into the Star Wars room, but that was an extra plus this year.)

Christmas in May
last update: 05/23 @ 16:18

Robert got this cool zip line from Harry and Elle for Christmas. After lots of discussion, debate and generally staring around the backyard, we developed a plan. With a few more bits, we have it installed now.

Robert pronounced it cool — if a bit scary since you need to drop off at the end. One of the littler kids in the neighborhood, is not at all convinced. She didn’t drop off but was bounced off and took a tough landing. Fortunately, only shaken up, not really hurt.

We’re expecting the first injury to be from running into the corner of treehouse — it’s pretty close.

Oh, if the weather is nice, it’s fun to spray zip-liners with a squirt gun as they pass by…

Tradition
last update: 05/21 @ 21:42

It’s clearly become our go-to birthday option, because, really, who can argue with the sombrero?

Nationals Win
last update: 05/10 @ 23:50

Smiling at the end of the game!

Happy Mother’s Day!!!
last update: 05/10 @ 20:10

We headed into DC to see the Nationals take on the Braves for Mother’s Day. And were joined by Hank and Sally, which made it even more fun.

On the way in, we ran into Jefferson and he conceded to a photo op.

It was too bad the baseball boat wasn’t running, it was a great day for a boat ride to the game. I think the company may have rented the water taxi out for a Mother’s Day cruise — our loss.

Our seats were up on the First Base Line; perfect for seeing the game. And it was a fun game too.

The Nats came on strong taking a 3-0 lead but then the Braves tied it up and went ahead.

Robert and I decided to check out the view from the top of stadium and that was nice too. Today it had the benefit of a nice breeze coming through. It was a bit hot in the sun and the very little bit of ran didn’t cool it down much.

Finally, the Nats rallied for the 5-4 win to sweep the Braves back to Atlanta.

After the game, we went by the splash park since it was a hot day. Robert had lots of fun running through the waterfall. Sarah and I only waded while he did what he could to swim in the 12 inches of water.

Peep-o-rama
last update: 04/05 @ 09:58
This year in school, Robert’s class was studying Columbus and the trip to the new world. So Robert built the Peepa Maria.

If you look carefully, you can see the lookout in the crow’s nest and a fish caught off the port side.

Across the newspaper ocean is Sarah’s scene of the early colonists (that’s the next topic for Robert’s social studies).

Easter Eggs
last update: 04/05 @ 09:53
Robert started off the traditional Easter egg hunt in his room this year. I’m not sure the Easter bunny has hidden eggs in his room before.

Then we moved downstairs where we thought the bulk of the eggs were hiding. I spotted this one in the napkin holder before they did and was doing the traditional warmer, colder as they looked for it. You may need to look at the larger version of photo, there is an egg peeking up from the edge of the bowl.

With everything else going on (Spring Break, Science Fair, Andy getting his braces off), we only got around to dyeing the eggs last night.

I remain partial to stripes and multiple colors; but after the fact, always wish I’d left a few more dyed in just on clear color.

Fortunately we made it just in time.

We all found some and eventually, all 17 were recovered; along with some of the plastic eggs with candy or coins in them.

I think it’s a very handsome basket we ended up with.

The peeps came into play after we found the eggs…

St. Paddy’s Parade?
last update: 03/07 @ 15:29
Alexandria’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is pretty all inclusive.

Beer, that’s not unusual at all. Port City is our local brew and quite tasty. And plenty an Irishman has been fond of his pint.

And, or course the politicians have to be in the parade — that’s just traditional

Other entrants are harder to see the Irish connection…

That said, I liked the change in music, and Bolivians can more there hands and arms when they dance (almost seems like cheating).

I’m not sure about the Irish connection to the 501st Legion of Clone Troopers. (Robert says when they became Storm Troopers they were no longer the 501st — and he would know.)

St. Paddy’s Parade
last update: 03/07 @ 15:19
Time for the Alexandria St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Unfortunately, Robert was feeling a bit under the weather and was not interested in going outside. Fortunately, the snow had stopped, the sun was out and the temps were no longer record breakingly cold.

There were redcoats….

… and other troops from a variety of eras.

And Pipers.

And more pipers — but we love pipers, so that’s OK.

Pipes and drums …

And Irish dancing friends (Go Eleanor!!!)

Home again from Christmas
last update: 12/30 @ 12:09
We had great trip to Decatur for Christmas, managed to see all the Williams clan and even have dinner with Martha on the way home. Lot’s more photos in the vacations section.

Winter Festival
last update: 12/19 @ 17:34
Robert and his class sang The Lights of Hanukkah and Silent Night in the school’s Holiday show today. Now we’re done with school in 2014!

And yes, he decided on the shirt an tie on his own.

Happy Birthday!!!
last update: 12/10 @ 20:53
Robert and Sarah took me out to Los Tios for our traditional birthday dinner. I got to wear the hat this time! It was a nice, mellow birthday — hard to compete with having a snow day off like last year.

Florida Trip
last update: 12/06 @ 16:26
Lot’s more photos from our trip to Florida (Legoland was only the first part of the trip) are now in the vacations section.

Thank you Nick and Trish for the invitation to your stellar wedding.

The Haul…
last update: 10/31 @ 23:18
In the end, candy is what really matters.

Robert has plenty (and we have at least that much left over).

Let us know if you need a little sugary pick-me-up…

(My favorite part of his home-made costume: he decided to look up and print out a patch from the USS Antietam, the aircraft carrier his grandfather served on. Looking that up just now I see he found a patch from the current USS Antietam rather than it’s predecessor. Still, I appreciate that extra effort and thought.)

Halloween
last update: 10/31 @ 23:10

Robert in his Fighter Pilot gear too us Trick or Treating.

We left too much candy on the steps, guarded by Robert’s Bio-hazard jack-o-lantern, Sarah’s shark and my sharp, pointy teeth.

When we came back; there was still plenty of candy — Robert and I way over bought (or our neighborhood is not trendy enough with the spooky crowd.

There are folks not too far from our house who take this way too seriously. We ran into this party next to the Blue Park.

Spiders, webs, headstones, witches, skeletons, mummies with glowing eyes. They had it all (along with smoke machines, lights, a fire…)

Halloween Getting Closer…
last update: 10/26 @ 22:03
Halloween is just around the corner so we took advantage of the great weather to carve some pumpkins today.

Robert decided he wanted to carve a biohazard symbol. So he looked it up on the web, downloaded a photo, re-sized it (with a little help), transferred it to his pumpkin and cut it out.

(After he cleaned the guts out. Once you’re double digits in age, you gotta expect to do that yourself. Plus, he did his own on the field trip a couple weeks ago.)

It turned out really well! I’m looking forward to seeing it lit up on the steps.

I put less thought into mine: a traditional spiky teethed jack-o-lantern. Sarah came back from Boston in time to carve her pumpkin before dinner; she chose a shark — which also turned out really well.

Gettind ready for Halloween…
last update: 10/25 @ 11:02
The figher pilot costume is coming together nicely…

Trademark Expo
last update: 10/18 @ 16:36
Busy day today, Robert’s school had their fall fair and USPTO had their Trademark Expo.

Robert got to try out a Berg peddle car — they had adult sizes too, but I decided I’d rather take his picture (I sense a pattern here). They were cool and the kids all seemed to have a good time.

As you can see, the weather was great!

Yes, they gave away samples as well.

Probably the coolest thing aside from the peddle cars, as the Caterpillar simulator. Robert got an excellent ride, learned how to scoop up and dump dirt. And with some encouragement from the crowd, learned not to drive straight down into hole at the construction site — it was cool seeing how much the simulator could shake him up during his crash.

Par-TAY!
last update: 09/07 @ 21:49
I’m not sure Robert gets how special it is to be one of the very few boys invited to Eleanor’s birthday party. I am sure he gets how cool the huge water slide was!

And, of course, we get how cool her parents are and how much fun it is to hang out with them for the day.

Birthday week winding down
last update: 07/26 @ 18:58
Can you wind down with a bang?

As Robert’s birthday week of celebrations comes to a close, we took the new Silver Line metro out to Tyson’s Corner.

If you don’t know, Tyson’s Corner is the home of the Lego Store! New this year, Robert brought his own money and a Lego gift card. He was very careful in selecting what he wanted to get. Fortunately, the selection there is impressive.

For those keeping track, he still gravitates to Star Wars sets, but he did a good job looking over the whole store.

It’s tempting to say those are all Robert’s plates, but he did have some help making that stack. It’s both tasty and fun (and a bit crowded, especially if you want a table seat).

It seemed clear to us that the new metro line is a good thing for Tyson’s: there were a lot of folks there with the Silver Line pennants they were giving out at the new stations today.

We successfully delivered two Wimpy Kid books to it today — and Robert promptly read them both. We’ll have to look for something more substantial and get him all wired up to the Alexandria Library’s eBook collection (sorry Amazon).

Sucess
last update: 07/22 @ 21:28
AT-TE built and we made it to dinner! An excellent birthday all around!

The Minecraft Lego set is for tomorrow, Robert says.

Birthday Bash continues
last update: 07/22 @ 16:10
One of many gifts Robert received over the last couple days: Lego AT-TE from the Star Wars realm. Will we make it to our birthday dinner tonight? Will he finish it this afternoon or be willing to put it down? Inquiring minds want to know, but only time will tell…

Birthday Bash Begins
last update: 07/20 @ 16:11
We had so much fun last year that we went back to UltraZone for more laser tag birthday battles today.

With our experience from last year, we did better and our team won two and came in second once.

More importantly, Robert, the kids and the adults (at least those that entered the arena) all had a good time.

We had (as has become traditional) plenty to nosh on before and after the games.

This year’s cake theme, courtesy of the Smithsonian Dinosaurs and Dioramas camp, was dinosaurs. We didn’t really realize it was sized for dinosaurs until we picked it up. Fortunately, we have freezer…

Father’s Day BLAM!
last update: 06/15 @ 19:49
Sarah was keeping track of when Fort Washington would be firing their canons, and today was the day.

We paddled across the Potomac from the Virginia side (dodging motor boats, jet skis and small cruise ships) and arrived in time for a quick lunch before we climbed up to see what was happening in the fort.

There was a BLAM as we cleaned up our lunch.

We arrived just as they were preparing the second shot from the 2pm blast.

It was every bit as loud as it looks.

And they told us that they were using about 8 ounces of black powder — with an actual canon ball, they would be using more like a pound.

We staying for the final two shots of the day just because it’s so impressive.

Father’s Day to and from the Blam
last update: 06/15 @ 19:48
It was pretty windy as we paddled north to the fort and a bit choppy. But the wind helped keep it cool.

And we really weren’t threatened much by the power boat crowd, though we did keep an eye out just to be sure.

Yesterday was lovely and cool; today lovely and warm. Being on the river was a fine way to spend the afternoon.

Even with the cannons blasting and great weather, there were really very few folks. It’s great (from our perspective) that Fort Washington is so little known.

Start of Summer
last update: 06/08 @ 15:49
Yesterday, with the beautiful weather and Robert recently out of school, we decided to bike across the bridge and check out the new Capital Wheel.

The bike ride was great; Robert’s new bike seemed to treat him really well and we made the full trip there without incident or need to walk. We did stop to take in the view from the bridge — the telescope and binoculars in the overlooks are free, a very nice bonus.

And the circular ride down from bridge to ground level was lots of fun.

It provided a great view of how much the area around National Harbor has been built up. It’s impressive considering there was nothing when we moved into our house.

Too bad the line for the wheel was outside; fortunately, mostly in the shade. We did see one patron ahead of us who fainted in the heat. Sarah predicts they will install misters before the summer is out.

And we stopped in at the Peep store to get a little extra energy (and cold water) for the trip back home.

All-in-all, a very pleasant outing.

Happy Birthday!!!
last update: 05/22 @ 22:01
… to Sarah!!! Los Tios is becoming our Go To birthday dinner spot. I’m sure it’s because of the hat. Sarah got to wear it this time.