Mom and Dad never told us about Rebecca

So, siblings, apparently we have a rival blogger in Europe. And she's aped our blog name for herself. I'm posting this screen capture as proof, in case Mom or Dad contact the CIA, NSA, and FBI and convince them to take down the site and its cached history.

I'm all for pretty pictures of morays, but right now we've got bigger fish to fry. Just who is this Rebecca Barnhart?

Social Morays

Andy, Lexi, Lisa and I decided to go Shedd Aquarium on Saturday, to see what we could see. Here's a little sampling of our aquatic adventure. (I was too busy taking pictures to catch any names, so I have no idea what most of these are called. Sorry.)

Even though its a little blurry, you still catch the ferocious look of this shark. One of them swam straight at me opening and closing his mouth. I know that glass is thick, but I decided it was time to move to the next exhibit.



Here's a funny little turtle with what looked for all the world like a pig nose.



Ah, the moray. He had some sharp little teeth in there. And a very lumpy looking face. Actually I feel like one of the staff just stuck his arm in a tan sock and drew some eyes and a mouth on it, just to see if anyone would fall for it. I'd like to believe these don't really live anywhere...waiting for their next victim.



"Hey lady, you got any snacks in that purse?"



He kind of looked stuck, but not altogether unhappy about it. In fact, he made it look pretty comfortable to be wedged between two rocks.



Moral of the story: I'm glad I grew up swimming in fresh water.

Ella and the "Big Boat"

Ella got to see the Coast Guard boat the Alder this morning. Steve called us from work (the boat was docked right across the street from his office) this morning and said that the boat was there, and he thought it would be getting under way soon. So, 15 minutes later (minus breakfast, but with enough time for a clean diaper and clothes!), we were out the door and headed to the dock. Steve met us and walked down to the boat with us, and Ella got to see the "big boat"!

Here's a photo of Ella and Steve checking out the Portage right behind the Alder at about 8:45am. It was beautifully sunny, but incredibly windy! Steve had the foresight to tell us to bring jackets. :)

Here's the Alder getting underway, with the Portage Lift Bridge in the background. Steve's office is just to the right of the bridge, so he is able to keep an eye on the boats coming and going and keep us posted. Steve and I actually saw this boat launched from the shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin, a couple of years ago (before Ella). It's always fun to get to see it again, and be reminded of it's sheer size!

And here's a photo of Ella and me, with the Alder heading west on the Portage, probably on its way to Duluth, MN. (Hey, Ben, you should make a trip up there to see it!) What a beautiful morning it was for us to get out and see a big boat....it made Ella's day! And then we got to go out for a special breakfast, too. (breakfast pasties and pastries)

A picture of the new dog wire- sort of

I asked Daniel to take a picture of the dogs on the new high wire we recently installed in the backyard. Well, the dogs are in the picture, and some of the post is in the picture, but you don't get the total effect from the camera angle Daniel used. But since I am doing a month's worth of posts now and it is too dark to get another picture, this one will have to do. Once again, the old adage "if you want a job done right, do it yourself" is true again.

One of Daniel's Birthday gifts

This is one of Daniel's birthday gifts from me. Saturday we installed the twist grip throttle on the handlebar, the scrub brake (a hand made oak block that is forced against the rear tire) and a cover for the clutch/sproket on the engine. The mini bike is now relatively safe- it also has a kill switch on the handlebar. So all it needs now is a coat of fresh paint and riders to test their motoring skills.

David's New Telescope Tripod

As seen on this post, David has his new telescope tripod, he seems very happy with it, and says he is soon to prove that Pluto is a planet after all. (I would be happy too if someones who owe me money for this gift would pay up)

The Shame of it all

I hate to admit this, but being the honest person that I am, I must. Sandy was ready for Daniel's Birthday on his birthday when no one else was. As documented by the above picture which I can reluctantly identify as being taken on May 18th. The world turned upside down. Now I know how the British felt when they lost the war to the colonies, Vicky.

Daniel's Birthday list

To everyone far and near, Daniel's birthday list is in the comment section of the last blog that Lisa left- the one with the weird picture of Daniel and the pathetic picture of Lisa. It is too hard to explain, but I had to put it there for techical reasons beyond my control.

ANOTHER BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Were you aware that Daniel's birhday is only two days away? Were you also aware that our youngest brother is a cherub? We've been mistreating this heavenly being his whole life. He wasn't really naughty when he was little, he was just trying to be Jesus's Little Lamb. Therefore, to make up fo this horrible misunderstanding, I feel this should be the best birthday ever. Give him everything you've got. Don't hold back when it comes to expense. In fact, one of Daniel's birthday requests was to have someone donate money to a worthy cause.



I don't think any further words are needed.

Happy Mothers Day!

This is what mom would have looked like if she'd decided to have us all at once. Apparently she would have been a pilgrim and carried around a hoola-hoop all day to keep us in. Hmmm...I guess I can see why she went the traditional route.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

On the occasion of David's birth

Happy Birthday, David!
















I was thinking about posting my favorite birthday picture of David on the blog, but since it appeared several posts back I'll share this one: ol' Fart Finder on the job.

Happy twenty-third birthday, David. I hope the smeller finds the feller just as good as it once did.

Jesus' little lamb

While it has never been my dream to watch middle school students perform original rap compositions or self-choreographed dance routines, that's exactly what I found myself doing this Friday evening, along with my equally enthusiastic family. The Reeths Puffer Middle School had their annual talent show tonight, and the youngest Barnhart was slated to perform the "Maple Leaf Rag" on the piano. He steadfastly resisted my suggestions to make a last-minute performance change to "Maple Leaf Rap."

Along with the trophy for 3rd place, Daniel also won the favor of all the ladies of RPMS.

Compare and Contrast

Here's a simple exercise to help keep your brain fresh and squeaky clean:

Compare and contrast the picture shown here with the one below. Simply comment on the content of the two pictures for the sheer exercise and for the fun of it (sure is fun).

I recommend the following guidelines:

• Limit your comment to fewer than 18 items. Do not attempt to cover every detail.



• No fashion critiques, please.



• Be as descriptive as possible, because nobody wants to read "the thing in this picture is more ordinary than in the other".



• Don't forget to compare and contrast.



• If you're having a hard time picking up details, use your imagination.



• Use an action verb, if possible.



• Be sure to proof your comment before you submit it. If it seems boring to you, re-write it in Pig Latin.



• Your birthday is just around the corner, David, so watch what you say.



• The same goes for you , Daniel.



• References to sensitive personal data will be kept in strict confidence here.



• Try to write in iambic pentameter or haiku. If that is not possible, make good use of alliteration. If that is not possible, free verse will suffice.



• Go fix a snack before you start.



• Number your comments and, if you are fluent in html markup, color code your observations by type.



• Observations about the photograph subjects should remain positive, unless they are about Ben or me.



• Have fun.

Let's keep this blog moving . . .

Not that I don't love looking at pictures of Nikki and Twila lying on Dad, but I think we need a new picture on the blog. If for nothing else than to attract new off-beat comments. So without further ado, I present . . . Ella and her dashing uncle!



I'm pretty sure this picture was taken just after I told Ella that she couldn't hold the ducks. Although it's also possible she'd just learned that Fletcher's not actually her older brother. Both events were pretty traumatic.

Easter morning back at home base...

So I awoke late this Sunday morning to grogilly crawl out of bed and climb down the stairs to find dad laying on the floor like this:




Yeah. This picture speaks for itself. No, not really. I actually awoke to a breakfast of waffles this morning, and dad was dressed in a pink easter bunny costume singing easter carols to Twilah and Nikki. Good times around here. Good times.

A Jaunt in the Snow on Easter Weekend

A happy Easter weekend to all!

Here are a couple of pictures from our snowshoeing this morning and Ella's visit with the horses.

We've been under a blizzard warning almost continuously for the last five days and the snow is proof that warnings in the UP are a little different from those LP forecasts. I think the current total is just over three feet of fresh powder. We had bare ground on Monday and I was starting to work on plants in the yard. Winter came back on Tuesday.

We had a great time snowshoeing. Even Fletcher seemed to enjoy himself for being a Southern dog. He had been rather depressed to have spring snatched out from under his paws without warning. But some extra rations and this walk in the woods lifted his spirits.


Here's Ella and me with our friends' Belgian, Star. Shortly after this photo was taken she sampled Ella's mitten. It's a good thing for mitten strings!

Ella's been practicing up on all her animal noises and she will expect you to know your noises when she visits next week. She likes the farm animals, but she is also familiar with the animals of greater Africa and some of the South American species.

Again I wish you a happy Easter. I encourage you to submit your most Easterly picture, as we have done here.

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Thank you.

New Ella Photos

That's right. There are new photos of Ella posted on our photosite. We'll try to get some winter photos posted soon (since it's now very spring-like here in Hancock and our snow is essentially gone). We hope that you enjoy seeing Ella in photos this way (so that it's not just a complete waste of our time to update our site!), and we know that you'll really enjoy seeing her in person in just a few weeks! She's growing and changing daily - and her vocabulary is blossoming.

We're looking forward to visiting with you guys!

Go to Mikesblogspot!

I didn't want to clog up the barnhartcentral blogspot with my impressions of Arizona, so I wrote it on my blogspot http://www.mikesblog-mike.blogspot.com/ You can go there, but I must warn you, it is a long story, and not for the faint of heart. Women and small children may not be able to take it.

Arizony here I come!

I'm off to Arizona, that great state of Rattlesnakes, Deserts, Mountains, and Grand Canyons. I will return after I have conquered them all- probably around 7PM on Wednesday. In the mean time, hold down the cushions of ease with your soft bodies while I go show Arizonians how a real man can tear up their state. My plane leaves Detroit at 2:10PM today (Saturday), I'm bringing some hand tools in my carryon just in case I have to climb out on the wing and fix an engine while in flight. You just never know.