Honey Makes Some Friends

To celebrate our one year anniversary (almost!), Amber and I are out in Las Vegas this week for a quick trip. We were worried about what to do with Honey and tried to see if any of our friends could take care of her. Nothing quite worked out, so in the end we had to find a place to board her for a few days. Honey tends to be shy of other dogs, so we worried about whether it would all be a traumatic experience for her.

We brought her down yesterday evening and dropped her off, along with her food, a bag of chew bones, and her bed. This morning we got an email from the dogcare place. They said that Honey seemed to be having a good time and was even sharing her bed with some of the other dogs. We found it hard to believe, until they sent along some photo evidence:

Looks like Honey's made quite a few friends after all!

The Jeep is down for the count!

A broken piston has the Jeep down for the count.  I'm trying to throw a bucket of ice water in it's face and put it back in the ring but I just don't know if it's gonna make it.

Giving the old lady the boot

once upon a time we fed Aunt Jemima our pennies and she feed us pizza.  It worked out well until we stopped feeding her and she stopped feeding us.  Pizzas cost too many dollars to buy with pennies now.

So I don't want her and she doesn't want me.  Anyone have it in their heart to take in a homeless old lady that you remember from your childhood?  She comes with enough pennies to give her a little self respect.

Honey Triptych

We took Honey to the park and, since she's always shedding lots of hair, brought her brush. Here's a good visual synopsis of how it went:

 

Summer is for Biking

The kids have been having a great time biking this summer.  They've all since moved up a bike size, but here are some photos with their old bikes.

Why I Am So Great, or, My Travels Up the Pacific Coast

If I haven't talked to some of you in a while, it's because I've suddenly become very important and much cooler than I was before. And I've had to make hard decisions about relationships that are life-giving for me, and, sadly, some of you didn't make the cut. Also, I've been very busy wearing these cool new sunglasses (which the girl in the sunglass shop said "definitely take eighteen years off," effectively returning me to the mentality of a nineteen-year-old).

Okay, okay. None of that's really true (except those sunglasses do make me look much younger and cooler). I flew out to Laguna Beach, where my friend Loren lives, for the 4th of July, and then I spent the past week driving up the West Coast to Seattle. He needed his car in Seattle, and I was looking for an opportunity to get out of Minneapolis for a little while. Fortunately those two things coincided nicely.

I decided to take my time and drive the slow route up Hwys 1 and 101, which are old two-lane highways that hug much of the coast. I camped along the way, ate lots of good food, listened to a couple books on tape, and took way more photos than I should have. In a perfect world I'd gather us all together, pop some popcorn, and then slowly narrate through my 609 photos from the last couple days. Sadly (for you), you'll have to settle for a handful of representative photographs. Please provide your own popcorn.

 The view from Loren's window, overlooking Laguna Beach (and the lesser people who live below him).

My automobile companion for the drive, an Audi Q5.

A beach outside of Malibu

Pismo Beach, near Big Sur.

A rocky stretch of coast near Carmel.

The Mission at Carmel-by-the-Sea. It was founded in 1770, though this chapel was built in the 1920s.

There's a lot of farming country north of San Francisco, which surprised me. Lots of fields and grazing pastures that run right up to the edge of the ocean. This scenic farm sits outside Pt. Reyes Station.

Some scenic highway north of San Francisco.

A dilapidated dockhouse in Bodega Bay, where Hitchcock filmed The Birds.

A nice beach in Trinidad.

The fog rolling through the redwood forests of Northern California.

This, finally, is in Oregon, near Gold City.

Also Oregon, near Coos Bay.

The beautiful sand beaches of Newport. It was amazingly windy out here, and reminded me a lot of Lake Michigan.

The fishing fleet in Newport. Behind me is the seafood restaurant where I ate dinner (presumably fresh off one of these boats) that night.

I found this sign in Forks, Washington, which is where they filmed the Twilight series. They weren't fooling me with their "Puget Sound Blood Center" name. I know they're really vampires.

This little weather-beaten tree is at the tip of Cape Flattery, the most northwest point in the contiguous US.

 

The sea caves along Cape Flattery.

And photographic proof that I was there (or am very good at Photoshopping myself into landscape shots).

Along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Those mountains on the other side are in Canada.

The snow-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountains. This photo is taken from Hurricane Ridge, which is a really pretty highway that overlooks the mountains.

And Seattle! After five days on the road, I boarded the ferry from Bainbridge Island for a quick trip across Puget Sound to my destination.

King of the school returns to rule!

Let it be known that on this day, July 1st 2014, Reeths-Puffer High School gained a new chemistry teacher. Karl has officially been offered the position to teach honors chemistry and AP chemistry, and we couldn't be more excited! I've been grinning from ear to ear since I heard the news. We'll probably start to transition back to Muskegon in August. I'm hoping to keep working at my various jobs through the end of August, but then we'll be living the easy life with Dad (Dad, you still cook breakfast every morning, right?) We're hoping that by living at home for a few months, we'll be able to save money quickly for a house.

When I thought about creating this post, I envisioned posting a picture of Karl with the high school in the background. In lieu of an actual photograph, the very talented Catherine Wilkinson has rendered a comic depicting the interview. Karl can vouch for the accuracy.

This.

Niagara Falls (or, our journey into the great unknown of Canada)

Karl and I went to Niagara Falls this past weekend. I had never been there and it had been years since Karl had seen them, so we decided it was worth a weekend trip.

We had a conversation before we left about how much easier it is to travel now with GPS systems and smart phones.  It was at this point in the trip that we realized neither of us had loaded the Canadian map onto the GPS and it would cost an astronomical price to continue using data on our phones. Conditions deteriorated rapidly and we were forced to stop at a travel center and *GASP* look at a map.

On the Hornblower boat, heading toward the Horseshoe Falls.

We were surrounded by the Horseshoe Falls in this video. This is the most expensive shower I've ever taken. 

The day we spent doing most of our sightseeing was nice and sunny, so we were constantly seeing rainbows in the mist. 

This is an outlook from the tunnels that are underneath the falls. 

Bad to the bone.

The American Falls are on the left side and the Horseshoe Falls are on the right. 

We had dinner in the rotating dining room located at the top of the Skylon Tower.  If you look closely, you can see us waving at the top of the shadow.

All in all, it was a great trip! 

Happy 21st Birthday, Cupid!

Diapered Man Risks All for Birthday Felicitations

 

On my birthday post I stand,

And aim this arrow with my hand.

If it should strike some lucky soul,

He'll owe me Happy Birthday, O!

With festive arrows buried deep,

They'll wish me Happy Birthday's keep,

And beg me with their pleading tones,

To go and, please, put on some clothes!

Happy birthday, Daniel! Looks like the Arrow of Poetry struck another victim!

Happy birthday, David!

David: "A hearty congratulations, Sir Farts-a-Lot, on reaching this auspicious day. Now, shake my hand."

Daniel: "Is that a joy-buzzer? Ahhhh-hah-haha-hahha-hahaa!!!!"

Happy birthday, David. Here's hoping you get a lot of gifts (including a few practical jokes) today.

Ben's gift wish-list

Dear Family,

Over the years I've struggled with gift ideas. As I get older, it seems harder to think of things that I want (that are also in the gift-giving price range, aka, under $1,000).

This afternoon, though, I've stumbled upon a wonderful website that is a veritable wish-list for me. So, in the future, if you're looking for a gift for good ol' Ben, might I recommend anything on this webpage.

Sincerely,
Ben