Friday, August 27, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
His First School Project
Caden has officially started pre-school in the homeschool. The last year or so he has done a few things with colors, numbers, reading, and writing. But this will be his first "official" year of school with a regimented daily schedule of academics, art, etc. We think he'll do fine and be much more prepared to begin Kindergarten next year. This morning he completed an art project. A raccoon! Doesn't he look thrilled to be in school??? OK, it will grow on him.
The homeschool room is ready, curriculum is in place, the students - Gabe, Ethan, and Caden - are excited, and the teacher (Mommy) is all set for a great year.
The homeschool room is ready, curriculum is in place, the students - Gabe, Ethan, and Caden - are excited, and the teacher (Mommy) is all set for a great year.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Coupon Master
Stacie continues her dominance in the world of couponing. I remember when we first got married. She would go to the grocery store with 2-3 coupons she happened to see in the paper. Now she has a huge red binder all sectioned out in some order with pages upon pages of baseball card holders full of coupons. The detail to organization is amazing!
She gets pretty excited when she scores huge savings. For the year she has been averaging around $32 paid for every $100 worth of food, and she plans to do much better.She tells me she wants to dip below $25 per $100 soon.
Tonight she sent me this picture of a number of items, including milk, orange juice, french bread (yummy french toast!), Pop Tarts, apple sauce, Rice Krispy Treats, cheddar cheese, yogurt, cereal, turkey breast, etc. She brought this nice pile of food home for the grand total of $3.65.
Yes, that is three dollars and some change. One gallon of milk should have cost that. This trip is certainly going to lower her average!
She is getting good!
She gets pretty excited when she scores huge savings. For the year she has been averaging around $32 paid for every $100 worth of food, and she plans to do much better.She tells me she wants to dip below $25 per $100 soon.
Tonight she sent me this picture of a number of items, including milk, orange juice, french bread (yummy french toast!), Pop Tarts, apple sauce, Rice Krispy Treats, cheddar cheese, yogurt, cereal, turkey breast, etc. She brought this nice pile of food home for the grand total of $3.65.
Yes, that is three dollars and some change. One gallon of milk should have cost that. This trip is certainly going to lower her average!
She is getting good!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Flashback Friday: Ethan Shoots!
Back in 2007 I snapped this shot of Ethan dribbling off Gabe, stopping, and popping a jumper with great form for a 6-year old. He dropped several shots in a row from 15' from the dirt court yesterday. He's signing up for flag football this week. He loves his sports.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Delicious "Sugar Baby" Watermelon
The first watermelon (of what appears to be close to a dozen?) picked from the garden was delicious. These little "Sugar Baby" watermelons are not as big as we thought they would be, but it was fun growing them, nonetheless.
The garden was (and still is) a fun idea, and we learned a lot of lessons this spring and summer. We're going to expand on it next year, but have decided to focus on the vegetables we actually enjoy and can get the most bang for the buck on. Corn, watermelon, cucumber, squash, and zucchini come to mind. There may be a couple more. Hopefully we'll see more success.
The garden was (and still is) a fun idea, and we learned a lot of lessons this spring and summer. We're going to expand on it next year, but have decided to focus on the vegetables we actually enjoy and can get the most bang for the buck on. Corn, watermelon, cucumber, squash, and zucchini come to mind. There may be a couple more. Hopefully we'll see more success.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Chuck Norris
Ethan sends me pictures from his cell phone from time to time. Usually they have something that has nothing to do with the picture as the title. With this pic he sent "Chuck Norris." Inexplicable? Yes. But do I love getting them? Absolutely. Keep sending them, buddy.
Aliens
Ethan sent this cell phone pic to my cell with just the word "Aliens" attached. Here he is with a friend/neighbor who came to play. That boy is something.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The Legendary Jack O'Brien
Jack O’Brien is 83-years old and still going strong. My father told me stories about him for years, and how both bass and trout feared his hook and rod. Always in my own little world, I had never actually met him, though he just lived over the hill from the family mountain getaway my father built some 25-years ago.
He floated by me in the river and spent a few minutes chatting the Saturday of the 4th of July weekend. He was floating down on a large, singular piece of foam that he had crafted into a fishing float. It is a simple creation, but remarkable nonetheless. He had both a fly rod and spinning rod on there with a cooler of drinks and a tackle box with a good mix of lures. A couple of hooks held supplies like his stringer, and a metal bar inserted through the open portion of the U-shaped craft offered a place to rest his feet in shallow water. He gave me two flies to try on top water and offered a few tips on the stretch I was casting in.
I asked him if he had caught anything (dumb question) and he pulled up a whole stringer full of bass. He said he was keeping them to give to a friend of his that was not able to fish anymore. I told him my father was Earl Bryant, and he told me he was sad to hear of his passing a few years ago, and missed seeing him. I thanked him for that and wished him success for the rest of his float. He told me to call him the next time I was up and he would show me some great holes not many people fish. I’m looking forward to it.
I snapped this pic about 30-minutes later as he floated in front of our house.
He floated by me in the river and spent a few minutes chatting the Saturday of the 4th of July weekend. He was floating down on a large, singular piece of foam that he had crafted into a fishing float. It is a simple creation, but remarkable nonetheless. He had both a fly rod and spinning rod on there with a cooler of drinks and a tackle box with a good mix of lures. A couple of hooks held supplies like his stringer, and a metal bar inserted through the open portion of the U-shaped craft offered a place to rest his feet in shallow water. He gave me two flies to try on top water and offered a few tips on the stretch I was casting in.
I asked him if he had caught anything (dumb question) and he pulled up a whole stringer full of bass. He said he was keeping them to give to a friend of his that was not able to fish anymore. I told him my father was Earl Bryant, and he told me he was sad to hear of his passing a few years ago, and missed seeing him. I thanked him for that and wished him success for the rest of his float. He told me to call him the next time I was up and he would show me some great holes not many people fish. I’m looking forward to it.
I snapped this pic about 30-minutes later as he floated in front of our house.
Another Fishing Legend
I first met Dave Pickett a couple of years ago at the Ashe County Farmer's Market on the back streets of West Jefferson, NC. Dave sets up with his friend Lee Burgess every Saturday morning to sell the most popular flies for the time of year along with a number of creative offerings they have tried and proven over the years. Every time I go there I see a number of folks hovering over their little stand snapping up the latest creations.
Dave is a fountain of wisdom, so I am always sure to ask him what the trout and smallmouth bass are biting. Over the 4th of July weekend he strongly encouraged me to buy a couple of #8 poppers in yellow to try on the top water after I told him I'd like to get in to some bass. He didn't disappoint. I went to a good hole near our family home on the South Fork of the New River just south of town and put the popper a couple of feet off the bank under a big shade tree. There were two teenage girls swimming and splashing no more than 15' feet away, but on the very first cast I watched a 14" smallmouth hammer the popper and drag it down. I landed it in a few moments and reveled in the catch while the two girls exclaimed they couldn't believe I caught a fish so close to all of their noise.
For the next four hours I fished a number of holes in a 200-yard stretch and landed a good twenty smallmouth, ten rock bass, and 3-4 bream. The biggest smallmouth was 15" in length (though a bit thin and maybe about 2 lbs.), which I haven't seen on that particular stretch of the south fork in a good five years. Two others were 13-14 " and there were several in the 10-12" range. I couldn’t believe the success I was having.
At the bridge that leads to our family home I was fishing with my middle son, Ethan, around 5:00 PM when I cast into a still pool of water near a pipe bringing water down from the top of the mountain. I knew fish liked to hang near the pipe looking for treats to float out, so I thought to give it a try. Within a second or two my fly rod, a 7.5 footer, instantly went from about five feet above the water to tapping the water with the tip of it. I pulled the rod up hoping to see a monster on the end of the line, but all I saw was the flash of a large fish and what was left of my tippet come flying back at me. Whatever it was had snapped my line. Ethan stood there in shock, exclaiming, “Did you SEE that, Dad??? It was HUGE!!!” Feeling quite deflated I said, “Yep. And that was my last popper!”
About that time a man came walking across the bridge. I said, “Howdy” to the gentleman and he returned the greeting.
He asked me, “Are you Earl Bryant’s boy?”
Surprised, I responded, “Yes, how did you know that?”
“Your height gave it away. I’m Darrell Phillips. I used to fish with your father before he died.”
Well, I was dumbfounded. I had just met three fishing legends in the West Jefferson area in the span of 24-hours. Like Jack O’Brien, I had heard of stories about Phillips since I was a small boy from both my father and my brothers. I had heard he knew every inch of the New River like the back of his hand, and he proved that as I scrambled out from the river and talked fishing with him for a good 20-minutes. He asked me to come up to the car with him and, as I have had happen many times over, gave me five flies to try from his assortment of what appeared to be about 500 flies in three boxes. I told him I had just lost my last popper (which he saw happen and agreed it must have been a whopper) and asked him if he had ever heard of Dave Pickett.
“Of course I have. I picked up some flies from his house just a couple of nights ago.”
“You know Dave???”
“Of course!”
“He let’s you come to his house to get flies?”
“Heck, he loves it. Give him a call. He would love to see you.”
Phillips wrote the number down on a scratch piece of paper and bid me farewell, letting me know that I need to go fishing with him the next time I’m up that way. It would be an honor, I told him, and I hope to fish with the man who fished quite a bit over the years with my father very soon.
Ethan and I walked back to the little mountain house and I eagerly dialed the number Phillips had given me to see if Dave Pickett was home. Dave answered on the second ring and I quickly introduced myself. He remembered me (6’7” is hard to forget in those parts) and let me know that he would be glad for me to come up and pick up a few poppers from him.
We (Stacie, Ethan, and I) followed Dave’s directions right up the small mountainside where his 1918 farmhouse was located. Set on 54-acres it was a beautiful little white home with a wrap-around porch nestled between a couple of grassy hillsides. As we pulled in to the long gravel driveway Dave and his charming wife Linda greeted us on the front porch. She was busy crafting a couple of baskets while Dave stood grinning widely and seemingly eager to make us welcome in his home.
Dave invited me into the front door while Stacie and Ethan sat on the porch with Linda. The house is very tidy and well kept with minimal decoration, much like it was in the early 1920's, I'm sure. We walked into a middle parlor type of room where I encountered the most amazing fly-tying setup I had ever witnessed. Having worked in and retired from metal fabrication (in Lillington, NC – just below where we live now, of all places) for nearly 30-years, much of the equipment he worked with he designed and crafted himself. There were cabinets and drawers full of feathers, fur, corks, thread, paint, hooks, and every material imaginable all throughout the room, perfectly organized and neatly stored. Several tubes holding high end fly rods were in the corner and a few fishing vests, landing nets, and other gear adorned the walls, as well. The view from the window offered an amazing look at the beautiful flora Linda has placed all throughout the property. She must have thirty or more different types of plants set throughout their farm.
As we sit down to dig out a few flies Dave begins to spin an array of tales of fly fishing throughout Ashe County, things I would have never known of or discovered in 10-years of fishing and researching on my own. His experience and knowledge of the streams in Ashe County seems unparalleled. I particularly enjoyed the stories of the more remote places such as one area he could only describe as “right out of the film ‘Deliverance’” and dangerously close to life threatening in its nature. He recommended a place to park my truck but cautioned me to leave a 12-pack of Busch Beer on the tailgate to insure “I don’t get blocked in” by the guy who lives by there. Apparently it would be more costly to pay for him to move his own truck. Crossing a long abandoned train trestle you hike a good stretch down a rocky cliff and jump into some of the toughest fishing he has seen, but nonetheless pays handsomely in large, wild water trout. I certainly can’t wait to try it.
I quickly thought I needed a picture of Dave at his work table. Unfortunately I had forgotten my camera, so I pulled out my LG EnV2 and snapped this somewhat poor quality picture of Dave moving a few items around as he showed me how he created his poppers.
After talking for a good while I asked Dave if I could see some of the house. They moved there back in 1983 after making an arrangement with the landowner to help care for the property and to fix up the house. And fix-it-up he did. Walls were repaired, attic space was closed off, and new plumbing was added while several coats of new paint covered the old walls. They quickly made it their home.
In 1985 a local crook set fire to the back of the house where the kitchen was located. This was a diversion as all of the neighbors came to help Dave with the fire until the local fire department could arrive. While the neighbors were distracted the thief went to another house over the hill and stole several firearms. He was later apprehended, but the damage had been done. Dave repaired the kitchen himself, adding two sections that weren’t there, building cabinetry that they had been lacking, adding a half-bath, and routing the water from a local brook to use as their water supply (it was cold!)
We went out on the porch with Dave and Linda and heard about the brutal winter they had just experienced, including the loss of several trees. Hummingbirds buzzed with inches of our heads and the coolness of the mountain air reminded us that, even in July, the mountains are the best place to be to escape the heat of summer.
Dave produced several poppers for me and refused to take my money when I reached for my wallet. “You’re a good customer. Any man that is willing to come all the way out here for a few flies deserves to get a few free ones from time to time. I hope you catch a mess of them!” I never tire of meeting fly fishermen. Just like pipe smokers they are always generous, thoughtful, and very giving. I have a fond appreciation for every one of them I meet. There's always something new to learn.
With that we offered our good-byes and returned to the mountain house, glad we had been able to have such a treat. Dave urged us to come back and visit them again. I can't wait for that opportunity.
Dave is a fountain of wisdom, so I am always sure to ask him what the trout and smallmouth bass are biting. Over the 4th of July weekend he strongly encouraged me to buy a couple of #8 poppers in yellow to try on the top water after I told him I'd like to get in to some bass. He didn't disappoint. I went to a good hole near our family home on the South Fork of the New River just south of town and put the popper a couple of feet off the bank under a big shade tree. There were two teenage girls swimming and splashing no more than 15' feet away, but on the very first cast I watched a 14" smallmouth hammer the popper and drag it down. I landed it in a few moments and reveled in the catch while the two girls exclaimed they couldn't believe I caught a fish so close to all of their noise.
For the next four hours I fished a number of holes in a 200-yard stretch and landed a good twenty smallmouth, ten rock bass, and 3-4 bream. The biggest smallmouth was 15" in length (though a bit thin and maybe about 2 lbs.), which I haven't seen on that particular stretch of the south fork in a good five years. Two others were 13-14 " and there were several in the 10-12" range. I couldn’t believe the success I was having.
At the bridge that leads to our family home I was fishing with my middle son, Ethan, around 5:00 PM when I cast into a still pool of water near a pipe bringing water down from the top of the mountain. I knew fish liked to hang near the pipe looking for treats to float out, so I thought to give it a try. Within a second or two my fly rod, a 7.5 footer, instantly went from about five feet above the water to tapping the water with the tip of it. I pulled the rod up hoping to see a monster on the end of the line, but all I saw was the flash of a large fish and what was left of my tippet come flying back at me. Whatever it was had snapped my line. Ethan stood there in shock, exclaiming, “Did you SEE that, Dad??? It was HUGE!!!” Feeling quite deflated I said, “Yep. And that was my last popper!”
About that time a man came walking across the bridge. I said, “Howdy” to the gentleman and he returned the greeting.
He asked me, “Are you Earl Bryant’s boy?”
Surprised, I responded, “Yes, how did you know that?”
“Your height gave it away. I’m Darrell Phillips. I used to fish with your father before he died.”
Well, I was dumbfounded. I had just met three fishing legends in the West Jefferson area in the span of 24-hours. Like Jack O’Brien, I had heard of stories about Phillips since I was a small boy from both my father and my brothers. I had heard he knew every inch of the New River like the back of his hand, and he proved that as I scrambled out from the river and talked fishing with him for a good 20-minutes. He asked me to come up to the car with him and, as I have had happen many times over, gave me five flies to try from his assortment of what appeared to be about 500 flies in three boxes. I told him I had just lost my last popper (which he saw happen and agreed it must have been a whopper) and asked him if he had ever heard of Dave Pickett.
“Of course I have. I picked up some flies from his house just a couple of nights ago.”
“You know Dave???”
“Of course!”
“He let’s you come to his house to get flies?”
“Heck, he loves it. Give him a call. He would love to see you.”
Phillips wrote the number down on a scratch piece of paper and bid me farewell, letting me know that I need to go fishing with him the next time I’m up that way. It would be an honor, I told him, and I hope to fish with the man who fished quite a bit over the years with my father very soon.
Ethan and I walked back to the little mountain house and I eagerly dialed the number Phillips had given me to see if Dave Pickett was home. Dave answered on the second ring and I quickly introduced myself. He remembered me (6’7” is hard to forget in those parts) and let me know that he would be glad for me to come up and pick up a few poppers from him.
We (Stacie, Ethan, and I) followed Dave’s directions right up the small mountainside where his 1918 farmhouse was located. Set on 54-acres it was a beautiful little white home with a wrap-around porch nestled between a couple of grassy hillsides. As we pulled in to the long gravel driveway Dave and his charming wife Linda greeted us on the front porch. She was busy crafting a couple of baskets while Dave stood grinning widely and seemingly eager to make us welcome in his home.
Dave invited me into the front door while Stacie and Ethan sat on the porch with Linda. The house is very tidy and well kept with minimal decoration, much like it was in the early 1920's, I'm sure. We walked into a middle parlor type of room where I encountered the most amazing fly-tying setup I had ever witnessed. Having worked in and retired from metal fabrication (in Lillington, NC – just below where we live now, of all places) for nearly 30-years, much of the equipment he worked with he designed and crafted himself. There were cabinets and drawers full of feathers, fur, corks, thread, paint, hooks, and every material imaginable all throughout the room, perfectly organized and neatly stored. Several tubes holding high end fly rods were in the corner and a few fishing vests, landing nets, and other gear adorned the walls, as well. The view from the window offered an amazing look at the beautiful flora Linda has placed all throughout the property. She must have thirty or more different types of plants set throughout their farm.
As we sit down to dig out a few flies Dave begins to spin an array of tales of fly fishing throughout Ashe County, things I would have never known of or discovered in 10-years of fishing and researching on my own. His experience and knowledge of the streams in Ashe County seems unparalleled. I particularly enjoyed the stories of the more remote places such as one area he could only describe as “right out of the film ‘Deliverance’” and dangerously close to life threatening in its nature. He recommended a place to park my truck but cautioned me to leave a 12-pack of Busch Beer on the tailgate to insure “I don’t get blocked in” by the guy who lives by there. Apparently it would be more costly to pay for him to move his own truck. Crossing a long abandoned train trestle you hike a good stretch down a rocky cliff and jump into some of the toughest fishing he has seen, but nonetheless pays handsomely in large, wild water trout. I certainly can’t wait to try it.
I quickly thought I needed a picture of Dave at his work table. Unfortunately I had forgotten my camera, so I pulled out my LG EnV2 and snapped this somewhat poor quality picture of Dave moving a few items around as he showed me how he created his poppers.
After talking for a good while I asked Dave if I could see some of the house. They moved there back in 1983 after making an arrangement with the landowner to help care for the property and to fix up the house. And fix-it-up he did. Walls were repaired, attic space was closed off, and new plumbing was added while several coats of new paint covered the old walls. They quickly made it their home.
In 1985 a local crook set fire to the back of the house where the kitchen was located. This was a diversion as all of the neighbors came to help Dave with the fire until the local fire department could arrive. While the neighbors were distracted the thief went to another house over the hill and stole several firearms. He was later apprehended, but the damage had been done. Dave repaired the kitchen himself, adding two sections that weren’t there, building cabinetry that they had been lacking, adding a half-bath, and routing the water from a local brook to use as their water supply (it was cold!)
We went out on the porch with Dave and Linda and heard about the brutal winter they had just experienced, including the loss of several trees. Hummingbirds buzzed with inches of our heads and the coolness of the mountain air reminded us that, even in July, the mountains are the best place to be to escape the heat of summer.
Dave produced several poppers for me and refused to take my money when I reached for my wallet. “You’re a good customer. Any man that is willing to come all the way out here for a few flies deserves to get a few free ones from time to time. I hope you catch a mess of them!” I never tire of meeting fly fishermen. Just like pipe smokers they are always generous, thoughtful, and very giving. I have a fond appreciation for every one of them I meet. There's always something new to learn.
With that we offered our good-byes and returned to the mountain house, glad we had been able to have such a treat. Dave urged us to come back and visit them again. I can't wait for that opportunity.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Crushing It!
Here's one last tee ball pic from Caden's last game. He got a hold of this one, sending it to center field. The kids had to run out to the grass to get it.
Check the meanness and determination on his face! Grrr! He is big time.
Check the meanness and determination on his face! Grrr! He is big time.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
A New (to us) Hoops Goal
A dear friend (and his awesome family) is moving out of state (read: abandoning us), but not before he decided to bequeath to us this basketball goal. The one we had was literally falling apart. The boys were extremely happy to receive it. Our humble dirt court hoops games will never be the same!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
On The Way Home From Church Tonight
Gabe: "Hey, Mom, did you ever see the movie, "Night on Elmer Street?"
Stacie, giggling: "You mean, 'Nightmare on Elm Street,' Gabe?"
Gabe: "Um, yeah. With that creepy guy "Fred McGruger?"
Stacie, laughing a bit harder: "You mean Freddie Krueger?"
Gabe: "Oh, yeah. How about the movie Friday the 13th?"
Ethan: "Tom Cruise played Jason."
Stacie, laughing hysterically at this point while I grab the wheel to keep her from wrecking the car.
Stacie, giggling: "You mean, 'Nightmare on Elm Street,' Gabe?"
Gabe: "Um, yeah. With that creepy guy "Fred McGruger?"
Stacie, laughing a bit harder: "You mean Freddie Krueger?"
Gabe: "Oh, yeah. How about the movie Friday the 13th?"
Ethan: "Tom Cruise played Jason."
Stacie, laughing hysterically at this point while I grab the wheel to keep her from wrecking the car.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Homeschool End-Of-Year Declaration
Stacie and I ambled out to the mailbox this evening as the sun was setting and after soaking our vegetable garden for a good 30-minutes. We had been running around all day completing a number of tasks and had almost forgotten to check the post. We took the mail from the box and discovered that the results had come back from the final test we gave our two oldest, Gabe and Ethan, on the homeschool year.
As the duly appointed administrator of our homeschool I get excited to receive the final report on end-of-grade testing. Each year we test them utilizing the California Achievement Test so that we can get a good measurement of how much they have learned throughout the year. (And so that I can determine if I need to fire their teacher, er, Mommy.) They are measured on things such as Reading Comprehension, Mathematics - Computation, Concepts & Problems, and Language Usage and Structure, among other things.
I always enjoy parents who will tell you how their 6-year old is doing college freshman level algebra, and their 2-year old is on an 11th grade reading level. I wholeheartedly celebrate with them, then always make-up something about how our boys are being held back in their grade for the third year in a row, but their juvenile probation officer is working with them. The reactions I often get are priceless.
With that in mind I will just say that Stacie and I danced a step or two as we headed back up the driveway. And, as the homeschool chief administrator, I hereby declare the 2009 - 2010 homeschool year a success! The boys performed very well and we were excited to see their results. We're looking forward to another year providing them with a superior educational experience, and Mommy gets to keep her job for another year! (Yes, she is pretty amazing at educating our children, once again!) Congratulations, Gabe and Ethan!
As the duly appointed administrator of our homeschool I get excited to receive the final report on end-of-grade testing. Each year we test them utilizing the California Achievement Test so that we can get a good measurement of how much they have learned throughout the year. (And so that I can determine if I need to fire their teacher, er, Mommy.) They are measured on things such as Reading Comprehension, Mathematics - Computation, Concepts & Problems, and Language Usage and Structure, among other things.
I always enjoy parents who will tell you how their 6-year old is doing college freshman level algebra, and their 2-year old is on an 11th grade reading level. I wholeheartedly celebrate with them, then always make-up something about how our boys are being held back in their grade for the third year in a row, but their juvenile probation officer is working with them. The reactions I often get are priceless.
With that in mind I will just say that Stacie and I danced a step or two as we headed back up the driveway. And, as the homeschool chief administrator, I hereby declare the 2009 - 2010 homeschool year a success! The boys performed very well and we were excited to see their results. We're looking forward to another year providing them with a superior educational experience, and Mommy gets to keep her job for another year! (Yes, she is pretty amazing at educating our children, once again!) Congratulations, Gabe and Ethan!
A Medal for Caden
Caden had his final Tee Ball game today and was very proud of his first ever sports related award. He hit one about 20-feet out into the outfield today and stopped 5 balls from going under his legs. He might be a natural shortstop/power hitter. He is the man!
Troop 942 Has Returned Entact
Gabe made it back from his first ever week of camp this morning, no worse for wear. (That's him centered on the tree.) He said he had a great time and already looks forward to going back next year. We're just glad to have him back home. He is really looking forward to sleeping in the air conditioning tonight.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
"What Are They Going to Do to Him Mommy?"
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Ethan's Cacti
Ethan has plenty of cacti spread around inside and outside our home. One of them had a double bloom of beautiful yellow flowers this morning. So he took a picture of it and sent it to me for my Flickr page. He's our resident Botanist.
Photo complete with his toes and his friend's toes.
Photo complete with his toes and his friend's toes.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Family Walks
We take lots of neighborhood walks as a family. On most of them Caden is whirling around, full of energy. Tonight he chased lightning bugs the whole way home, as a 4-year old should.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
First Veggie
We planted a garden this spring with corn, zucchini, cantaloupe, squash, watermelon, okra, eggplant, Roma tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. We have seen a few things popping up here and there but were quite surprised to discover this 10" cucumber today. I hate cucumbers, but hopefully Stacie will enjoy it.
This is our very first attempt at a true garden, so we hope to learn a lot from it this year and come back next year armed with a great deal of zeal and knowledge. We also plan to double the size of it.
Veggie Report:
Corn Stalks: One stalk growing well, one iffy, and six failing. (I blame the hail storm from a couple of weeks ago).
Eggplant: Two sprouted so far with several more possible.
Zucchini: Nada so far. Worried.
Okra: Waiting.
Tomatoes: Several budding. Hopeful.
Peppers: A couple growing and thinking they'll be several more. Hopeful.
Cantaloupe: I don't think we were supposed to plant it beside the cucumbers? Nada so far.
Watermelon: Five golf ball sized little melons and potentially 4-5 more so far. Hopeful.
Squash: Three good sized so far with several buds showing.
This is our very first attempt at a true garden, so we hope to learn a lot from it this year and come back next year armed with a great deal of zeal and knowledge. We also plan to double the size of it.
Veggie Report:
Corn Stalks: One stalk growing well, one iffy, and six failing. (I blame the hail storm from a couple of weeks ago).
Eggplant: Two sprouted so far with several more possible.
Zucchini: Nada so far. Worried.
Okra: Waiting.
Tomatoes: Several budding. Hopeful.
Peppers: A couple growing and thinking they'll be several more. Hopeful.
Cantaloupe: I don't think we were supposed to plant it beside the cucumbers? Nada so far.
Watermelon: Five golf ball sized little melons and potentially 4-5 more so far. Hopeful.
Squash: Three good sized so far with several buds showing.
Good Grub Today
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Taking More Pics
You may have noticed the Flickr badge over to the left side of the blog page (below the Twitter badge). Flickr is where I am hosting pictures and have done so off and on (mostly off) for a good while now. Check it often as I am going to make an effort to keep a camera close by for hopefully a good long while. My goal with the blog is to include a picture with every post (though I don't think I will on this one). But I'll add more on the Flickr page.
One project I am working on is the "365 Days" set on Flickr. I am going to take a picture of myself and post it daily for a year. I have 8-days up so far. Why, you ask? Two reasons: First, I want to overcome my own camera shyness. I'm just not the camera ham my boys are. Secondly, it gives me a reason to carry one or two cameras around with me to take pictures of far better looking things, such as my wife. And kids. Or pretty much anything else. So, eight days and counting. I hope I make it past thirty days!
One project I am working on is the "365 Days" set on Flickr. I am going to take a picture of myself and post it daily for a year. I have 8-days up so far. Why, you ask? Two reasons: First, I want to overcome my own camera shyness. I'm just not the camera ham my boys are. Secondly, it gives me a reason to carry one or two cameras around with me to take pictures of far better looking things, such as my wife. And kids. Or pretty much anything else. So, eight days and counting. I hope I make it past thirty days!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Caden's First T-Ball Game Movie
Caden's First T-Ball Game Movie
Originally uploaded by Joe Jon!
Caden's First Tee Ball Game
He hit the ball well and chased after it every time it came near him. It was an awesome feeling watching him get in to the game and for him to be so excited to be out there. As always, click the pic for larger images.
Ethan is Now a Webelo!
Congrats to Ethan for working hard and becoming a Webelo I at Scouts last night during the crossover dinner. He is doing a great job and we're proud of him!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Flashback Friday: Caden Loves Tractors
From the old blog. This was at the Broadway Festival a couple of years ago. I submitted it to the local paper and they were kind enough to publish it on page 2.
Monday, May 31, 2010
My Idea of a Great Saturday Afternoon
Our family mountain home, built by my father nearly 25 years ago, is a treasure. It was great to go up with my wife and kids and spend time with my mom and brother for a long holiday weekend. The rain didn't bother us too much as the weather did pretty much the opposite of what the weatherman predicted the entire time.
We enjoyed the Farmer's Market, where I bought a few flies to try. The green bead-head wooly bugger is the most dependable. I tried a few others, but this is the one I keep coming back to for dependably catching trout (and any other fish nearby).
The boys swam in the river 2-3 times and we rode the 4-wheeler quite a bit. We had a campfire by the river each night and listened to bluegrass music while I smoked my pipe and enjoyed the new Crown Royal "Black" blend. I was just sad the weekend went by so quickly. It was a great time.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Who Says Small Streams Don't Pay Off?
I found two amazing little holes in the little creek that produced seven of the eight Brook Trout that I caught. One of them ran along a huge rock formation and ended into a swell of current where I found several hugging the edges. I was frustrated to catch 4-5 Rock bass (Red-Eye) in the same hole, but they didn't seem to spook the Brook too bad.
Walking down the creek I found myself nearly on hands and knees at times. Fortunately I had thought to bring my 6.5' fly rod rather than the 7.5' one. Even then I found myself fishing at times with the rod disassembled into two pieces while casting with the top portion. That's how tight it was. This stream is not stocked so catching so many Brook in it was even more rewarding. I'm sure they are run off Brook from up stream somewhere, but part of me likes to think they may be 2nd or 3rd generation trout and all native. Their pelvic fins looked good, so maybe they were native after all.
The last Brook and pair of smallmouth I caught were where the stream emptied into the muddied creek. They were hugging the edge of where the two met, so I cast into the muddy water and pulled the fly into the clearer water where they hit it hard right away! Those were three fun fish to catch, and I think there were more, but they probably got spooked by seeing their friends "hauled away."
A Few Smallmouth Took My Flies
This little smallmouth was hugging the edge between one rain-swollen, muddy creek and another that was just a little dingy. He hit fast and hard. I love how smallmouth will always hit air when caught, jumping high out of the water.
I Love Those Fightin' Brook!
This little 11" Brookie and 7-others came from that small, unnamed stream near the mountain house. They were a real treat.
Stacie's Fish
Stacie by the River
We were standing on the bridge that leads to the house. The sun has set, so we enjoyed an early evening stroll by the river.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Ashe County Cheese
This big mouse might have been the coolest thing in the store if it weren't for the candy aisle. We sampled some cheese and brought home a few chunks. I picked the sharp cheddar. Wow! It was good!
Where It's All Made
I guess we were expecting a grand tour of an amazing facility, but the whole cheese production is still pretty neat. We stood in a little 12x12 room with a glass partition and watched a couple of guys box some large cheese rolls. Pretty underwhelming, sure, but still the only cheese factory in North Carolina.
Brown Bagging It
Note to college basketball recruiters: Yes, just-turned-11 and standing 5'9.5" Gabe is a beast. You had better get the letters in the mail now.
Friday, May 28, 2010
At the Library
At the Ashe County Library in downtown West Jefferson. I'm on the Wi-Fi for a bit while Stacie and the boys are doing a little homeschool for a couple of hours. We didn't want to miss a day of school just because we went to the mountains for a long weekend. The boys are getting a lot done. Well, except for Caden, who is just monkeying around. He read a book or two but got bored quickly. He decided hanging out with this ape for a bit would be a nice way to burn some time.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Brook Trout on Spiderman Rod
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Do You Know the Muffin Man?
Caden said he wanted to sing a little for everyone this evening, so I let him get it on video with this old classic.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Random Pic for the Blog
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Blowin' Some Birthday Cash
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Happy Birthday Gabe!
Happy Birthday Gabe!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Busy Work is Good Work
Friday, May 14, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
A New Cactus. Or Two. Two Cacti?
Ethan heard that my Mom's neighbor had a little green house with a few cacti in it along with a few around her house. So, he asked to go take a peek. He spoke fairly well of his fondness for all things cacti related and she offered him a couple to take home. What a great neighbor! Now he has 9 or 10 of them and we are beginning to need our own little greenhouse. He's our little botanist.
Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, Mom-in-Law, and my lovely wife! Three great moms, for sure!
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