Christmas is Coming, the goose is geting fat

We are mostly through this years Christmas Goodies production run. So far we have made two batches of hard candy, toffee fudge, regular fudge, peanut butter cookies and Debbie is working on some chocolate cookies today. We still have to do the peanut butter balls. Oh, I forgot the Russian tea cakes.

I am beginning to feel the Holiday spirit and am looking forward to a week of family, food and fun.

Baby News

Well, it's official, our new baby will be a little girl. We got the results from the amniocentesis, which were all normal, and part of those results is that they can clearly determine the sex of the baby.

What do we do with all of the boy stuff that we have?

Everyone is happy about it. We told Seth that a new baby will be coming to live with us, and he did not seem to mind at all.

Dad and Seth

Seth and I had a nice evening. Debbie has gone out with a friend to do a little christmas shopping so the two of us spent the evening together. As usual, he was really good. Ate all of his dinner, no fussing.

Then we played for a little while and then read some books and played some more. Now he is in bed resting peacefully.

First Christmas Decorations

Here are the first Christmas Decorations in the new house. Happy Holidays!
(click the picture to enlarge it)

Maternity

Debbie has started switching over to maternity clothes. She decided last week that her regular pants were just too tight. I am beginning to realize a little more that the baby is on the way. I think it is just more obvious than it was before.

I also have a little planning to do. It looks like I am going to have to give up my office so that it can become a guest room when the current guest room becomes the new baby's room. Got that? I am starting to think about finishing the basement so that I can have an office/library down there and also a work room and storage area. Maybe I'll build in a wine cellar too while I'm at it...

Antikythera Mechanism

The Antikythera Mechanism was discovered in 1900. It appears to have been an ancient computer that was used to calculate the position of astronomical objects. It has been dated to around 150-100 BC. It was so technologically advanced that nothing of comparable complexity appears for nearly 1000 years.

Here is an article from today's NY Times

Phone/DSL Saga

Ever since we have moved into the new house I have been fiddling with the phone lines to try to get rid of some audible crackling. It was annoying to hear and I was suspicious that it was reducing the bandwith for my DSL because of having to resend garbled packets.

First I found some obviously bad connections that were cobbled together by somebody else, and then checked the wiring inside the jacks. I added a new punchblock to tidy up the 4 connections on the kitchen side of the house. I disconnected a tapped line that was connected to nothing. No real improvement.

Then I simplified things. I disconnected everything where it comes into the house. I cleaned up the incoming wire ends with a little sandpaper. They were a little dirty after 40 years. Then I hooked up a jack directly to the incoming line. No Static. That meant that my problem was inside the house and not outside. Now I have bypassed the old punchblock and hooked up only the extensions that are absolutely necessary directly to the incoming line.

My bandwidth went from about 250 kbps to about 1,450 kbps. Major improvement. Very little cost.

A good, long, weekend

Thanksgiving has come and gone. It was a very good, long, weekend. Thanksgiving day itself was thoroughly enjoyable. Debbie made a very good dinner, complete with turkey and all of the necessary accompaniments. Later in the day Dad helped me redo the gas fireplace. It was not installed correctly. We moved it forward about 5 or six inches and dressed it up with some nice glowing embers and some small black gravel to give it a finished look.

I put up the outside Christmas decorations on Friday and Saturday while Debbie worked on the inside ones. Things are pretty festive now with two Christmas trees and a nice warm fire.

In the middle of all of that we got to see Maureen and Joe a couple of times at the parents house.

Christmas Dishes

When I got home yesterday the Christmas dishes were int he cupboards. It seems that the holiday season has begun. Although it seems like the fall is flying by, I am ready for Thanksgiving. It will be a quiet one this year. Just five of us. Mom, Dad, Debbie, Seth and me.

That is a lot different than when I was a kid and we had dinners with 25 or 30 people.

Girls Night Out

Debbie has gone out to dinner this evening so Seth and I are at home. I had to fiddle with the computer a little. Looks like some secondary hard disk trouble, but I have things up and running now.

I put Seth to bed at his usual time and he is asleep now, although I just heard him make some little sounds.

Putting Seth to Bed

Debbie is putting Seth to bed this evening. Usually that is my job, but, for some reason, not tonight.

It is good to be at home on a quiet Friday evening with nothing planned for tomorrow. I will end up doing something around the house I am sure, but for now it is good to just be here.

Water Filters, Plumbing and Such

When you are a homeowner you get to do "projects." Usually these projects are fun, sometimes they are frustrating, often they are puzzling, and many times one project leads to (or creates) another. Yesterday I decided to change the water filter for the kitchen sink and ice maker.

Sometimes our water can smell a little fishy, as in "it smells like fish." This is because of algae, I think, and although it is smelly it is not harmful. This only happens now and then. I suspect that it is some sort of algae bloom.

Our new house, conveniently, has an in-line water filter that cleans the water for the kitchen, and removes the fishy smell. However, according to the previous homeowner, he had never changed the filter in the three years that he lived there. Hmm. That's probably not good.

I have made several half hearted attempts to loosen the filter housing since we have lived there, but until yesterday I was not successful I was afraid I would break the plastic tank that holds the filter. What I actually succeeded in breaking yesterday was a soldered joint in the water pipe.

This required a call for help. Dad came over and brought his solder and flux and we set to work. First of all we had to get that filter off. So what does Dad do? He grabs that plastic tank that I was so concerned about breaking, gives it a huge twist, and off it comes. He made it look easy.

Then we sweated the broken joint apart with the torch, cleaned it up and soldered it back together better than it was in the first place. In went the new filter and we were good to go.

We only own one house now

The settlement for the Silver Spring house is finally completed. Debbie and I went out to dinner last evening to celebrate. I am really glad to have both houses sold before the holiday season. I was getting a little worried that we might be stuck with the last one until the spring.

According to the real estate agent, there were about 50 houses on the market in our area in October and only three were sold. I'm glad it is done.

On to the next thing...

Halloween Pictures

Seth had a good time with Halloween, I think. He was an alligator. (Debbie borrowed a costume from our friends arund the corner)

Dad posted his halloween pictures on his blog today. Here is the link to them.
http://reinsel.blogspot.com/

The house in Silver Spring is sold. The settlement was last evening. It was scheduled for 4:30, the bank sent the papers over at about 5 and we sat down to sign them about 6:30. BLARGHHH! Oh well, it's done.

Settlement (Redux)

The settlement on the Silver Spring house was delayed fro Friday until today at 4:30. It looks like everything is lined up, but you never know until it is done.

New Baby

After making the first announcements to the immediate family I am now starting to think a little more about our new baby in the works. The due date is about May 10 so that still seems pretty far away. However, as of today, Debbie is in the second trimester, which means that we are already 1/3 of the way there, which is a little hard to believe.

Beth asked me yesterday if it was "Real" yet. Frankly, it's not too real to me yet.

Seth doesn't really have any grasp of this yet. We have not talked to him specifically about it and I don't think he would understand anyway. It is such a long way off. He doesn't have a concept of "tomorrow" yet much less "May."

Speaking of Seth, he had his two year doctor visit yesterday. Everything is fine. He is 33 1/2 inches tall and weighs 26 pounds.

Settlement

Settlement for the Silver Spring house has been scheduled for Friday. It looks like everything is going as it should so, unless something really unexpected happens, I should own only one house as of Friday afternoon. That will be a good thing!

Seth's Cake

  

Seth's 2 Year Birthday Cake

  

New Contract

We got another contract on the house yesterday. Now if we can just get this one to settlement...

Happy Birhtday Seth

Today is Seth's 2nd birthday! Last night when I was putting him to bed I told him a story about the day he was born. He was sitting in my lap listening and when I finished the story he turned around and gave me a big hug.

This evening we will have a small celebration at Mom and Dad's for dinner and on Saturday we will have a little party.

No Contract

The contract on the Silver Spring house fell through. Apparently there were two bothers involved in the purchase and they had some kind of a disagreement so they cancelled the contract. It's frustrating, but there is nothing I can do about it except encourage the real estate agent to find another buyer.

Another Contract

On Wednesday we got a signed contract for the Silver Spring house. That's a releif. Now if we can just get it through to settlement on the 27th.

Ted and Peggy arrive this evening for a visit. They will be here through the 18th, I think. I am sure they will enjoy spending time with Debbie and the boy.

One Month in the New House

We have been in the new house one month today. Each day seems to have a new little project, or something that I need to figure out. I learn a little more about the house with each project and, so far, haven't found anything that is badly wrong or out of order.

There is one non-functioning outlet on the front of the house that I would like to get working. It would be handy for Christmas lights because it is right under the kitchen window. However there is another outlet next to the garage door that is on a light switch in the kitchen which could be really convenient for turning the christmas lights on and off. The same switch also controls the coach light that hangs next to the garage door.

Now, if we can just get the house in Silver Spring sold everything will be great!

The new Puppy

Beth got a new puppy. His name is Beamer.

Settling In

We are pretty well settled in the new house now. I still have a little work to do in my office and some to do in the basement but other than that things are comfortable.

There will be an open house this weekend in Silver Srping. I hope that goes well. It would be good to get that place sold.

Minneapolis

Today I am in Minneapoilis for the National Property Management Association meeting. This is the National Educational Seminar, so people from all over the country will be here.

I keep thinking about the new house. I am ready to spend a little time there. After the end of the week I will be home for a while.

In the New House

We are in the new house. Yesterday the movers loaded everything into the truck and they delivered it today. Debbie and I worked all afternoon and we still have a lot to do. I must say that she made some really good progress in the kitchen.

Back from the Cape

We are back from vacation. The trip to Cape Cod was very enjoyable. We stayed in a nice house with a good yard for Seth and Will to play in. The weather was beautiful. I even got to play golf a few times.

Today we have the final walk through at the new house and an open house in Silver Spring. While we were on vacation we got a contract on the Frederick house. That should close about the 14th of September.

Whew!

Walk Through

Last evening we did the walk through at the new house. Everything looks good.

So, in the meanwhile we (mostly Debbie) are getting ready to move and head off to the cape. I am starting to think about being away for a week. That sounds good.

When I left the houe this morning Seth said "Good luck. Have a good day." I think I will.

Closing packing and so on

Debbie is making a lot of progress on the packing front. She has run out of boxes, so we'll have to get some more. Closing is next Thursday and then we are off to Cape Cod for a week. We'll move into the new house on the 24th and 25th.

Housing Update

We are making progress on the houses. Debbie has started packing and we are taking care of a couple of outstanding items that need to be done at home. We have had some interest in both houses, but no offers yet.

View from the street:

Buying, Selling etc

The last two weeks have been very interesting around here. Debbie and I had decided to put our house in Frederick on the market this spring so that we could start thinking about possibly buying a new house later this year. Well, we got the Frederick house on the market two weeks ago. After some improvement work to get it ready for sale.

Two Sundays back we were visiting Mom and Dad and went for a walk in their neighborhood. There was a house open, so we went in to look at it and it was really nice. So nice in fact that Debbie and I went back the next evening to look at it again and decided that we wanted to buy it. So now we have two houses on the market and a contract on one to buy. Whew!

Things move fast when they get moving. Peggy decided to stay another week to help with taking care of Seth while we were wheeling and dealing.

Peggy Visiting

Peggy arrived last Sunday night for a summer visit. She has been having a good time playing with Seth. He has been enjoying it too.

Tomorrow we will celebrate the Joint Birthdays (Debbie, Dad and Joe) in Fairfax.

Washing Mom's Car

Seth helped wash the cars today. He does a good job.

Appliances Deliverd

Debbie and Seth went up to Frederick again today to make sure the stove and refrigerator got delivered. She just called me and they are there and everything is working. That's one more thing off of the list.

Chasing a wild goose

We sent Debbie on a wild goose chase today. Sears was supposed to deliver a refrigerator and stove to our house in Frederick. Debbie went all the way there and waited for two hours unitl they called and said that the truck broke down and the delivery would have to be rescheduled.

It is now supposed to happen on Wednesday.

Some Vacation Pictures

Our First Stop




Stacking Rocks


Arches NP

Summer Time

It is beginning to feel like summer in DC. It is warm, muggy and hazy. Traffic is a little lighter, although not as light as it will be once the kids are out of school. In a couple of weeks half of the city (or so it seems) will be on vacation.

Return from Vacation

We are home from our vacation in Utah. It was a very good trip. We did a grand tour of the National Parks in the southern part of the state.

• Capitol Reef

• Arches

• Canyon Lands (Island in the Sky and Needles)

• Navajo National Monument

• Pipe Spring National Historic Site

• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

• Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument

• Zion NP

• Bryce Canyon NP

We did some good hiking and touring. I found Canyon Lands to be particularly interesting. We also went to a very good dinosaur museum in Salt Lake City. All in all it was a fun trip and a good vacation.

On Our Way

Upcoming Vacation

I am looking forward to our upcoming vacation. The more I think about it, the more I am ready to go.

A bump on the head

Seth got his first bump on the head yesterday. He was playing on a bridge at Brookside Garden and apparently slipped off of it between the lower rail and the bridge deck. After thinking about this for a while it seems like he probably hit his head on the rail and not on the ground because his clothes were not dirty and he had no other scratches. As it is he has two scrapes and a blue spot over his left eye. Debbie was feeling much worse about it than he was.

Another Tooth

I just got a message from Debbie that Seth has another tooth. I'm not sure which one, but that makes eleven.

Family Weekend

I had quite a good weekend. Saturday was a very productive 'around home' day. Lawn mowing, brush cutting, mulching, car washing and so on. Debbie cleaned out the back corner of the yard which had turned into a real boars nest over the last few years. It now looks good.

Sunday we went up to Baltimore to see Joe and Maureen's new house. It looks like a pretty nice place. I think they will like living there. The best thing about it is that they don't have to do anything to get it ready to move in. It's already painted and the kitchen and bathroom have been updated. All they have to do is move in their furniture and it will feel just like home.

Carousel

Yesterday afternoon, when the weather cleared and it was nice and sunny, we went over to Brookside Gardens to see if we could spot the screech owl that Debbie and Seth have been seeing. It was there. Next time I am going to take my binoculars.

After that we walked to Wheaton Regional Park, which adjoins Brookside, so that Seth could ride the swings and drive the playground cars. They also have an antique carousel at the park, which was running yesterday. Here is what the Montgomery County Park and Planning web site has to say about it.

"A favorite attraction of the park is the restored 1915 carousel originally built by the Herschell Spillman Co. of North Tonawanda, New York. From the 1960's until the early 1980's, the carousel was operated on the Mall in Washington, DC, after which it was moved to Wheaton Regional Park."

As it turns out, I met the guy that owned this carousel when it was on the Mall. He is the same guy that had the big Victor dog on Rt 29. We went over there to check the dog out when we were building a homecoming float and he showed us his antique car and jukebox collections too. At that time he told us he owned the carousel on the mall as well. This was about 1981.

Seth and Debbie went for a ride. They enjoyed it and I found out why dads like to stand and wave every time the carousel goes around. It's fun!

The Latest Cakes

Maureens Grape Birthday Cake
 

Julie's Birthday Cake
  

To Lavale

Debbie and Seth are going on a road trip to Lavale, MD today to visit with friends. It will be a big adventure for Seth. Our friends have a couple of little girls so he will have a good time playing. Debbie took the dvcam so we will have some video.

18 Months or a Year and Half

Today, Seth is going to his 18 month doctor visit. All of his immunizations were complete last time, so this should be pretty easy for him. I don't think that he has grown much since the last visit. He does feel heavier, though. I will get all of the statistics later.

Seth and I in his Tent

Grandma C sent this picture of Seth and I in his tent. He got the tent for Christmas.

New Car

After months of deliberation I finally decided to get a new car. It is a Honda Accord V6 with a six speed manual transmission. I really like it. The color is "Carbon Bronze Pearl", whatever that is. It's sort of a brownish gray metallic.

Here is a picture of Seth showing off the interior features.

Big Cake

Here is the final project for Debbie's cake class. We cut ate some last night. MMMM

Solar Show

For those of us on the Mid-Atlantic coast of the US it is a beautiful spring day, but for people in a small strip of the world, running from Brazil to Mongolia, today brought a toatal eclipse of the Sun. This image is from Egypt.



Read more about the eclispse here.

Monday, Monday

It's back to work today after a good weekend. I watched the entire George Mason vs. Connecticut basketball game. It was a great game and it is fun to see Mason advance to the Final Four.

Seth is picking up new words every day. He will repeat anything. He says so many new things that I can't keep track of them all any more. His vocabulary may be hundreds of words by now. He is still using one word at a time; there have been no real sentences yet; I'm sure that's not far away. More and more he can handle two syllable words: Hello, pickup, dipper, itchy (when he sees squirrels).

Seth Has Been Visiting

Debbie went off to Cake class this evening so Seth and I had a little time at home. We did the usual stuff: played with trucks, read books, gave him a bath, read more books. He went right to sleep. I think he was pretty tired. He has been doing some travelling lately. Here is a picture of him at Nana's house in Washington St.




And here he is at Joe's house in Baltimore.

New Computer - Part 2

I have gotten a little further with the new computer this evening. I moved the drive out of the old one and it started right up. I have been able to move some of the profile information over. I've got the email client set up so Debbie can check her mail.

They're Coming Home Today

Debbie and Seth are coming home today! I am very excited.

I will leave for the airport at about 8:45 this evening. Their flights are pretty short: 2 1/2 hours from Seattle to Denver and 3 hours and 11 minutes from Denver to BWI. That is about a quick as it can be done unless you go non-stop.

New Computer

I finally went out and bought a new computer last evening. It is an HP Pavilion a1350n, whatever that means. It should be plenty of machine to last me a while.

Things have changed since I built my first PC. It was a 286 with 1MB of RAM (who would ever need more than 640k?) and a 40 MB hard drive. It also had two floppy drives: a 5 1/4 inch and a 3 1/2 inch. Oh, and it operated at 4.77 mhz and, if you pushed the "Turbo" button, 10 mhz. It was a speed demon compared to the PC X/T.

Ivory Billed Woodpecker Update

David Sibley, a well respected ornithologist, has made a statement about the status of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker. He doesn't think the video that was released last year shows an ivory bill. He thinks it is a Pileated Woodpecker. Here is the article from NPR.

Click here to see the video for yourself.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

It seems like there should be something serious and enlightening to say about St. Patrick's Day. However, the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that the feast of Saint Patrick is not about religion or Irish heritage, but just about having some fun in the Not-Quite-Winter-but-Not-Quite-Spring month of March. In the US at least, it seems that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's day. Which is possibly true if you go back about 2000 to 3000 years. This article from Slate explains one person's theory of how we are all descended from pretty much everyone who was alive and had children that long ago. "Go back a few millenniums, and we've all got the same ancestors"

The Ides of March

On the Ides of March (the 15th) in 44 BC Julius Caesar was assasinated in the Roman Senate. 60 Republican Senators, led by Brutus and Cassius, joined the conspiracy. His last words, to Brutus, in Greek, were "and you too, child?"

From Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare
Mark Antony:

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him;
The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is oft interréd with their bones,
So let it be with Caesar…. The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answered it….
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest,
(For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all; all honourable men)
Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral….
He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man….
He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?
When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And, sure, he is an honourable man.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?
O judgement! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason…. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.

Home Alone

Debbie and Seth left last Thursday morning and it already feels like they have been gone a whole week. I have read more in the last couple of days than I have in the last few months.

I just finished a book called Darkest Jungle about a 19th century expedition to find a route for a sea level canal across the Isthmus of Darien in Panama. The expedition was successful only in that it proved that there was not a good route across that region. For various reasons, not the least of which is the extreme environment of the jungle, it took two months to make the crossing. The entire expedition team (21 men) nearly starved to death and 6 of them died either on the trail or shortly after they were rescued. It was a brutal trip.

Debbie and Seth in Richland

I talked with Debbie last evening and it sounds like the trip from Seattle to Richland went well. Seth slept for a while. He was busy running around the living room when I talked to them. He is going to have a fun time exploring.

It was very quiet at home last evening. I did get several calls from family to check up on me and make sure that I wasn't withering away. I finished "The Planets" by Dava Sobel. It is a pretty good read. I learned a few things about the solar system.

On the Ground

According to the SEATAC arrivals listing, Debbie and Seth are on the ground in Seattle. The Cresses called me this morning to say that the pass (Snoqualmie) over the Cascades was getting a lot of snow and that they might stay in Seattle tonight if it continues to be bad.

Neither Debbie or Ted and Peggy are in the habit of turning their cell phones on (even though they carry them) so I haven't been able to get an update directly. Eventually Debbie will remember that she has a phone and will call me. I guess I will just have to wait.

Back Just in Time

I had to go to Raleigh this week. I came home last evening so I could be home with Debbie and Seth for a little bit before they go off to Washington on Thursday. That is going to be a big adventure.

Seth is talking about everything these days. That doesn't mean that I understand everything that he's saying, but he is really doing well. This morning we were playing "where is" with the grocery store ads in the paper. "Were is the tomato?" "Where are the peppers?" "Where are the bluberries."

We are getting some two syllable words, but no sentences yet.

First Haircut

Seth got his first haircut today. He did very well. We have video and pictures. Here is a before and after:

Another New Look

Every once in a while I get the urge for a new look for the blog. I think this one is nice and tidy.

It must be like rearranging furniture, or painting the living room. Sometimes you just need a change.

Quiet Evening

Debbie is at cake decorating class, Seth is sleeping and I am having a quiet moment at home. Right now, it's pretty enjoyable. Next week Debbie and Seth are headed to Washington State for a two week visit with the Grandparents there. I am not sure how much I am going to like the quiet evenings after they are gone for a few days. It really is good to come home to a house with the lights on every night.

As for now, I think I will just go on enjoying my quiet time.

Debbie's Latest Cake

The cake class is going well. Debbie is really having fun. Her final project for this part of the course is pretty fancy.

Mr. Tumnus

This morning when I went out to get the paper it was snowing a heavy, wet snow. I took an umbrella so I would not get wet and felt a little like Tumnus the Faun walking along in Narnia with his packages. Snow makes a light clicking sound as it hits the umbrella. It's almost soothing.

Sledding

We got Seth a sled yesterday. What a bargain $2.61 marked down from $9.99. More importantly we had a great time with it this morning. Debbie especially enjoyed playing in the snow.

We Got Snow

Well, it looks like we got the forecasted snow. Close to a foot of it. Here are some quick pictures out the kitchen window and living room window.

Finally Winter??

It looks like we are going to get at lease some snow today. The National Weather Service is predicting a 100% chance of snow this afternoon and evening. Debbie wants to go over to Target and get a sled. They are on sale.

Sun Dogs

Looking out my office window this morning I saw two sun dogs. One on each side of the sun. They are visible when sunlight is refracted through ice crystals in the atmosphere.

We have snow forecasted for the weekend. Maybe the sundogs are an indication that the air is cold enough for us to actually get some.

Working in Raleigh

The last couple of days I have been working out of our Raleigh office. It is a little strange to be woking in an office with other people. I am so used to working by myself. Whenever I come down here I have meeting after meeting with very little time in between. Today I actually have some time to work on wome things on my own.

Cezanne Exhibit

We went to the see the Cezanne Exhibit at the National Gallery of Art today. Cezanne sort of spans the impressionist and modern art movements. Some people even consider hime th father of Modern art.


Paul Cézanne
Bend in the Road, 1900-1906
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

The weather was wet and rainy, but the exhibit was good. Joe came to dinner last evening and went with us today.

Groundhog Day

In the bleak midwinter
Frosty wind made moan
Snow stood hard as iron
Water like a stone
(Well at least in some years)

On February 2nd, between the minor holidays of Kind Day and George Washington's Birthday, comes the best holiday of the year. Groundhog day. No guilt wracked present buying, no "biggest Groundhog Day Sale Ever." Nothing but the comforting feeling that, at least on this one day, something truly important happens in Punxsutawney Pennsylvania.

It is a day of forward looking predictions.
A day where brave men stand in defiance of the winter cold to roust a peacefully sleeping groundhog from his heated hole and hold him aloft for the world to see. Does he, or doesn't he see his shadow? And we hold our collective breath...

Six more weeks of winter! Huzzah!

The Story From the Washginton Post

Sunday Evening

It was a good day at home today. We just stayed around here most of the day. Seth got a good nap and we went over to Brookside Gardens for a short walk. Pizza for dinner, then a bath for Seth and now maybe a movie?

Reading the paper on Saturday Morning

The Cakes part two and three

Debbie is having fun decorating cakes these days. Here are her recen projects:

Clown Cupcakes - A frosting lovers dream


Rose Cake

She baked the cake from scratch for this one.

Weekend Wrap up

We have had a pretty good weekend. Yesterday we went over to Patuxent NWR for a little while. Seth really liked the huge polar bear that they have there. In the afternoon he took a long nap. (Seth, not the bear)

Today we have just puttered around. Debbie had to get some cake decorating stuff, so we went to Michael's and then over to Barnes and Noble. This afternoon I put some new strings on my guitar. This has really been just your basic domestic weekend. Kind of nice...

Seth likes to be in his toybox

The First Cake

Debbie is taking a cake decorating class and this is her first cake. Nice Job!




Doesn't she look proud!

Sunday Afternoon Quiet

It is a quiet Sunday afternoon here. Seth has just gotten up from his nap Debbie has been working on a puzzle, and I am moving slowly while getting over a cold. Our weather changed from unseasonably warm over the last two weeks to a more wintery January day today. It is windy out there, and 39 degrees. It was about 65 on Friday.

A Big Mistake

I made a big mistake yesterday. I drove the 2006 Honda Accord V6 with the 6 speed transmission. Wow! It's a race car. Fun... and practical too!

Hmm, maybe I better not get too excited about this. :-)

Goodbye to the Benz

I turned in the Benz today. The lease was up so we, the Benz and I, decided to part ways. It was fun to have a big fancy car for a while. Now maybe I'll start looking for something a little more cost effective...

...perhaps another Honda?

New Years Weekend

We wrapped up the holiday season with a very enjoyable long weekend in Hopewell. The whole family was there on Sunday night and Monday. I think Seth had a good time playing with Will.

Today it is back to work. It looks like everybody is back in town. The traffic was heavy today after a week with nearly no traffic at all.