Day 347 - 02/03/2008

I took advantage of this unseasonal weather by going for a bike ride to Giant by way of Shirley Gate Road (about 10 miles out of the way). This was on purpose. Actually, it was a pretty good ride as the weather wasn't too cool at speed and traffic wasn't too bad (on those roads where I eschewed the "bike" path for the roads anyway). All in all, I was in the saddle for about 18 miles for about 90 minutes. That wasn't all riding, though, as I stopped a few times to pick up roadkill (a crescent wrench and a pint glass) and to take a couple pictures of a bust of a horse.

I'm really not sure what the point of this is. It's just a hunk of stone (marble?) sitting on the side of the road in front of an apartment building. I guess it's supposed to be some kind of art, but I don't get it. It's not like Fair Oaks is (or was) a hotbed of thoroughbred horse farming or anything.

After I got home from my ride, I made some white chili for the Super Bowl Big Game party we attended tonight down the street. It turned out quite good and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Here's the recipe in case you'd like to make it yourself:

1 lb boneless/skinless chicken breast (or thigh), cubed
1 white onion, diced
1 can cannellini/navy beans (14 - 16 oz), drained (reserve the liquid)
1 can diced chilies (4 oz.), drained (reserve the liquid)
1 can corn (14 - 16 oz), drained
2 c. chicken stock
1 tbsp oregeno
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp McCormick California Blend Garlic Powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp olive oil

Brown chicken in olive oil, remove to plate until later. Add diced onions to olive oil and cook 2-3 minutes. Add beans, corn, chilies, stock, spices and chicken and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes or so. If it's too thick add some of the reserved liquid.

I've made this with cubed tofu instead of the chicken and although it was pretty good, wasn't as nearly as good as it is w/ the chicken. Another option would be to add shrimp.

As for the game itself, I thought it was alright, but as I told the folks I was watching the game with, had it been a Sunday afternoon game in October, I would've turned off the set and done something else. It just wasn't exciting enough for me. Oh well, there's always next year.

Day 333 - 01/19/2008

Since N's party isn't until later tonight, he and I went downtown to the Museum of Natural History to see dinosaur bones. He's studying dinosaurs in school and asked last night if we could go to the museum today. M is going over to Haley's house (who she went to day care with all those years ago) for the day, so I thought it'd be the perfect opportunity.

We got downtown around 10a and, after circling for what seemed like an hour, we finally resorted to parking in a garage about ½ mile from the museum. N didn't like that one bit, but he didn't complain too much. After a brief jaunt through the dinosaur exhibit, he was hungry for lunch. I tried to stall him, but the boy had lunch on his mind. We finally made it to the cafeteria and sat down for a delicious lunch of museum pizza.

Sitting there, eating our pizza, enjoying a man-to-man conversation about why there were two Coca Cola machines and why there were no lids to the soda cups, I was reminded of the trip D and I took to London to see the Cure. I won the trip on the radio (actually, D won the trip...but to be really accurate, I won the trip pretending to be D because I was ineligible). Anyway, I was reminded of that trip because that was the only time in my entire life that I've eaten pizza worse than the pizza I had for lunch.

It was bad. Oh, so bad. I don't recommend it.

As people walked by our table, I looked at their trays with envy. Oh man, I could have gotten a sandwich! I thought as someone walked by with what looked like a pint-sized Dagwood.

Everyone's food looked better than mine. Oh well, I bought it and now I've got to take care of it. And seeing as I was hungry, I did take care of it: I ate all but the crust.

After lunch we headed upstairs to the Insect Zoo, where we saw all sorts of things.

Centipedes. Millipedes. Spiders. Hissing Cockroaches from Madagascar (see below). All things a five year old boy should see.


After the Insect Zoo, we decided to head to the Museum of American History to see the train they have there. Unfortunately, it's closed for renovation and won't reopen until this summer. So, with that not possible, we decided to head over to the zoo to see the more things a five year old boy should see, like crocodiles, lions, tigers and the gorillas. He wasn't impressed with the gorillas.

But he was impressed with the reptile house. We probably spent the majority of the hour we had in the reptile house, making sure we found each and every one of the animals on display. While there, I was reminded of Stephen and his fondness for cupcakes. We joke that when he eats cupcakes, he unhinges his jaw (sort of like a snake) so that he can fit the entire cupcake in at once.

Well, I found Stephen's dream jaw:


As you can see, not only would it accommodate a cupcake, but a whole loaf of bread!

After our whirlwind tour, we made it back to the car about five minutes before the hour was up. They started charging for parking a couple years back and after the first hour (at $4), the price jumps up to $12. I wasn't about to pay that.

We left the zoo and made it home in time to relax before heading back to Pump It Up for another party. I should have stayed longer than I had so I wouldn't have had to turn around shortly after getting home. N wasn't feeling it and wanted to head home.

Day 331 - 01/17/2008

We had our first significant snowfall of the winter today. It started around 1030a or so and really started coming down fast with flakes the size of half-dollars at times. School didn't let out early, but evening activities were canceled, so I left early to beat the high-schoolers (and parents picking up their kids) on the road. I originally planned on working the rest of the day at home, but those plans changed when I got a call from D, saying she was fine, but she needed help.

As she was rounding a curve, the van did a 180° turn and she ended up on the curb. Fortunately, there didn't appear to be any major damage (other than a broken rim). I'll have to take it in tomorrow and get it repaired. I guess I'll go ahead and bite the bullet on the alignment as well, especially since it's either a) really out of alignment; or b) back in alignment.

The kids played out in the snow until it got dark and were called in. N came in first because none of the other kids would play with him (he didn't want to walk down to where they were playing, which translated into "they didn't want to play with me"). Usually he's pretty good about getting himself involved in the mix of things, but I guess he just didn't feel it today.

D had bunco tonight, so I had the kids to myself. We started Treasure Island, getting through the first chapter before calling it a night.

Day 312 - 12/29/2007

We headed down to Fred for the day to get in some shopping before Nancy's employee discount expired. We ended up doing a bit of damage, but also saving a bit of money. Traffic on the way down was terrible. We left our house about 1115a, expecting to get there around 1215-1230p, but ended up getting there around 1p. Every time traffic started moving, it stopped just as suddenly. Then, when I was about to jump off, it started moving again. Oh well, at least we made it down in one piece.

While we were there, M made a cake and decorated it for dessert. She'd been wanting to decorate a cake using the fondant she got months ago and decided today was the day. I helped her roll it out, but the design was all hers!

As you can see, she did a pretty good job at decorating it, but even as good as it looked, the fondant wasn't all that good. (For the record, the pic was taken with my phone.) A couple of bites was more than enough to get the sense that fondant is not to be eaten in bulk. I'm not sure whether the cakes made on "Ace of Cakes" are made to be eaten or looked at, but if they're to be eaten, I hope their fondant tastes better than what M had!

We had to bug out early to get home in time to watch the Patriots-Giants game. Fortunately, traffic wasn't too bad and we ended up making it home just in time for kick-off.

Under normal circumstances, I really couldn't care less about the game, but with the Pats at 15-0, I wanted to see if they could go undefeated. They did and now I'll be rooting for them to make it all the way. Of course, should the Redskins find a way to make it to the playoffs and then make it to the Super Bowl Big Game, I think I'd still have to root for the Patriots. The opportunity to end the season with a perfect record doesn't come along very often! The Patriots ended up winning, so they're in the playoffs and are looking to continue their quest for the perfect season. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Day 303 - 12/20/2007

Happy Birthday, Mom!

To celebrate, we had a family portrait taken since it may be a while before we're all in the same place. I think it turned out pretty good.

I also snapped a few pics of other family portraits the photographer had in his studio. I must say, I hope ours doesn't look that bad 30 years down the road! (What?!? You thought that was us?!?)

Afterwards, we went to dinner to celebrate her 70th. Whoops, did I just type that?

Day 284 - 12/01/2007

The early start didn't happen. As a matter of fact, it was a late start.

We ended up hitting the road at 950a CT. By 1030a we were on 64 and heading east. We originally thought about staying the night in Charleston, WV, (a bit over halfway) but decided against it out of concern for the weather. Like on the way out, we tried not to stop (actually, we ended up stopping four times -- one more time than on the way out) and it showed in the time it took for us to get home: 12 hours and 10 minutes. That confirms it: we'll go the southern route from now on.

After getting the kids to bed and unloading the van (well, starting the unloading process, all of M's school stuff still needs to be taken care of), I said good night to D and went to the basement to (hopefully) find some football on TV as I was too hopped up on coffee to even think about sleeping. I was rewarded with the Hawaii-Washington game and watched it until about 2a, when I realized that if I didn't get to sleep then, I'd be paying for it in the morning. Even with the caffeine still coursing through my system, I fell asleep soon after hitting the pillow.

Here's the data generated by Claire during the trip home:
Total Mileage: Average Speed: Moving Average: Maximum Speed: Total Time: Moving Time: Stopped Time:	763.66 miles 64.3 mph 68.6 mph 80.9 mph 11h 52m 11h 07m 44m 30s

It's quite a difference! We will now be taking the Southern route from now on (unless we stop by Alpha on the way out or back). Of course, the big difference is the time spent moving vs. stopping. On the way back, we ate lunch in the car and the only time we stopped for any length of time was in Tamarack when we had dinner (about 20-25 minutes). Of course, how much of the time stopped on the way out was due to traffic getting to I-70? Going the Southern route, we're on I-66 in less than 10 minutes and going against the flow of rush hour traffic. It'll be interesting to see what happens next time.

Day 282 - 11/29/2007

The visitation was today at the funeral home (one of two in town). Family visitation is from 5-6p and then it's open to friends from the area. We got there just before 5p and were surprised to see most everyone already there. Once 6p rolled around, D's mom and her siblings lined up for the receiving line and were busy throughout the evening greeting everyone who had stopped by to pay their respects. After a while, I took the kids back to Angie's house, where we were joined by a couple of other cousins and their kids while the rest of the family stayed at the funeral home. The vast majority of whom showed up afterwards, making the house pretty crowded.

D's cousin Joe plays the piano (quite well!) and was asked to play during the funeral; her cousin's husband was asked to sing as well. With that in mind, they rehearsed for a while and somehow I got involved and it was decided that I would join them in the choir loft (along with D's uncle). I wasn't sure how it would sound, but they seemed to think it was alright, so I went along with it. Not that I minded, though. I love singing, even if I might not be that good -- or so I've been told. (Hey, at least I can hold a tune in a bucket, unlike other members of the family.) After a couple of rounds of songs, I had to put the kids to bed, so I called it quits. It had been a long day (and is going to be another long one tomorrow).

Earlier in the afternoon I took M, N and Jacob to the park to get out of the house. While it was on the chilly side, it wasn't too bad. We headed into town and eventually made our way over to the park, where the kids played on the equipment. As we got there, I announced that whoever saw a white squirrel first would be rewarded with a dollar. I had never seen one before and I've been told that they usually hang out at the park, so I figured four sets of eyes was better than one. After they played on the playground, we walked around looking at the lights. Sure, it was during the day, but we could still see the cut out displays from various movies.

As we were finishing up, Jacob earned the dollar and I spotted my first ever white squirrel (I've been going to Olney for 10+ years now and had never seen one until today). I got a couple more shots, but I think this one shows best.

Day 281 - 11/28/2007

We hit the road this morning for the trip out to Illinois for Gramma Elie's funeral. We were hoping to leave by 830a, but ended up getting on the road about 910a ET. Traffic on 28 was heavy near the toll road, but we were soon heading out West without any problems.

I'll have to post the numbers Claire reported via GPS. For some reason it took us almost 13 hours to get there (arriving at 910p CT). Seeing as we only made three stops (one for lunch, one for gas and one for dinner and gas), I'm surprised it took us so long. Here's a shot of where we stopped for gas. You might wonder why we didn't eat there as well, considering what they were offering but we passed. (Well, D and I passed, the kids got ice cream.)

I plan on taking the southern route on the way home and doing a comparison based on what Claire tracks. (According to Google, the northern route is 2 miles longer than the southern route.) Below is the route we took, including stops (the white dots along the route). It may look similar to the route we took this summer, except for that it doesn't stop by Alpha.

The kids were pretty good on the way out, especially since we had limited stops. M did some of her homework, but for the most part, they watched the world go by and watched movies. (If it had been left up to them, they would've watched movies the entire trip.)

Here's the data generated by Claire during the trip to Olney:
Total Mileage: Average Speed: Moving Average: Maximum Speed: Total Time: Moving Time: Stopped Time:	753.75 miles 59.3 mph 66.6 mph 83 mph 12h 43m 11h 18m 1h 24m

Day 274 - 11/21/2007

Went to work for half a day and then hit the gym. I almost won the award for last person out, but there was one straggler behind me.

I stopped off at Giant for cabbage and shrimp mold supplies and was quite surprised to see that it wasn't crowded at all! After Giant, I hit Total Wine for a variety of beer and then headed home.

Since the weather was so nice, I decided to forego making the cabbage and shrimp mold this afternoon and instead mowed the yard. It's been a while since it's been cut and the leaves were piling up so I dropped off the groceries and headed up to the gas station to fill up the tank (which was on empty...just in time to sit around all winter long). While I was pumping gas, I noticed a police helicopter circling over the area. As I drove home, I realized it was circling over the house and eventually landed up at the school.

Right about that same time, D and the kids got home, so we (the kids and I) headed up to the school to check it out. (This was the second time a helicopter has landed at the school, the first one was when there was a fire in the neighborhood and they had to transport the homeowner to the hospital.) We went up the back way and found a fireman posted sentry at one corner of the field. He told us that a homeowner was up on his roof cleaning out his gutters and fell off. The good news was that he was healthy enough to be air-lifted (if there's a chance of cardiac arrest, they'd have to have taken him by ambulance).

I snapped this pic of the helicopter as it took off (using my phone; I forgot to grab my camera from my car). Of course the kids thought it was great that we had another helicopter land at the school.
After getting home, I attacked the lawn and was able to just finish up before it got too dark to see (actually, it was too dark to see, so I turned on the side light).

Before getting the kids ready for bed, I started on the cabbage. Since the windows were opened, I didn't have to cook it outside (which I usually have to do due to the smell -- M gets sick from the smell). I finished the shrimp mold after the kids were in bed and called it a night myself (after burning the midnight oil, which I'm wont to do on Thanksgiving Eve).

Day 269 - 11/16/2007

I went bowling with my work colleagues and used it to goof off. I've been wanting to try some new approaches to see if changing up my approach might allow me to increase my average substantially. The first game wasn't any different and the second one wasn't either. The third game, however, changed all that. After tossing three gutter balls in the first two frames (ending with a four), I ended up shooting a 174! Had I found a new technique? No, I simply bowled between my legs the entire game (both first and second balls). I ended up getting a 4x turkey at one point and had I not had that open frame towards the end of the game (or the 4 in the first two frames), I might've broken 200.

That being said, I don't think I could get away with bowling like this during the season as I'd be labeled a hot-dogger. Of course, I would contend that if I could do better bowling like a clown, why shouldn't I?

After I got home, D and I discussed what needed to be done to the workbench. It's been somewhat of a mess as I never really unpacked and organized after we moved. What with the recent spate of activity in the basement, however, I'm on a roll and want to finish this up. I started moving things from here to there in anticipation of the work I need to tackle over the weekend before calling it quits for the night. I was up early this morning and will probably be up early again tomorrow.

Day 253 - 10/31/2007

Happy Halloween to all you ghosts and goblins out there!

M went dressed as an adorable witch and N followed in my footsteps and went as Charlie Brown. We went out with some neighbors and they kids seemed to enjoy themselves.

At the end of the night I was checking e-mail when I heard a commotion on the front porch. I went out to investigate it and found a couple youths digging through the candy bowl.

Apparently the temptation of an unattended candy bowl was too much for them and they were digging through it, getting the good stuff (unbeknownst to them, the good stuff was already taken out by yours truly before the bowl was placed on the porch). Once they saw me looking at them through the screen door, they started putting the candy back. Since it was late I told them not to worry about it. Once they were gone, though, I took the bowl inside and turned the lights off, signaling the end of Halloween in our household.

Day 229 - 10/07/2007

Sunday morning was a lazy one. We all slept in (well, at least some of us did) before heading out to the kayak trip. I read about the tour in a Washington Post article back in the Spring and as soon as I read it, I knew it should be something we did during the weekend.

We arrived a little early (I was hoping there would be more of an area to explore on our own, but it didn't meet expectations) and Dave (our guide) was a little late. There was a communication breakdown between him and his staff: he thought we were meeting on the main road vs. down by the water.

After a brief lesson on the basics of kayaking, we hit the water, most of us paddling slowly as we got the hang of the boats. (I was in a tipsy boat that I swear had a rudder causing me to turn left regardless of which side I paddled on. It wasn't until we were heading back to the car that I found the secret to paddling properly and actually started making headway!) We arrived at the winery (taking our time getting there) and left the kayaks on the shore while we walked to the warehouse type building that made up the winery facility. After a quick tasting of the five varietals, we packed up and were about to head back to the water to paddle over to Rabbit Island to enjoy the wine when D suggested we hit the patio instead. There were a few chairs in the shade overlooking the winery and we stayed in that spot for the next two bottles of wine, chatting about all sorts of topics and enjoying the afternoon.

Instead of enjoying the third on on the porch, I suggested we head to the island for the last bottle, so back to the water we went. For some reason everything went much smoother and everyone was more relaxed. Maybe it had something to do with the wine.

On shore D and I wandered around the acre sized island, exploring here and there and looking for birds. I never found a bird, but I did find the toilet!

After circumnavigating the island, I found myself back where we landed and, after snapping a few group shots, we headed back to the car for the trip back to town.

Overall it was a great weekend. For the most part we all got along and (I hope) all had a great time. However, there were times when personalities clashed and tensions were escalated. I guess that goes without saying when different personality types are together 24/7 for days at a time. Although the scheduled down time this morning would have allowed everyone to get some time alone and apart from the group, I guess it didn't work out as I had hoped. Maybe next year will be different. I doubt it, but I can only hope.

Day 228 - 10/06/2007

This morning we had the Run for the Birds 5k race. We left the house about 845a and were at the race at 9a, giving us plenty of time to change into our costumes and warm up for the race. Once we were ready, we headed over to the staging area where we got all kinds of looks from the other spectators. I'm not really sure why they were gawking, maybe it was because they felt embarrassed that they forgot to wear their costumes. Or was it us who were out of place? Take a look at the picture below and decide for yourself (that's Senator Nick Rerras in the middle of the flock, by the way):


As you can see, we dressed for the part. Fortunately, the plumage didn't cause any of us to slow down too much (the heat and the soft ground did that). I ended up getting first in my age group and Caroline got second in hers. D did great running in her first 5k (and, as she said, probably her only 5k!), finishing strong to beat out some guy thinking he was going to pull a fast one and pass her at the finish line...yeah right!

After the race, we hung out and spotted a couple of birds. In amongst the trees was the sign from an old motel servicing the ferry terminal. I was quite surprised to see it, but it was neat to see none-the-less. As you can see for yourself, it looks pretty old:


I guess now-a-days the sign would say "Free HBO" or something of the sort.

Our next event was Talons: A Birds of Prey Experience, led by Lorrie Schumacher, Master Class Falconer. (Who knew there was such a thing? I wonder what she things of SNL's The Falconer?) Actually (aside from the crazy bird lady image she projected), the show was pretty cool...and informative. I played a mighty oak and had a Harris' hawk brush up against me as it went from station to station looking for food (in the form of cut up frozen mice).

The night we went to dinner and then drinks at Kelly's Gingernut Pub where we were lucky enough to hear Karl Werne and Eddie Williams play. I couldn't believe my ears when this guy started playing. At first I didn't really pay attention as it looked like it was a local jazz combo, but I soon found out that we were in for a treat once they started playing.

Werne is a local sure enough (well, local to Virginia Beach anyway), and an amazing guitarist to boot. His fingers were flying up and down the fretboard as he and saxophonist Eddie Williams put their personal markings on a variety of songs. It was an amazing experience, but one we cut short as we were all pretty beat from the long day.

Day 212 - 09/20/2007

My office played hooky today and spent the day at Hogback Mountain Paintball. There were 16 of us to begin the day and we were separated into two teams. Most of the games revolved around capturing the other team's flag, but some were more tactical in that there was one flag and one team had to defend it, while the other had to take it. Here are a couple of pictures from yesterday's event

Before....


After....


As you might see from the look of the after picture, we had a blast! We're already planning on making this a semi-annual event. Not only does it give us a day out of the office, but also the chance to cover your colleague with paint. If you haven't done this, it's pretty fun.

Of course, after I got home I mowed the yard as I wasn't nearly as sweaty as I should have been and hadn't had nearly as much exercise as I should have had today. I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow. I'm also sure I won't be the only one!

Day 172 - 08/11/2007

I spent a fun-filled day with the kids while D took a day off and had some quality alone time (well, I'm not sure whether she'd call it quality based on some of the things she did, but she had the day to herself to do what she wanted). I was happy to spend the day with the kids and we made it a full one.

We left the house about 930a and made a couple of pit stops, the first at the coffee store and the second at the dump to drop off some chemicals. After the dump, we made our way to Burke Lake Park, where we unloaded our bikes from the van, strapped on the fishing gear to my bike rack and made our way around the lake. We weren't very successful in the fishing department (I had one bite, but when I was reeling it in, the bass jumped and spit out the lure), nor were they kids successful in the lack-of-complaints-about-being-hot-and-tired department, but we were successful in the having-fun-and-spending-quality-time-together department.

We ended up riding around the lake even though the kids didn't want to, but since we were more than halfway when we decided to call it a day, going all the way around was shorter than going back the way we came. Next time we'll have to not go as far (or they'll just have to deal).

After loading up our gear in the van, we headed down and took a ride on the train (as pictured above). This was the first time N rode the train without feeling anxious. We've tried doing it in previous years, but he was afraid of the tunnel. This time, however, there was no fear whatsoever, which is a good thing as during Halloween, they have "Boo Train" rides where there are kids in costumes along the route, some silly, some scary, tossing candy to the kids. It's a fun time, but not when the kids don't want to ride.

On the way home we stopped by Merrifield Garden Center (or, as N calls it, MerriGardenFields) for some plants. I wanted to plant some mint to use in mojitos and we ended up not only getting that, but also some basil, aloe and some rock garden plant that N picked out, in addition to a couple of planters. The one M is holding below will be taken to my office.

Once I saw it I knew I had to get it. Now I just need to get a plant to put in it. Why didn't I think of that while we were there? (I had originally envisioned putting the plant that I have in my office in it, but am not sure whether it will look good in it. We'll see.)

We checked out and headed home, where D and I planted/repotted the plants. D had enjoyed her day at home and was given some bonus time when I took the kids to the pool. It was hot and the pool wasn't very crowded, although the kids did enjoy the company of the Craig girls.

After the pool, we came home and enjoyed a rousing game of memory with the memory game I got at the Grand Canyon last year. M started out pretty quick and N surprised us with his mad memory skills, but in the end I wound up pulling it off on the backstretch and was first across the line when it came time to tally our matches.

Overall it was a great day. Nothing like spending some good, quality time with the kids on a Saturday. As for how I handled it without getting too worked up, it's simple: I expected them to do exactly what they did (not want to focus on fishing that much, complain about the bike ride, hit me up for a ride, etc.), so everything turned out as planned. Yes, I understand that's not the best tactic, but if you set the expectation that the day will be fun-filled and the kids won't complain about something, you're setting yourself up for failing to meet your expectations.

Oh yeah, it's also helpful not to get worked up when they're just kids being kids.

Day 159 - 07/29/2007

Our last day on our weekend getaway was spent at the Jamestown Settlement. Visiting Jamestown was the primary reason for the weekend as this year is the 400th anniversary of the establishment of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the New World.

Upon our arrival, we took in the introductory movie and then wandered through the various galleries before meeting up with the tour guide. (Unlike at Williamsburg, we actually shelled out for tickets at Jamestown, so we weren't doing it on the cheap, although it would have been very easy to experience it for free as we never had to show our tickets to anyone.)

The first stop on the tour was the fort where we learned about some of the buildings and witnessed a musket shooting.


(It should be noted that the fort is a replica and isn't in the same location as the original: Historic Jamestowne is located a few miles East and is part of the National Park System and is more of an archaeological-type experience vs. a re-creation of what might have been.) And thus ended our participation in the tour. The kids balked at continuing (it was hot and they were becoming crazy with the heat), so we quit the tour and spent some time in the fort before heading down the the ships.


I asked one of the docents (for lack of a better word) which ships were which and she explained that the Godspeed stayed at the settlement, whereas the Susan Constant (above) and Discovery were used to shuttle supplies between the settlement and England, sort of like moving vans. I couldn't resist the opening she had provided, so I responded...

"Shouldn't they have used the Mayflower then?"

"No, that was used by the Pilgrims in Massa..."

Silence.

"Oh, I get it. That's a good one."

As I said, I couldn't resist.

We started heading back when I saw the pair below, which made me stop in my tracks.

It just amazes me to no end that in today's society, there exist such ignorant people as these. To take a quote from a powerful speech and attach it to a symbol of bigotry is unfathomable. And to make matters worse, the father is passing along his family values to his son, who no doubt will pass his along to his progeny. It's no wonder race relations are what they are in America.

We eventually made our way back to the cars and headed off to Cracker Barrel for lunch. After lunch we split up, Lori took her kids and headed on to Virginia Beach and Chris joined D, the kids and I for the trip back to NoVA. Traffic was terrible, but I enlisted the services of Claire and we were able to skirt most of it, arriving at home about 8p (after leaving Williamsburg at 4p and making a couple of stops for gas and coffee).

Day 158 - 07/28/2007

Happy Birthday, Nina! Of course, I wasn't there to celebrate with her, but I'm sure she had a great time.

After breakfast, we returned to the water park for the rest of the morning before leaving for lunch, a tour of Colonial Williamsburg and more economical lodging at the Sleep Inn. We stopped by Pierce's Pitt Bar-B-Q for some lunch and we savored every bite. If I had a straw I would've slurped the juice remaining in my bowl of green beans, but Lori said it looked like what leaks out of diapers and with that I decided to toss it with the rest of the trash. It's been years since I ate there last and was glad to see that it hasn't changed a bit. The tea is still just as sweet as ever and the pork just as tangy. In a word, Y-U-M!

As you could imagine (if you've ever been there), the place was packed. We were able to find two tables to seat the nine of us, but they weren't next to each other -- there was a table in between them. Not a problem, we thought, and we split the party up between the kids table and the adult table. Five minutes later, the table in between us graciously offered to switch with us. They thought we should have the opportunity to enjoy our children more then they were. Well, maybe that wasn't their intention after all, but I'm trying to put a positive spin on the story, so work with me here, alright?!?



After lunch we headed over to the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center. We decided not to do the passes (starting at $36 per person) as we only had a few hours before everything closed. Instead, we opted for the shuttle bus tickets ($2 per person) and boarded the shuttle for the ride over to the historic area.

Our plan was to get off at the second stop (the Capitol) and then walk back towards the Governor's Palace, where we would then take the shuttle back to the Visitor's Center. So when we got to the first stop, we stayed on board. After leaving, the bus driver announced we were heading back to the Visitor's Center. Apparently there was a failure to communicate somewhere along the line. So, after getting back on the next shuttle (we had to unload at the drop-off point and then walk over to the boarding zone), we rode it back to the Governor's Palace where we then got on the shuttle to the Capitol. It was very much like the scene from Spinal Tap where they were walking around the depths of the arena trying to find the stage and kept coming back to the maintenance worker.

We FINALLY got to where we wanted to go and started touring the area. Of course, since we didn't get the passes, we couldn't go into any of the buildings. That didn't stop Lori and D from trying to though. We got to the jail and as they were passing the gate, they started chatting it up with the pass checker (outside of each building is a worker dressed in period costume making sure only people with their pass pinned to their clothing are allowed in). He ascertained that they didn't have the requisite pass and prohibited them from entering. The conversation went something like...

"Sorry, you need a pass to enter."

"Oh. Can we just peek in to see the inside?"

"You need a pass."

"Oh, well can the kids just poke their heads in?"

"They need a pass, too."

It was quite comical, to say the least.


Humor doesn't keep one cool, however, and soon the kids were overheating. We made a few pit stops in the various stores to cool down and buy things, but, eventually, even that wasn't enough. We finally had to resort to...ice cream.


We finally called it quits -- or were forced to call it quits I should say -- when the thunderheads became ominous after the fife and drum show (I forced that issue as a way to reconnect with my youth). We found the nearest bus stop and made our way back to the Visitor's Center.

We found our hotel easily enough, but had some problems with dinner. There was a Pizzaria Uno right across the street, so we forewent our cars and decided to walk. That was a mistake. Not only were there no sidewalks leading from the hotel to the main road, there were no pedestrian crossing signals or crosswalks available. While we could have managed across, with five kids in tow we decided on the safe route and walked back to the hotel to make the trip in our cars. We arrived safe and sound, only to find out there was a 45-60 minute wait. The kids, having been pretty good all day, wouldn't have survived (neither would the petunias they were deadheading -- although the buds weren't quite dead yet...or even close). We made a quick call to Mirabella's (an Italian restaurant we saw down the street) and when they said they could seat us immediately, we loaded back into the cars to make the trip...next door. This time we could have walked. Oh well, maybe next time.

The service was excellent, as were the food and drinks. The kids were at their limit by the end of dinner, but overall they were good. No food was thrown and no surrounding patrons seemed to be bothered by them (unlike at Pierce's). All in all, the second day of the weekend was a success.

Day 157 - 07/27/2007

I got up early and went for a bike ride to get at least one workout in before heading down to Williamsburg for the weekend. Unfortunately I got a later start than I had wanted to, so I was gone for less than an hour. I took a new route out to the parkway and then wound through Franklin Farm before heading back home.

As I said, we're heading for Williamsburg for the weekend today. We're going with some friends of ours and their kids (the Barnes family). Chris and Lori are our bowling partners and their kids (Caroline, Lindsay and Connor) are about the same ages as M and N. We're hoping all goes well as being in close quarters can wear thin sometimes.

We were planning on leaving at 9a, but got a call from Lori saying they were going to have to delay departure: Connor broke a glow-stick and got some of the liquid in his eye. Fortunately he recovered and we ended up leaving about 10a. We met up with the Barnes-mobile at Fair Lakes and split up the cars by gender: D and M rode with Lori, Caroline and Lindsay while Chris and Connor rode with N and me. It seemed to work out just fine and, after stopping for lunch at Carmel Church, we arrived at the Great Wolf Lodge about 130p. Although we couldn't check-in until 4p, we were able to use the water park, so we changed and hit the water.

If you've never been, Great Wolf Lodge is a hotel with an indoor water park. There are a number of water rides/activities so all the kids had something that suited them. Some of the rooms have "kid cabins" or "tents" in their rooms, so the kids can pretend they're roughing it. We booked the kid cabin rooms; the kids really thought it was neat. Some of the adults even thought it was neat as well!


For the most part we split up and took turns watching 1-2 of the kids at a time. N liked the water tower (with the smaller slides), while M liked the wave pool and the larger slides. Of course, before we could take in all the rides, a thunderstorm moved through the area so the pools had to be closed (even though they were all indoors, they had to turn off the pumps in case there was a power outage -- or at least that's what they said).

That being said, great fun was had by all, but by 530p or so, my back was beginning to bother me. Fortunately, the kids were getting to the end of their energy as well, so we decided to head back to the room to get ready for dinner.

Dinner was, how shall I say, disappointing (the company not-withstanding). The food wasn't all that great and the service was pretty slow. Not only did it take 15 minutes to get our drinks, but they were the wrong ones. After dinner we took the kids to the arcade, where even the grown-ups had a ball (a skee-ball, that is).

Day 147 - 07/17/2007

Visited a customer site where they are migrating from one platform to another. Over the past year, we've been working with our on-site employee to ensure the project is successful and the customer's expectations are managed. As it turns out, it appears the on-site employee has been sabotaging our efforts at every step. He's on his way out, but that's not good enough for me. He should be sued for back wages as he hasn't done dick over the past year to move things forward.

On our way out, we stopped by his cube...

You know what? I'm going to stop there. I'm not going to share the rest of the story. I've already spent a year of my life working with this tool, why add to that?

The good thing about the trip was that I was downtown. I miss working in the city during the summer. Sure, it's hot, it's sticky and there's not a lot of relief, but there's a buzz about with all the people on the street. Not only do you have the working stiffs, from the lobbyists in their power suits to the government workers in their sweat suits, but you also have the tourists. I loved working downtown as I'd find a bench during lunch and just watch the people go by. Now that I'm out in the hinterland, I have to make do with the few people walking around the office park. That being said, the view from my office window is perfect for me. I overlook a "lake" (e.g., stormwater retention pond), as well as can daydream about the planes landing at Dulles.

(Of course, as I write this there is scaffolding in the way; work is being done on the roof to the building so I get to stare at that for the next I don't know how many weeks.)

Day 136 - 07/06/2007

We left Chantilly at 850a for Dayton. "We" consisted of D, M, N and Nancy, D's mom. Like last year, we decided to stop in Dayton for a quick visit with Jim, Amanda and Emily before heading on to Illinois to visit D's relatives. (Ann was heading up to the UP, so we will miss her on this trip.) Unlike last year, however, we only stayed one night as we weren't going to be on the road as long.

On the way out of the neighborhood, I called to let them know we were leaving and Ann answered the phone. I wasn't expecting her to be there but her plans changed, so we'll be able to see her (along with Jim, Amanda and Emily).

We arrived in Dayton about 530p. We had dinner and then walked to Ritter's (the local ice cream stop) for some ice cream. The walk did us wonders as we'd been in the car all day (it was about 3.5 - 4 miles round trip). As we were walking to Ritter's, the group was ahead of me and the evening sun was casting long shadows and they had just come out of the shadow of a tree. It was picture perfect, so I took it. I thought it turned out pretty good and am hoping to enter it into a contest. I love the way it captures the summer evening and I especially love the way M is the only one looking back at the camera while the rest walk along, unaware that I'm capturing the moment.

After we got home, the kids got bathed and they attempted to sleep in the trailer (with Emily). That didn't last long. M abandoned ship first (even before getting in bed) and N gave up the ghost shortly after getting in bed. In the end, Ann and Jim slept in the trailer and the kids slept inside.

Good clean fun.