Zoo

JP took the boys to the Omaha Zoo last week for a final fling before school starts next week. They took a ride on the new sky-ride.

One of the highlights was the new butterfly and insect experience.

The budgie encounter has been improved so that the birds have more space and can escape visitors when needed.

LOTO 2009

We made our annual pilgrimage to the Lake of the Ozarks last weekend. Grampa brought his boat and we all got in some decent skiing. JP & Dr. B have become masters of the sport.

We were on the water (or at least down to the boat) by 7 am most mornings to take advantage of the smooth water.

We rented a pontoon boat and cruised the lake one day. From our place it was 20 miles down to the dam. We were all grateful to realize that Gramma & Grampa's timeshare where we were staying is on the prettiest part of the lake (Grand Glaize branch). We had lunch at a cool lake bar and then swam and jumped off the suntan deck for the rest of the afternoon.

Two other mornings, we rented a waverunner and had fun pulling the tube behind that. CP was a little leery of tubing at first, but once he realized that it was not going to kill him, we couldn't get him off.

Aside from an afternoon shower and some morning fog, we had great weather and I was able to deepen my tan by a couple of notches. There's not much better than skiing in the morning and relaxing in the sun by the pool in the afternoon.

We had a b-day party #3 for MB. She is turning into quite the character.

Thanks to Gramma & Grampa for a most excellent vacation!

Camp Cornhusker Family Camp

The weekend after CP's campout, it was back to Humbolt for another three days with GP at Camp Cornhusker. This was the "Fun with Family" camp. It was not as structured (almost no structure at all) as the Webelos camps. It's intended to be more of an intro to cub scout camping for families. We did BB guns, archery, canoeing, and crafts.

The boys found Hoover, the camp cat. With only a few kids around, he purrs and likes to be held. With more than a few kids, he makes himself scarce.

We had a Hawaiian Luau dinner the last night we were there. Tasty!

Webelos II Camp

CP & I attended Webelos II camp at Camp Cornhusker this year. It was four days packed with non-stop fun. We shot BB guns (CP scored two perfect 50's - the best I could do was a 42), slingshots, arrows, threw tomahawks, went swimming, made metal bowls, lit fires, lashed poles, learned CPR, performed skits, played games, and had fun doing it all.

This year CP was able to get his Blue swimming buddy tag, which meant he could go out in a canoe and swim anywhere in the pool. He kept his suit on for most of the time we were there.

It's hard to believe that this will be our last Cub Scout camp. Next year will be Boy scouts if we continue.

Skybox Saltdogs

Someone at work one a United Way contest and got a skybox at the Saltdogs' game. She had some extra seats, so we all went and enjoyed the game in style. The boys couldn't believe that they could sit inside and watch cartoons at the baseball game.

It's Official - AT

The T's came back to Nebraska not only for our 4th of July Extravaganza, but also to finalize their adoption of baby A. The legal proceedings went off without a hitch, and now she officially has a new name and parents.

The neighbor hood party group was all in attendance at the courthouse. It was pretty funny because the hearing was in Juvenile court. Everyone else there was present due to problems of some sort. We were there for something good.

Of course, we had to have a neighborhood party on the deck to celebrate.

July 5th 2009

July 5th was a completely different day than the 4th. It was hot, sunny, and perfect. AT opened her presents and did the wrapping paper romp.

We broke in the Cornhole boards I built for the occaision and played JON's goofy golf.

The boys enjoyed the trampoline that GT brought all the way from TX. We had fun assembling it, especially GT & MT while the played the honking game.

4th of July 2009

It rained all day on the third. It was cloudy and cold on the 4th. We made it up to 74° for a high. Our old neighbors the T's drove up from Texas and we had a big party on the deck. Once we got going, we had four guys lighting stuff for three hours non-stop. I even pre-rigged our artillery shells so that we could launch three at a time. The view from the deck was fantastic. We had a panorama view of the entire neighborhood. We had not only our own show, but six others to watch all night.

Clouds

Blue sky, red #25 filter, and contrast tuning make for some nice cloud shots.

Homestead Days

We hit Homestead Days this year at the Homestead National Monument in Beatrice. This was the first time we had been to the new facility; it's really nice.
There were a bunch of civil war things there this year. The Calvary guy above is regular US Army and had just returned from Afghanistan. He belongs to a horse company out of Ft. Riley, KS. They do all the ceremonial events throughout the US, and even got to ride in the inaugural parade.

All of the displays were very hands-on. The boys got to handle muskets and sabres and even got to load a cannon. They made a hemp rope, learned how to start a fire with flint & steel, and watched a blacksmith make stuff. Their favorite attraction was an old push reel mower.

We got some information about enlisting in the reenactment army. CP is fired up and ready for battle.

A Day in the Country

After Gramma's funeral, we spent a day at M & C's with the close family. The boys swam in the koi pond with the dogs while we played cornhole and and enjoyed the fabulous day.

C took us for a ride on his pontoon boat around the lake. The boys all rode Mabel and had a good time.

We ended the day with a backyard campfire, marshmallows, and ASU in the college world series on the big screen. Gramma would have loved it.

A Death in the Family

JP's Gramma passed away at the end of May. She didn't feel well one day and within three days she was gone without any suffering. We were sad to see her go and will miss her deeply. She lived a full life and was always ready to go.

All of the family came in from the four corners of the states to Chicago for the funeral and then went out to JP's cousins' place in Mt. Carroll. It was great to see everyone again.