Retirement, OK Style

JP's mom came out and we all went down to OK City for JP's brother's retirement party.
Seems like yesterday that we were all at ASU, just starting to look for a job, and already it's over.



Given all the crappy weather that has hit OK this year, I'm really thankful that we had three beautiful days there with no storms.
 

JP had fun trying out the Margaritaville Machine.

The five of us fit snuggly in JP's new car. Give GP another year of growth, and we'll have to go back to the minivan.

Laundry Helper

L Likes to help JP put away the laundry.

 

Old Bow

GP came across an old bow that Uncle G gave us. We took it to Scheele's and had it restrung for $8.



GP was anxious to shoot it. He knew in his heart that he is an archer who could pick off an orc a mile away from horseback. Once we started shooting, he then realized one of my favorite maxims: "In theory, there is no difference between theory and reality. In reality, there is."
 

 

Boston!

I had a conference in Boston. It was held at a hotel on the waterfront. Mmmm - Seafood dining on the water every day.



The highlight of the trip was a Red Sox game. 

 

 

Bon Voyage

Whenever I pack for a trip, I always have my helpers.

 

Nieghborhood Ducks

We have a pair of ducks that have taken up residency somewhere in the 'hood. The proud mama duck paraded her brood around the house.
The cats & dog were very interested, too.

 

Cinco de Derby

We had our Cinco de Mayo party on Quatro de Mayo, which coincided with the Kentucky Derby. We made up some betting guides and everyone had fun watching the race and rooting for their horse to win.

 

 

Tiny Boards

These are my latest circuit boards. I've gotten over my fear of surface mount components and jumped in. These translate the signal between a datalogger and a lawnmower engine. We can talk to the engines just like in your car. We're using these to collect information about how the mowers are used.

 

Cats' Favorite Places

V's favorite place in the kitchen.

 

L's favorite place is in my lap on weekend mornings when I'm at the computer.

  

Spring Weather in NE

May 1, 2013: Springtime. Green grass, a nice rain, and a smattering of hail.



May 2, 2013: Record snowfall.

May 14, 2013: 100 degrees.

 

Rocksmith Footboard

As everyone knows, my favorite game on the XBox is Rocksmith. The only problem with it is that you have to keep a controller handy to pick songs, switch modes, etc. It's just not convenient when you have have a guitar strapped on to walk around and fuss with a controller.



Why not use your feet to control the game? Having a pedal board adds to the game, as you can switch effects on the fly while playing. I found a DJ-Hero controller at our local used game superstore for $12. The circuit board inside it with the brains has all the connecitons printed on it, so wiring it up was pretty straightforward. I exhausted my stash of arcade game buttons, and found some cool yellow LED's, too. I used a piece of scrap plywood from JP's headboard project for the box.

 

Mulch!

We all have a bad case of spring fever. We had a couple nice days, but lately we've been back in winter with snow, sleet, and wind. JP's list of stuff to do is long and time is short, so we started on yardwork yesterday. The boys are big enough that they are a huge help. We moved five yards of mulch (half of a dump truck load) from the front to the back in under an hour. It's amazing how much of an incentive a couple of dollars can be!

Seems like every year, we're out trying to do outdoor projects when it's 45, wet, and windy. By the time we finished, I was ready for a warm bath and hot bowl of soup.
 

 

Headboard

A few months ago, we upgraded our bed to a king size. Not because we want our own space, but because (1) we have a huge room to fill, and (2) the animals need their own space. Our old headboard was too small, so JP designed her own. It took most of a day and a few $$ to put one together. I have to say that it looks awesome and helps to fill up the room.

 

Gift Bag

We went to my friend's 40th B-Day party. He's a big fan of Slayer, so we made a fancy gift bag to house his gift (a salyer shirt). I'm thinking I should sell my idea to Hallmark. They need a darker section in their stores.

Please don't thow me in that briar patch!

I found this record at the video game store last weekend. It was my favorite as a kid. I had no clue that the movie was from 1946 or that Zip a dee doo dah won an Oscar. I loved the Brer Rabbit stories.

Spring Cleaning

Now that the snow has left, it's time to clear out the garage. Over the winter I accumulated a whole pile of fun things: two 10" subwoofers, four 125 W amplifiers (rescued from the dumpster @ work), and a mixer from a P.A. system. I cut up the piece of plywood that has been on our garage floor for the last seven years and built a bass amp. The plywood has been used for everything around the house: a platform for fireworks in the back yard, a hard surface to pile dirt on in the grass, a backstop for the boys' bb-guns, and a spray paint shield for the garage floor. The wood is scorched, dented, painted, and even has bb's embedded in it. I'm half tempted to paint it, but it would loose so much of its character.

Rocker No. 3

The other night CP and I were jamming with Rocksmith when GP came down and asked if he could play. I was so excited to have him show some interest. He strapped on CP's bass and played his first notes. After running thru the "intro to bass" in the game, he started making music. I don't know if he was having as much fun as it appeared, or if he was merely extending his school-night bedtime, but he kept up at it and played for an hour, jamming and singing along.

Easter Brunch

We had our fourth annual Easter Saturday brunch with the neighbors last weekend. It's hard to believe we've been doing this for four years.

The kids have really grown since we started.
 

The day started off cool and rainy but as usual for Nebraska, the sun came out and we had a beautiful day. Our new neighbors as well as the old one they displaced came over and we had a great time. 

Always Helpful

Although she sleeps most of the day, L is always willing to lend a hand paw. I restrung my guitars, and she was right in the middle of it, gnawing on the loose ends. Presently, she is sitting on my lap, helping me type and filling my space with her fur.