CP's December Activities

What could be better than boys, sticks, and thin ice? I was tempted to let them fall through, as it was only inches deep, but I was afraid that they would then assume if you fell through the ice it was no big deal.

The lake was surrounded by a ring of mud. GP got stuck and had to be winched out. CP lost a shoe in the mud. Needless to say, JP was thrilled when we returned covered in mud. Southeast Nebraska has no shortage of mud. It is everywhere!

We saw two bald eagles out on the ice in the middle of the lake and two muskrats swimming in some open water near shore.



Glory be to the digital camera!! CP really got into taking pictures at the zoo. By the end of the day he was clicking off some very nice photos. I think the time has come to get CP his own camera.



Lincoln now has two skating rinks in addition to the museum of roller skating. This is the old one. It's fun and a good workout. CP finally got out and tried the Limbo. My favorite is doing the Hoky-Poky, although this time I fell flat on my face while turning myself around.



CP works on his Pinewood Derby car. We scanned a Hot Wheels car, stretched in photoshop so that it fit the block of wood, and then carved it out on the scroll saw. Race day: 1/27/07.



CP shows off his new TBF Avenger. We built it light and it's a great flyer.



The Avenger takes flight!



CP has been wanting a Japanese Zero for a long time, and I found a nice 1/16 scale model in the new Woodstock hobby shop over thanksgiving. He painted the entire thing and is quite proud of his work. We finished it last night, and he has not put it down since.

2006 Christmas Card

We did it! We actually took a family photo and sent out Christmas cards before Christmas. This year really feels like Christmas. Last year we were still getting settlted into the new home and city. This year it feels like we really live here and JP knows her surroundings. We are anxiously waiting for SANTA. Please come soon, Santa!

Starting at 3pm today, we are switching the boys over to their pre-santa sugar-only diet so that they will have enough energy to make it to Christmas. I have been worried that they lack excitement and enthusiasm for Christmas.

Mississippi Palisades

While we were in Illinois for Thanksgiving, I took off Saturday AM and went out to the Palisades where we used to camp, hike, and climb. I had not been there in over a year and suprisingly, a lot had changed. I forgot how pretty the river bottom is. It's incredibly large compared to the Missouri River. I always thought that they would be of similar size, but the Missouri is a trickle compared to the Miss.



The sentinel tower that we used to climb (120' limestone pillar) had a sign that said not to climb on the south column. When we used to climb, the top of the south pillar was always a little wobbly on top; now it must be to the point that someone could knock it off.

All throughout the park on top of the bluffs, there are sinkholes that are full of sediment & debris. I have probed them, hoping to poke through to the underworld, but never found anything. This trip I was exploring one and found that the bottom had finally broken through to the cavern below (lower picture). I wish I had a rope & harness (and another person) with me. The cave looked like it went down for a while and would be explorable. Maybe next trip.

 

Thanksgiving in Lanark

We spent Thanksgiving in Lanark at the Grammas' house. Everyone was there except for Glenn & Sue - they were in Michigan on a business trip.



After dinner, we played a couple rounds of "The Dice Game." The boys had fun stealing presents from everyone.



The day after, JP & I traveled to Woodstock to see the old neighborhood. We walked down to the square with the Newmans. The square is changing - new $450k townhouses have been built behind the train station, Harvest Moon (our favorite resturant) was sold and went out of business, the Jailhouse is under new ownership and is being remodelled, and the toy store has been replaced by a spectacular hobby shop. The hobby shop has more stuff crammed in it than our Hobbytown superstore. I almost bought the big P-38 model I've been looking for, but JP (the voice of reason) talked me out of it. I did, however, get a nice 1/16 scale Japanese Zero for CP to help me build. He has a thing for Japan and has been wanting a Zero for quite some time. I'm anxious to get started, but I think we need to build this year's pinewood derby car first.

Little House looks the same except for some giant weeds in the back yard, an air conditioner (permanent, not window), and a satellite dish. It's hard to believe that we used to be able to get by with a sub-one-car garage. The neighbors to the rear built a nice 3-car garage that matches their house. Nancy & Chet are doing well.

The main purpose for our trip to Illinois was for JP to get her hair cut by a real stylist. She hasn't been able to find anyone here that she likes. I gave her a hard time about driving 8 hours to get a haircut, but when she emerged from the salon, I realized that she was right.