New Project Bass

A friend up at corporate knew I enjoy playing bass and lent me an instrument he no longer used. The neck needed more adjustment than Grampa's back and it had paint drips and a thick layer of grime on it. A little bit of TLC and some new strings brought it back to life and it plays like a champ. It's fun to try out different instruments. When I started, I couldn't tell the difference between a $200 instrument and one that cost $2,000. I'm finally beginning to be able to discern what makes up the difference in price. 

Stringy Helper

One of V's favorite pastimes is helping me change strings on a guitar. She is very helpful keeping track of where all the loose string ends are.

OK Gaduation #2

JP, Nana, and GP went down to OK City for our nephew's graduation. Hard to believe how fast these kids are growing up.

The graduation was on a Sunday afternoon. Cam had finals starting on Monday, and I had a midterm to complete on Sunday, so we stayed behind and ate tater tots and fish stiks until we felt ill.

Study Buddies

The boys next door came over to help me study for a test. They were more interested in the effects of Heteroskedasticity (Chapter 8 of my class) than I.

JP took them in the car to drop off our boys at school. They were a bit worried, as the only time they go for a ride is when they go to the groomer or vet. They didn't realize car rides could be fun.

First Pool Party

We officially hit 98 degrees last weekend. Nothing but sunshine and wind - time for a pool party! The humidity was only 10%, so despite the warm air and 80-something water, getting out of the water was like jumping into Lake Michigan.

Fortunately, a storm blew in and gave us an excuse to get out of the sun.

Gulf Sunsets

No trip to FL is complete without a Siesta Key sunset.

We spent a night at a beautiful little resort on Siesta Key. 

My best friend from high school stopped by and we caught up on our lives. He's running his own computer business in SRQ.

After looking at mowers in SRQ, we headed north and spent the remainder of the week in Tampa, working on more mowers. There, we stayed in Clearwater Beach. We intended to stay in a dive hotel on the beach, but they had recently shampooed the carpets (due to a messy spring break crowd??) and the place smelled like sockless sneakers. We were able to find a place across the street that was clean and didn't smell.

Dolphin Fingers

While JP was having fun with friends on the deck at Wilderness Ridge, I was enduring a week-long business trip in FL. We have a bunch of prototype and pre-production mowers being tested there - someone has to go and check on them now and then...

The corporate travel agency only has boring hotels that are usually somewhat creepy. I spent some time online and located what I hoped would be creepy hotels, but in better locations. The first was in Pompano Beach directly on the ocean. This is my associate's room with a private deck on the beach. For under $100!

Between our hotel and the water was a sea turtle nest. I never realized that they laid eggs on the east coast - I guess I just assumed it was a gulf coast thing.

The gulf coast put chicken wings on the map, so the east coast answered with dolphin fingers. Tasty!

Deck Season at the Lodge

One of our favorite places to go is the deck at the lodge of Wilderness Ridge. While I was out of town, JP and the old neighbors went over. While there, the new neighbors called and asked JP if she would be interested in going over to the lodge - "We're already here!" Everybody was thinking the same thing that day.

Dishwasher Guardian

The dog helps pre-wash the dishes so the dishwasher can finish the job with the phosphate-free so called "detergent" that has trouble on its own. She usually licks the silverware in the basket while JP loads the dishwasher. Since L was awake, she decided that she needed to hassle the dog by blocking access to the silverware basket. 

Once the dishwasher gets going, L's favorite nap spot (other than a laundry basket full of warm clothes) is on the counter above where it's nice & warm.

Catnap

It's so difficult being a cat. Those dumb people leave their shoes in the middle of the sunny spots. Have you ever tried to sleep on top of a pair of sandals?

Opening Day @ the Pool

Our old neighbors were tired of life in the urban center of Lincoln: too much traffic, crime, and the ills created by the liberal attitudes of a big city. They built a beautiful place out in the hills above the city where the air is fresh and clean and windy. The snow melted and we helped them christen their new pool!

Their dog LOVES the water. He rides the floating chair around.

The lizard and I enjoyed catching some rays.

Landscaping Crew

How nice it is to have two kids that are old enough to run the mower and string trimmer.