Game Day Pool Day

KG and her beau and roommate stopped by on their way to the game. 

We took advantage of the perfect weather and watched the game from the poolside.

Hard to believe that snow could be flying in a month.

GP's B-Day

Our friends from IL came out for GP's birthday (and the Husker game, too). They left their kids at home, so it made for a fun and relaxing weekend.

We took GP to the Lodge for dinner where he experienced cheesecake for the first time.

Rock and Roller

GP's band played downtown at Duffy's last Sunday night. It was so cool seeing him up there and listening to him play. The place was packed with parents and four bands played.

Dead Dryer

Last weekend our dryer gave up its ghost. Amazon came through with a replacement heating element delivered to our door two days later for $26. 

Homecoming Dancers

For the past month, we've been asking GP if he was going to ask KT to the homecoming. Time ran out, so she asked him. She made a centerpiece thing with a bunch of dum-dum suckers stuck into a floral foam ball on top of a vase full of candy.

They went to the football game where KT performed with the color guard at halftime then rushed home to change and get polished up for the dance. They didn't have time for dinner, but I don't think they cared. We asked GP if he wanted to take JP's car; "Nope. I like my truck!"

Total Eclipse

We were blessed to live in the path of totality for the solar eclipse of 2017. Both boys were in school and we weren't in the mood to chance traffic, so we strolled over to the lodge at Wilderness Ridge. We, and 100 other Lincolnites, gathered on the deck for the event.

The bar had a special Solar Sour cocktail for the event as well as dark "Total Eclipse of the Alt" on tap. Everyone on the deck was excited and chatty - we really had fun sharing the experience with our new friends. 

We had some high clouds, but we were still able to observe the entire procession of the moon across the sun. We were treated to just under two minutes of totality. I was amazed at how bright it was before totality. One would think it would be dark with 99.5% of the sun covered. As long as there was a tiny sliver remaining, it was light enough that you could probably drive without headlights. As soon as we hit totality though, it got dark for us, but the horizon was still lit.

The photo isn't mine - I found it on the net. We didn't bother screwing around with our phones to take what would have been crappy photos.

BMOC

After GP drove himself to school, we packed up CP and headed across town to UNL and moved him into the dorm. Because he's in one of the learning communities, he was allowed to move in before the normal move-in days, which made it nice for parking. As we walked in, we noticed the family parked next to us was from Illinois. We knew that CP's roommate was from IL, so we asked. Yep, that's him. It was nice meeting him and his father. 

CP's dorm is only a couple years old. It's a huge change from what we had 30 years ago. He's living in a suite with three other guys. Two guys per bedroom with a shared shower, toilet, and two sinks, plus a kitchen and living room. Everything is new and spacious.

 CP's roommate is in the ROTC program, which works out well; CP will have someone to get up early with. The other two suite-mates are in the marching band, so they will be busy parading around every day this semester.

Everything is so clean and orderly. I cannot imagine how it will look after the school year with four guys living here.

They even have a full-size fridge, coffee pot, tea pot, and microwave. There's a brand new cafeteria next door to the dorm that looks pretty swanky.

1st Day of School, Solo

Tuesday was the start of school. GP is now the master of the white truck. Upon inheriting it from his brother, he promptly cleaned out EVERYTHING from the inside. No more CDs, nothing. He's a clean freak like JP. He drove off by himself to school without looking back.

End of Summer

Once again, summer passed by too quickly. Last weekend we soaked up the sun at the G's pool with the kids.

This is all CP needs for his dorm room. All packed and ready to go.

We asked CP where he'd like to go for his farewell dinner. Surprisingly, he chose Valentino's where he's been working for the last year. This was the first time we had eaten in the new restaurant - it's much nicer than what I thought it would be. With all the college kids leaving, there's now a labor shortage for unskilled help. GP and BG both landed jobs here. GP is enjoying making pizzas for money. Will it tame his hunger for pizza?

GP's 1st Gig

Last night we went to UPCO park and watched GP perform his first concert. It was AWESOME!! Mayor Buetler was there and kicked off the show with a short speech.

GP was a nervous wreck all day in anticipation of getting on stage, but when it came time, he did great. The last song they played was new to him, so he had the chords written down on his setlist. He was worried about how to be able to read it while he was playing. 

K went with us for the show and she helped GP stay calm. Afterwards, we hit BurgerFi down in the rail yard for some celebratory cheeseburgers. Next gig: Duffy's Tavern downtown on O Street. We can't wait!

His band is called Borderline Edward. Don't ask me what that means - I have no clue. GP plays bass alongside two other guys. The guitarist also sings all the songs. Of all the songs they played, I knew only two. JP knew three. "Friday I'm in Love" is one of her favorites from the 80s.

Cat Seats

L's favorite spot is in CP's lap. If he's unable to accommodate, she bites his ankles.

As small as V is, she was still too big for this tiny box. That didn't stop her from trying to get comfortable in it less than 30 seconds after I put it on the floor.

Rude Awakening

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous lately. The other night we opened the windows for the first time since spring. At 2:00 AM, we heard the street racers racing up the hill half a mile away.

Then, at 2:30, all of the smoke alarms (they're all interconnected) went off. We searched the house top to bottom and found nothing. (I was a bit concerned about the 1974 amp that CP & I worked on that day...)

We went back to sleep and then at 3:30, they all went off again!!! 

We ended up closing up the house and turning on the AC to clear out the humidity.

The next day JP and the boys got the air compressor out and blew out all the detectors. Problem solved!

Electrical Dog Pound

While burning an hour at MusicGoRound while waiting for GP at his band rehearsal, this old amp found me. That store is a lot like the dog pound. There are all these old amps and guitars that need a good home. How could I pass this one up? 60 watts of vintage 1974 power for $25?!? 

Since CP is all set to embark on the electrical engineering program at UNL, I figured this would be a good project for us. The amp had a lot of noise when turned up with no instrument plugged in. It looked like the 40-year old capacitors were probably at fault. The big silver one on the right was oozing out its guts. We replaced several parts and now it sounds much better.

Animals at Rest

The top of the new sofa is The Spot to relax if you're a cat or small dog. 

PG has learned that he's not king of the castle when V is around. They are best friends now.

J is a frequent guest in our house. As soon as he arrives, he makes a beeline for the toy basket and promptly empties it.

K often brings her two dogs over. Her older dog sleeps on top of the sofa with the cats. She wanted to see D from next door, so it was a bit crazy for a while with four dogs in the house. Fortunately, they all get along well.

Fleabass!

GP is now playing in a band. He's been taking lessons and his instructor felt it was time to play with some other guys. This has bumped up his incentive to practice every day. You don't want to be the one guy that's not pulling his weight.

We came across a used Fleabass at the Music Go Round! GP is fired up about it. It plays well and sounds great. He can't wait to take it to practice next week.

Colorado!

The morning after the Iron Maiden concert, we piled in the car and drove to Estes Park, CO. We met G&G at their time share and spent the week with them.

We went for a hike every day in Rocky Mountain National Park. The boys remembered the death hike we took them on four years ago, and were leery each morning as we started up the mountains.

Despite their complaining, I think they had fun.

No trip to Estes Park is complete without a visit to the Stanley Hotel.

More full-resolution photos are located here: Google Photos

Dorm Room Decor

This summer we've been keeping an eye out for stuff for CP's dorm room. So far we've scored a cool Chinese-style print of a Japanese monster and a big flag from the Iron Maiden concert.

Iron Maiden!

When we stood in line to buy tickets in January, it was 5° and windy. The night of the show, it was 95. We didn't realize when we got our tickets that they were in the club section - we were treated to extra special service while waiting for the show. The boys chowed down on the buffet with unlimited Pepsi refills, and the girls enjoyed private bathrooms in the club room. 

I've been listening to Iron Maiden for the last 35 years. The boys have been listening to them since birth. JP has learned all their music via osmosis. We all had a blast singing along!

The bass player started the band in 1975. He is an idol for the boys and me. The lead singer flies the band's 747 from show to show. They hit 39 countries during this tour.

Graduated from Switzerland

C & A stopped by the weekend of the 4th. We haven't seen A in nearly seven years!!! He and the boys picked up as if he had only been gone for the weekend. He had just received word that he passed all of his high school requirements for graduation as was greatly relieved. School is a bit more rigorous in Switzerland than here.

July 4th Weekend

This year the 4th fell on a 4-day weekend, which is way too long. We spent the majority of it at the G's pool. This year we only spent $50 on fireworks and enjoyed the neighborhood show instead of our own.