Home Sweet Home, Away from Home

 

Here is is after we all toiled -- Home Sweet Home, Away from Home. I got to hand it to the Moore's, they camp in style.

Campipng with the Boys

 

Two show you how far behind in blog updates I am, I'm now posting pics and events from TWO YEARS ago. September 2006, we invited all of the EverQuest Guildies to join us for a camping trip. Of course, only a small number of folks could join in, because our EQ gang is comprised of members from all over the United States.

Pete brought his family pop-up trailer, which made the camping trip really comfortable. Here's Doug (L-aka Rose) and Pete (R-aka Nefario), setting up the trailer, just after our arrival at the campground.

My Dad, Armed and Dangerous

 

Pic from last year's pool party. It's my dad, lounging around on the pool chair, armed with one of the kids squirt guns. Too funny!

Oh, but you should see him now! He started working at the gym 3 days a week, shortly after this photo was taking. He lost over 60 pounds!!

1-2-3 ... PULL!

 

The problem with building a life-size sand castle is that you need a really, REALLY big bucket to put all that sand in. And the problem with a really, REALLY big bucket is that they are awfully difficult to tip over -- espeically when you're 9-years old, and weigh less than the bucket.

Wake up the kids, Storm is coming!

I'm sound asleep, and she comes barreling in from her morning work-out session.

HER: HEY! I was just watching the weather channel at the club, and there's a
huge lightning storm coming.

ME: Huh? Wha?

HER: Wake-up! Lightning Storms! Go wake-up the kids!

ME: What time is it?

HER: Six-thirty. Go wake-up the kids!

So I did what any rational person would do under such circumstances: I rolled back over and went to sleep. Well, tried to, anyway.

Hours later, I'm replaying that conversation in my mind, and trying to figure out what she really wanted me to do.

We get the kids to school at 8:05AM each morning. Their alarm clocks are set for 7:00AM. That gives us an hour to wake-up, make our beds, get dressed, have breakfast, brush our teeth and get out the door in plenty of time for school. Because they're boys, an hour is PLENTY of time to get all that done -- and even leaves some time for putting together a few lego assemblies, too.

Soooo ... the reason for waking them up at 6:30am -- thirty minutes before their normal schedule -- was what exactly? So they could shiver and quake at the booming thunder overhead? I'd rather let them sleep through it. NOTE: It did boom rather loudly 2-3 times, it was a pretty intense storm, but they all slept through it (despite barking dogs -- who had apparently been woken up by Mom returning home form the gym!).

Maybe she was worried that lightning might strike them while they were sleeping?

All I know is that I'm extra crabby today, because I never really did get back that 30-minutes of sleep. Boooooooom! Splat, splat! Grrr! Bark, bark, bark!

The Boy, The Lighthouse and the Pigeon

 

Damn it, missed again

 

This picture is not the one I wanted, but I'd sat in that spot for nearly 30-minutes, snappy my camera trying to get the shot.

This is Portland Lighthouse, of course, on the banks of the walking path that circle the property. If you're looking at the lighthouse, there is this tiny fraction of a second during which the lighthouse beam is shinning full on you. It's so bright, I'm sure it would create some interesting light effects on the image.

I was trying to capture that instant -- but it's nearly impossible with the delayed shutter action of my digital camera. This is the best shot of dozens of other shots in which I completely missed the rotating light altogether, or too soon before or after the beam had swept past my position on the rocks.

Apollonius of Perga is surely not pleased with my efforts, and probably could have done much better.