Father's Day Fun

We actually had a full Father's Day Weekend Bonanza that included good food, watching soccer and lots of fun.

Saturday we went canoeing on Barton Creek and Town Lake. It was warm, but there was enough breeze to keep things comfortable without resorting to going overboard into the clear water. There was a minor incident with some over-eager geese who thought that I'd be more likely to throw them some bread if they nipped me on the arm. Not a smart thing to do to a guy holding a paddle. Besides the waterbirds (we saw one duck run across the water as he took off, which was nifty), there were lots of turtles, fish and other folks enjoying the water.

Today we saw Toy Story 3 in 3D, which we all gave high marks.

Tractor ride with Papa

The Burger Herd

Smiley, Hondo, Snook, and Bebe:

All named for small Texas towns. They weren't very excited about me taking their picture. Maybe the maroon shirt I was wearing made them think I was a vet.

Sunday night ice cream at Amy's!

Followed by some cow climbing.

Caves, Mountains and Deserts

We took a little road trip in April. With Will starting kindergarten in the fall and summer quickly approaching, it seemed like our last chance to vacation without being impacted by a school schedule.

So we loaded up the guys and the camping gear and rolled off 1,600 miles across West Texas and Eastern New Mexico, hitting three national parks: Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad and Big Bend. It was great. The guys proved themselves true Morans, riding peacefully guided by the Rules of the Road during the 26 hours of driving time. And our other pre-trip concern -- how the guys would sleep in the tent -- was also unfounded. We wiped them out by day and the slept like rocks by night.

I'll add a longer travelogue later. Lots of rain this spring and the previous week left a desert that was green and blooming wildly.

Here is a link to the photo gallery.

Brief February Snow

The roads were clear, but a day of giant flakes left enough icy snow on the grass to make a February Ned. Fresh off the experience of snowman making at Christmas in Fort Worth, and this time equipped with proper gear (mostly -- they boys' gloves were not waterproof) the guys knew just what to do. Dave rolled the head, Will took the thorax and Dad handled the abdomen and staking duties.

Alas, poor February Ned, not as resilient as Christmas Ned, fell to the 50-degree temps and clear skies of his second day.

Bribes at the outlet mall

Knowing that going to the outlet mall later in the morning/early
afternoon would be tough, we told the guys before we left that the
quarters in my pocket were theirs to ride the little rides at the
outlet mall -- if they behaved. They lost two quarters during lunch
and in one store, but had enough left to ride a train and this weird
Pooh teeter totter thing.

Dave's visit to the ER

Tumble on the bleachers at the YMCA during Will's practice. Bopped his
head, cut it open, blood everywhere. Mary took him to the hospital,
where he checked out alright, passed a CT scan and got his wound
dermabonded over. He was in good spirits.