Snow . . . already?!?

Woke up this morning to a bit of the white stuff.  Had to do a double take when I looked outside!

 

 

Can't believe it is here already!  I know we live in Alaska and all . . . but really?!? September!!

Learning the Ropes

 It was one of those weekends were we did a lot of projects on Saturday and by Sunday the kids are going crazy and have us climbing the walls.  Sunday was rainy and cold, and even the kids were getting bored of the TV.  Time to get out and do . . . something!!

 

We had talked about taking the kids to the Alaska Rock Gym, but just had never gotten around to it. Now that summer is offically over (for us anyway), the rock gym suddenly got pushed to the top of the list.  I had been here years earlier to climb with some buddies, but that was many moons ago.  I collected my "retro" gear (old), got the kids to put on shorts despite the 40 deg temperaters, and shuffled everyone to the vertical challenge that lay before us.  Should be fun . . . just hope the kids are UP to the challenge!

With an activity like this . . . who knows if the kids are going to like it, or even be able to do it.  We signed in, got the kids some rental gear and started on the "boldering" routes.  That lasted approximatly 30 seconds before the were "bored". 

 Ok . . . if we are going to do this . . . lets do it.  I got on my harness, tried best to remember my belaying techniques and got Sam on a somewhat easy route.  He wasn't too sure at first and went up . . . oh maybe 4 feet.  Great, this should be fun.  Ok, best to start kids off slowly and let them go at their own pace.  Don't want them getting freaked out off the bat. 

 

Sam still wanted to go again, but he wanted to see his brother go first.

 So Zach went up next.  Boom . . . all the way to the top.  Now, their are "routes" marked in tape that you are suppose to follow.  Each tape color represents a difficulty level.  This trip wasn't about pushing the limit, or following routes, we were there just to get to the top, get comfortable with the gear, heights, and see if this is something they would like to do more.

Well, so far so good.  Gym was starting to get a bit more crowded at this point, but we were still able to find open routes to climb.  Sammy went next and went up a bit further.  He was getting more compfortable on the rocks and his technique was looking good.  You could see the struggle between his mind saying "don't go too high", and the other side of his brain saying "if your brother can do it, you can do it . . . better!!".  It would be interesting to see what side wins. 

So we went back and fourth. Zach does a route, and then Sam does a route . . . Zach then Sam . . . and so on . . . My rusty belay skills were coming back, and it was just fun to see them get excited about an outdoor sport . . . that is really inside.

Dang kids . . . make it look easy.  I am going to really need to hit the regular gym and loose a few pounds if I even think I am going to keep up with these kids!!

Zaki kept trying to find harder and harder pitches to climb.  Every time he wouldn't stop until he touched the ceiling.

We were all having fun, and I could tell the kids were becoming more and more comfortable on the wall.  First few routes Zach was saying "don't look down!!", after about 4 pitches, he had forgotten all about the height.  They wern't slowing down either!  Every now and then Zach would say "look at my fore arm, it is pumped!!".

 

 

Up down . . . Up down . . . We did that for 2 and a half hours.  I think I was the only one getting tired, and I was just watching and lowering them down!

Well . . . back to Sammy.  The struggle finally ended, and the side of his brain that competes with his brother finnaly won.  He got on a 12 foot vertical and went up . . . and up . . . and up . . . all the way to the top.  And he wasn't satisified until he touched the ceiling . . . just like his brother.

 He did the next pitch, which was a little bit harder . . . and went to the top on that one too.  I lowered him down, and with a huge smile he said "I beat that rock climbing . . . two times!!"  And he went on to do a third before they started loosing steam and we had to meet Renee for lunch.

 

 

It was a great afternoon with two of my favorite people.  I had no expectations, but was pleasantly surprised in the end.  It wasn't that expensive either.  20 bucks including rental for 2 and a half hours of fun and exercise.  We will definitly be back!!

Goodnite Boat . . .

I thought we could manage to squeeze in one more trip this summer before the boat had to be put to bed.  No such luck.  The 2013 boating season started out with a bang, and then just kind of fizzled out.  Renee caught the crud, and the boys were a little hesatant to head out in small craft advisory, so we called it for the season and may plans do a final wash down, strip everything off the roof of the boat, and squeeze it into our garage!! 

 

This is now the third year putting the boat into the garage and I am still amazed that it fits!

Even as I am backing the boat into the garage, I am looking at it thinking . . . hmmm . . . I know it fit before, but really?!?  The neighbors are thinking it too.  I see them slow down and crane their necks wondering if that boat they've seen in the driveway all summer is really going to be stuffed into that 9 foot 6 inch door. 

It works though . . . like a charm.  It took several hours to prep the boat for "insertion", and then about 30 minutes for the actual proceedure.  I have my "team" of helpers to make sure nothing scrapes and to ensure I don't skip any steps. 

All put away now for winter.  Good thing to as Sunday was crappy out.  Better to do it on a sunny day!  Once the dust settles, I'll go through my list of projects I have planned for it for next year.  The 2014 boating season is still 7 months off, but it will be here before I know it. 

Rilke Schule Open House

We had an opportunity to tour through Zach and Sam's classrooms on the first Rilke Schule "open house" of the year.  

There we saw Zach's friend Alex, and his parents.  The place was just ablaze with parents and kids running around.  Ours too were running around, saying "Hi" to friends and showing us all of the places they go throughout the day.

We said our "hellos" and kept our tour brief.  Both Zach and Sam seem to be settling into the school year just fine.  They are socially adjusted and keeping up on their school work just fine.

Of course both kids wanted to show me how they could climb up to the top (not the very top . . . although they wanted to do that too!!) of the swing set, to the amazement of their friends. We picked a good school for the kids.  They seem to both fit in well and are succeeding in their academic careers.  Couldn't be prouder:)

First Pack Meeting of the year

1st pack meeting of the year.  We had the usual meeting complete with boring "housekeeping" items that went on for way too long.  The kids have sat all day in school, and are ready to run around to burn off some steam by the end of the day.  Luckily they sat through it with out getting too crazy.  We have one new boy to our Den.  Our group is around 10 kids.  Good size group.  It will be a fun year.

The activity was building "rockets" out of construction paper.  There wasn't a whole lot of instruction, but we (I) managed to build a couple of halfway decent rockets.  The idea was that you wrap the paper around a pipe "form", the same size as the launch tube.  Add a couple of paper fins, seal the top, and add some sort of nose cone, and wah lah!  You have a rocket (sort of).  The rockets are then placed on the launcher tube that is hooked to an air compressor.  When the "launch master" says "go", the kids each quickly turn the valve that lets a stream of air through the tube, lifting the rocket into the air.  That's the idea anyway.  There were quite a few rockets that failed to launch.  The key was sealing the end to prevent air from escaping.  Several rockets had nice nose cones, but the minute the air blasted out the tube, the nose cone flew off and the rocket stalled, missing its mission.  Sam's did really well and went way up in the rafters.  Zach's almost cleared the table in the back of the room.  The kids all enjoyed the activity and had fun seeing who could go the furthest.  I am hoping to coordinate a "real" rocket activity into our dens schedule later in the year.  If they thought these rockets were cool, wait til they see ones take off with real rocket engines!!

Goodbye Nate . . .

My co-worker and friend of three years took advantage of an opportunity at DNR and decided to take a promotion to manager of Oil and Gas something or other.  There was never a dull moment with Nate in the next cube over, and his humor will definitely be missed.  We used to shoot rubber bands back and fourth over the cube walls and joke about how many must be stuck up in the light.  

Nate was also famous for his appetite.  Here he is loading some of Marty's excellent cheese dip into a number of zip lock bags for a later scheduled meal.  Funny thing was that he had to take all of these bags with him on the bus for the hour ride back to Wasilla.  He managed though, when it comes to food, Nate it pretty seriously.  Good luck in your new position, and don't be a stranger!

Big boots to fill . . .

Got a heck of a deal on some very slightly used Asolo mountaineering boots at Play it Again Sports.  What do you need slightly used Asolo mountaineerin boots for . . . you say?!?

 

I honestly can't answer that right now, but they are origionally 500 bucks and I got them for a tenth of that.  Super good deal . . . and they are my size.  I know, Renee already said it . . . HORDER!  Sammy looks good in them though:)

All set for the bunny hill

It is hard to believe we will be skiing here in a few months.  Not a cloud in the sky and temps in the mid 60's, but . . . we all know winter is on it's way.  I decided to check what it would cost to get Zach a season pass for Hilltop.  Now, Hilltop is more of a bunny hill than a true ski area, but it is great for training kids to ski and it is only minutes from the house.  I also have no hesitation leaving Zach here to snowboard while we are at work.  He knows all of the routes and is a familiar face with the instructors.  

I was glad that I checked the website because by buying the pass that morning, I could still qualify for the early bird discount . . . a whopping 25%!  Not bad for being being on top of things.  I decided to get a season pass for myself as well.  That way Zach and I can board anytime we want.  After school, weekends, holidays . . . and we don't have to feel bad if we call it a day after just a few runs.

Pretty soon the snowcats will be grooming the slopes and building the terrain park.  Just looking at the hill is making me anxious for snow.  I've enjoyed summer, but am now ready for a change of pace.

Zaki is ready too.  We were hi-fiving each other the whole time we were there.  It is going to be a good season!

The two "boys" and their passes.  Oh, and Sammy will be skiing with us too.  He won't be left out.  I didn't get him a pass because he will be doing the kinder ski lessons.  I can just buy him a day pass for the other days that he wants to go with us.  I am looking forward to skiing with both the boys a ton this winter.  . . . and what about Renee you ask.  Well . . . I am still working on her.  She says that she doesn't like to ski, but I think we may be able to change her mind.  Hilltop is the perfect place to train skiers, old and young alike.  Think SNOW!!!

Super Cuts for Super kids

 Picture day at school on Monday.  We were out running errands and Renee asked if I could give the kids a haircut that didn't look like I had just cut it.  Well . . . I only do one style, and whether it looks like they just got a haircut is up to interpretation.  So . . . we ended up at Super Cuts.

 

They went from raggamuffin to little boys in only 10 minutes.  None of the mess to clean up either. 

Movie

Movie day with the boys.  I forgot what we saw, but I do remember we put away two large tubs of popcorn.  The first didn't even last through the pre-views!

G3

How time flies.  I remember vividly buying this computer in 1999 for some ridiculous amount of money.  I also remember thinking at the time that someday this computer will be old.  Well that day has come and not only is it old, it is ancient.  I haven't used it in many years now, and it has been taking up space in the crawlspace along with other assorted "treasures".  With our recent drive to clear out the "horde" the computer came up from the depths and now needs to go.  I am still a Mac guy, and now have a laptop that can run circles around that large tower.  Back in the day, the G3 came with an "oversized" 9 gig hard drive to which I added another 18 gig once I had saved up for it.  Kind of sad to see it head out the door, it is going to Total Reclaim, where it will be recycled and hopefully wind its way into a new computer.  Farewell old technology . . . ye have served me well!

Sam Skis

Sammy was outgrowing his skis by the end of last season.  Dang kid keeps on growing.  We happened to pop into the Sports Authority the other day and saw a display with skis just his size on them.  The skis are last years model, and have been used in their rental program for a season, but at his age you outgrow the skis before you can wear them out!

We jumped on the deal, talked to the ski pro about sizes, and then paid the man our 89 bucks and there you go, new skis to start the season off right.  Now all we need is snow!!

Tub of Isolation

We have a policy in the house . . . If you get sick (especially on the floor and/or bed) said sick person gets quarantined in the "tub of isolation".  This quarantine lasts until the threat of more sickness has passed.  Sammy on this particular occasion got 90 percent of the way to the toilet in the downstairs bathroom, but failed to close the deal with the last 10 percent.  Shrimp was the excuse for the sickness, and Daddy paid the ultimate price for feeding young Boom Boom shrimp for dinner.  

Boom Boom was not happy about the "tub of isolation".  The treat of sickness eventually passed, and Sammy made bail.  Daddy however still has nightmares about the consequences of the last failed 10 percent.

Cone of Shame

Silly picture taken at the Petco.  Cone of shame.  I'm surprised he let me put the cone on him!  Zach does love a goofy picture almost as much as I do.  

Streamlining the Garage - Ready for Winter

Sometimes I think I am a bit too particular about the garage.  I DO like to have a place for everything and everything in its place.  We got weathered out of the Sound AGAIN this weekend, so I took it upon myself to do a bit more organizing.  Looks good though!  We will be ready for winter!!