Summer Vacation

I think project month is finally winding down. For me it is, the kids and me are going to the lake this weekend. Projects completed in July:

• 2 glass block windows
• Shade garden
• 2 bedrooms painted
• 1 dining room painted
• Furnace cold air intake re-vented
• Extended drier vent
• Installed a hanging light fixture in the porch
• New light in Molly's room

Projects remaining:

• Patch living room ceiling (What's the rush? The sheet rock has been there 1+ year.)
• Paint hallways and basement
• Paint upstairs bathroom

Summer Soccer

Both R.J. and Molly had their last soccer games this week and for them the season ends too soon. They had good seasons, R.J. enjoyed having so many school friends on his team and Molly likes being an aggressive, competitive player.

It's a dog's life

St. Paul really is a small town

We just got back from a Martin Zellar show at Skinner's Pub. (Martin Zellar of Gear Daddies fame) He played to a room literally no larger than my classroom with around 40 people total. Great acoustic show. He played lots of Gear Daddies songs (Zamboni, Stupid Boy, She's Happy, Sonic Boom and many others.) Also heard a couple Neil Diamond tunes, of course Sweet Caroline was one of them. He returns in August...:)

Went for a family bike ride today. Only 6.6 miles but Molly has to pedal twice as much as the rest of us. Bob installed another block glass window yesterday and I killed ants. The wood around the old window had rotted so an entire colony was living there. Bob has ceded half of the backyard to me, acknowledging that grass will not grow under the maple tree so I get another garden.

Bikes with Gears

Scranton, Iowa

R.J. and Molly's favorite part of the trip; staying at the Fiedler place with all of the cats and dogs.

Wolf Creek pass (CO)

This is at 10, 800 feet above sea level. Shortly after I took this picture Bob put the truck in gear and announced "Jen we've got nothing." With the camper pushing us, we used the brakes to get to the bottom. No, we didn't lose the transmission but it did change our plans and cost almost as much as a new transmission would have cost.

Mesa Verde National Park

Staying cool in Phoenix

Grand Canyon