Date: August 27, 2006

Zach is really walking now!! He almost never crawls anymore. Linda and I are amazed how fast he learns. One day crawling and the next walking. Running is still being worked on but he is getting better. Zach also came down with a cold last Thursday and I now have it as I type this. Hopefully I feel better for work tomorrow as I have a very busy week ahead. My Dad and youngest brother are coming from Minnesota on Friday night. They plan to stay until Tuesday and then the three of us are heading to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. I have never been to that part of the country and am looking forward to getting some real good photos with the 35mm. So this week will be busy getting ready for their visit and being away from home for a week.

I was hoping the garage would be completed prior to my Dad getting here but it looks like that is not going to happen now. You can see by this picture that they have made some good progress over the last couple of weeks but it sounds like the drywall and electrical will not be complete. Here are a couple more angles: picture1, picture2. The outside will look done but the inside finish will still need to be completed. This means the shelving and other things I wanted Dad to help out with will need to wait. It might also mean I need to do these things myself. That is a scary proposition since I have none of those skills. Maybe I can convince my dad to come out again in a couple months.

I have started at looking at buying a extra car. One that is completely frivolous. Since my very first car was a 1978 Pontiac Trans AM, I have been looking at those or something even older. To get a feel for what these cars are like Linda, Zach and I headed down to an auto show last Sunday. There were some really sweet cars as you can see by these photos. Car1, Car2, Car3. After looking at several, I think it reinforced my intentions to get a more late model car. So I am zeroing in on a 2002 or 2003 Corvette. I plan to take it for drives in the mountains and want a convertible with power, looks and most importantly safety. I think the Corvette offers all of these. Now, I have not settled on what to get yet and who knows what could happen prior to next spring when I plan to buy -- but it is fun looking.

The plan yesterday was to go to the motocross track with Rick and then visit a Corvette show in Colorado Springs. Well it was a great plan but mother nature had other ideas. It basically rained and stormed all day. So Linda and I spent the day cleaning and taking care of Zach's cold. We are to get more of the same today but right now it is gorgeous out. I took this picture this morning. Another great reason we live here ... what a view.

I will be sure to take a lot of pictures when I am on my trip and will report back when I arrive home.

That's it for this week. Until next time....Mike

 

 

Date: August 12, 2006

Hello!! I have not forgotten about the journal but rather have just been very busy. Zach has been practicing is walking and is starting to get very good at it. Check out this short little movie of his expertise. He is now walking everywhere. I would say it is 70% walking and 30% crawling still but he is increasing the walking percent every day. It will be nice when he can walk full time as he can then head outside more to explore the world. Also this week as his first experience with spaghetti. He absolutely loved it as you can tell by this photo and this one! Linda and I are amazed at how fast he learns and grows.

The garage is making progress but it is slow. They still assure me that it will be complete by labor day but I am starting to get a little concerned. Framing has not started and the floor is not filled in yet. They did deliver the framing materials but the roof trusses are still not here. You can see by this photo that the walls are poured and the foundation is backfilled. They also cut the existing foundation as well. They did clean up the site a little yesterday so we do not have a bunch of dirt laying around. I am hoping to see lots of progress next week.

Rick and I have been riding lots of motocross. Here are some pictures of me on the new Honda. Picture1. Picture2. Picture3. The bike is running great and is a blast to ride. I have also been trying to get out on the mountain bike as well. After a two hour ride last Sunday I came out into the garage to see this. I have never seen a mountain bike tire do that before. Pretty weird. Anyway, took me a few days to get a new tire but I plan to ride both today and tomorrow.

A good friend from Minnesota is heading out here this coming week. It will be good to see him and his kids. We plan to hook up down here at the house Monday or Tuesday. My dad and youngest brother plan to come out over the labor day weekend for a few days. That should be a blast. Dad has not seen Zach yet so that will be good for him and Zach. I also plan to have Dad and everyone help put up some shelves and items in the garage. This really depends on if the garage is complete by then.

That's it for this week. Until next time....Mike