Happy New Year!

Just to jumpstart my 2008 blogging efforts, I'm posting a few new pictures of Laura and Noelle. Enjoy!

Fall Vacation / Part III / Pumpkin Patch Paradise

Heading westward on I-40, travelers pass thru Moriarty NM just before reaching the mountain range near Albuquerque. To me, Moriarty was always a sign I was getting close to home, a commune of some kind there, just not much happening. I’ve driven thru dozens of times – never stopped. When my eldest nephew, Daniel, suggested we go to McCall’s Pumpkin Patch in Moriarty, I was none too excited. Thou away we went. Almost everything was low-tech, but very well done and we had a blast! It was a highlight of our vacation. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Cattle Drive!

Brandon and Connor - "Steering" a Longhorn

Giant Bounce Pillow - Very Cool!

Brandon, Daniel, and Ryan - Boing!

Connor, Daniel, and Lance's Right Foot - Excellent Photography!

Brandon Going Down!

Brandon Coming Out!

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Pumpkin Cannon!

Noelle Considers Brandon

Lance and Boys On Top of a Hay Pyramid

A New Friend - Nice Goat

Goat Climbing Towers - Awesome!

Cranking a Treat to the One Horned Surly White Goat

One Horned Surly White Goat Waits for Treat

Aerial View of 2006 Corn Maze

2007 Corn Maze

We were lost in the corn maze for 1.5 hours! Early on, we kept running into this young couple ("Hey, you look familiar". "Have we met before?" Ha, Ha, Ha). We did not see them again for quite some time, maybe 45 minutes, and we finally ran into them again. We said, "Wow, you are still in here, too?". They said, "No, we made it out, ate some lunch, and now we are back in again!" I think we should have followed them. We have an all-terrain stroller, but it was difficult to navigate Noelle in the stroller because the corn maze had deep grooves for irrigation (~12 inches wide). My forearms received quite the workout! You are provided with trivia questions (you chose the topics in advance) in conjunction with numbered signs within the maze to give you clues as to the right direction (watching television in the 70s finally pays off).

Haunted Halloween Corn Maze for Night - No Thank You!

Low Tech Go-Cart Racing!

Daniel Lassos a Metal Cow (far left) as Ryan Looks On

Connor - Free Spirit!

We Really Enjoyed the Pumpkin Patch Safari
Here is our new elephant friend, nudging our SUV (too cute!!!)

Okay, the Pumkin Patch Safari picture is a joke. The next blog will be devoted to the ABQ Balloon Fiesta!

Fall Vacation 2007 / Part II / Super Saturday

Our first full day in ABQ was Saturday (October 5). My sister, Lisa, has 3 boys, Daniel, Ryan, and Brandon. All Lisa’s boys play soccer and during the soccer season the family is usually trying to juggle 3 games on Saturday, usually at three different fields! Grandma and Grandpa Middleton attend the games and help with logistics. This Saturday was special because this was the first meeting between baby Noelle and her Aunt Lisa!

Ryan and Connor Share a Moment

Blue Sky in ABQ

Can Brandon and Connor Fly a Stunt Kite as a Team?

Daniel and Connor Fly the Stunt Kite

The Boys at El Pinto

Next: Lost in Moriority

Fall Vacation 2007 / Part I / The Journey to ABQ

Several blog entries will be dedicated to our fall vacation to Albuquerque (ABQ) early in October. My relatives in ABQ include my parents and my sister’s family. We timed our trip to coincide with the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta!

The first entry is dedicated to the journey to ABQ. We recently acquired our first mini-van, a Toyota Sienna. So we decided to drive to ABQ as a 3-day trip. We drove to Memphis on the first day and had a nice visit with Laura's grandmother, Mama Ruth. The next day we drove to Oklahoma City and had a nice dinner with my business partner and his gracious family. Finally, we arrived in Albuquerque to stay at my parent’s house.

Is it possible for a rest-stop to be a highlight of our journey? I was so impressed with a rest-stop in Texas (after Amarillo?). The rest-stop is built underground (under a mound of earth) to serve as a tornado shelter. It has the following features: windmill to generate power for itself, a mini-museum featuring windmills, a very nice playground, and a scenic view not visible from the highway.

Here are some pictures of our journey to ABQ.

How many times have I told you to keep your gum in your mouth?

Great little traveler, at least until the sun goes down!

Rest Stop - Texas Style!

(the main "building" is under the mound in the background)

Windmills along the distant horizon in OK

Clines Corner's Billboard in NM

Connor grabs a nap

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Finally in ABQ!!!

Goodbye Summer 2007!

At this writing Fall is in overdrive and the holiday season is fast approaching. I thought I'd take a moment to post a few more pictures taken during the Summer of 2007!

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(Note: Some images can be enlarged by clicking on them)

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Connor and his new friend, a green stick-bug!

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K'nex and Connor Rock!

Fireman Stops to Visit

Let's Eat!

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Connor's Play Setup

A (rare) Moment of Quiet Contemplation

Athena the Pillow

Groovy Noelle!

Trevor's Mission Trip to Kenya

Simply Noelle

Mike Howard Youth Football Jamboree!

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Hamilton County Fair - Ride'em Cowboy!

The Sea Monkey Chronicles – Part IV Sea Monkeys in Peril

Connor was in big trouble for putting these little creatures lives at risk and for disobeying his father after repeated instruction. I don't really think he understood the potential consequences of his actions. He was upset to learn that his actions could kill the Sea Monkeys. I wondered if I had earlier emphasized the concept that overfeeding could be fatal.

Sad Connor

(actually, a wee bit of acting at the time of photo)

Can they be saved? Well, no. Not this time anyway. My gallant effort to save them lasted about 20 minutes. My strategy involved a baster, wine glasses, a coffee filter, and a strainer. My attempts at removing food from the water did not seem promising. A crying baby and other family demands soon took precedent. I was hopeful, but the water remained very green with food and the sea monkeys did not survive.

Lessons learned - I hope!

Next Blog Entry: The Hamster Chronicles

The Sea Monkey Chronicles – Part III / Feed Me!

After your initial Sea Monkeys hatch you are supposed to wait several days before adding additional food. Connor was very anxious to pour the entire packet of food into the habitat. There is a little feeding spoon provided and I explained to Connor that we needed to feed them one tiny spoonful each day. He kept talking about pouring in the whole package, and each day, I would explain the concept of feeding a little bit at a time. “Overfeeding can be very harmful, Connor”, I explained. “Do not pour the whole packet in their habitat”. We wait for the first feeding day.

Our Sea Monkeys are doing great, a little bigger and our first feeding day is finally here. Connor, once again, wants to empty the entire contents of the pouch. I once again explain the concept of feeding a prescribed amount each day. I instruct Connor to pour in one spoonful and he does a great job (Thanks, Montessori!). The food is a green powder. At this point I think Connor understands. Sea monkeys doing great!

If you only like tales of Sea Monkeys swimming happily ever after – stop reading now!
You have been warned...

The next day, the food pouch sits next to the habit, seemingly waiting to be poured into the habitat in its entirety. This has been Connor’s desire all along – his destiny! Now it is easy, because the pouch is already open. At some point, feeling a bit mischievous, Connor realizes he is not being supervised. He seizes the opportunity and he dumps the food pouch into the habitat! He actually tells us he fed the Sea Monkeys. He is grinning like the cat that just swallowed the canary!

I know exactly what he means, but I run to the habitat anyway with a glimmer of hope that he is joking or only fed them one spoonful! If it were a movie, the scene would be played in slow motion, and I would be shouting, “Nooooooooooooooooooo” as I run through the house. Not pretty (see Figure 1).

Figure 1 Extremous Overfeeding of Artemia Nyos

Can they be saved?