PGE park Home of the Portland Beavers

Mitch, Jen, Connor, and Katie enjoying the hottest day of 2010 (86 degrees) at a baseball game

Started in row 7 just behind third base...we moved up so we would have room...

Connor making the picture perfect...and Jen...in baseball heaven (and would have killed, mamed, beaten me if I didn't crop her out...let's just say if I left her in the picture you would have thought it was 50 cent beer night - NO LIMIT)

THINGS WE LEARNED LAST NIGHT -

• There is something worse than a veggie burger ...veggie hot dog
• Umpires are people too...the just make more mistakes at work than the rest of us...and don't get fired for doing so.
• Umpires can toss coaches...coaches can't toss umpires - no matter had bad of job they are doing
• the best night to see baseball is the night AFTER fireworks night
• Kraft singles BOGO night is also a great night to go...(this is same for Salt Lake's baseball games - talk to me)
• Mitch is loud
• Connor should not eat snowcones while wearing a white shirt.
• Ticket booth operators - even with fancy computers can't figure out that if I have 2 kraft wrappers that get me a buy-one-get-one ---should be 4 tickets for the price of 2 and not 4 tickets for the price of 3.
• Connor is an illegal candy smuggler.
• Baseball food is way more expensive than movie food.
• Some baseball players will never exceed past AAA baseball.
• This family will miss the baseball games after this year (MLS soccer takes over the stadium) and the baseball team has no where to go...next closest place it 2 hour drive.

ESPN the Magazine...

Weed agree that the summer will be berry good and divine

This is the wine barrel of chicks and hens - from the starter that mom and dad brought out years ago! This has been my favorite plant since I remember see them as a little kid at Grandma Etta's and her beautiful garden

This is the out of control morning glory that surrounds the Jen's homemade compost pit. The other day Connor was asked to throw out the corn husks into the pit…the husks were in plastic bags. I told him to take the husks out of the bags and then take the pizza boxes and plastic bags to the garbage. I must not speak clear English – I found the husks still in the bags in the compost pit – along with the pizza boxes…well 1 out of 3 is a good average – for a baseball player.

These flowers are blooming from the vines too. All the vines are a continuous battle.

These were just cool plants Jen has growing out front.

The black berry and marion berry bushes are out of control. The blossoms are numerous – more than any previous year. Connor and I have been out twice to trim the flowerless shoots before the reach the oak tree's lower limbs (if the reach them then they grow up the tree). It now is time for a third session of trim-back.

The blueberries are ripening – I'm getting 2-3 handfuls a day now. With all the rain , the berries are HUGE – some are dime-size in diameter.

And still more to come...

I am behind in my postings...I just posted 3 tonight with more to come. THere is no special order - I just posts em as I sees em...

So make sure you scroll to the next one - and the next one and the next one...

Fire HOT extra pics COOL - Catch up Part III

Here are just a few more fire pictures that I took that I thought were pretty cool….

I witnessed a burning bush…Actually the tree is not on fire – only the house…After the heat of the fire I am sure the tree is dead.

Connor and fellow cadet Jones

This is one of Connor's friends Nate. The two of them would come to the house each day for lunch and then head to the fire station together.

This is another one of the Captains. At the start of the day his jacket was yellow and his helmet was bright RED

Origami? Origam-you...Catching up Part II

 

DINOSAUR

Connor was taking Japanese…One day the class spent time learning origami. They learned how to create the crane. The next day Connor had made 30+ cranes and put them all over the house and cars. He then taught himself to make other items and creatures – the teacher was so impressed with his new skill, she asked him to make an origami chess set with pieces. When Jessica was home for break, the two of them sat and made various creatures – Jessica had caught the fever. Here are a few of their creations…

LOTUS FLOWER

WIZARD

 

DRAGON WITH OPEN MOUTH

GREEN CRANE


UPSIDE DOWN ORANGE CRANE

Taming of the Shrew...Catching up Part I

I was trying to put finishing touches on my lesson I was teaching this morning at church. I noticed Steve (our third cat) was staring at a blanket on the floor. That usually means we have an uninvited visitor. I moved the blanket to see this furry little shrew scurry off underneath the TV stand. I moved the TV stand only to have him zoom over to the stairs and behind the carpet and into a hole. I sat back down and no more than 3 minutes later he is back out running across floor. I grab Connor's firefighting gloves and go chasing after him again…to the blanket, then the TV stand, then the stairs, and the hole…OH RATS. Steve is sitting on the stairs watching me. When the little stinker shot out of their again – I said Steve – have at him…

Steve failed and I had to go after him on my hands and knees across the floor finally nabbing him.

I went to throw him out the back door but Steve was sitting in the window where we put the air conditioner… So I should him what he could have had if he would have been a little quicker