Month: September 2012

Ezra leading the pelaton.

The only time to be outside is early in the morning or late at night. We went to watch a friend playing softball. The game started at 8:00, when the night begins to cool. Ezra did not care too much for softball, but he loves riding his scoot bike still.

Viena has really been improving on her art work. I believe she is the top star in the family.

Look Mexico is over there. “I see some cars!” – Ezra. I was trying to teach the concept of different countries, and how we have different states in the USA, but Mexico is another country. Ezra just wanted to know if we were going to cross the border into Mexico, and if there were any toys in Mexico. Viena prepared this photo of two of her dolls sleeping in a dorm room. After driving through Texas, we all had a good night’s rest.

We drove West with the Moon guiding us across the great BIG state of Texas. Our last day in Texas was spent lounging around Logan and Su’s place near where they were married. I was able to go on a run and saw 6-year-olds practicing hitting a golf ball. Quite comical, but quite real. I went home and jumped in the pool with my 6-year-old.

We found some long long cousins on the Ford-Selanoff side of the family up in North Austin. We had a great time playing on the back yard trampoline in the evening heat. Mattie is two weeks older than Ezra and Mary is two months older than Viena. Marshall is 12 and Matthew is 1. We enjoyed singing songs on the trampoline and playing duck-duck-goose or caterpillar-caterpillar-buttterfly. That is what I was doing while Dwana and Tina were catching up on almost 35 years of what has been happening since they last saw each other as toddlers.

Here is a photo of Uncle Logan’ and Aunt Su’s before the baby. Ezra and Viena have been playing in the swimming pool in the back. Right now Ezra is eating a big Chocolate Chip cookie. Logan and Su were married right up the fairway.

After visiting the Austin Children’s museum on free museum day with cousin Sara and mini-cousins Deklon, Milo and Izzy Pearl, we went on a more dangerous investigative cousin adventure. We tried and succeeded in finding Young Cousin Anthony’s dorm room on the campus of the University of Texas.  We are happy to report that Anthony looks great, his room is bigger than I had on campus, and he even has a view of the UT tower. Hook ’em Horns!

Once again, Ezra was able to captivate an adult audience with his 101 things to do with a slug. In this picture he appears to be feeding him a skittle. We had a great baby shower for Aunt Su and Uncle Logan, hoping that they don’t name their forthcoming pride and joy boy – Sluggo!

On the road again.

Well our last full day on the Gulf Coast was a busy one. We started out by visiting the Symphony – but really the outing was for people wanting to join the symphony. The outing was next to a museum with lots of bones and shells and gems and rocks and carvings – all for free. Afterwards we went to eat at a restaurant that was built on the location of a Mammoth tusks being uncovered 10 years ago. Who knew? Quintana beach was next and jumping into the Gulf of Mexico waters – warm and salty with waves that would not scare Ezra. The water felt good and cooled you down from the heat which was still around 90. The evening was spent cleaning off in the Angelton rec center pool where Ezra played in the flowing River and Viena tested out the water slide. Dad-dad was with us and escorted us from place to place with his stories of the region. We all slept well on this night.

So far so good. Just needed to post this photo. Ezra and Viena have been so cute playing with each other. They learned the love for these small electric vehicles while visiting Jack and Henry’s farm in Wisconsin. Both Ezra and Viena have been having a blast rising around the golf course and dodging oak tree branches and fire ant hills.

We went on a field trip with Dad-Dad and he showed us around all the houses that he had lived in here in West Columbia. This is the upstairs in Great-grandmothers house. Quite a place. Rents by the night. Halloween is Free.

The old tree is in the backyard of the house where I grew up and me and my brothers would play for hours on the rope swing. This oak tree is one of the few things that actually looks bigger, alot bigger than when I was a little boy.

Can anyone ID this alpaca-Moose-caribou-deer-elk looking creature that we saw on the drive into Granma and Dad-Dad’s place?

23:33 FOR THE 5K. Not bad for a 33 year old. I mean 44 year old. I was number 2 but I came in 4th place. I won’t tell you the age or gender of the high school girl that won the race in sub20, but one day I hope to run that fast …. again.

Viena has been enjoying all the time spent at homes where there are places to just lounge arounge. We have been going to the local library which is another great place to hide from the mid-day heat. I have been trying to go running during the day. My running times show that I have yet to acclimate to my age, I mean the heat.

Granma took us around town to see the free aqaurium, and boy was this place every worth the money. We were extra lucky since today was fish feeding day, so the fish were extra excited. Lots of big fish. They even had a touch tank that had crabs with half of their pincher cut off. Even with this deformation I almost jumped through the roof when I touch one of the crabs and the crab lurched at me with his half claw. Ezra really enjoyed seeing me jump.

We arrived in West Columbia Texas. This photo is of the driving range on the golf course. The sunset was amazing. In the morning and in the evening is the best time to move about outside. Ezra and Viena are biking around a helicopter landing pad that was built when Columbia Lakes golf course was renowned. Now, the place is just known by us. OK.

Ezra was captivated for about 60 seconds before he and the boy next to him started using their puppet dinosaurs as attack dinosaurs. We love the Austin Children’s Museum, especially on hot Austin days. We could ride our bikes or walk from the RV park near Zilker Park.

Ezra Viena Dad-Dad and I were at the local swimming hole – Barton Springs – a great place to go in this heat. Viena was going to climb out of the water near the rocky shore when I hear – “The Shriek” – At first I thought it was just another one of the tired sounds of the afternoon, but then I saw her running through the water.

“Water Snake – Water Snake” she finally was able to tell us. Now, unlike Ezra, Viena is scared of lots of creatures, so even after the shriek, the running through the water and the claims of WaterSnake, I still thought it was probably a small little earthworm. But lo and behold – we saw this snake right where Viena was about to step. I am not sure what type of snake, but Ezra said a “Zebra Snake!”

You guys are always on my mind. We were able to walk a little in fowntown Austin which is right by the river. Dad-Dad Ezra and I rode bikes back to the RV PArk while Viena Gramma and Dwana walked home in the heat along the river unshaded with sunshine shining down.

“You are my sunshine my only sunshine you make me happy when skies are grey
You’ll never know dear how much I love you please don’t take my sunshine away”

Uncle Cayce surprised Ezra and Viena at the Austin Children’s Museum. A great place to spend the afternoon, especially when the temperature is 101 outside.

I was not going to use a photo, but this one seemed appropriate. Viena kept saying, “OK, I’m just going to have one more bite.” And then she would have another and another scoop of the fresh guacamole that I created. She was definately addicted – we all were. Moments before she was crying because of my violent act in the swimming pool. We are tested so many times as parents and people. Viena kicked me hard in the gut from her flotation device, so I violently flipped her over. She did not realize that she could hurt me and I lost it. I have flipped her many other times in the pool, but I flipped her this time with anger.

I would like everyone to take a moment to think about violence – all types, physical, mental, verbal, positional. And now take a longer moment to think about Non-violence.

Are you still thinking? Good.

As soon as we arrived in Texas, Dad-dad outfitted Ezra with some riding boots. He loved them!

A great place to hold a reception.

Here we are all cleaned up and about to watch the union of my friend Jerome and Keisha at their wedding in San Antonio. The wedding was great. I was able to see some old friends from college. Ezra and Viena enjoyed the procession of the Bridesmaids and groomsmen for the wedding and reception. They had some good music and some moves. Ezra is definitely going to add some of the moves that he saw to his repertoire of growing dance moves.

No fire ants. But Ezra did pick up a large red ant, which quickly bit him. Ezra woke up from one of his Van-naps singing “I’m bringing home a baby bumble bee”. So, we felt the need to change the song to “I’m bringing home an big ole red ole ant – Ouch it stung my pants” We might need to add additional lyrics to include “”I’m bringing home a big ole huge red wasp”, which Ezra picked up at Aunt Jeans and Uncle Pat’s house. I quickly slapped it out of his hands – which made him cry, but luckily the red wasps did not sting him. While we were swimming in the backyard pool a bull-frog jumped into the deep end. I swam down to try and catch the frog but he was too fast, or I was too scared to grab him. I chased him over to the shallow area where Ezra was able to catch him. He was so excited. He walked with Uncle Pat over to the trees, but when he left the protected gated swimming pool – Rocky, the big house dog wanted to see what Ezra had and the excited started all over again. Everyone survived. Enjoying Texas.