Jim's Trip to Alaska

While Jim and I were in Ohio Jim took the trip to Alaska that  he won through a photography web site. He was in the Wrangall-St Elias National Park and Forest Preserve where he and four others ( 3 more winners and their guide) spent the week in a cabin with no running water or electricity. They melted snow on the stove for cooking and washing and cooked all their meals there too. The stove was a Yukon stove which is a 55 gallon drum laid on its side and it has a door in one end where you load in the wood. He had a wonderful time seeing the wildlife ( a moose, a Lynx, and more) and hiking to nearby and not so near by areas for photos. They drove to Valdez one day as well as some other areas. On his last day there, once back in Anchorage, he rented a car and did some sightseeing around the area before taking the red-eye home.

Jennifer's Trip To Houston

The week Jim and I were in Ohio Jennifer had a business trip to Houston, Texas for the yearly Microsoft Convergence Conference. She had a great time and learned a lot. She had some free time while there so the first day she took a trip to the Zoo and then she stayed over the last day so she could see the Johnson Space Center before returning home on the evening flight.

Trip To Ohio

A week or so ago Jim and I went to Ohio while Jim was in Alaska on his photography trip. We really enjoyed spending time with Cathy and the boys and helping out where needed. We did some shopping and sightseeing during the day while Cathy was at work and the boys where in school. After school there was some homework as well as some walks around the neighborhood where there were houses decorated for Easter and even some free-roaming chickens. We decorated Easter eggs, played some board games, made cookies and had lots of fun. Jim returned home on Sunday with lots of pictures and stories. We celebrated his birthday too , a day early , and Cathy's mom was able to join us. On Monday we headed back home after an enjoyable week with the boys.

Baby Shower

 Yesterday was the baby shower for Jeremy and Emily. It was held at the Bridgeport Firehall and was a really fun time. The food was delicious, the decorations adorable and the dessert was exceptional. The lucky couple received beautiful and useful gifts and little Addy will be the best dressed baby around. I think Emily will be able to change her outfit 5 times a day and not repeat for at least a week.

Felling Trees

A few weeks ago Jim took down a couple of 60 foot trees . One was dead and needed to come down but in the process it fell onto a live tree so that had to then be taken down also. Now all that's left is the clean-up.

Jim and Josh Come To N.Y.

The boys had a few days off from school so Jim and Josh decided to come to NY for a visit. Chris had made other plans with his friends so he elected to stay home this time. The boys arrived late Thursday night ( they left Ohio after Josh got out of school). On Friday Papa, Jim and Josh took a hike over to the State Park to check on their Geocache. Due to the lack of snow they were able to cut across park land instead of having to take the paved road.In the afternoon Josh and Papa did some science stuff. The hit of the day was the "Lava Lamp" they made using oil, water, food coloring and Alka-Seltzer. Saturday they went into Syracuse as Jim was looking for a good pair of hiking boot for his upcoming trip to Alaska. Jennifer came later in the morning and after lunch we played Dominoes. On Sunday all the kids came to dinner and we had a great time talking and laughing like we always do. On Monday Jim and Josh headed home around 9am and arrived safely back in Ohio later in the afternoon.

New Year's Eve

Jim and I both were down with nasty "Christmas Colds" so we didn't fell like doing anything special. Jim and Cathy had their belated Christmas get-together with Cathy's family. Her brother, Matt and his family and her Mom came and they spent a nice evening together. It wasn't a late night as Jim had to do his first shift of the new year on Sunday.