I Am "Gah"!

Hear me roar.

Trenton is a little chatterbox. No words, yet, outside of Mama, Dada, Nana, and ... my name ... "Gah". /gäh/

We get to babysit regularly, and I'm still going to swimming "classes" with him, Mommy & Me classes that Kristin teaches at the F.I.T. Center.  So, in order to swim with Trenton, of course, I have to go as a Mommy, which is a little embarrassing, but at least I had to lose some weight to get into the little blue swim-dress.  I guess it makes the ladies at Females In Training (where the classes are held) more comfortable or something. 

And we won't talk about the surgery.  ;-)

But seriously, they do have a small men's locker room just for things like this, and thankfully, they're more focused on the babies than mommies, so right now in the class there's a dad, a nanny, and a "Gah" -- that would be me.  Kristin's trying to recruit more mommies.  And I actually get to wear regular trunks.  There's Trenton, Beckett, and his little baby sister Grier.  Mostly to get them used to being in the water and not be afraid of it. Learning to kick to move, and scoop their hands. And splash. And jump in. It's a lot of fun.

Got to babysit a little while last night, too, which is also a lot of fun.  Are you picking up on the theme here?

Finally got some sunshine today after 4 days of rain. And it looks like we'll be going to the Mizzou football game using John & Pam's tickets. Weather looks nice for it. And after that it looks like headlong into the holiday season. My parents for Thanksgiving, then go get mother-in-law from Fort Wayne, have our Thanksgiving Dec 5 with our boys and their families, Rob and Cathy's annual Christmas shindig, Vicki's birthday on the 18th, Christmas a week later, then New Years ... then to my parents in early January for our Christmas thing ... and then my birthday in late January followed by our anniversary Feb 1. It's always a whirlwind.

We took Brian and Kristin out for dinner for Brian's birthday Sunday.  Went back to their house afteward for cake with Grandma Jean, who was babysitting.  And I got the priviledge of reading Trenton to sleep.  I love doing that.  It's my favorite thing.  We were reading "Where the Wild Things Are", and when I got to the growling part, I asked him if he could growl.

He could.

He sure knows what he wants.  Nana lets him play in the kitchen sink, and he loves water.   He needs to stand on a chair and do it, so first thing he's in the kitchen pushing one of the chairs over to the sink.   We try to distract him from that as much as possible.  Well, until after dinner anyway.

He'll probably be saying his first "real" words before Christmas.  My bet is on "hotdog".  It's his favorite food group.  Well I don't know.  Candy corn seems to be up there, too as far as food goes.   I did notice that he's saying something closer to "tick-tock" for "clock", as opposed to "eh-ah", and he wants to know what the name of everything is even if he can't say the words yet.

He knows blue, red, yellow, and green very well. 

I think it's going to be a fun Christmas.

Trenton's First Walkabout

Trenton came over for a few hours yesterday after work while his mom got some things done. Heh. Always happy to take him out of her hair.

Vicki was pooped -- they're running her ragged at work, so I came home to be the primary attention-giver for while (and you know how much I just hate that!). It was a warm, cloudy evening. Figured he'd want to go to the park just down the block from us. Of course as soon as he saw where we were going. He loves climbing the steps and then going down the slide. It's a dual slide and I sit next to him on the way down and sort of hold him ... to keep him from falling ... while we go down.

A college kid came by walking his almost-grown Siberian Husky, and Trenton immediately bolted to pet it. After which he wanted to walk on the little woodside trail.

The undergrowth in the woods was mostly bright yellow, contrasting with the darker greens and browns of the larger trees along the edges, and after we played at woods' edge for a while I noted that most of the underbrush plants had lost their leaves and you could see a deer trail leading down the steep hill to a flatter area in the middle of the yellow trees.

I decided it was time to take Trenton for a walk in the open woods to explore new things.

He's only 18 months old and not really steady on his feet on rough terrain or steep hills, so I carried him. I had put him down to stand for a second while I took a picture.... he took a step and sort of fell in slow motion... but I caught him and helped him back up and we continued downhill on the deer trail.

We sat on a fallen tree for a bit while he inspected the wood fungus, and he walked on the flater area in what turned out to be an even prettier fall scene than I'd expected ... I'd never actually ventured down here. And I noticed a mostly dry creek bed that of course we had to go explore, so I carried him down to it.

Some of my best childhood memories involve dry creek beds and just sitting in them and soaking up the scenery or exploring them.

We found some clear puddles that he splashed his hands in ... it was all I could do to keep him from walking into them but I didn't want him to get that wet.

We felt moss on rocks, and rough tree bark, and moss on tree bark. Pulled berries off of some weeds and dropped them on the ground, and climbed on rocks... but they were mossy and slippery so he had to hold on to my hands. Eventually, before he got too dirty or too wet, I hiked him out up the gully wall.

It was harder than I expected, carrying him in one arm while I navigated the steep, soft hill -- choosing my footing carefully so as not to fall with him. Falling by myself would be one thing, it was absolutely imperative that I did not fall with him.

I was huffing and puffing and sweating profusely by the time we reached the top. He didn't want to leave. He wanted to go back down. So we sat on a log for a bit at the edge of the woods, and then walked through some brush, and back up to the slides where we went down one more time. And he was ready to go. Made a bee line for the sidewalk, and after walking about 20 feet toward the house he decided he'd rather ride in my arm.

Short, 30 minute, mini-walkabout. No fire or hotdogs. That'll come later..

I think he will enjoy the outdoors.

The Rest of the Story

Went back yesterday to finish splitting the wood. Dropped by Orschelns to pick up a fiberglass maul handle, only to discover that you have to glue these on with an epoxy that takes 24 hours to cure. And I needed to finish splitting it yesterday.

So I bought a hickory handle and drove 15 miles up to Sam's place and started splitting. Two or three logs later... the hickory handle broke.

So I drove it back to Orschelns, and turned it in against a whole new maul, pre-glued maul with a fiberglass handle, and went back and split the rest of it.

Man, am I sore today.

I will go pick it up Friday.

September Flew By Like a Hummingbird

... chasing another hummingbird.

The hummingbirds are about gone. Fall is here, and the leaves are about ready to turn. In about a week, I expect spectacular showiness. Need to get the camera dusted off. Ok, who am I kidding? With Trenton around, it never needs dusting off.

Back in early September Trenton found the swiming pool hanging in the garage and wanted it out. It was just barely warm enough, so Vicki filled it with bathtub-warm water and he played one last time in it for the summer.

I've been going to his swim classes to help Kristin out (yeah, that's why... that's the only reason. ;-) ). They're "Mommy and Me" classes, but right now there are no actual mommies save Kristin, who is the instructor. Daddies can substitute for mommies, and apparently so can grandpas and nannies. It's a lot of fun playing with him in the water, trying to get him to learn to kick and paddle (which he's not doing so well at, yet, but he'll get there) ... and jumping in, and splashing.

He loves the little park near our house, and practically squeals as soon as he can see the colorful slide complex if we're out for a walk in our neighborhood. There's a dual slide, and we can go down the slide on one while he goes down on the one next to one of us ... and he's easy to hold onto while you do it.

Againandagainandagainandagainandagain.

We went for a little "nature" walk around the edge of the park where he got to see a box turtle open his shell and wallk away. He likes the outdoors, for sure.

A couple of weeks ago college friend Jeff Eissmann and his family and lots of friends invited us to their tailgate party before the Furman game. The Carleton Clan, including Kristin, Brian, and Trenton were out of town and needed to get rid of tickets, so Kevin, Marken, Vicki and I bought 4 of them and also went to the game. Mizzou won big (52-12), and we had a dandy time on a beautiful September afternoon.

Last weekend was the 3rd annual Roots & Blues & BBQ festival here in town. Wasn't as much of the varied festival atmosphere this time ... mostly music and beer & bbq. We went down Friday evening to see the Bel-Airs, a regionally popular boogie-musice dance band. Bought a couple of their CDs. Then we came back Saturday with Kristin just to get a feel for the festival, went home during a rain shower, and came back in the evening to see Booker T and then the Blind Boys from Alabama.

Been doing several things around the house I've been meaning to get done. Little things. Replace the 400 watt high pressure sodium grow-lights with 80 watts of flourescent ... just keeping outdoor deck plants alive through the winter doesn't require the mega-power. That should save about $10 a month on electricity. Got a couple of deck protectors... one to keep the grease off the deck, underneath the grill. The other, a concrete-impregnated fabric one to go under the chimnea. Got rid of the toxic waste stuff (batteries, paint cans, etc) at the toxic waste facility. Seems like there were a few other things as well -- little things that needed fixing).

Yesterday I went out to Sam's place to cut wood -- a big oak that died and fell right next to his pond a couple of years ago. He and Deb had started cutting on it a while back. I cut the big trunk up and started splitting, but the handle on my maul broke. I'll replace that and take it out this afternoon and finish splitting, then hopefully borrow Brian's truck to haul it all back home.

Vicki cooked beef and noodles for dinner last night and we had Brian, Kristin, and Trenton over for dinner -- always a good meal after a day of wood cutting.

The Buffalo Bill Pumpkin Ale is out. I bought my normal 2 cases to last through Thanksgiving. Awesome stuff.

Gratuitous Trenton Shots

Putting the Labor in Labor Day Weekend

So Vicki's off in Fort Wayne, visiting her mom and starting the packing process for her move down here next spring. And about two Novembers ago, I bought tiles and materials to do our front porch and two bathrooms. Got the front porch and the guest bathroom done, but didn't get to our bathroom by Thanksgiving. And there was no way I was doing it over The Holidays.

So almost two years later, here's the perfect opportunity to do the tiles in our master bath, the bathroom we use every day. I took Friday off, figuring this would work best as a 4 day project. Demolition & backerboard. Tile sizing and cutting. Tile laying. And Grouting. 4 steps. 4 days.

Day 1 went as planned. Of course, I fantasized about getting the tile cut that day as well. But I had a hair cut appointment at 2:00. And Kristin invited me over to their house for dinner ... and I'll not pass up a chance to hang with Trenton. Or them, really. We had a nice time. Kristin made burritos. They were tasty. And we had some margaritas. Played with Trenton. Watched a little TV. And I went home.

Got up, did coffee and breakfast ... and had to do some planning. Mizzou's first football game of the season with Illinois started at 2:40, and I'd invited BriKri & Trenton over to watch it on the big TV. So I needed to make sure we had food. And get all the tile cut by 2:30. Went to the store and bought 4 slabs of beef ribs & some potato salad (hey, no time to make potato salad) ... made a rub, slathered, got the charcoal going in the Big Green Egg (well, mine's a "medium" green egg) and threw the ribs in the little dutch oven (to protect from the radiative heat... cast iron, you know) and poured in the hickory chips and shut-er down to 200.

And started cutting tile. You have to figure out what "square" is going to be... and I wanted to do the brick pattern ... for one thing it helps make the room look bigger, and for another it lessens the visibility of slight errors on the seams. But it increases the number of cuts you have to make.

It started raining!!! There was a slight chance in the forecast, but ... well, we got it. I moved the wet saw back under the eaves and kept going. I mean, it's a wet saw, right? And I literally cut the last tile right at 2:25. Took a quick shower and was changing when Kristin and Trenton showed up. Had the game on the 1941 Philco in the living room (I love that ... old tube set, Mizzou football... feels all traditional and stuff... I grew up listening to the Tigers & the Cardinals on the radio).

Anyway, Brian had called ... Ken had invited them over to watch the game, so he called and asked if it was OK if Ken came along. It was. He showed up, I got the game on the TV downstairs. And we had a good time. Mizzou dominated, eventually winning 37-9. The ribs turned out great. And of course Trenton was a lot of fun. He was having fun with Grandpa Ken and Papa Phil and he really, for a 19 month old ... entertained himself pretty well a lot of the time.

After the game Kristin took Trenton home ... he was sooooo sleepy but too wound up with all the commotion at our house. Brian stayed and we watched the first half of the Oklahoma BYU game.

I was pretty tired by that time. I cleaned up a little and turned in early.

Got up, did the coffee and breakfast. And then mixed up the thin-set mortar and started laying tile. Got done about noon.

I had had to cut the plumbing to the toilet ... there was not enough play to lift the ring up to meet the new height of the floor. So I hit Lowes and bought a new toilet ring and a coupler and another elbow and a wax ring so I can put the plumbing back. Plus I bought some mildew retardant paint and painted the duct-board ductwork under the house. The foil outside has corroded and I suspect it's entraining some moldy air into the house. Might need to do a second coat tommorrow. Pleah.

Had a beer and a pipe, and then came and did this.

Grout tomorrow. Vicki back Wednesday.

Blame it on Facebook

It has been pointed out that it has been a very long time since my last update.

I'm going to blame much of it on Facebook, which provides a way to give quick updates with little thought and the associated time investment put behind them. But there are others out there in my family and friends fold who are not on facebook ... plus, this makes a nice diary to go back to and see what was going on in my life.

Unfortunately, when you don't sit down soon after a seemingly trival event that is nonetheless the kind of thing life is all about, such as spending time with family and friends -- especially your grandchild :-) ....

you forget those poignant details .... which are really the only things that make this blog interesting at all in the first place. Which is really an argument for updating more often, then, isn't it?

And so here I sit, updating, lacking said details, but offering a summary.

As reported in my last post, or at least implied or suggested, or at the very least cooberatted... I've been riding my bicycle to work as often as reasonable for most of the summer.

The bad news, I haven't really lost any weight to speak of. The good news, I haven't gained any, either, and I've been able to drink higly caloric and tasty beer and eat good food. We've continued to be extremely lucky in getting to see our grandson far more often than probably most grandparents get to see theirs. And it is a joy each time. He's the smiliest little boy in the world.


One time we were babysitting over at their house this summer, and he had something in his eye. It looked a bit like mud to me... which would be bad. But his eye really wasn't red and he wasn't rubbing it ... it strangely didn't seem to be bothering him that much EXCEPT that he was uncharactaristically fussy. We suggested taking him to the doctor the next morning. But (and I can't blame them, if I were the parent I probably would have done the same thing) they couldn't stand it after they got home and ended up removing it ... it was a huge flying bug.

We went to the state fair a few weeks ago and putzed around like we usually do ... only Pam & Grandma Jean were there along with Brian, Kristin, and Trenton. We ran into them on purpose a few times, but mostly ended up on our own. I ended up buying some super glue type stuff and some "Sham Wow" type chamios' in the "Mr. Popeil" buildings, ate the requisite fair food, and had a nice time on an uncharactaristically not very hot day in August.

Thunderstorms moved in about the time we were ready to leave, and we drove Brian back to Columbia while Kristin and Trenton went back to spend another day with her parents.

Two weekends ago, Vicki's cousin Jim and his wife Carol (of Mt. Charleston and North Carolina fame) dropped by on their way from Mt. Charleston (Las Vegas) to Murphy, NC ... for a couple of days. We always have a great time with them. Carol, the pianist, was playing tunes on our little $3.00 Goodwill Special kiddie keyboard. We had our traditional happy hours, sat on the deck... we took them to the Rocheport Winery on saturday for another stunningly lovely August day with low humidity and temperatures in the 70's, where we sat at a table next to Kristin's brother Brian... had a couple of bottles of Norton, and went into Rocheport to look at the antique shops.

I wasn't planning on buying anything.

At Saunders, though, Jim and Carol sneakily bought us an espresso cup set, and I got Vicki a neclace she really liked ... but the most surprising thing was the ginormous clock.

We have had a huge blank wall on one end of our living room over the stairs. And at Saunders, above a fireplace was a huge, 50" iron clock.

Well you know me and clocks.

We have talked off and on over the years what to do with that wall, and just a couple of days before had been saying we need something really BIG.

Well there it was, and the price was pretty reasonable.

Budda bam! Ours.

I wish I would have been here the first time Trenton saw it. Clocks were the first objects he recognized and was able to articulate. I have multiple mechanical clocks in the house, which make the charactaristic "tick-tock" sound, and since he was about a year old, he would point to them, and pretty quickly anything with a "dial" on it and say "eh-ah!".

Well this is the world's largest eh-ah, as far as he's concerned, and he was duly impressed, apparently, according to Vicki. Ask him where the "big clock" is, and he points right to it.

No real words yet from him. "Nana" for Nana ... that's about the closest, and da-da for about any male authority figure. He used to mouth Ma-Ma a long time ago, but I think he's tormenting his mother by refraining from using that. It shouldn't be long now.

Last Sunday I went up north to the public rifle range with Brian and Brian and John. Sighted in my .22 at 100 yards, and John sighted in his 30.06. Those rounds are even bigger than the Monsin Nagant rounds. Big boom. And I found out I suck at 100 yards with the iron sights on the Mosin Nagant. Well... I wasn't hitting the 10" target, anyway.

This has been one of the coolest summers on record this year. The last weekend of August we had highs in the mid 60's, probably close to 25 degrees below normal and just freaking delightful weather.

Not complaining at all!

I Am Mr. McGreggor

Last week I stepped outside to load up my bicycle for my commute to work, and saw a rabbit in my garden boldly munching on some vegetation. Need to get a new battery for that electric fence.

Anyway, as I went to chase the rabbit off, it occured to me that as a kid, I rooted for Peter Rabbit.

Now I'm Mr. McGreggor.

(I wanted to get a picture to illustrate this post before posting, and I almost got one this morning ... but by the time I got back out with my camera, Peter Rabbit was gone.)

The Float That Wasn't

We'd been looking forward to Summer Float 2009 for quite some time. Made a facebook "event", discussed it with the attendees. Coordinated who was bringing what, and advised newer people what to bring and what to expect. Painstakingly packed. But I couldn't find my hand-held GPS. It was bugging me.

Kevin and Marken, as well as Brian and Kristin ... were coming down this year from our side, and John and Alli and Tomas and Deanna on the Williams' side. But then Brian had to drop out due to a business trip to the Carribean. And Kristin opted not to come by herself.

We went down with Ryan & Kristie, as usual. Met them at their house, and helped them load up their new trailer with our stuff and their stuff, which this year included kayaks and canoes. I've been especially excited about the kayaks, as I think they're more responsive and fun. I was still fretting about my GPS, but I kept telling myself it's not going to get any MORE lost while we're gone and I really don't NEED it. It's just a toy on a trip like this.

We made the traditional lunch stop at Steak & Shake in Rolla, headed down to Eminence, reserved campsites, met up with Kevin and Marken, set up tents, and headed for the river. It was HOT!

The swimming hole was pretty crowded, and we wandered downstream a ways into the shade. Had a beer and split another with Vicki. Floated on noodles, talked, and generally stayed cool until 5:30. Went back to the campsite.

I lit some charcoal and whipped up the Jiffy cornbread mix in the dutch oven. This was the dutch oven's virgin tryout. I followed the dutch oven instructions I read last month in the Missouri Conservationist, put the coals on top and below, and whipped out the other dutch oven and started the jambalaya.

Popped open a Sam Adams Blackberry Wit, and suddenly felt a little chilled. Well my shirt was still a little damp. But it was at least 90 degrees out, still. Sat in a chair and talked a while, tending to the food. And started to get queasy. Too much grease and milkshake for lunch? I felt pretty full, too. If I could just throw up, I'd probably feel better.

Kristie felt queasy, too. We'd both had hamburgers. So did Vicki. Ryan was fine.

I went and lay down for a while. And suddenly, it hit me. That tingle in your mouth with the slightly acidic and not at all pleasant taste. I popped out of the tent and went to the edge of the woods and emptied my stomach -- which still seemed quite full of what I'd had for lunch 7 or so hours before.

Did I mention how much I hate throwing up?

About 10 productive heaves and a couple of dry ones later, I was at least relieved that that would probably be the end of it. I went back and sat down.

And the chills hit, worse.

Dinner finished cooking with Kevin and Marken kind of watching it and I went to check on it a couple of times as well. The cornbread looked great, as did the jambalaya. But my stomach didn't think it looked all that great. I went and lay down again, this time with a blanket.

I got up a few times, but each time I was queasy, cold, and tired. So I gave up and went to bed.

Vicki came to bed a little later. Everyone turned in by 10.

And in the middle of the night, Vicki got up and dashed from the tent to throw up.

The next morning, we were both feeling lousy. Kristie was fine. And so we began to think... Kristin had the stomach flu Monday. Trenton got it Wednesday. We babysat Wednesday night. 2 days. 2 days. Probably the stomach flu, especially since Kristie feeling fine was casting doubt on the hamburger theory.

So Vicki and I stayed in camp and didn't go floating, much as I wanted to. But I knew I wouldn't have fun. Everyone else went.

I drank some gatorade -- which helped -- and went out mid morning to get some oyster crackers, ice, Mylanta, and a couple other things. We lay on the mattress together in the tent using Kevin and Marken's battery operated camp fan as the temperature rose into the mid 80's, and probably hotter in the tent.

I finally left the tent and sat outside where it was about 5 degrees cooler and there was a better breeze. But Vicki had it much worse than I did and couldn't bring herself to get off the mattress in the tent.

I took a shower in the shower house and came back and sat outside the tent. We talked and slept off and on the rest of the afternoon.

It was very much like having a hangover without the drunken stupor the night before. Bad headache. Nausea. No energy.

Everyone got back and said they had a good time and thought of us often. There were offers to take us home, but the thought of trying to break down the tent and pack our stuff in our condition was overwhelming. The night was going to be comfortable, and we'd feel better in the morning.

Couldn't even imagine eating dinner that night, either. All day I had a bottle of gatorade, water, and oyster crackers. I tried some coke, but it didn't sit well. So we went to bed early again.

I slept like a rock. Even thought I was home in our room at first the few times I briefly woke. Vicki, on the other hand, was not really any better AND had a migraine to boot.

I didn't feel as well as I had expected in the morning, but better for sure. Headache was gone at least, and not everything made me want to hurl. We moved slowly breaking everything down. Had lots of help packing up, and headed for the traditional pictures at Alley Mill.

It was very pretty -- I'd never seen it like this. There was more water from all the rain, but the neat thing was that because it was so hot and humid but the water was so cold, there was a dense mist a couple of feet thick over the water, and the light streaming through the trees gave the God Effect in a few places. Camera .... itch .... If I weren't with a group .... and Vicki weren't still pretty sick .... I got a couple of quick shots and had to settle for that before we did the group shot and left.

We headed in to Ruby's now Sharon's T&T Family Restaurant in Eminence -- they always have a great buffett, and it's a real neat small-town restaurant in an old building. Not a huge choice, but all of it is good, and heck... what do you need? Pancakes, french toast sticks, biscuits with optional gravy, sausage, bacon, scrambled egges, fried potato cubes and a few other things. All fresh and all good.

I was a little hungry, and I picked non-greasy, not-too-sweet or spicy fare. Vicki was surprisingly hungry as well. We both ate and everyone said their goodbyes as we took off with the Williams' back to Mid Missouri.

Unpacked the wet stuff. Vicki insisted on starting laundry. And my GPS was hanging on the coat tree in the hallway. Vicki was still feeling pretty lousy most of the time. I wasn't feeling that great, either. No energy at all. I did have to try to fix the phone... it's acting wierd ... so she could call her mom. I spent 30 minutes or so outside cleaning contacts and re-wiring it. It seemed ok for a while, then started acting up again.

Talked to Kristin. Brian came down with the stomach flu on the way to Honduras. And grandma Jean got it Thursday. So it was going around. I looked up "stomach flu" viruses on the internet out of curiosity.

Then we ended up watching a movie and going to bed.

Monday morning I just couldn't get up. I wasn't about to throw up, but the stomach wasn't at 100% yet, either. I'd read on the internet Sunday evening about the viruses that cause stomach flu. I figured it must've been the norovirus since adults didnt' seem to have any immunity to it like we seem to to the rotovirus. It had said the norovirus was highly contagious, and I decided to take an extra day away from other people.

So we got it from Trenton ... still... when all is said and done it's a fair trade. I wouldn't have had it any other way. He needed us :-)

Vicki was still a little queasy this morning. I went to work. I figure she had it worse and probably irritated her tissues more. I'd bet the virus is gone from her, she just needs to finish healing.

So now I want to go floating.

But I'm also Jonsin' for the Rockies.

Precious. And intelligent, too!

We were babysitting for Trenton on Brian & Kristin's date night. Vicki had changed her clothes and come into the kitchen. It was about 5:30 pm.

Trenton walked up to Vicki, grabbed her hand, and led her over to the kitchen table where his chair & booster seat are. He removed the tray, and handed it to me, and started pushing the chair away from the table. 14.5 months. He may not be able to talk yet, but THAT'S communication!!!

For the record, his normal dinner time is about 6 or 6:30. There was no fussing, no whining (not that he doesn't do that sometimes) but he was a hungry little guy, and he was hungry now. And he found a way to let us know outside of crying, screaming or pointing.

Smart little guy.

Gratutitous Baby Picture Post #4

Sizzlin' Sophie

While I was listening to Diana Krall's "Quiet Nights" on Rhapsody, it suggested another artist ... one I hadn't heard of.

Now THIS is the way to approach classic material. A little emotion, a little flair. Great voice, and great use of it. She has 3 albums to date. The latest one just went on sale (right).

It was all really good stuff. I remember hearing "Day In, Day Out" and thinking - "now that's a fresh approach, but still classic jazz." Bravo, Sophie!

Sighing Di (One Note Samba)

Several years ago after hearing her version of Nat Cole's "Frim Fram Sauce", I bought Diana Krall's "All For You" ... which is an excellent album I'd recommend for anyone's collection. So I got "Steppin' Out", "Only Trust Your Heart", "Love Scenes", and "When I Look In Your Eyes" ... all with some nice piano trio work that worked well with her vocals.

Since I liked all the others, when "The Look of Love" came ought I bought it, too. Besides, the cover of that album flat sizzles, ifyaknowhatimean. Ouch!

With this album more than any other to that point, though, she went more to orchestration and away from the piano trio format -- which is where she shines (with the later, not the former). But it'll hold a special place in my collection and get played with the first four, which is probably a tribute to the brilliant marketer who had her pose just so in that black dress and those heels.

Since then she's gone mainly to torch songs and Jobim sambas. Great material, to be sure. And I'm as big a Jobim fan as anyone. It worked well with the Christmas album, "Christmas Songs" which is a perennial in my collection. But even on that her vocals had a jazzier spark to them on several of the tracks even if she was away from piano central. Ok, and the green dress and heels didn't hurt, either. Same marketer, I presume.

But with each new album, Christmas album aside, I've been hoping she'd go back to the trio format. She's a good jazz musician. This arranged stuff boxes her in. And she has a pleasant voice ... I mean, I like it. It's better when she's belting a song than it is when she's sighing one. That works for Astrud Gilberto. But not everyone is Astrud. It's just not bringing anything interesting to the material in this format.

And so it was with "Quiet Nights", which just came out a couple of months ago. I was again hoping she'd be tickling the keys and leaning into the piano with some of the old gusto... but no. This has got to be the breathiest, most arranged album to date. Pleasant background dinner music, to be sure. But a far cry from her early work.

Maybe this is what's in demand and it's how she can rake in the big money, which is totally understandable. Or maybe this is really what she wants to do... which would be totally understandable as well. But it isn't lighting a fire under my rear to go out and buy any more Diana Krall. Me, personally. I've never been one of those fans who has the audacity to tell an artist what they should do. I'm just personally disappointed. Still, I have the early albums to listen to, and my collection is richer for it.

Pssst. Diana! Your piano chops are what sets you apart.

A Cousin Kinda Day

Today cousin Dawn and her youngest daughter Ciara came to putz around taking pictures. I thought I'd take them down where I took one of my all time favorite shots ... at Eagle Bluffs Conservation area by the Missouri river. Of course, when I took that shot, it was evening and later in the summer. Still, I thought there might be more wildlife around.

We saw a snake, a bunch of buzzards, a deer.... that was about it out there. Some snapping turtles, and a rusted out water heater in Perche Creek. Broke for lunch at Taco Bell.

After lunch went to campus and went around the Francis Quadrangle, where I discussed some finer Constitutional points with Thomas Jefferson (we were pretty much in agreement on most things, for sure). And Ciara shared a seat at the Shack with Beetle Bailey. You might even call it a hot seat, since the bronze had been sitting in the sun all morning and early afternoon.

Watching a lanky 13 year old girl turning cartwheels in the grass can make you feel a little old. But it was nice to see the energy all the same.

And then we wandered up to Shelter Gardens where there were flowers, trees, water features, and the old school house before heading back to the ranch. Nothing spectacular, shooting-wise, but some pretty pictures and a little camera-raderie. Nice day.

Ok. This is funny.

Gratuitous Baby Picture Post number .... I lost count

Mothers Day

Friday was Mother's birthday (Vicki's mom ... when I use the term "Mother" as a proper name, I'm typically referring to her. Mom refers to my mom, typically, unless it's clear by context.)

Anyway, Mother turned 90 Friday, and Vicki wanted to do something special so we went to Churchill's. Churchill's is probably the finest restaurant in Columbia. There may be one or two with as good food and service, but this all that with a traditional formal atmosphere.

Brian and Kristin and Kevin and his new girlfriend Marken were there. It was our first time meeting Marken.

Let me just say that she won't have any trouble keeping up. :-)

She and Brian were ribbing each other all through dinner in contrast to the live harp music in the background. It was a great dinner. I hope Mother enjoyed it. I think she did. We all had a good time.

Marken reminds me of the kind of friends our family had growing up. She's very cute, a real people person, a pitcher-inner, and a chronic joker. There aren't too many people I have to really pay attention to to keep up. And she slipped a few by me as well.

Kevin brought his Guitar Hero game with his Hendrix and Les Paul fake guitar controllers and set it up. I never was any good at that game. It's not really like playing the guitar at all. But it does look like fun. If you're not keeping up the instruments and the song start to go off key and get out of synch.... pretty funny.

Saturday Kristin, Brian, and I went out to Strawberry Hill Farms and bought a bunch of vegetable and flowering plants. Then Kristin had to work, and Brian went back to work. Nana Vicki babysat Trenton. And of course I couldn't let her have all the fun after I got back from Strawberry Hill. So when he wasn't napping I played with him. Actually, I was trying to get a few things done while he was napping and completely forgot he was in our room and woke him up. Bad me.

We headed over to Brian and Kristin's saturday evening for a visit and so everyone could see their new place. Kevin and Brian and I started putting their new grill together, but when we got to the part where you "punch" out the parts so you can attach the side smoker box... let's just say they wouldn't "punch". "Dent" would be a much better description. I ran home and got my drill, rubber mallett, and dremmel tool with cutter wheel. Drilled the holes, and started to cut the eye-shaped hole for the box with the dremmel, but the dremmel crapped out. I think the brushes wore out. It was their time, I guess. Couldn't have picked the next day, could it?

So we were stuck. Kevin and Marken went to meet Ken for dinner. Eventually we went home.

Because Mothers Day there were plans to go over there in the morning and do brunch. I mixed up the separate wet and dry waffle ingredients the night before. We got sausages. And eggs. And I got 3 dusty rose roses to represent each mother.

Only I didn't have a vase.

Fortunately, I happen to be Martha Stewart's red-necked cousin Marvin. Marvin Stewart, yessir. I got a clear beer bottle ... Landshark Lager ... and peeled the labels off and cleaned it. Then went to the closet and got some red cellophane-type wrapping "paper" ... kind of transparent, but not too transparent, and wrapped the beer bottle loosely in it with the edges frayed out near the top of the bottle and a red rubber band to hold it all in. I thought it looked pretty good, and nobody complained.

I'll have a new line at K-Mart by the end of the year.

We decended upon their house about 10:45 am and Brian and I took over the kitchen duties, occasionally shooing Kristin and Vicki away. Cooked the sausages, whipped up the scrambled eggs, mixed up the waffle stuff and started cranking waffles out. And we all got to sit down at pretty much the same time. It was a nice breakfast.

Marken and Kevin took to cleaning the kitchen afterwards, occasionally shooing Kristin and Vicki out. They couldn't help themselves.

Brian and I went out with my jigsaw and a metal-cutting blade and cut out the rest of the grill cut out, put the rest of it together, and started some charcoal to "cure" the iron grates and interior of the grill with vegetable oil and heat. The process was to take 4 hours, and they wanted to grill for Grandma Jean for dinner.

I ran around the yard playing airplane with Trenton (Trenton was the airplane), and we looked at leaves and wind chimes and flowers and then I took him for a stroll. After which it was pretty much nap time and Nana Vicki took him and got him to sleep. She's very good at that.

Then Kristin, Marken, and I planted vegetables, but Kevin and Marken needed to get back to St. Louis. So we didn't finish.

Uncharacteristically (and sadly), I didn't get a single picture taken. Too busy, I guess.

We went home, Kevin and Marken left. I suddenly realized I was completely beat. I didn't think I'd worked that hard, but my head and body disagreed. I slept for a couple of hours. Vicki was watching movies downstairs. Mother was checking her emails (She's 90. Checking emails. Cool!)

And I slept like a log that night.

Rode in Monday. Got home. Got the chainsaw out and cut up the tree that fell in Friday Night's storm into chimnea sized pieces.

Tonight Mother took us to dinner for her last night here. Brian's taking her back home tomorrow.

Rain Rain

Well, we certainly can't complain about not enough rain this spring. This latest bout started last night. The Williams' came over to drop off their little mini roto-tiller for me to use to dig up my little 8x8 garden... but that won't be happening for a while now. Anyway, we watched last night's episode of Supernatural ... a show we got into a while back. Not sure I like some of where it's going philosophy-wise. We'll see how they resolve it all next season

I heard something falling -- I thought something in the living room -- after we went to bed last night after it had been raining and hailing pretty hard. I almost got up to look. Almost. Well ... this morning I saw that what was left of the big dead locust tree in the back yard fell into the yard. looks like it fell on the electric fence (which isn't on yet) around the garden. I was going to tear it down when I go to dig out & replace the soil anyway. So I have a little chainsaw project now as well.

I did get some grass planted out front last week, and this rain ought to help seal the deal germination-wise.

And I plan on taking Kristin et al to Strawberry Hill Farms tomorrow to get some veggies for the raised beds in their yard.

Brian and Kristin moved in to a great new house, their first as homeowners ... while we were in North Carolina. We were back for enough time to help them finish up. We went over there for a little Cinco de Mayo (and why is it again we now celebrate Mexican Independence day here? Is it to remind Mexican illegal aliens that they do have their own soveriegn country they could patch up? Inquiring minds want to know). I suppose it's a good excuse to have a party. Who doesn't like margaritas and mariachi bands?

We did drop by there last night with the Williams' to show them the new house, and Brian was there with Trenton. It's so sad to see him cry when we leave. We weren't there long enough for him I guess. But the look on his face and the sad cry ... just breaks your heart. But I could see him through the door after we got into the car and he seemed happy being fed by daddy. It's probably harder on us than it really is on him.

Tonight we're going out to Churchills for mom-in-law's 90th birthday. Probably the nicest restaurant in Columbia. Kevin will be coming in for it as well. I think there will be 7 of us for dinner. Making it to 90 deserves a big too-doo.

I'm continuing to try to ride my bike in to work at least 3 days a week, weather and errands permitting. I got my three in Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday this week. Good thing, too, because the radar looks menacing today. I'd call that a wash.

Road Trip (Part II)

On the way down to North Carolina, we stopped at Berea, KY because Mom was reminiscing about going down with her sister Fern with their spouses to visit her sister Ruth down in Atlanta years ago. It's known for Berea College, geared toward low-income students. There are a lot of crafts in the area, and Mom remembered a nice dress shop at which she said she and Fern almost always bought something. Nice hotel and restaurant. The town had a lovely, quiet feel to it.

We went to the tourist center and to a nearby craft-type store, where I picked up a kalimba (thumb-harp) and some Mint Juleep Elixir (I guess you can sell drink mixes in a dry town even if you have to purchase your liquor elsewhere). Vicki and mom also bought a few things, but we headed on down the road to Mt. Vernon where we had overnight reservations.

We ended up eating at "Jean's" family restaurant. Talk about the local flavor. Very small building. Mostly locals inside. Plain tables. No music. No nonsense. It smelled like fried chicken and bacon ... the walls were probably permeated with it. But the food was good, and the price was right, and it was just a few miles down the highway from the motel. We slept and pushed on in the morning to Jim & Carol's (the trip I chronicled in the last post that went over Joe Brown Highway).

We got to Jim & Carol's about 2 in the afternoon. Their cabin is lovely. Not too big, but a couple of guest bedrooms, a large front deck, and a gazebo as a deck extension. It's on a walkout basement. Jim & Carol like to eat outside when the weather permits. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's nice. They do that in Nevada as well. That's what the gazebo is for.

I think they have 9 acres NW of Murphy, NC. We walked around and looked at all the spring flowers and the foliage leafing out.

They took us to some of their favorite haunts, including the Moose Hollow Trading Company in Murphy where they had all kinds of home decor tailored to cabins, from old fashioned signs to furniture to some pretty unique taxidermy. They also took us to a family style restaurant in Georgia they like (Smith's?) and to Mercier's Orchard & Restaurant ... where they have awesome individual fried pies. I used to get the ... Dolly Madison ones when I was in high school. I loved the blueberry ones, so naturally I had to try theirs. It was very good. As was their blackberry. We drove around quite a bit but mostly we were there for the visiting and the sight-seeing was extra.

I brough my guitar along this time and kinda plucked it while people played games and worked on puzzles. I've never been much into that, but I enjoy watching other people do it. I was sucked in to the puzzle eventually, but for the most part the rest of the crew put it together out on the deck over a couple of days. I think a very good time was had by all.

Carol was a concert pianist and still plays for pleasure, and she played us a few tunes. Mom was quite the pianist herself back in the day and she played some, too. Guess you can't get Vicki to do it anymore. I've heard she used to be pretty good, but it's been over 40 years.

Their place is beautiful, overlooking Hanging Dog Creek, and just up the road (like 300 yards) from a Cherokee Indian Reservation. You can hear the creek, which is about 150 yards away from the house, and the sunlight sparkles on it all morning as it ripples and bounces over the rocks at it's shallow depth. The cabin is at 1600 feet, but the nearby mountaintops peak out at over 2000 so there's plenty of drama in the landscape. They have some neighbors, a few of whom they know through their Nevada connections.

Jim told us the story of Hanging Dog Creek and how it got its name. There's a story of a Cherokee village that was facing starvation due to a crop failure. Only one hunter in the village was able to find game that year thanks to his faithful hunting dong. "Deer Killer" and his dog were hunting one day and had spent the entire winter day chasing the deer through the forest trying to get positioned for a clean shot. Finally, he took his shot but the shot failed to kill the deer. It ran through a creek and they gave chase, but the dog got stuck in a mass of debris in the creek. Deer Killer jumped into the icy creek and freed the dog, saving it from drowning, and the two continued their chase. They finally tracked the deer down, and when the deer meat was served, the dog was invited into the teepee to eat with the people, which was unusual. The villagers took to calling the creek Hanging Dog Creek. Neat story.