Pictures from a Summer Day

This afternoon we took a little trip to Langford Park and I remembered my camera.

Xander leaping on the monkey bars:

Nick riding fast:

Nick can climb like a ring-tailed lemur:

Xander tries to catch up to Nick:

This doesn't look comfortable to me:

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More Home Improvement Follies

First up I decided it was time to fix the light in the basement stairs. A few months ago the switch went bad and I had to replace it. Everything seemed to go well, but a few weeks later the light went out again. I assumed there was a loose wire or a problem with the new switch. I couldn't face the switch again, so I did what I do best - I procrastinated. For a long time.

Today I was ready to take a look at the switch and see what was going on. Before I went to turn off the circuit breaker, I thought I better try something. Amazingly enough, changing the light bulbs solved the problem. Duh!

After my successful (and embarrassing) resolution of the light bulb problem, I tackled the dishwasher problem that appeared yesterday. We have the kind of dishwasher you to have to push across the kitchen and hook up to the kitchen sink. Yesterday the coupler started spraying water everywhere.

A quick inspection revealed the problem: a torn gasket. We have a Kenmore, so my first stop was the Sears Appliance Parts Store at the Rice Street Sears in St. Paul. If you've never been to the Rice Street Sears, you should go. The place is like a time machine and when you stand in the parking lot it seems like 1962. It's a marvel the place is still open.

Anyway, they could only sell me the entire coupler. Boo. So, then I began driving all over town looking for this gasket. Of course I couldn't find one. (I did find a excellent Chicago-style hot dog, though.) I was able to find the gasket online and shipping is only three times the cost of the gasket. Boo.

It looks like the dishwasher will be out of action for a few days. Does anyone have any advice for teaching a 7-year-old and a 4-year-old how to wash dishes? Also, is it fair to withhold the cost of any broken dishes from their allowance?

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Thoughts on a Saturday Run

Saturday mornings are becoming my time for long runs. Today I did a nine mile route down Summit Avenue from Cretin Avenue to the Cathedral and back. Some thoughts and obervations:

1. There's a little park on Summit Avenue and Ramsey Street that overlooks downtown Saint Paul and the river. It offers an amazing view early in the morning.

2. A lot of people go to the Cathedral around 8 a.m. on Saturday for mass.

3. When you are running and thirsty, all of the sprinklers going off present quite a temptation. I think I would have been shunned by the other runners if I tried to get a drink.

4. I ran by the Governor's Mansion, but didn't see T-Paw. He's probably off giving a speech in New Hampshire or something.

5. A long run in the morning makes Chris sleepy all afternoon.

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Home Improvement

I completed a very significant home improvement project today. See this light fixture?

It is in a closet in our basement. Ever since we moved into the house eleven years ago it has been missing both screws that fastened it to the ceiling. It has just dangled from the wires all this time. How pathetic is that?

Occasionally I have told myself that I'm going to buy some screws and fix the stupid thing. Did I ever do it? No. Not until today, that is. At some point even a lazy procrastinator has taken all he can stand and must do something.

How long did this epic project take? Less than five minutes. I am officially the worst. The only thing that can be said in my defense is that at least I fixed it before it burned the house down or electrocuted someone.

I also replaced the doorbell that's been on the fritz for the past year or so. No more excuses for ignoring people at the front door.

I guess today was the day for fixing long-neglected problems. I kind of liked it. I'll have to do it again in another eleven years. Maybe.

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Living in the Moment

When Nick and I were Cub Scout camp, I had the opportunity to observe two kinds of parents - those who participated as little as possible and those who threw themselves into the mix and had as much fun as the kids. (There was even one disagreeable fellow who went so far as too tear down every activity as being lame and not very fun. [Never mind that his son was having a great time with all of these "lame" activities.] Fortunately he was an extreme case.)

It was really interesting to see the contrast between these types. It was pretty clear who I wanted to hang out with - the guys who were having fun and getting dirty. So that's what I did and I had a great time. When it was over, some the other active dads and I were talking about how we wouldn't mind a few more days of this. The non-participants, on the other hand, couldn't wait to get home.

Don't get me wrong. It was great that these parents took time to bring their sons to camp. However, by holding back, camp became a job or a chore that had to be done. Instead of counting down the hours to departure time, they could have been out there having a great time themselves.

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Summer Camp Report

Summer Camp 2009 has come and gone. Here are the highlights:

1. We arrived around 6pm on Friday evening. Our pack had apparently offended the Cub Scout bureaucracy, because we found ourselves assigned to the campsite farthest from everything. This meant a pretty long hike to meals and to our activities.

2. After check in we hit the pool for the swimming test. If you've been reading my blog, you I've been working hard to improve my swimming skills so I could pass the swimmer test at camp. Well - I passed the test. Nick's been working on his swimming this year and he was able to pass the beginner's test, which was a surprise to me. I was very proud of him. The downside to the swimming test was that it was cloudy and about 60 degrees - brrrrrr.

3. With the swimming test complete, we settled into our campsite for the night. The boys played games with the some of the camp staff while the adults hung out. Due to the drought, we were not able to have a campfire, which was a drag.

4. Activities started early on Saturday morning. After breakfast we went to the corral for pony rides. Nick had an awesome pony named Toppy. He loved it. A scout from another pack was thrown off of his pony, but fortunately wasn't injured.

5. The next event was the swimming pool. Well, it was another cold day. I doubt it was 60 degrees when we swam. The pool was well-heated, but getting out really sucked.

6. After swimming was boating. We paired up with another father and son for a row boat trip. It was chilly and windy (see above), but we had a nice time.

7. Next up was lunch and free time. We should have rested during free time, but the kids played games and some of us dads threw a football around.

8. After free time we went to the archery range. We determined that Nick is right-handed, but left-eye dominant. (Just like me.) I had him shoot left-handed. He did well with the aiming and shooting, but the poor kid really struggled knocking arrows and getting ready to fire with his wrong hand.

9. Next was the BB gun range. Nick was probably the most excited for this activity. I had him shoot left-handed again, but the results weren't as good as with the bow. Fortunately he wasn't discouraged and is eager to try it again.

10. After BB guns was yet another trip to the pool. Sadly it wasn't any warmer this time than the two previous trips to the pool. However, like all good scouts, we refused to let a little thing like frigid weather ruin our swim.

11. After dinner the camp staff put on a campfire and show with lots of skits. They put on a great show and it was a lot of fun.

12. Upon returning to camp, the kids played more games with the camp staff. Some of us dads were dragged into a game called "Army/Navy" which was advertised as not involving a lot of running, but actually consisted of nothing but running and diving on the ground. The fact the guy running the game was a sadistic 15-year-old Boy Scout didn't make it any easier on us old guys. I have several bruises on my knees from the game.

13. Sunday morning consisted of crafts, skills, and a nature walk. For crafts, Nick built a cool rubber band powered paddle boat. For skills, he learned to tie some knots and casting a fishing rod. During the nature walk he learned to identify some plants and played a live action game of Oregon Trail (remember that computer game?). The kids were all dragging by this point, but they had fun. I should mention that the weather on Sunday was sunny and warm. Were we schedule to use the pool? Of course not. Sigh.

14. Before we could have lunch we had to clean or campsite and get ready to leave. The same sadistic Boy Scout from the Army/Navy game was in charge of inspecting our camp. We eventually were cleared for lunch and departure.

15. We got to do free choice events before we left. Nick and his friend Henry chose to ride ponies again. I was happy to see the sadistic Boy Scout off doing some unpleasant looking stable cleaning chores. Karma, dude. Karma.

So that was camp. It was a great time. I would have happily stayed for a couple of more days (particularly if they were sunny and warm) and Nick would have been happy to move in permanently. I have a lot of admiration for the staff and they really have inspired me to try some things to become a more effective Cub Scout leader.

I didn't take many photos of just Nick, but here are two:

Nick riding a pony on Sunday afternoon. Notice the blue skies.

Nick showing off his rubber band powered paddle boat:

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Summer Camp!

Nick and I leave for summer camp in a couple of hours. I think I packed way too much stuff, but unusually cold temperatures plus a chance of rain means I'd rather be safe than sorry. Besides, it all fits in the giant duffel bag I purchased!

I'm not sure if I'm ready for the swimming test or not. I doubt I'm going to feel much like jumping in the pool tonight given the cold temps, but I'll give it a shot. Even if I don't pass today, I've made dramatic improvement in a short time, so I think I can be satisfied with that for now. This morning Nick asked me if I thought I would pass the swimming test. I said that I didn't know. His response? "I don't think you will because you aren't a very good swimmer." Gotta love the brutal honesty. Apparently the "my dad can do anything" phase has passed!

Anyway, we'll be gone until Sunday. Hopefully there will be good stories and pictures then.

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