Sean's Career Options

Sean has been trying out some career options recently. This look will prepare him for a future as a cafeteria server, slopping mystery meat on the plates of unwary children. Or maybe he's going to become an actor and he's practicing his role as an Amish lady.




And if neither of those options work he'll be well prepared to knock over a liquor store in his special version of a pantyhose-over-the-face disguise.

The Boat Show

We don't need a boat and we don't want a boat but when the weather turns bad and there's nothing better to do, it's time to turn the kids loose in a large open space. So we used the boat show as a big covered playground with lots of cool toys that offered all kinds of opportunities to explore. Dad enjoyed wandering through a bunch of stuff he couldn't afford, too. Oh, how the other half must live. We even spotted a certain famous politician with a penchant for yachting checking out the latest models.


Nate liked the cabin cruisers, especially the large ones with kitchens and bedrooms inside of them. He thought it would be a neat place to live. Well, we got news for you kiddo: it may be a big boat but it would be a really small apartment, even though it costs about as much as the average condo.


There were other toys too, like these scramblers. Nate and Sean enjoyed them as much as the boats! I couldn't quite figure out why these would be at a boat show but I suppose mariners have lots of equipment they need to haul from the marina to their vessels.

An Afternoon at the Park

It's that time of year when one day is warm, another is cold; one day is wet, another is dry. On this afternoon late last week it was just about perfect and dad took the kids to a local park. Nate calls is "spiderweb park" after this red-rope climbing structure. Who knows what it's really called? He just loves climbing up and through the intricately woven lines.


Sean is more into the sand pit. On this day he was playing a game of tag, trying to stay one step ahead of dad. He did a pretty good job, too. We were surprised that nobody else was at the playground that afternoon because it's usually a popular place. We don't mind putting on our jackets and getting out in the sunshine, so we got to reap the reward.

A Morning in the City

One of the nice things about living close to the city is being able to take advantage of the many events it offers on the spur of the moment. Mom heard that one of the local museums was having an exhibit on frogs, so we bundled up the kids and headed downtown. Nate was particularly fond of the poison dart frogs and we spent quite a bit of effort trying to get a decent photo through the glass while those pesky little amphibians refused to sit still.




Each wall held all kinds of frog information and trivia, and the kids could even jump along the markings on the floor to see which frog they jumped most like. But of course what interested them the most were the glass enclosures with every type of frog imaginable. Somehow we managed to convince Sean to turn around for a quick picture.




Another section of the museum contained an exhibit on a type of dinosaur that had only recently been discovered. Nate remembered seeing this guy on television just a few months ago.




But we finished our tour a little earlier than expected and decided to take a walk around town before having lunch. We went by some very famous landmarks including this one. Can you guess who lives here???