Pinewood Derby, Part 2

We had a beautiful, HOT weekend in Eau Claire, and spent lots of time outdoors. Emma and I planted flowers and spread cedar chips around the house on Sunday morning, while Jon and Michael rototilled and expanded our garden out at the hunting shack in Cornell. Next weekend we'll plant vegetables. There are so many deer in that area that Jon had to build a 10 ft. high fence around the plot to give our plants a chance to grow. Last year he only made it out there to water and check on things a couple of times, but the garden did well on its own, thanks to natural rainfall and horse manure.

Saturday morning we went to the District Pinewood Derby. Michael's car raced against the top cars from our part of the state. Each car runs once down each of the four lanes. Times are recorded with a computer program that automatically compares each car with every other car. So the whole thing went fairly quickly, once everyone was registered.

That was the hard part! The first time Jon and Michael went through the registration line, they were ejected because the car was slightly overweight (we hadn't altered the car one bit from the last race, but the scales must have been different). Jon made the necessary adjustments, and we were good to go after that.

The other boy competing from Michael's school also had trouble getting through registration, though his was a more serious problem... his wheels were illegal. His dad had filed them on each edge, so they came to ridge in the center. This alteration was apparently unobserved during the earlier race. We couldn't help but wonder if Michael's car might have won the earlier race if his competitor's tires were legal... As it was, the other boy's Dad had to race home and get another set of wheels, put them on the car, and go through the line again. But they made the deadline and were able to compete. (This time Michael's car did better than the other boy's).

Michael's car actually beat the other cars he raced with, but he didn't win the overall race. Still, he got a nice certificate and ribbon for his effort, and all of us had fun.

Rock show?

Just thought I'd take a minute or two to write...

This past weekend, on Sunday, I took the kids to Eau Claire's annual rock and mineral show. Emma was disappointed at first when she realized that this "rock show" did not involve music in any way, but both kids ended up having a great time, nonetheless. There were interactive displays for kids, where they could stick their hands in water and find colorful rocks, do arts and crafts projects, and adopt pet rocks (complete with google eyes and fuzzy noses). One guy had a booth where you could select 18 rocks for $1, so I let each kid choose their 9. They were SO excited.

There were lots of interesting things for grown-ups, too! They had informational booths set up showcasing different rock polishing systems-- one guy had a home-made set up that allowed him to produce a polished rock in just over an hour, with relatively little noise. They had displays of all kinds of rare and interesting mineral samples. You could also buy beautiful rock samples that ranged in price from $1 to $70. People sold hand-crafted jewelry, rock carvings, and turned stone bowls and vessels. I spent about $20 and came away with bags full of great stuff, already identified for me.

Tomorrow I'm helping out at the kids' school, during their "Get Moving" marathon fundraiser. I helped with it last year and was able to "man" the 4-square booth. Remember how much fun we had with that game as kids??

This weekend is Round 2 of the Pinewood Derby. As Longfellow's second-place winner, Michael gets to race in the next heat. We'll let you know how that turns out.

Enjoy the nice weather!

Don't Forget Earth Day!

Hi Everyone! Just thought I'd write and let you know what we're up to, as well as toss in a plug for Earth Day on April 22nd. Do something fun and good for the planet! We usually attend Eau Claire's Earth Day festivities at Owen Park. They have educational booths on different conservation-related topics (composting, recycling, alternative energy, etc.), entertainment (folk singers, story tellers, juggling), kid's games, face painting and more. It's a family-oriented, non-commercial event. Usually the city gives away trees to plant, too.

One "green" thing I've begun doing recently is biking to work. It takes just 10-15 minutes, and the fresh air and exercise really gives me a boost.

We attended a surprise 50th birthday party for Jon's sister Sally last weekend. The party was at Jon's brother's place, organized by a different brother, and Sally was genuinely surprised. We played Bingo and had a potluck supper. The weather was nice so the kids played outside with their Hurlburt cousins. I also brought along a cake and things for Jonathan, since his birthday was right around that time too (on the 16th). He's 23 now (the same age I was when I met his dad-- hard to believe!).

This week Friday we're going to another family birthday party, this time for Jon's mother Jane. It'll be in Cornell, at his other sister's summer cabin. We're going to have a campfire and outdoor cookout.

Saturday the kids and I are supposed to pick up bags of food around the neighborhood for the Boy Scout food drive... at 7 in the morning! Then at 9 am Longfellow School is having a run / walk fundraiser for their afterschool programs, so we hope to attend that as well. And at 1 pm Mikey's going to a birthday party. Busy day!

Well, take care and Happy Earth Day!

Easter weekend

We're back in Eau Claire after spending Easter weekend in Rhinelander. The kids had a great time playing with cousins Kenny and Beth. Bob was there, too, as were Hope's parents. Not only did Ann and Rich make the 10+ hour drive from Michigan to join us, but they brought along a fabulous honey-glazed ham to share with the group. Hope made her now-famous sweet potato pie (which Mikey remembers from our visits to Arkansas), and Mom and Dad supplied the rest of the feast. I think it's safe to say nobody lost weight over the weekend.

It's amazing to see how little time it takes the kids to get reacquainted with one another. After not seeing each other for months they are somehow able to resume their play in just a few minutes. It's a little different, of course, because their ages have changed. Beth certainly holds her own... she's little, but fiercely independent and determined to be part of all the action.

We were relieved to learn that John and Jim made it back to the US okay after John's passport problem. Everyone was worried and felt so bad (especially for Jim), but are glad he's willing to give it another try. We can't WAIT to hear the full story, especially the part where Jim had to enter the country of Turkey and find overnight accomodations all by himself.

Last night we went for a family walk / bike ride, and Michael took a pretty bad tumble off his bike. He was wearing a helmet, but sustained a bump on his forehead and a nasty road rash on his face and hands. It was upsetting and scary for all of us, but after his wounds were cleaned up they didn't look so bad. He had a good night's sleep and was well enough to go to school, though he'll probably have lots of questions from curious classmates about the bandages on his face.

One other noteworthy tidbit: Emma lost another tooth yesterday, after we left Rhinelander. She's definitely getting that jack-o'lantern look.