Summer Hikes

In addition to all the extra stuff around the house, Jen pointed out we should probably get more serious about all the extra stuff around our waistlines.

Hmmm maybe some exercise?

We decided to start small and do something that includes the kids, hence hiking.

That child is 5!

We headed to Marsh Creek this morning for a quick jaunt. Plan to do it more throughout the coming weeks, then maybe (just maybe) I can work up to actually riding a bike. Of course by the time that happens, I’ll be back on the road a ridiculous amount of time again.

– b

The Purge

We decided enough is enough.

We’ve got too much crap around here.

We’ve decided to purge.

I’m starting with the detached garage and all the miscellaneous scrap wood.

Jen is starting with the attached garage and basement with all the boxes we haven’t unpacked since we moved here.

So far feels good.

Doesn’t look spacious, but getting all the bikes in one side was a big deal.

Sure taking a picture of the other side and all it’s space would have been more effective, but I kind of like bikes.

Gonna feel even better when we can appreciate all the room that’s left over.

Yeah. I know. Still have to finish some projects that are incomplete (i.e. pool deck), but it was getting so bad around here that I couldn’t get to the stuff that I needed for the projects.

– b

Sparkles

The girls got a blue tooth enabled electric toothbrush that connects to an app on their iPad and makes teeth brushing amazing.

Not really amazing, but it is super cute.

The app provides each one with their own little Sparkle animal whose teeth they have to brush by brushing their own. The more/better they brush (doubt it tracks better, but certainly more), the more gifts and treats they get for their Sparkle.

I’m sure a month from now the Sparkles won’t be so sparkly anymore, but it’s cute until then and maybe they’ll learn something along the way about proper teeth care.

– b

Dishwasher Fix

Remember that dishwasher we got over the winter?

It stopped cleaning.

Quick replacement part.

(the blue plastic valve above the brass fitting) And it was good as new again.

– b

Animal Follies

Some fun shots from the trail camera over the last month or so.

Wonder what happens when a cat and raccoon meet?

The cat wins.

And when the cat’s away, the fox will play.

– b

July Paddling Trip

We managed a paddling trip earlier in the month.

After a trip with my dad and the girls in WV (another post), I decided I needed a new boat, so I picked up a tandem sit on top kayak. Turned out to be awesome.

We took a new family with us – some friends from Jiu Jitsu. They admitted this wasn’t normally their kind of thing. I think they had fun anyway – despite jet lag and arriving home the day before from a month long trip in Europe.

The route wasn’t our normal route. It had to be longer than usual. I liked it. Abigail did great in her boat.

Hopefully we can do it again this summer.

– b

What Happened to July?

July was a little busier than expected.

Never got around to creating the calendar. Hopefully I can retro-actively put that together this weekend.

August should be a little less busy.

Still traveling a lot. Looks like I’ll be traveling more starting in the fall (beginning of our fiscal new year).

– b

Jolly old England

Had to go to Bristol last week for work.

– b

Proving Grounds

After the day at Field of Dreams on their giant peewee course, I spent some time trying to find a true peewee sized course the girls could try.

Almost immediately I found one at the Breezewood Proving Grounds, and coincidentally they were having a kids weekend that coming weekend.

Browsing the website, the place seemed pretty cool. They had 4 tracks in all (a peewee, kid/beginner, intermediate, advanced), camping, home made water park, cabins and a “dining hall”. For kids weekend, kids rode free all weekend long.

I ran it by the girls, and they loved the idea especially when mom agreed to go too.

We loaded everything up and headed out Friday after work.

Got there just before dark and setup camp.

Bright and early Abigail was dressed and riding the course.

At times the course was busy. At other it was quite clear.

If you look in the picture above, you can almost make out a rift in the turn that was causing the kids a lot of problems as they came through the turn. To help Abigail get through this I started to stand off to the side about where she is in the picture, and have her first look at me then look through the turn effectively ignoring the rift and riding through cleanly.

Needless to say Abigail was having a good time, which finally convinced Lauren to get out and try it.

And then it was time for lunch and playing around on other things at the “dining hall”.

Then it was back to more riding, but not without first adding a number to Peanut’s bike and the letter A.

And Lauren rode more.

At some point there were a number of bigger kids/bigger bikes riding the peewee track and we took a break. In some cases I would tell them to go away, but when the numbers got to be too many it was easier for us to just take a break.

Scenes like this definitely make me pause. So many times I sat like this before a race or between practice sessions in my gear waiting for the next ride. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I’d have a kid doing the same thing and at such a young age. Even just a year ago, this was the farthest thing from my mind.

Here’s an example.

Of course I never imagined having kids so cute either.

Even when they insist on wearing their dirt bike boots everywhere and making funny poses. At least I know the boots still fit.

Pasghetti!

Then it was off to ride some more after dinner.

But…

It was end of day and really dusty, and…

Abigail wanted the performance restriction in her bike upgraded for more power/speed, so on a hot engine, I took out the exhaust port restriction and moved up a few 32’s in size for more flow.

She handled it flawlessly. Despite the dust.

Despite the dust, both girls rode until almost dark.

Dusty, dusty, dusty.

And Lauren got a number 1, though it looks like i which is really cute.

Impromptu pose. Totally unsolicited.

Final shot of the day.

Another post track time shot. I do love these. There were kid races under the lights that night on the kid/beginner track. We stayed and watched most, then went to bed.

Stay tuned for day two coming soon.

– b

Field of Dirt

Went to our first motocross track on Saturday.

To be clear, I have no intention of making my girls motocross racers.

In general we really just want to challenge them with new opportunities, though this was meant to be less of a challenge and more of a really fun mini dirt bike outing.

But as you can see from the scale of things, this really ended up being a challenge. The plan was to head to Field of Dreams in southern Jersey and ride the peewee track. I was hoping for a safe place for the kids to rip for a few hours without me or them getting really stressed about anything other than running out of gas.

Though as I look through these photos, the “features” don’t look quite as big as they were. Trust me. We doubted their little bikes would even get up the faces of some of the jumps. Then there were other kids. Kids on 80’s and what-not ripping around along side Abigail & Lauren. For the most part the other kids were really respectful, but it was still unnerving.

To get on the course with them I had to sign up as a volunteer and promise to help anyone else that may have needed it while I was out there.

Besides the other kids ripping around, there wasn’t anything inherently dangerous for the girls on the track. The jumps were big and steep, but their little bikes could barely go fast enough to get up them let alone get air. The track itself was so big and long I don’t think they got any sensation of speed. At least not like they do ripping through our front yard or around the house.

In the end Abigail said she’d go back, and I’d take her, but it’s not first on the list.

It was definitely less stressful than taking them to Jim Thorpe that one time. Considering the riding they’ve been doing, Jim Thorpe might be less stressful now anyway.

What I really need is a review of peewee tracks in eastern PA and New Jersey. I’d like a nice short/small feature course they could chase each other on and not worry about bigger bikes or things like trees that we have in our yard.

Abigail waiting for an injured rider to be delivered to the ambulance. It didn’t look that bad. Some kind of foot/leg injury.

At the end of the day they both said they had a good time, but that might of had a lot more to do with dinner than the day.

– b