Dress Up Day

I wasn't quite sure what was up with the Scottie Pippin jersey. I guess it came from the neighbours.

Cheerleading Pic

OK, Here's a (Sort of) Football Picture, too

First Day of School 2007, and New Backpacks

The soon-to-be new preschoolers also need backpacks:


Turtle Boy!

The Rocket Runner?

Here are a few photos from yesterday's rocket launch. From reading The Kite Runner a while ago, I had the feeling that if I caught a (parachuting) rocket in the air, I should get to keep it. I did catch one, but gave it back to the 10-year old when he asked for it. (I'm looking forward to reading A Thousand Splended Suns).



We also brought along my old little one:


No parachte and small size makes it go high and fast, but it's difficult to see and find. It didn't land very far from the launch pad.

In-Progress Vacation Photos

I love having internet access in a hotel room, though posting photos at this point is probably more amusing to me than to anyone else. We haven't been to the wedding yet. I'll probably post more photos of the weekend later at my other site.

4H Clothes Project - "Ready, Let's Sew!"

Biking in the Land of Plenty

It was about time for the kids to move up to bigger bikes, so my wife went garage sale shopping today and picked up a couple of bikes for a total of $17. They had the idea that it would be nice to paint them, so I spent a good bit of the day disassembling the bikes for painting and then putting them back together. I had nothing to do with the neon green colour selection.

It's amazing to me how cheap used bicycles can be purchased. Sure, they're not in the greatest shape, but they're ridable. The point I'm trying to make is that, compared to walking, a bicycle is a big improvement, and it's amazing to me that people are practically giving away that transportation upgrade. Sure, part of it is that bikes are more toys that transportation.

Along those lines, I'd consider getting new higher-quality domestic bicycles for the kids, but it's hard to make that $250 (or more) purchase when a cheap, used, imported model costs $8.50. Not only does it show the challenges domestic manufacturers face, it makes me think about the economy of the future. One would hope that, in future years, mankind will be able to meet more of individuals' basic needs like food, shelter, and bicycles. So, if you want to sell something as more than a commodity, you'll have to make it better than anyone else. It's not enough to sell a good bicycle. You'll need to sell a great one, to those specialized buyers that are looking to buy a great one.

Also, I always have trouble with photos with that fence in the background. I think the camera likes to focus on the fence and not the foreground.

This Year's Dance Costumes

Who designs these?

Swingset Photos

Speech Meet, the Next Generation

2007 Father-Daughter Dance

Here's another one of those annually recurring blog posts. We've been here before and before, but here are photos from the 2007 edition of the father-daughter dance:

Enjoying Some Reading

It's been a while since I've posted a photo like this one:

Skating on Thick Ice

Has it been more than two years since I posted on this subject (which may have resulted in more comments than any other post here)?

Why is it that Bob The Builder tells kids to "always stay off frozen ponds"? Have frozen ponds always held extreme dangers that our parents and grandparents weren't aware of, or is it just that people are less responsible these days? In any case, as I've mentioned before, I try to go skating outside at least once a year. As I'm the only one in the family that has skates, the others just come along for the fun. Actually, I grabbed a kid yesterday, took some snow shovels, inspected and scoped out the snow-covered pond, and shoveled off an area and a path for skating. Today, we just went out and had fun. Enjoying a frozen pond is a memory I'd like my kids to have, even if I'm too cheap to buy skates that would be sure to be rarely used on growing feet.

Here are some photos, taken with "Snow" mode on the ol' camera:



If you want to talk about risky winter behaviours, check out the guy and the kids on the ATV. I certainly wouldn't want to restrict his choice of recreation, but, statistically speaking, my guess is that's a more dangerous activity than a hopefully responsible parent going out with his kids on a frozen pond.

The Toque's In The Mail

Thanks, Mrs S.

Why Don't I Smile For Photos?

I never feel comfortable smiling for photos -- and when I do, I usually manage a small grin without showing my teeth. To do more on cue feels "fakey" to me. When asked to smile for a photo, I'll sometimes try to think of something funny to laugh about naturally. Why do I have an aversion to smiling for photos? Way back in Kindergarten, I smiled for my school photo, but my friend didn't. He looked so much cooler than I did, or so I thought, and I wanted to be like him. So, the next year, I didn't smile. It was becoming a habit when, for Grade 3 when I didn't have any front teeth, I displayed a big smile for my school photos -- and everyone made fun of it. So, it's rare that you'll find a photo of me smiling with my teeth in view.

I think I must have some flour or something in my beard.


And, who could be more cool than that? That shirt; the hair; the smile. Wonderful!


Here's the non-smiling friend. While no teeth are displayed, that does look like a smile to me. I seem to remember it more as a frown or glare. R., if you're out there, send me an e-mail.

It's About Time We Got Some Snow!

"Daddy, we're done shovelling our driveway and sidewalk. Is it OK if we shovel the neighbour's house, too?"

2007 Favourite Literary Character Day

Different classes chose their own "dress up" themes this year. One was literary characters, one was television or cartoon characters (which my child chose not to participate in, not being all that familiar with the genre), and the third was "International", of which I don't have a photo. So, here's the photo I have (for now) of the rental costume:

Sir Elton

Nice glasses. His other hat is a family-size ice cream tub.

Another New Hobby (Daddy Played Bass)

Let's see how well this works out.