shed days

The new shed is up in the back yard, there are some good pictures of my dad and unk with Peter.

Look, picasa web albums has a new obnoxious flash slideshow!

the end of another era

I'm selling my BMW. Not, I hasten to add, because I think owning a 4L V8 is environmentally irresponsible. A certain amount of irrational exuberance is all that makes the human condition bearable.

I was never really a giant-BMW kind of guy anyway, or at least I never thought I was, but I admired its massive competence and tank-like construction. I loved the black-leather-and-fake-walnut interior experience and the science-fiction way you can go as fast as you want without noise, rattles, and a feeling of imminent crashing death.

On the highway it was never happy going less than 80, and the back seats are not kid-seat friendly. So our Cadillac sedan will be my new commuter and family car. It's a good car, more comfortable if not more responsive, and for motoring thrills at least it's got a big ol' American 4.8L V8.

I will hang on to my BMW CCA membership because they run a great autocross. Me and Dad and my uncle and Peter went yesterday. I was going to drive the mini but the mini's ignition crapped out so I was driving the family Omni racecar. We had a lot of fun. Peter loved the noise and the crowds.

I spent half the time standing in the sun, picking up cones that people knocked down, and the other half of the time in the Omni knocking down cones. It was great.

This morning we are leaving on our camping trip. The van is loaded to the gunwales, but I am still thinking of things we need to bring. Watch this space for updates, or if you have the technology, my facebook page. It's easier to update that from the mobile phone.

on the road again

We are preparing for our family road trip to North Carolina. Today I hope to replace the cooling unit in the van's propane fridge, a surprisingly expensive part which is supposed to be easy to install.

I have already documented other modifications to the van to accommodate His Majesty, and yesterday I mounted a little video screen for his viewing pleasure. Wiggles vids are his favorite, but we also get some mileage out of Blues Clues and the Muppet Show.

Our early aspiration to keep his pure little mind unsullied by TV was ditched in short order when we realized there were greater developmental advantages to be gained by having parents who are not nuts.

Today's other project is to mount personal speakers on his car seat so that he can hear the video soundtrack. I also have high hopes that this might permit me to hear fewer Wiggles tunes myself in the car. For 700 miles there and 700 miles back. That's a lot of Wiggles.

OK, it's almost 7am, better post and get to work. We are also expecting a flying visit from Paula, Dennis, and Simon, driving past on their way to someone else!

self feeding (well, sort of.)

Yesterday was Peter's 9-month birthday. I gave him a bowl of yogurt to celebrate-- then, I stripped him and hosed him down. And the deck. It's lucky that this stage of development happened to coincide with summer.

Now Peter has been on the outside as long as he was on the inside. And he's not the only one who has been growing and changing. I've lost huge parts of what I considered to be me. I thought of myself as a type-A person. Always on time. Always the over-achiever. All of that is gone now. I believe it's part of my journey to have that all taken away from me. The latest thing is that I see the boy has inherited big parts of my personality. Now that I see them on someone else, I can see how these traits are NOT going to make him happy. But, he's mostly happy now. So, maybe he'll be the new-improved version.

For more pics and a little movie click here. I tried to capture him in the act of eating, or even playing with the utensils. However, as soon as Peter sees a camera he has to pose. Candids seem impossible. Every movie that Peter is not strapped down for ends with Peter crawling towards and grabbing for the camera. Already moving away from the tao. Poor guy.

wheels for sale

For some reason I have been hoarding wheels and tires so we will see if craigslist is any use out here in the country. You want Scion, you want BMW, we got 'em.

Will trade for mini tires, the bomb is still running on the ones I fitted back in '00. And at the moment it's got more scoot than grip, which is unusual for a mini I suppose.

I feel a little guilty that I am using my child for commercial purposes, but here's the picture I posted for the BMW wheels:

Big job update

It's morning again, the boy is napping on my back in the ergo sling. Great device. He had some green beans and peaches for breakfast. Chunks, he will basically not accept "baby food" anymore.

Spent yesterday getting some yard supplies from a kind family who are moving to a condo. We got a deck furniture set and a grill that hooks up to the natural gas supply on our deck. So that was nice. Also a pitchfork, adze, maul, and mattock. Just in case we ever need those.

We are also trying to get an 8x10 potting shed from Mendham to here. It was prefabbed in Vermont and is very well built. It comes apart easily into sections but I think we all underestimated the mass of an 8x10 wall made of 2x4's and plywood. It's in great shape, but we discovered an incipient colony of carpenter ants within the structure so much of the day was spent in removing them. Watching them frantically trying to evacuate their egg cases made me wonder what kind of a karma burden I was taking on. Oh well, circle of life and that stuff.


Boy is stirring. Must post n scoot.

Busy lazy summer

Me and the family have been working hard on all kinds of things. Dad and unk helped modify the van to accomodate a family of three. We made space for his car seat and repositioned his mom's chair to keep him company. I replaced the house battery and the linoleum on the floor, and made a new deck that can double as an emergency daddy-bunk.

The boy likes the van a lot. The rear bed section works great as an infant-containment system, although he managed to put his chubby little fist through the screen on the passenger side. Not his fault of course. I think that having the van will be a big help for us on a daily basis, it's great to have a little house to bring on day trips. And if he falls asleep and we need to park somewhere we have a bed and bathroom and pantry. Soon we will have a fridge again as soon as I manage to order a remanufactured cooling unit.

So I have posted some new pictures on Facebook. Anyone can see them. I've been having fun with that service lately, a bunch of friends are using it and it's fun to see what they are doing with it. So, if you're my friend, go ahead and try it out too!

This morning I am watching the baby while G gets a few extra z's, the boy has a cold and he was snotty all night, poor little bug. Poorer mom, who was stuck with primary care duty. Whenever he is really unhappy nothing will do for him but his mom.

Later this morning my ever-useful father and uncle will help me move a ton of garden supplies, including an 8x10ft shed, to our house. It will be a lot of fun, and I'll try to post some new pics.

OK I better post'n'scoot. Seeya.