Part 1: Vacation (Indiana then England)

Fist off I want to give a atta Boy to google for making blogger so much easier to upload pictures.  That has been an issue for some time and they now have a easy way to upload the picture I find are vital to keeping up with posting.

When we left you last Brenda and I just had the young James dedicated.  That next Friday we left on a  2 week vacation stopping in Indiana and then continuing on to London to visit my cousin and his family for a week and a half.  The fist stop was at Brenda's sisters in Lafayette.

Here is James with his two cousins at the park.

He loved that swing and figured out over this vacation how to really mug it up for the camera

We really had a great time hanging out in the house and bummin around town.

We visited a local farm and historical area where they had a Sear and Roebuck house and the nicest lady inside that was very informative.  She ran a dishwasher that was so loud we could hardly hear each other think

Then we were off to the anniversary celebration of the battle of Tippecanoe.  Most of us really have no idea that this battle was so important to the Indian wars, but the people in this area certainly know and now I do as well.

The places for family pictures were everywhere.

I wore that baby carrier a lot during this vacation.  I insisted that we travel with minimum luggage so there was certainly no room for a stroller.

I thought James fit nicely into this doll high chair....that in until I tried to get him out.  The tray was not a removable kind and James tensed his legs up making freeing him form this contraption nearly impossible.  After a lot of pushing and screams of pain form him he was free.  I think we both leaned something that day.  Me: he is to big for any doll stuff,  Him: never trust dad.

Then we were off to London.  James did great on the plane and all the trains we took as well.  People in London mostly keep to themselves and never look at you on the train.  I had the cutest kid in the entire nation and no one even cracked a smile at him. 

Then we were off from London to Cambridge.  My cousin in a professor at St. Catherine's at Cambridge University and we were going to stay at their place for the next 7 days.

Day 1 had us visiting the university botanical gardens right down the street and Brenda acting like a crazy woman

Then a family photo with only James's forehead.  Matt and Cara had a couple of stroller so we could use them when we were in Cambridge.

I found out the soda in England is actually good for you, it has vegetable extracts.  Wait a minute....I think the soda in the U.S. has that to.

The colors and weather were awesome.  It did not rain once during our 10 days in England.  The weather was better than we could have imagined and are very thankful for that.

The first of many phone booths.  Everyone has cell phones, but the phone booth is kind of iconic so they keep them all over the place.  We only saw 2 people using them for making calls the entire vacation...and about 200 people using them for the above purpose.

Here is Kings College and the cute kid as well

We would be given a tour of the cathedral another day by my cousin, but this day we walked all over the town getting our bearings and checking out all the architecture they have over there.

Here is the family and Kayli.  She had a 2 yr birthday party while we were there and there will be more to come about that.

Next post will finish the trip to England.   I have way to many pics to fit it in just one post.

Quick last two weeks

Here is the last two weeks in a whirlwind.

James got cuter.  He sits up great and is starting to try and talk.

Brenda got hotter

The in laws and parents were out this past weekend and the men had a chance to go out into the garage and take the motor of the bike apart.  We had to find the source of the seized motor.   When we saw this i said..."well there's your problem".  Piston is rusted in.

We could not get it unsiezed and currently are trying one of many different things to try and get the piston unstuck.

James was dedicated this past Sunday at church and that was the main reason the parents came out.  We also had a chance to take a quality family picture.

I also got a chance to weigh Jabba and he topped out at about 280lbs.  The giant pumpkin did not weigh as much as I thought it would, but it did take 4 of us to load it in the car, so I have had some questions as to the accuracy of the dump scales.  Jim and Sandra got a picture on the giant.

Then it was my parents turn.  James, or course, laughed and smiled awesome.

Then it was our turn

Brenda took James for a bike ride before the snow hits.  It has gotten bitterly cold out here and we are not looking forward to the winter.

I was out of town Monday, but Brenda thought she would dress James up in a costume a neighbor gave us and take his picture.  The monkey costume was ridiculous, but you just cant help but smile when seeing him in it.

And finally, a common sight when waking James up from a nap.  All smiles and laughs.

Wow...see got hotter in just the time I was writing this blog.  She just got home from the beauty school and looks great.

Fall is here...time for a new project.

Brenda and I have been up to not much lately.  No matter the week, the work continues and the seasons are changing.  The weather has seemed to turn cold overnight and with a couple of frosts already, or garden is done and the summer is over.  Still time for a few rides though.

 Common sight...that kid can fall asleep in about any position

 A couple weeks ago we had a chance to be part of the amazing home race.  It was put on by our real estate agents company and there were about 400 teams with the grand prize being $10,000 cash.  If we would have won the rest of this post would be about Cancun, but we did have fun.

 Again, about any position.

 He loves this seat.  It is normally called a Bumbo, but we like to call it a dumpo...because that is what he does every time he sits in it.  The position it puts him in also was not designed by diaper manufactures to contain anything...but boy does he look happy.

 This is also the season for apple pies.  We have a apple tree and a couple of pear trees and believe it or not pears make awesome pies as well.

Last weekend we went down to the in-laws.  James got a quick ride in a T and smiled the whole way.

 Then he likes sitting with all of their weird gourds. 

 We had a chance to go on a hike as well up Cowitchie Canyon.

 Jim about stepped right on this rattlesnake and we saw two other on the trail during the hike.  Not the greatest place to take kids or animals, but we had a good time.  We were very conscious of where we stepped after seeing this guy.  We survived the encounter, but the same cannot be said for him.

 Very interesting geological formations in this area and the weather was beautiful.

 Here is my boy sporting the company colors.

 What is missing from this picture....

 You guessed it, another bike.   I told Brenda if I did not ride the BMW and give it the love it deserves it would asexually reproduce.  Now that there are two in the garage they might produce bikes faster.

 I got it tore down to this now and trying to get the engine to turn over.  The bikes does not run and I cannot verify if it has in the past 25 years or so...good winter project I guess.

Maybe someday it will look like this.  I obviously will not get it as nice, but you can kind of see what I am going to shoot for.

 Here is James and the giant pumpkin.  No, that is not a fairy tale, it is a real thing.

 I also had to get a picture with him.  I have yet to weigh Jabba, but hope to sometime this week.

When the wife is away...

The wife was gone a few weekends ago so I thought it appropriate that I take off as well and go a short cycle trip.  I headed out up the St. Joe river over to MT and then down Hwy 12 dumping on and off of pavement for some fun riding.

This place was pretty impressive

Look at how many logs they had to use for walls in this log house....if you cant tell there is 4.  Now those are some big logs and makes me wonder how they could even move them into place.

Thick walls which makes me think it is very well insulated.

This county road was awesome and about 2 miles into it I saw a herd of bighorn sheep crossing the road.  By herd I am talking about 15 or so.

Brenda was out in CA visiting friends and family so she took the good one so I used a work camera that has been through the ringer.  The lens on my camera is pretty bad...evidenced by this picture.

I talked to the Forest Service before I took off on the Lolo motorway, a dirt road  of 110 miles that follows Lewis and Clark's return east.  The indicated that it was open and I thought I would try a bit of it.  About 15 miles into the road there was a road closed for fire sign.  The road is narrow, rocky, and slow going so there was little to no chance of me following the rules and turning back

Sure enough, there was a fire and man it can sure make a sound when a tree goes up.  Lucky for me the wind was nonexistent so I felt relatively safe.

More fire.

The road at certain times had so much smoke blowing so fast and thick over it, it was all I could do to keep the throttle on, hold my breath, and hope for a break in the smoke so I could breathe.

Pretty awesome ride through the fire, but I was a little nervous not knowing what I was going to come across next.  I was just glad there was not a downed tree blocking my progress.

Then I saw some ruffed grouse

And a fire that had been there long ago.  There were so many views along the ride, but alas my camera battery was dying.

Rock cairn that was reported to have been put there by L&C

35 miles down and I set up camp.  The exposure is bad in this pic, but the view was awesome from this site.  I ended up taking a left and getting back on the paved road next morning because I had to be home that day and did not have time for 80 miles of dirt at 10MPH.

There is a great rock to sit at sunset and also a great spot to watch the sun rise.

Formentioned sunrise

I figure I should put some pics of Brenda trip here lest you think I forgot about her and James.

 James found a girl...he looks like he wants to kiss her already...standard De Jong.

 Brenda had a chance to participate in 2 legs of a sprint triathlon when she was there.

 There is Mindy and Lucy.  Lucy was born one day after James.

 Amy and Brenden hanging out with the wife. 

 Then we got these characters...Michelle, Makenna, Bria, and someone I cant forget....believe me I have tried...Brett

 Jackie was also there

 Then Brenda went to see Andrea and Jake.

 Beverly (from SJCS) and James.  He looks like he is having a great time.

 He also got to see his great grandparents while he was there.

 He has got a belly just like me now, but unlike me, he has an excuse

 Great to see Kevin and Lyndsay and their brood of kiddos.

 That kid is getting huge and now I think I am getting old.  I got multiple pics of us on vacation with Kevin and Lyndsay in Hawaii where he is yet to be born.

She also got a chance to see our old neighbors.

She had a good time, but I sure was glad to have her at home this week. 

James seemed happy to see me to.