congratulations to tom and tracie

Congratulations to Tom and Tracie on their recent marriage. Just as their T-n-T abbreviation suggests, their wedding reception was a dangerously good time. For more photos from their wedding click here.

pony express

Gothenburg, Nebraska has one of the original Pony Express stations that was built along the Oregon Trail. Back in the day, the Pony Express was considered the overpriced cafe latte of express mail. They boasted a speedy delivery from California to Missouri in a blazing 10 days. Their hoof beaten trail easily out ran the wagon-wheeled competition by 20 days.

Unfortunately, the demand for mail delivery speed did not last and the Pony Express only ran for 18 months. Fortunate for us, the US mail started up and we only pay 44 cents for a 1 oz letter, versus the pony express $5 for half oz. Thank goodness for the Post Office.

bbq skilz

Do not try this at home. Well, if you had to try it, I would suggest that you try this at someone else's home.

rachelle b's big surprise party

meet colin the daredevil

congratulations to matt & jenny

Congratulations to Matt & Jenny on their recent marriage in Winter Park, Colorado. For more pictures from the wedding click here. For bonus photos from their rehearsal dinner, click here.

the peppers are coming, the peppers are coming

Earlier in the spring, I decided to pick up a packet of pepper seeds. Since I like a variety and the 5-in-1 pepper packet seemed like a grand idea. That is, until I decided to sow the seeds. When I opened the packet, I noticed that the seeds are suspiciously similar. Since I lack the horticultural knowledge required to differentiate between the lot, I unscientifically planted an obnoxious amount to increase my chances of getting an assortment plants. Fortunately, the seeds are coming up peppers. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait to see what type of peppers are growing.

mosquitoes vs the vitamin

I have been searching for a natural repellent for mosquitoes. Partly because the CDC links the spread of the West Nile virus and other unflattering diseases to mosquito bites. Mainly because I am too lazy to remember to put on bug spray every time I step outdoors.

I heard from a few sources that vitamin B1 may help my cause. After a bit of research on vitamin B1, I was unable to find any proven data to support this claim. Being my own scientist and lab rat, I decided to see for myself what would happen if I took a vitamin. After all, a little trial and error with vitamins couldn't hurt, right?

cash 4 gold

krazy kaplan's

We decided to stop to pick up some fireworks at Krazy Kaplan's. We knew we wanted to pick up fireworks, but didn't know where to stop and the over-abundant number of Kaplan's billboards sold us with their great deals. Now, I love a great bargain, but I also prefer quality over quantity. I should have guess something was a rye when I saw a make-shift dj and porta-potties lined up outside the front door. Their deals were super, but their fireworks were more along the lines of fire-kinda-works. Some firecrackers worked and others just fizzled out. In an odd way, the crap shoot fire crackers were much more exciting when it blew up than those quality ones that would always blow up. It was a modified Russian roulette. Regardless, next time, we're going to by-pass the fire crackers and go straight for the mortars.

justin plays ball

learning to fly

We found a sparrow fledgling lounging in the lawn. Zoe thought it was great to have found a lounging buddy. Seeing a bird in the lawn, my thoughts were a little different. I was concerned that I might have to perform some sort of animal rescue ranger act.

According to the National Audubon Society resources for wildlife rehabilitation and rescue, if the bird does not appear injured or distraught, it is possible that it has finished up its nestling education and moved on to its ground level education. Upon graduation, the fledgling will have an important skill required to make it as an adult bird - flight.

fun in the sun

 

go dog go

bocce ball

We decided to try out a new sport, Bocce Ball. I figured if hearing-impaired, vision-impaired, old men can do it, then so can I. I also figured that if I set my standards low, then I have a better chance of success. Besides, the old men make it look like so much fun.

Since I have never stepped onto a Bocce Ball court, I never understood how fast the court rolled. I always pictured something similar to lawn jarts, except with bocce balls. I was completely wrong.

To start off the game, I threw the pallino, the smaller ball, into the air with a lot of determination and very little technique. It loudly ricocheted off of the side and back walls with a vengeance. Come to think of it, my first throw looked very similar to one of my miniature golf shots, where the pallino could have easily been the golf ball desperately trying to miss the Indian's falling hatchet. That's when I blamed my throw on the poor conditions of the artificial court.

As it turns out, the artificial court was closer to what tournament conditions should be than a lawn jart court. ( Click here to see how to make your own bocce court.)

After tweaking my miniature golf inspired technique, I came to enjoy the game. It was fun and relatively effortless. Bocce definitely brought out the old man in me.