IronDad en IronKids Uitstekende Avonturen...... IronDad and IronKids Excellent Adventures

Cross Country Awards

2009-12-14T21:47:00.000-06:00

Put up your dukes!

2009-12-01T10:47:00.001-06:00

Crème brûlée!

2009-11-26T22:43:00.000-06:00

Birthday Boy

2009-11-24T22:29:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to me!

Amsterdam

2009-11-17T15:42:00.001-06:00

You really have to click on the first picture to see the five-levels with THOUSANDS of bikes parked at Amsterdam's Centraal Station.

Amsterdam is one of the most bicycle-friendly large cities in the world and is a centre of bicycle culture with good facilities for cyclists such as bike paths and bike racks, which pervade the city. In 2006, there were about 465,000 bicycles in Amsterdam. Theft is widespread - in 2005, about 54,000 bicycles were stolen in Amsterdam. Bicycles are used by all socio-economic groups because of their convenience, Amsterdam's small size, the large number of bike paths, the flat terrain, and the arguable inconvenience of driving an automobile. A wide variety of bicycles are used, such as road bicycles, mountain bikes, racing bikes and even recumbent bikes, but the vast majority of bicycles are second-hand, older-model, heavy bikes with one gear and back-pedal coaster brakes. Bicycle traffic, and traffic in general, is relatively safe - in 2007, Amsterdam had a total of 18 traffic deaths, compared with 26 people murdered.

The last three pictures are inside and outside the Rijksmuseum (no pictures allowed I found out after I took that one) where Rembrandt's famous painting the Nachtwacht (Nightwatch) is housed.

Canals

2009-11-17T15:40:00.001-06:00

Amsterdam has been called the "Venice of the North" for its more than one hundred kilometres of canals, about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges.The three main canals, Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht, dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the grachtengordel. Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings.

Much of the Amsterdam canal system is the successful outcome of city planning. In the early part of the 17th century, with immigration at a height, a comprehensive plan was put together, calling for four main, concentric half-circles of canals with their ends resting on the IJ bay. Known as the "grachtengordel",three of the canals are mostly for residential development (Herengracht or ‘’Patricians' Canal’’; Keizersgracht or ‘’Emperor's Canal’’; and Prinsengracht or ‘’Prince's Canal’’), and a fourth, outer canal, the present Nassau/Stadhouderskade, for purposes of defense and water management. The plan also envisaged interconnecting canals along radii; a set of parallel canals in the Jordaan quarter (primarily for the transportation of goods, for example, beer); the conversion of an existing, inner perimeter canal (Singel) from a defensive purpose to residential and commercial development; and more than one hundred bridges. The defensive purpose of the Nassau/Stadhouderskade was served by moat and earthen dikes, with gates at transit points but otherwise no masonry superstructures.

Construction proceeded from west to east, across the breadth of the layout, like a gigantic windshield wiper as the historian Geert Mak calls it – not from the center outwards as a popular myth has it. Construction of the north-western sector was started in 1613 and was finished around 1625. After 1664, building in the southern sector was started, although slowly because of an economic depression. The eastern part of the concentric canal plan, covering the area between the Amstel river and the IJ bay, was not implemented for a long time. In the following centuries, the land went mostly for park, the Botanical garden, old age homes, theaters and other public facilities – and for waterways without much plan.Several parts of the city and of the urban area are polders, recognisable by their postfix -meer meaning 'lake', such as Aalsmeer, Bijlmermeer, Haarlemmermeer, and Watergraafsmeer.

Singel

Singel with the flower market in Amsterdam

The Singel encircled the city in the Middle Ages. It served as a moat around the city from 1480 until 1585, when Amsterdam expanded beyond the Singel. The canal runs from the IJ bay, near Central Station, to the Muntplein square, where it meets the Amstel river. It is now the inner-most canal in Amsterdam's semicircular ring of canals. The canal should not be confused with the Singelgracht canal, which became the outer limit of the city during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th Century.

Herengracht

The Herengracht (Patricians' Canal or Lord's Canal) is the first of the three major canals in the city centre of Amsterdam. The canal is named after the heren regeerders who governed the city in the 16th and 17th century. The most fashionable part is called the Golden Bend, with many double wide mansions, inner gardens and coach houses on the Keizersgracht.

Keizersgracht

Keizersgracht in Amsterdam

The Keizersgracht (literal English translation: Emperor's Canal) is the second and the widest of the three major canals in the city centre of Amsterdam, in between the Herengracht and the Prinsengracht. It is named after Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Prinsengracht

The Prinsengracht (Prince's Canal) is the fourth and the longest of the main canals in Amsterdam. It is named after the Prince of Orange. Most of the canal houses along it were built during the Dutch Golden Age of the United Provinces. The bridges over this canal don't connect with the streets in the Jordaan.

Interesting sights along the Prinsengracht include the Noorderkerk (Northern Church), the Noordermarkt (Northern Market), the Anne Frank House, the Westerkerk (Western Church, Amsterdam's tallest church).

2009-11-17T15:32:00.000-06:00

Double-decker train!

2009-11-17T15:25:00.000-06:00

The hiding place...

2009-11-16T06:02:00.000-06:00

During 1944-1945, when their supplies were dwindling, the Nazis would go door to door taking blankets, bikes and anything else they needed from the Dutch citizens for the German soldiers. My opa (grandfather) hid the blankets in the piano and this is a hidden opening in the floor, under a rug and a table, where he hid their bikes.

Sinterklaas in Schiedam

2009-11-16T05:47:00.002-06:00

2009-11-16T05:44:00.000-06:00

2009-11-16T05:35:00.000-06:00

2009-11-16T05:33:00.000-06:00

2009-11-02T21:10:00.000-06:00

Wurstfest in New Braunfels

2009-11-02T21:07:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T22:34:00.000-05:00

Morning clouds

2009-10-18T14:37:00.000-05:00

Anatomy of a perfectly-executed pulling guard play

2009-10-08T10:23:00.002-05:00

Kees played guard in this series and perfectly executed the play... pulling and running left... marking his man...and taking him out... making a hole for the running back to gain 15 yards, setting up a touchdown on the next play.

Bob Lilly would be proud!

2009-10-08T10:22:00.000-05:00

Flashmob... BEP and Oprah!

2009-10-05T20:33:00.002-05:00

The Black Eyed Peas kicked off the new season of Oprah Winfrey's daytime talk show in stunning fashion on Tuesday by staging the largest single city 'flashmob' dance event ever.

Without the show host's knowledge, Peas star will.i.am teamed up with choreographers to create a dance routine for the band's "I Gotta Feeling" hit and then called on 800 fans to help him carry out the spectacle on TV.

The 800 were taught the moves and then they passed them on to another 20,000 Oprah fans, who showed up for the taping of the TV titan's free block party show in Chicago, Illinois.

The amazing finished product aired on TV in America on Thursday - when more than 20,000 people took over Chicago's Michigan Avenue and wowed Winfrey and will.i.am with a colourful synchronized dance routine.

After the performance, the singer/rapper told Oprah, "I didn't think it was going to be this spectacular... You talk about crowd participation, this is beyond... This is incredible."

And the host screamed, "That is so cool. That is the coolest thing ever... Chicago, I love you."

I'm coming back as a Kingbird!!

2009-10-05T20:08:00.000-05:00

Pat Gaines actually felt sorry for the red-tailed hawks at Bonny Lake State Park this summer.

Despite their aggressive reputation, loud screams and fierce, piercing looks, the red-tailed hawks at the park north of Burlington, just west of the Colorado-Kansas border, were being bullied when Gaines saw them.

"I've never seen red-tails harassed so much. They all seemed hoarse. I felt kind of sorry for them," said Gaines of the sight of dozens of little birds dive-bombing the hawks.

The hawks were minding their own business, Gaines recalled.

But the western kingbirds at the park were upset.

Highly territorial, the kingbirds felt the hawks were intruding on their space, said Gaines, a Westminster scientist who helps develop vaccines and tests used in veterinary medicine.

Gaines had focused his camera on one red-tailed hawk because the bird had been screaming. As he followed the hawk across the sky, a kingbird dive-bombed the hawk.

The hawk, which is not a predator of the kingbird, flew as fast as it could from the kingbird. For a moment it appeared the kingbird had stopped attacking. But then it began the pursuit again and — to Gaines amazement — landed on the hapless red-tail's back.

"He rode the hawk for 25 yards. The hawk was not trying to fight back — it was just trying to get out of there," said Gaines.

As the kingbird rode bareback on the hawk, it pecked away at the hawk's head.

"They (the kingbirds) are not afraid of anything," said Gaines. "Until this happened, I had never seen one perch on a hawk's back."

Gaines posted his photo at the Colorado Birder website last month, where he is a frequent contributor.

Other sites, including some in the United Kingdom, have picked up the photo.

The comment posted by Colorado Birder Sarah E sums up the reaction to the image: "Awesome photo!"

Teeing Off

2009-10-05T08:50:00.000-05:00

Kees teeing off on the hole he drove almost to the green...the kid's good at the ball and stick sports for sure.

The Terminator!

2009-10-05T05:49:00.000-05:00

Notice something missing on Kiersten's club?? Yes... the Terminator lost the club face on her Big Bertha!!! Seriously... something must have cracked it because when she swung the club head kept on flying!

2009-10-05T05:46:00.001-05:00

A coaching lesson from little bro...

2009-10-05T05:45:00.001-05:00

Beautiful day!

Kees stylin' on the links!

2009-10-05T05:44:00.000-05:00

High School Band

2009-10-04T23:31:00.002-05:00

Since Kees is in the symphonic band, he got to play at the high school game with the high school band. No marching, of course, but they played the entire game in the stands with them... and they sounded good!

Moving Windmills

2009-09-29T22:04:00.002-05:00

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence, and William Kamkwamba has it in spades. At age fourteen, while many children are sneaking out of classrooms, William was struggling to sneak into them—his family was unable to afford the $80 annual tuition. As is bound to happen to most students, he was caught. But instead of being sent to detention, he was barred from the school. In a show of the driven man he would become, he didn't allow that to hinder him and instead started spending his days in the local library. While there, he encountered a book called Using Energy:

Using Energy described how windmills could be used to generate electricity. Only two percent of Malawians have electricity, and the service is notoriously unreliable. William decided an electric windmill was something he wanted to make. Illuminating his house and the other houses in his village would mean that people could read at night after work. A windmill to pump water would mean that they could grow two crops a year rather than one, grow vegetable gardens, and not have to spend two hours a day hauling water. "A windmill meant more than just power," he wrote, "it was freedom."

This book is what changed his life. And I don't mean that as an exaggeration. It was truly what made a difference in his life. Because of that book, and the potential he saw in its ideas, William began to build:

William scoured trash bins and junkyards for materials he could use to build his windmill. With only a couple of wrenches at his disposal, and unable to afford even nuts and bolts, he collected things that most people would consider garbage-slime-clogged plastic pipes, a broken bicycle, a discarded tractor fan-and assembled them into a wind-powered dynamo. For a soldering iron, he used a stiff piece of wire heated in a fire. A bent bicycle spoke served as a size adapter for his wrenches.

Imagine that. A young boy being so motivated by ideas and the sheer need to build something life-changing that he discovered materials and uses for them which most of us wouldn't even dream of. As Mark Frauenfelder put it:

For an educated adult living in a developed nation, designing and building a wind turbine that generates electricity is something to be proud of. For a half-starved, uneducated boy living in a country plagued with drought, famine, poverty, disease, a cruelly corrupt government, crippling superstitions, and low expectations, it's another thing altogether. It's nothing short of monumental.

After completing his first windmill, William "went on to wire his house with four light bulbs and two radios, installing switches made from rubber sandals, and scratch-building a circuit breaker to keep the thatch roof of his house from catching fire." His project had the attention of village locals early on, but at this point he gained the attention of TED, Technology Entertainment Design, through whom he was introduced to individuals willing to contribute to his plans to "electrify, irrigate, and educate his village, as well as pay his tuition at the prestigious African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg."

In short: A young man struggled to educate himself, to build something his village needed, and in the end made a difference to the entire locale and gained the education he'd always wanted. Yes, it's a fluffy, feel-good story with a happy ending. What should you take from the it? Maybe that there's hope in the bleakest of situations, maybe that your teachers and parents were right about the power of education, maybe just that I'm a sappy bookworm with a soft spot for happy endings. No matter, if you wish to learn more, you can read the recently released The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, check out William's blog, or peek at this video from before he ever wrote his autobiography.

Game 2

2009-09-29T22:00:00.001-05:00

Kees' second game and he had to play two positions he wasn't that familiar with...and he did a stand-out job.

That's football on the "A" team... you have to play both offense and defense and sometimes even fill in the weak spots.

Kees running out of his shoes!

2009-09-26T10:22:00.000-05:00

Getting faster!

2009-09-25T12:58:00.000-05:00

7th in the silver flight and now fastest on her team!

Kees' first football game!

2009-09-22T22:11:00.002-05:00

Kees played his first football game today and did an awesome job!

He played the entire game... playing guard, linebacker and special teams... and at one point he said he was a little dizzy and couldn't walk straight!

He can now add football to his repertoire of soccer, tennis, golf, mountain biking, swimming, triathlon, discus, baseball and cross country... dude can do it all.

On a cool note... he's friends with Dallas Cowboy Hall of Famer Bob Lilly, and at Mr. Lilly's request Kees got number 74!

2009-09-22T22:10:00.000-05:00

Sushi cruise on the boat

2009-09-13T14:16:00.000-05:00

Blogging continues!

2009-09-12T10:57:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the delay... but we're baaaack!!

You'll have to scroll down to June to catch up!

More la playa

2009-09-06T13:11:00.000-05:00

La Playa

2009-09-05T12:38:00.000-05:00

The kids chillin' at the condo...

Fast girls

2009-09-05T12:30:00.000-05:00

Kiersten and her varsity cross country teammates getting in a little stretch. It's pretty cool that she's the only freshman on varsity, and right now the third-fastest runner on the team!

First place girls!

2009-08-29T10:41:00.000-05:00

Our triplet

2009-07-07T12:19:00.000-05:00

Looking very bored and unridden...

Fourth of July!

2009-07-04T12:15:00.000-05:00

Regional Championships

2009-06-27T12:05:00.000-05:00

Kiersten 3rd in the 3,000, Kees fifth in the discus and first in the javelin... pretty good!

Down on the farm...

2009-06-23T11:46:00.000-05:00

Tony Parker

2009-06-23T11:43:00.000-05:00

A little workout with Tony Parker, his brother (right) and his French national team teammate (left)...

More track!

2009-06-20T11:37:00.000-05:00

3000m

2009-06-13T16:32:00.001-05:00

Kiersten likes the looooong races... so until she is old enough to race the 5,000 meter it's the 3,000 meter for her.

Now in the intermediate age group she competes against high school sophomores so the competition is tough, but she did well. She started out too fast, which is one of her weaknesses, but that's a lesson learned for the next meet.

Discus

2009-06-13T16:10:00.001-05:00

Kees got to the throwing ring just as competition began so he didn't get in any practice throws. He normally needs about five or six practice throws to get into his rhythm and get his distance, so without that he threw about ten feet short of his potential.

It was amazing how tall some of these kids were... Kees is 12 and about 5'3"and tall in his class... there were 12-year olds throwing who were easily 5'10"!

Getting in the miles...

2009-06-11T16:43:00.001-05:00

The kids getting in some training along the golf course... they both have cross country and soccer (Kiersten high school and select, and Kees select) in the fall, and Kees is also playing football, so they've got to run all summer to get into and stay in shape.

Dead cat?!

2009-06-07T18:04:00.001-05:00

Just kidding... Sampson napping and no matter what we did he was dead to the world... no cats were harmed during the taking of these photographs!

First meet

2009-06-05T21:51:00.002-05:00

Kees' first meet and the first time in a year that he's thrown competitively. It went well...he won... but he was way short of his PR so he has his work cut out for him.

His coach, Hickel Woolery, from Jamaica, placed 7th at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Outdoor Championships this weekend and earned All-American honors as well.

Kees has now been coached by two All-American's: University of Texas' Derek Randall and A&M CC's Hickel Woolery.

Chores

2009-06-04T17:00:00.001-05:00

Yes, Kiersten and Kees do chores...they have since elementary school... and pretty well, I might add.

Here, Kees is mowing the lawn in the 90-degree heat and fighting off the Texas-sized mosquitoes!

Track Camp

2009-06-04T13:01:00.000-05:00

Kiersten training for the 3,000 meters and Kees for the discus... both events they've qualified for and competed in the Junior Olympics...but this year will be just for fun because they have too many other activities in addition to track.

Weather

2009-06-04T10:43:00.000-05:00

A late-season cold front brought in some stormy weather last night and I tried to snap a few lightning shots... got one keeper...

Fun time!

2009-06-04T10:40:00.000-05:00

National Honor Society

2009-06-04T10:37:00.000-05:00

Kiersten getting her National Honor Society pin... way to go kiddo, I'm proud of you! Keep it up Kees, because you're next.

8th Grade "Prom"

2009-05-29T17:14:00.001-05:00

2009-05-29T16:19:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T19:43:00.004-05:00

In honor of the brave U.S. men and women who died while in the military service.

The kids looking at the memorial in the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial in honor of the Army and Army Air Forces soldiers who died during WWII.

My father served in the Army Air Force during WWII so my kids developed an interest in the war. We toured several battlefields of the Battle of the Bulge during this trip to Europe.

My mother and her family lived in Rotterdam during the war and suffered tremendously (as did all the Dutch) at the hands of the Nazi's. After years of hardship and torment, Holland was finally liberated by the Canadian and U.S. troops in 1945.

Although having never served in the military I have a strong personal connection to the armed forces of the United States of America and much thanks to give.

2009-05-25T19:42:00.001-05:00

The kids at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial, located in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.

Post Playa!

2009-05-24T09:23:00.001-05:00

La Playa!

2009-05-24T09:23:00.000-05:00

1st and 2nd!

2009-05-22T07:29:00.001-05:00

Kees with his first place regular season and second place tournament trophies. Every year he has played baseball, except one, his team has gotten first or second place in the regular season and tournament!

Kees and his team had a good year and played very well.

Way to go Kees, way to go Rangers!

2009-05-20T14:11:00.000-05:00

Winners never quit, quitters never win.

2009-05-19T07:45:00.000-05:00

Blast from the past

2009-05-17T11:31:00.000-05:00

Waiting for the train to the top of the Jungfrau Joch mountain near Interlaken, Switzerland.

Hapy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T19:24:00.000-05:00

Coronation

2009-05-02T23:28:00.000-05:00

Blogging to resume shortly!

2009-05-02T12:12:00.000-05:00

I got word my camera will be back from Canon shortly, so as soon as it's back I'm back to blogging!

Until then follow our adventures on Twitter: https://twitter.com/IronDad

Easter

2009-04-12T21:05:00.001-05:00

All the great Easter pictures were written over, so here's the only surviving picture showing how handsome Kees looked (in the car after church).

Special Delivery!

2009-04-12T21:02:00.002-05:00

The kids (loosely) tied a card to Nijntje (OUR Easter bunny) who hopped to me to deliver it and then, as if on command, proceeded to chew one end open (just like the YouTube video)!

Props to the kids!

Double cute!

Baseball

2009-04-12T20:59:00.001-05:00

Front rooooooooooooow! Right by home base and a visit to the Cotton Club... thanks Blake for the great tickets!

Invention Convention

2009-04-06T14:54:00.000-05:00

Track City Champs

2009-04-06T11:45:00.000-05:00

Fiesta Texas

2009-03-22T11:22:00.002-05:00

Armed with our first-ever season passes, the kids, their cousin and I hit Fiesta Texas for some rides and rollercoasters. The day started out cloudy and overcast but it turned out to be a beautiful day at the park.

While Kiersten and I sat out the Goliath and Superman, the boys rode virtually every rollercoaster in the park!

The last picture below was taken just before my beloved Blackberry died from being soaked in water. I disassembled it, used alcohol to displace whatever water I couldn't get out, then "baked" it in the convection oven at 200 degrees for about thirty minutes. I reassembled it and, voila, it worked!

Blast from the past!

2009-03-14T11:46:00.001-05:00

From our trip to Holland in 2000 for my Oma's 100th birthday.

Morning workouts begin!

2009-02-24T07:28:00.001-06:00

Early-morning swim workouts begin...so that means 12-hour days for Kiersten from 6am to 6pm (swimming, school, track)!

I try to squeeze in a workout before getting Kees ready for school.

First baseball practice

2009-02-22T20:10:00.001-06:00

The team looks pretty good...Kees played first and pitcher this practice...he looked pretty consistent and strong.

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2009-02-21T23:37:00.000-06:00

Kitten races!

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2009-02-21T23:31:00.002-06:00

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Lance's bike

2009-02-18T15:52:00.004-06:00

Lance Armstrong's one-of-a-kind time-trial race bike was stolen... and found... by the good cops of the Sacramento Police Department within three days.

I imagine it would have been sort of hard to sell or let alone ride that thing so I wonder if they just abandoned it somewhere.

Story to follow, I'm sure.

Jonathan and Lars

2009-02-10T21:36:00.001-06:00

We met Jonathan and Lars outside Barnes and Noble where Jonathan was attempting to repair his bike. We learned that they were on a pilgrimage, on their bikes, from Virgiania to Paraguay for the Mennonite World Conference in July 2009. I offered to help them out and after realizing that I didn't have the tools to help them, loaded up their bikes and trailer and took them to our local bike shop.

We ended up being late for Kees' baseball try-outs but we were glad that we had stopped and helped them... they were good kids and were far, far from home (and their destination, for that matter)!

You can visit their website here: www.americas.bikemovement.org and follow their journey "down south".

Multitasking

2009-02-10T21:19:00.000-06:00

Kiersten, who is my efficient multitasker, figured out a way to rig Kees' music stand to her bike so that she can read her teen magazines while on the trainer!

Foggy Mornings

2009-02-10T21:16:00.000-06:00

We've had crazy weather this winter... not a day under 32 degrees... mostly in the 70's... and either foggy or 30-40 mile per hour winds...it's been spring-like since the fall!

Oma's 100th

2009-02-03T21:36:00.000-06:00

Found a cute picture of the kiddos taken in Holland when my Oma (grandmother) turned 100... this was a castle near Amsterdam called Muidenslot.

The Hatfields!

2009-01-30T15:11:00.004-06:00

Funny blast from the past...

The photographer really got into this, brushing a goatee on me and telling me and Kees to "look mean" and Kiersten to "look ladylike".

Kees definitely looks mean and Kiersten has the ladylike look going...I'm not sure what kind of look I'm workin' there, though... I think I was mad because my gun was so small ;-)

OFF Road fun on ROAD bikes!

2009-01-25T21:21:00.000-06:00

We left the house woefully underdressed, understimating the effect of the humidity on the wind-chill. We circled back, put on some extra layers and were then cozy as clams.

It was a blustery day and we were a little bored with our usual route so we got adventurous and took our road bikes on a trail for jeeps and mountain bikes! I figured we might get a flat or two, but what the heck!!

Kiersten quickly realized that unlike her mountain and cross bikes, her road bike with 23mm tires does not go well through 4" of sand and promptly crashed. She and Kees were laughing so hard after that that it tooks us five minutes to negotiate that section because they were being so silly and kept crashing, LOL!

Other than the sand, and having to dig twigs out of our spokes periodically, it was actually pretty managable on the road bikes. They need a good cleaning though!

All in all we had a fun ride which is what it needs to be every once in a while.

2009-01-25T21:13:00.000-06:00

Buddha Button

2009-01-24T19:52:00.000-06:00

Our little dwarf hamster Button...sometimes she sleeps like this in her little condo... Buddha style...very Zen hamster ;-)

Samson has lost his powers!

2009-01-23T21:05:00.000-06:00

Sorry... crappy pics... camera is no mas!

Kees had his lovely locks shorn today and fears that he might have lost his superpowers!! Girls (and women) always compliment him on his long hair and natural blonde highlights... now the poor guy is going to have to rely on his personality to get the chicks... or get back to the beach, quick ;-)

I think it looks good...like he always had it before I suggested he try it longer. We'll see what the girls at school say on Monday!

Cruisin!

2009-01-22T12:06:00.000-06:00

111 RPM... dang...small chainring will do that!

44th President

2009-01-20T14:19:00.001-06:00

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts got the oath wrong and Obama caught it and paused so Roberts could correct it...gotta love that!

Full text of the Inaugural Address.

Thumbs up from Sasha... cute!

Invitational Dance

2009-01-13T22:18:00.000-06:00

We called it "Ballroom Dance" when we were kids... I hated it... Kees loves it. I think Kees is much more popular with the ladies than I was in 6th grade ;-)

Trainer time!

2009-01-07T23:23:00.001-06:00

Kiersten in the "kids' lounge" doing some serious cruise intervals!

What does a 14 year-old watch while on the trainer? Why, Hannah Montana, of course!

Last day

2009-01-03T21:09:00.000-06:00

The last day at the ranch we just sort of hung out, and enjoyed the weather...and the amazing South Texas sunsets we get down there!

Hunting

2009-01-02T20:56:00.000-06:00

This was Kiersten's first time to hunt herself, and she was chomping at the bit! She passed on several opportunities and settled on a large doe, since the ranch still needed to shoot almost 80 does according to Texas Parks and Wildlife rangers. She was shooting a 25-06 and afterwards said "it didn't even kick!" LOL... it does... she was just so focused on the shot she didn't feel it!

Eatin' and shootin'

2009-01-02T11:03:00.000-06:00

After a hearty breakfast (as Kees said: "I think every meal we ate something shot by someone!") it was out to the shooting range...the guys AND the girls...and we had some pretty good shooters out there!

New Year's Run

2009-01-01T08:20:00.000-06:00

Kiersten and Dominic get in a ceremonial New Year's run. From the house to the gate is about a mile (x2), and then they ran to the hanger and cleaning shed so they probably got in about three miles. Easy pace but starting the year off on a good foot. Had the pool been filled they probably could have gotten in a swim as well, the weather was so nice!

The NEW YEAR!!!

2009-01-01T00:12:00.000-06:00

With special friends and family, we rang in the new year with fireworks. With Charlie gone, however, the responsibility fell on Danny to keep up the tradition and he came through with flying colors with a 30-minute fireworks display that would put many cities to shame!

Mariachi time!

2008-12-31T20:01:00.000-06:00

Kiersten (in the pink) and Kees (in the plaid) doing the Cupid Shuffle...and then the mariachis came from playing for President George Herbert Walker Bush at the ranch next door and mariachi'd the night away!

Loading up

2008-12-30T19:50:00.000-06:00

Loading up the horses to take to the ranch.