Spooning With Tighe

I know I've posted pictures like this before, but sometimes that aggravating dog can be pretty funny.

E's Art

(Rob often calls Eleanor "E.") We learned this morning that Eleanor was recently honored to have one of her pieces of artwork chosen for display as a part of the Candace Carmichael Elementary Art Exhibit. Display of the chosen pieces occurred at the Seamans Center on the UI campus over the past week, and a special reception for the artists, family members and others was scheduled for today. Kathie and I enjoyed attending the event. Rob helped me out by hoisting Eleanor up so that I could get a photograph of her with her work.

The weather was quite nice today (42º), so being out on the adjacent patio was very comfortable. Penny had grabbed a bag of some of the popcorn on offer to attendees.

Here is a closeup shot of Eleanor's piece. I asked her if there had been a specific assignment, maybe subject matter or media, but she said no, she had just elected to make this pretty aquatic scene.

A Weekend in Minneapolis

We just returned from a delightful weekend in Minneapolis. After arriving, we joined Will, Sandy, and Anders for some great food at Burger Jones, which strives to be one of the best burger places in the Twin Cities. They definitely have some fun and tasty offerings.

On Saturday morning, Anders greeted us in his lively striped pajamas with some of his favorite stuffed critters on hand. Will made breakfast, and then Anders instructed me in the finer points of Lego helicopter construction.

For Christmas, we had gotten him a Lego-compatible set with transparent parts to make the helicopter. It included some special pieces that enclose LEDs, so when assembled and plugged to a battery pack, the copter lights up in an array of colors and with options for blinking and flashing. He was kind enough to work with it for the first time when his old grandpappy could watch.

Kelso was always on guard for the mailman and for food opportunities. I recall that he swiped part of a loaf of bread while we were out one afternoon, and he took a dog cookie off the table when he could no longer resist knowing it was there.

Later in the day, Kathie, Anders and I let Will win a game of Sorry. Then Kathie and I headed to Ron and Paula's home to attend Ron's 70th birthday party. Paula had put on quite a spread of goodies to eat and drink. She had ruled out gifts unless they were something with 70 items. So, Ron got lots of interesting things, including 70 chocolates, 70 kernels of corn, etc. Kathie and I made a DVD for him entitled "70 Photos of Ron." Here are my good brother-in-law and me--two guys who have turned 70 recently. We're still hanging in there!

There was cake and singing.

Sarah might have told a story or two on her father.

Sunday morning, all of us met at Hell's Kitchen in downtown Minneapolis for brunch. Now that's an interesting place! There was live music, and the food options were varied and all good. The decor is something else too.

In the afternoon, Anders had a cross-country skiing lesson. Will and Sandy take turns doing some of the coaching. We went along to watch.

You have to love Minneapolis and Minnesotans in the winter. They really know how to enjoy the fun that snow and ice provide. Some of them were riding big tubes down a hill. This is what things looked like when we arrived. By the time we left, there were four or more times this many people cruising down the snowy slope.

Dozens of young folks were preparing for their skiing classes.

Here is Will working with Anders. The boy is getting better and better. You may recall that he did the Barnebirkie children's event during the American Birkebeiner event in Hayward last year. He's signed up to do it again this year. I understand Maia may do it this year too.

2014 Holidays

Rob's and Betsy's families were able to be here with us between Christmas and New Years Day. Kathie had recently purchased some new playthings for us to have here, and so the kids enjoyed setting up a farm and also playing with Hot Wheels cars.

Betsy and Carrie spent some time working on one of the picture puzzles we had underway.

Franklin likes to cuddle on the couch. Unfortunately, he and Tighe got into a tussle over some food that happened to drop on the kitchen floor, and Franklin came out of that with a bite on his head. So Betsy and I did make one side trip to a local veterinarian for a checkup and some antibiotics. I understand he is doing well now, though.

Currently, when Frederick takes his daytime nap, he wakes up about midway and comes to finish the nap on someone's lap. I was the lucky recipient of this attention (and warmth) this time. Someone told Betsy that this looked like two guys who really need each other.

After opening gifts, Frederick worked out how to drive his new radio-controlled car.

Eleanor and Clara watched a movie together, while Penny preferred her Pop's cozy comfort.

The kids decided that bowling on New Years Eve Day would be fun, so we all went to Colonial Lanes. I had not been there in years and only planned to watch. However, Betsy talked me into giving it a try. My knees still feel it! Here are three of the delivery techniques.

Penny bowled too, with some help from an adult on each turn. Uncle Pete was a good place to wait for the next round.

Then this morning, before Betsy's family headed back home, we all met for breakfast at the new restaurant called Ride. Look for a writeup here. The food was good, and we all enjoyed being together.