Paint your wagon, and come along...

We took a trip to Sutter's Mill today for a history lesson.  The fall colors were nice and the cool, wet weather made the day enjoyable.  We got near nature - close enough it felt like a petting zoo.

Apologies about the quality of the photos.  We forgot the camera at home and had to use the phone.  And yes, that is one of our group capturing video on his iPod - he "chased" them around the field for 10 minutes. We also found the site where gold was originally discovered.

Sorry to report, we didn't find any.  That's the Foresthill Bridge.  You may remember this as the place where Xander Cage entered the Xander zone.

That's it for now - next post should be about Roman Shades.  The last of them are going up and we'll have some before and after shots.  We're happy with the way they're turning out.

Iconoclasm of an Old World Sort

Bow ties - I've never been brave enough to wear one but have always admired those who have.  I found this on Wikipedia -

To its devotees the bow tie suggests iconoclasm of an Old World sort, a fusty adherence to a contrarian point of view. The bow tie hints at intellectualism, real or feigned, and sometimes suggests technical acumen, perhaps because it is so hard to tie. Bow ties are worn by magicians, country doctors, lawyers and professors and by people hoping to look like the above. But perhaps most of all, wearing a bow tie is a way of broadcasting an aggressive lack of concern for what other people think.

- St John, Warren (June 26, 2005). "A Red Flag That Comes in Many Colors". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-22

I love the bit about "an aggressive lack of concern for what other people think."

"I say, beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new wearer of clothes."
- Thoreau

That being said, there was a recent request for a bow tie in our home.  This request was fulfilled.  Below are the results.  He'll be sporting this next Sunday for worship services.

Yes, I must brag...

We have great children - they could be considered the best but then we are biased.  Normally I do not mention their accomplishments but this time, I can't help myself.  This past week they both hit one out the park.

Noah had his first Algebra exam and got the highest score in the class including a challenging extra credit problem.  I enjoy math myself so this is one that makes me extra happy.  Sad isn't it? Instead of accomplishments in sports I revel in math success.  Perhaps he's one of those people that is "good with numbers".  Reminds me of this scene from 21.

As for Heber, he received the results of his reading placement test.  Turns out the 10 year old has a reading level of a student halfway through the 10th grade.  So that makes up for all the times we have to get after him for reading instead of doing chores or homework.  Ironic it may be, but that's life in our house.

So the sweet taste of success was in our house this week - and we savored it while giving thanks to the Lord for looking kindly down upon us here in Roseville.

Sorry it's been so long since the last post - but we'll try to do better.  Coming soon - a bow tie and Roman shades.

Summer Traditions

In Texas there was the snow cone lady.  On a hot and muggy summer evening, a "large lemon medium sour" was the perfect treat.   Here in Roseville there's no snow cone lady (does she franchise?) so we've looked for alternatives.

There was a recent newspaper article about local/boutique root beers in the Sacramento area and where to get those beverages.  At the first opportunity, the Mrs. and I went to the local Nugget and were pleased by the great selection.  We've decided to drink our way through the offerings.  On Friday nights you'll find us on the store patio sampling the latest.  With the cool air of the delta breeze, this experience makes for a great evening and is creating good memories.

Since religion and faith prohibits partaking stronger brews, we seize alternative ways to live on the edge as seen with our latest choice.

What are your summer traditions?

Derby Days

Are children are boys - which brings Cub Scouts into our lives.  My father-in-law was a huge Pinewood Derby tuner(?) - complete with his own track.  That translated into high performance packaged into 5 ounces or less.  Unfortunately we haven't inherited the penchant for high performance, but we do love the design.  This year was our 5th race (some call it a season....hmmm?) and over the years it's become quite an event in our home.  The Scout does all design.  Scout and Dad build.  Mom has decor and paint.  And Scout and Son tune.  This year our son had inspiration from a photo on the 'net and decided to go with the following.

The process involved a scanner, color laser printer and decoupage.  It was a hit at the races and drew lots of attention and won the award for Most Creative.  Everyone had a good time, we won some and lost some and left with smiles and great memories.  Next year is the last year - and dinner conversation is already including some ideas for another great design.  Here's the happy racer.

A good yarn.

The Mrs. is a knitter.  I know way too much about yarn, knitting needles and casting on for a man.  But that's OK because I reap all the benefits.  Hand made wool socks.  Complete luxury.  "You mean to tell me you wear store bought socks?  Hah!"  I believe the count is up to 6 pairs.  My favorites are the red.

Another love of ours is World War 2 posters.  But not Rosie the Riveter.  A favorite of the Mrs. is the Red Cross one below.  It's been the background on her laptop for nearly a year.

We just ordered another poster to hang on our wall.  

Then an idea came from another blog.  But to make it reality it was tricky.  "Back in the day..." these kinds of posters were done by hand.  That means there is no matching font.  Thankfully, with a amateur interest in anagrams it was discovered all the ingredients were present.  So after 10 minutes in Gimp the results were this.

Now to see about getting this in poster format for one of the walls.

Panini

Great paninis last night.  Original recipe found at the Paul Deen site.  No restaurant can do better.

Bread

During a period of unemployment early last year, in an effort to save money we dipped into our food storage and home-made bread became common in our house.  Coming home to a house which smells of newly baked bread is a fantastic luxury. A favorite of mine is to have warm bread, butter and local honey with a glass of cold milk.  Mmmm.

One of the Saturday chores is to grind wheat into flour. It gives a Mother Earth News feel to our home. 

 

 The results of one cup of wheat.

 The goal is to keep this jar full of wheat.  If it's empty, there's no bread until there's more.

The end result - two loaves of delicious goodness.

It's a Start

We got moved in last week.  Fortunately the weather was cooperative.  Nothing but a few sprinkles and some fog.  Now comes the job of unpacking and finding a place for everything.  Fortunately, our rental was smaller than our previous home which forced us to clean out and simplify.  That makes getting settled easier.

The home is everything we hoped it to be.  Just right in every way.  The Mrs. worked hard to get the kitchen unpacked.

The bookcase on the end of the island is a nice touch to store the cook books and recipes.  No more shoving them in a cabinet.  The Queen Anne Bench which was reupholstered a few years back (thanks Dawn!) found a home next to the front door.

This is a great place for the children to wait for carpool rides.  From this picture it's obvious that there is much work still to do - like hanging pictures.  In an effort to be honest, we also have big messes to deal with - like my office and the garage.