Hayden's Birthday

Saturday, June 23rd was a big day, both in 2001 and 2007. Not only is it the day Scott and Tonya were married, but it's also the day Hayden was born. Saturday was filled with a celebration of Hayden, followed by a celebration of Scott and Tonya.

Dave and I love the sparkle in Hayden's eyes. He is always genuinely happy to see you and his face tells the story. And, that shining face is always racing toward you to give you a hug. I know in a few years, he won't give out hugs so readily, so I take them now, storing them up for later.

As Devin mentions in her post, Hayden does reach out to children who are uncomfortable. Dave and I saw this first-hand at his dad's surprise birthday party. Hayden was walking around with two other children about his age. When he got near us, we overheard him saying, "Guys, that is Mr. Dave and Miss Miranda. They're friends of our family and come over to our house. They're nice; you can talk to them." We chuckled and wondered if a career in politics is in his future, because he certainly does know how to work a room.

The other thing I love about Hayden is how sensitive he is. You don't often see that in boys. His brother is all rough-and-tumble little boy; Hayden likes to play, just not too rough. And, he certainly doesn't set out to be mean. Granna and Pawpaw gave Hayden a rod and reel for his birthday, so Uncle Dave's going to have to take him fishing around here sometime. Dave's only concern is what Hayden's reaction might be if a fish is killed.

Since I was there, I know Hayden had a wonderful birthday. I hope that enthusiasm never dwindles. (And, I hope I can muster up that much for my next birthday.)

Happy Anniversary, Scott and Tonya

Scott and Tonya will always share a special bond with us. Dave and Scott were roommates in the fraternity house, so we all spent a lot of time together in college. Additionally, we were married one week before they were.

June 2001 was a busy month for Kappa Sig weddings, with one scheduled each Saturday of the month. Dave and I were married on Saturday, left for our cruise on Monday, and returned from the cruise Friday evening just in time for Scott and Tonya's rehearsal and dinner. Saturday we went to my parent's house to load up my car with our wedding gifts and the last of my things. Following the wedding and reception, we left Atlanta and drove to Meridian, Mississippi, before stopping for the night. The next day we finished the drive into Austin.

The summer of 2002, we drove up to DFW to see Scott and Tonya who were in the area visiting his parents. We relocated to DFW during the summer of 2005; the summer of 2006 found them relocating here. It's great to have friends living here, with them we can reminisce about the past, talk about what's going on now, and look to the future.

Scott and Tonya, here's to at least sixty more years!

Homegrown Tomatoes

Dave's efforts in the spring to make a garden spot were not in vain. We have tall tomato plants and huge squash plants. Everything took a beating in the rains last weekend, but we hope the plants will bounce back.

Last night we were rewarded with the delicious taste of our first tomato. It was smallish, but packed with the taste of a "real" tomato. I was able to slice three thick slices to share with Dave with our dinner of vegetables--green beans from Mama's garden last year, mashed potatoes, roasted corn on the cob, and corn bread sticks (Dave's favorite kind of cornbread--it's nice and crunchy because it's baked in a pan shaped like ears of corn). A homegrown tomato was a wonderful accompaniment to the meal. Had I gone out the garden before dinner, I would have discovered a zucchini that could have gone with dinner.

On an interesting side note, we also had warmed up barracho beans. I never thought I would see the day when Dave requested pinto beans for dinner, but thanks to a great recipe of wonderfully seasoned beans Dave likes pinto beans.

I look forward to having a tomato sandwich--fresh bread, mayonnaise, thick slices of tomato seasoned with salt and pepper. Yummy.

I'm not alone in my affection for homegrown tomatoes; Guy Clark writes and sings a great song about them. The lyrics appear below. If I can figure out how to post the song, I will.

Ain't nothin' in the world that I like better
Than bacon & lettuce & homegrown tomatoes
Up in the mornin' out in the garden

Get you a ripe one don't get a hard one
Plant `em in the spring eat `em in the summer
All winter with out `em's a culinary bummer
I forget all about the sweatin' & diggin'
Everytime I go out & pick me a big one

Homegrown tomatoes homegrown tomatoes
What'd life be without homegrown tomatoes
Only two things that money can't buy
That's true love & homegrown tomatoes

You can go out to eat & that's for sure
But it's nothin' a homegrown tomato won't cure
Put `em in a salad, put `em in a stew
You can make your very own tomato juice
Eat `em with egss, eat `em with gravy
Eat `em with beans, pinto or navy
Put `em on the site put `em in the middle
Put a homegrown tomato on a hotcake griddle

If I's to change this life I lead
I'd be Johnny Tomato Seed
`Cause I know what this country needs
Homegrown tomatoes in every yard you see
When I die don't bury me
In a box in a cemetary
Out in the garden would be much better
I could be pushin' up homegrown tomatoes

Seeing 600

In December, I bought two sets of Rangers tickets from the baseball team at my high school. Dave and I selected the tickets based on the opponents. In April, we attended a game that made history as the coldest game at the Ball Park at Arlington. Last night we had the privilege of seeing Sammy Sosa hit his 600th home run, giving him the fifth highest homerun record.

I remember watching McGwire hit his 70th home run in a season on TV. How neat to be able to say that I was in attendance the night Sosa hit number 600.

Each time Sosa came up to bat, the crowd got to its feet and the cameras started flashing. During his first at bat, Sosa got to first on a fielding error.

During his second at bat in the fifth inning, Sosa hit number 600. The ball went into the bullpen instead of into the crowd; hopefully, Sosa will get the ball back without having to pay too much for the lucky ball. Dave said if he were to catch an important ball, he would ask only for a couple of signed balls in return.








Here, Sosa is greeted by his teammates after he rounds the bases following "the hit".












It was a warm evening, but not unbearably so. We tailgated in the shade of a small crepe myrtle. The Rangers aren't playing very well this season, so we were able to park in a lot near the stadium, which we usually walk through. We shared a burrito, chips and guacamole, and some peanuts before heading into the stadium.

In the stadium, we laughed about the fact that we both sometimes get distracted watching the crowd instead of the game. One thing is certain: all eyes were on Sosa when he was at bat last night.

We were a bit disappointed that Tech alum Mark Teixeira was not playing first base; maybe next time.

Our Anniversary

Six years ago, Dave and I were married. We had dated for seven years through high school, college, and work.

The evening of our wedding, we stayed at the Hyatt in Buckhead. We had been chauffeured there by a crazy limo driver who almost pulled head-on into traffic a less than a mile after leaving the reception and who then took us to the Hyatt in downtown Atlanta instead of Buckhead, despite Dave repeatedly telling him Buckhead. Nonetheless, we arrived. And, I was re-energized as we walked through the lobby of the hotel realizing that almost everyone stopped to look at the bride. (Dave keeps telling me that I just need to get my wedding gown on and we'll parade through hotel lobbies in the area for those stopped stares; maybe one day . . . ). We realized we were starving, having eaten only a few bites at the reception, so we walked to a nearby restaurant, where I ate a burger.

For our first anniversary, Dave had a hotel reserved on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Three weeks before we adopted our pup, Mason. I had a kennel reservation for Mason and all was well. Until the day before the trip when Mason got sick and kept throwing up partially digested food. We just couldn't leave him that way, so we stayed home. Not a sick child, but a sick puppy. I'm sure we went out for a nice dinner that's typically what we do.

One year we ate at Gumbo's, a great Cajun-inspired restaurant; another we dined at Carmelo's; we may have eaten at Cool River in Austin since that remains one of our favorite places. Last year we ate at the Cool River in DFW and were not impressed. In 2005, we ate at one of the restaurant's in the Gaylord Texan; I wondered why we were going to a hotel for dinner--little did I know the beauty in the atrium of the hotel, which is set up to represent different areas in Texas; there's a replica of the Alamo, the Riverwalk, and even a saloon. Over our dinners, we reflect upon the time past and anticipate the time that lies ahead.

One year, we celebrated our anniversary at the cabin in Minnesota. Matthew and Cindy (my brother and sister-in-law) had been at the cabin for a few days, but left the morning of our anniversary. Dave and I went to Arthur's, a restaurant with a beautiful view and great food which I mentioned previously is now gone, for dinner. We returned to the cabin to find the shed door ripped open. We ran to the dike to peer over to see if the boats and motors were still there. They were. Slowly we looked at one another realizing a bear had ripped the door open to get to the chicken bones from a previous dinner. Mike and Letha called to wish us a happy anniversary, sharing tales of video they'd seen in Yosemite of bears ripping through truck doors. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well that night.

With our trips to Washington and the cabin in the past month, our anniversary sort of sneaked up on us. So we planned a low key day. I tried to make a reservation for a hot-air balloon ride, but there were no openings. It turns out that was a good thing since it has been raining this weekend, and the ride would have gotten canceled. We're scheduled for next Saturday morning and hoping for good weather. We went shopping for a new dining room light fixture and a ceiling fan. In the rain, we kept encountering bad drivers. We didn't find a light, but we found possibilities. We visited a new Orvis store, where Dave bought fishing gloves. We hit a clothing store where I found two suits for work.

I had a great nap in the afternoon before going off to dinner at Pappas Brothers Steakhouse for a delicious meal of crab cakes (Judy would love these--lots of crab not a lot of cake), lobster bisque (Dave considered ordering a bowl for dessert--it was that rich and creamy), filet mignon (Dave has decided that medium-rare IS better than medium--yes!), au gratin potatoes, asparagus, and gooey pecan pie (no crust, all the sweet, gooey filling, with a scoop of praline ice cream on the side). We finished off the evening listening to a jazz ensemble in the Hilton Anatole's 27th floor bar overlooking the city.

While a good meal is an important part of our anniversary celebrations, the good company sitting across the table is the most important part. Knowing the other will be there when life is dishing out top-grade filet mignon or ground beef is the best feeling of all.

New Job

I've neglected to post the exciting news about my new job. I interviewed for a newly created position on my current campus on May 7 and found out on May 13 that I had the job. I've been working this summer to get a head start.

I'll be the associate principal over a school-within-a-school to target our at-risk students. For this first year, there are four core-content teachers who will be shared with the other high school in my district. We plan to target 40-50 students initially. Right now, we're planning to use a blend of computer-based credit recovery (for classes students have previously taken and failed) and teacher-based first time instruction, utilizing "non-traditional" methods--no pretty desks in a row.

This week when I walked in to work, I was informed that the principal at the other campus that will share teachers with us, has given my head principal and myself the go ahead on interviewing teachers. Luckily, my principal hired one teacher in the spring, ear-marking him for my program. So, I've been shifting through online applications made to the district. Thursday I called people to set up interviews. I have three scheduled for next week; I left six messages, and two people had already taken jobs. It is fun to have a guy right out of college call me "ma'am" over the phone. (Well, I'm telling myself it's fun because I'm not going to let myself get freaked out by being old enough to be called "ma'am"; it's a sign of respect, right? I've earned the respect because of my power to hire, not my age. Right?)

Everything I'm going through right now is exciting and scary. It's great to be in "charge", but it's scary to be in charge. What if I make a mistake? What if I hire the wrong person? (I'm not interviewing and hiring alone, but still . . . ) However, I am exciting about giving students an opportunity to be successful.

On the agenda for next week . . . narrowing down my list of 70+ students and contacting them to ask if they want to participate . . . interviewing those teachers. Summer fun.

Minnesota Fishing 2007

OK, so Miranda forgot to mention the most important part of our trips to Minnesota - the fishing! Well, it's the most important part for me anyway (and maybe Mike too).

The fishing this year wasn't the best by any means. To summarize the fishing this year - I caught more and better fish last year in three days than I did in 8 days this year. Numerous hours fishing for walleye only resulted in several rock bass and yellow perch being caught. We had heard other reports that the walleye fishing has been poor for most of the season. But we did catch some northern pike and panfish to keep us coming back for more.

Miranda getting ready to fish in a way too big rain suit. She was very brave going out to fish with me on this day. It was cold, rainy and very windy. The waves were fun too in our huge 12' boats.
A nice 22" northern caught on another very windy day. Disregard the dorky hat...it's either that or sunburned ears.


Action shot of my Dad casting. Hey what can I say - it was a slow year...


Miranda and Dad with a nice blugill and black crappie.


And for those of you who like to sleep more than fish, this is what you are missing.


There were many other fish caught, but these were only a few we thought to take pictures of. While the fishing wasn't as good as years past, it was still a great feeling to be able to spend some time on the water with the family.

Wildlife, Part II

The red squirrel that hung around all week, was small and nimble. He was able to climb up a metal shepherd's hook to sit on a bird's perch to eat sunflower seeds.
















The red squirrel also enjoyed eating seeds on the ground.














The first year I went to Minnesota in 1997, I was amazed by the hummingbirds. Cecil and Gertrude had feeders hanging from the cabin eaves, extended down to be at eye level from the porch. I could not believe that the hummingbirds were brave enough to eat while people were a few inches away through the glass window.









This year, Dave and I hung a feeder from a shepherd's hook in the yard. We watched at least three different birds eat the nectar Judy prepared. These birds were just as bold as the ones I encountered years ago. They ate as we sat in the yard and snapped photographs.









Dave and I took a walk along the Paul Bunyan Trail, which runs near the cabin. Since it had rained daily, we watched for animal tracks as we walked along. We spied a split-hoof track that didn't quite resemble a deer track since there were two dots at the back; a bit of research indicates that it was a moose track, but more research says it is not. I have no idea what kind of track it was.

However, I was positive when I saw the bear track a bit further down the trail. When we saw this, we turned around and headed back toward the road and the cabin.

Unfortunately, our wildlife encounter didn't end there. Safely back at the cabin, calming my heartbeat and enjoying my last afternoon, I found a tick crawling up my jeans. Luckily, there was only one. A few years ago Mike and Letha hiked a different part of the trail and came back to the cabin with more than two dozen ticks crawling on them.





Bob has also been doing battle to save a tree on the dike. The tree bears several cement patches, much like the tree in To Kill a Mockingbird. Bob was sure that his nemesis was a pileated woodpecker; we all had our doubts. Friday afternoon, I confirmed the identity of the pest that keeps making holes in the tree--it is indeed, the pileated woodpecker. It will be interesting to see how many holes the woodpecker makes in our absence. This picture isn't great, but the woodpecker can be seen on the right side of the trunk near the top of the tree. You can also see the cement patches in the tree.

Minnesota Wildlife

One of the things we do to pass time at the cabin is admire the wildlife. Some of the birds, like the loons are expected to be seen in Minnesota. Their haunting calls were heard at least two different evenings at the cabin. Several times, the loons popped up close to the boats as we fished. Unfortunately, we were not ready with our cameras for those surprise appearances. However, the loons did please us with an appearance close to shore, so Dave was able to snap this pictures.





Then, there are birds that you just don't expect to see on a lake in northern Minnesota, like these pelicans. While they aren't the brown pelicans that fish along the US coasts, these pelicans fish the lakes for bullhead catfish and other species of fish.










It's also unexpected to see gulls on the docks in Minnesota.












This robin entertained us the entire week. At the beginning of the week, she was upset with us because her babies were in a nest she built in the crook of the gutter downspout. When she decided we weren't going away, she settled down a bit. One afternoon we watched as she took a splash in the bird bath--not once, but three times. And late in the week, we laughed as she took on the red squirrel and the chipmunk. The chipmunk hid in a diffrent gutter down spout when she attacked him. The red squirrel, however, went on the defensive; he played it sly while she pranced around the yard, but as she got close, he turned on her. She then hopped away. She didn't seem interested in the sunflower seeds the squirrel was eating, so we're unsure why she was sparring with the chipmunk and squirrel.


The chipmunks are always friendly, we kept three different chipmunks busy with the piles of sunflower seeds that we put off. Two short-tailed and one with his entire tail ran around the yard, gathering seeds at such a frantic pace you would think winter was just around the corner. Bob was able to pet this little guy while he filled his cheeks with the tasty seeds.






We also saw a skunk one evening and smelled it several others. Thankfully, none of us were the recipients of it's perfume.

A racoon made his presence known one evening. We watched him gobble up piles of sunflower seeds put out on the ground beneath the birdfeeder for the chipmunks, since the coon's belly wasn't quite full and everyone had gone to bed, he decided to swat at it to get some more. The birdfeeder had to be repaired by Bob the next morning. The following evening we neglected to take the feeder down, so it had to be repaired again after the coon's attack.

Up North

We've spent the past week up north at the family cabin in northern Minnesota. We always enjoy the opportunity to get away, take it easy, and reconnect with Dave's family at the cabin. Mike and Letha were up Friday night through Monday afternoon. Dave and I were there Saturday to Saturday. Donnie, one of Bob's cousins, also stayed Saturday to Saturday. While Bob and Judy arrived on Friday, June 1st, and left on Sunday, June 10th.

As with all family gatherings, we ate well. Judy made delicious breakfasts each morning. We had light lunches each day and great suppers each evening. Yummy green chili corn griddle cakes were a new addition to breakfast this year. I'll share the recipe when I get it from Judy. We decided to try some grilled fish this year, which was also tasty. Judy made her smoked salmon dip, following a stop at Morey's for the salmon. Disappointingly, one of our favorite restaurants, Arthur's is gone--not just closed, really gone. The site where the restaurant stood on the banks of Ten Mile Lake is leveled. We were told at another restaurant that the owners sold to a developer who plans to sell the land in parcels. Luckily, The Boulders, provided us with a delicious dinner in Arthur's stead.

This year on the drive up, we stopped in Hackensack to see the statue of Lucette, according to legend, she is Paul Bunyan's girlfriend. For many years, pictures have been made in Bemidji at the Paul and Babe statues.