The Weatherman

The wait to get Dubb-ya and the conservatives out of the white house is finally over.  Go Obama.

Nate and Zach had a wonderful Halloween.  Nate wasn’t much into walking up to the houses and asking for candy - he preferred to walk across their lawns, flower beds, and into the street.  He made it about 5 houses before mom took him home - where he was much happier.

Zach and his buddies had a blast.  I’ve never seen so much energy and running from a bunch of 3 year olds.  They would run up the steps and they’d each knock on the door followed by each of them ringing the doorbell…twice.  Yeah, I’m surprised they got any candy.  Zach was out for about an hour from 6:45 to 7:45 - then we came home and ate candy…yumm.

Pre trick or treating.

The gang.

On Saturday, the West Seattle Junction businesses hand out candy for a few hours.  So every year we get the boys together for some photos and a round of trick or treating.  Zach is a little speedster so we end up getting separated from the group pretty quickly, but we made it to all of the businesses and both boys were good during the walk.  Here is a quick shot of Nate and Zach.

Nate had taken about a 40 minute nap before this…He was really tired.  In fact, when we got home, he slept for another 3 hours - very unlike him.

On Saturday morning and Sunday morning, we worked with Zach on peeing in the potty.  He went through 3 pairs of pants/underwear on Saturday, lots of time on the potty, but no success.  On Sunday, we skipped the pants/underwear and let him go naked.  HE FINALLY DID IT!!!  He peed in the potty.  This was his first time ever.  Later he wet himself and peed on the floor…but, no matter, we’ve made progress.  Daycare is working with him as well so we’ll just continue the training next weekend during the day.

Yesterday I got out for a few hours to go on a hike.  I went up to Twin Falls State Park outside of North Bend.  The trail runs along the south fork of the Snoqualmie River.  I took some shots along the way.

Large waterfall.

View through the trees of the river.

View of the upper falls.

Looking for Brad Pitt.

It was nice to get out on a trail for a few hours - can’t wait to take the boys.  Actually, lots of people were taking their toddlers and infants on this trail.  I think Zach would tire out - we probably need to do some practice runs on the trail along the Cedar River.

Yesterday we made our annual PEPS group migration to the Remlinger Farms pumpkin patch in Fall City.  The drive out was beautiful with the leaves changing, some broken clouds, some sun…perfect mix.

The pumpkins were all looking good this year - not many rotten pumpkins and good assortment of healthy pumpkins.  Many different sizes to choose from.  Zach found his pumpkin pretty quick - that only means we had to carry it around the rest of the time.  We also ran through the corn maze with all of the boys.

Now for the photos.

Children of the Corn (err Pumpkins - corn is behind them).

Hammin it up with his HMB pumpkin hat.

Tractor and hay bale trailer that takes you to the pumpkin patch.

Zach playing in the mud…I mean…looking for that perfect pumpkin.

Nate found his pumpkin.  Daddy said that he could have it if he could carry it back.  Nate didn’t get a pumpkin.

Morning farm shot.

After the pumpkin patch we invaded Fall City Cafe.  Props to them for quickly accommodating 9 adults, 5 toddlers, and 3 infants.

Yep, no longer want to be a tornado chaser…I’ll become a permafrost chaser.

After some decent rain storms, the weather was clear (or at least not wet) and cool.  Lows in the 30s with highs in the 50s.  Grandma was in town to see her boys.  Zach was glued to her all weekend.  Nate’s nap schedule got all messed up but that just meant he fell asleep early (ie, 7:15pm) on both Saturday and Sunday nights.

Yesterday we went to Issaquah Salmon Hatchery and checked out the salmon in Issaquah Creek.  Here is a shot of some soon-to-be-dead chinook.

These fish were pretty rotten.  There were several dead salmon lying around in the creek.  I asked one of the volunteers about the type of animals that eat the rotting fish.  He said coyote, cougars, and black bears.  This is interesting since we are in the middle of Issaquah - but yes, black bears and cougars venture down to this point to get the fish.  We saw one coho (smaller and red in color).  The coho run will start any day - I guess they were delayed by a beaver damn farther down stream which the park service had to bust up.

Here are some shots of the boys.

Nate all bundled up.

Zach playing with the exhibits at the hatchery.

Jim’s chickens.  We stopped by to see the chickens, miniature horses, and sheep.

Aside from getting some yard work done, I also replaced the water in the hot tub.  It’s been exactly 6 months and the water was starting to get an odor.  BTW, the recommended time to replace the water is 3 to 6 months - so I was definitely at the long end.

Last night Steph and I went to dinner at Springhill in West Seattle.  I had the most amazing $17 burger.  Yes, $17, but it was a hand made 1/2 pound burger with fries made in beef fat oil.  Pretty amazing.

So he’s been getting better over the last few weeks.  This week he’s definitely made the switch to walking more over crawling.  Here are some movies of his walking over the last few weeks.

So I’ve been a bit busy with work trips over the last two weeks.  From Sept 16th to Sept 18th I did a quick trip to Baltimore.  I had no time to tour around as I arrived late on the 16th and flew out at 6:15am on the 18th.  We stayed at Henderson’s Wharf and had dinner at the Black Olive (highly recommend it).  Here is a shot of the neighborhood near our hotel - very Boston-like.

I came home for a short stay and flew to Ireland on the 20th.  I left on the 9:45pm British Airways flight to London-Heathrow and then took Aer Lingus over to Dublin.  This was my first flight on BA and I was very impressed.  The only problem with the flight was the fact I drank too much before hand.  Not a bright idea.

So before I left the house that evening I had a couple of glasses of wine with Steph.  I had to check in bags at least 2 hours before departure so I had 2 double gin and tonics in the hotel bar.  You would think I would stop at that point.  Nope, I had two of the little bottles of wine on the plane.  Yep, I was pretty toasty…and really dehydrated.  I made it through the flight but not without some discomfort.

I worked in Dublin from Monday to Thursday.  We met with two companies while there.  The first company setup a private party at the Guiness Brewery - including a private tour.

After dinner we had drinks in Temple Bar at Gogarty’s where we could listen to some traditional Irish music.

On another night we had dinner with many of our Dublin coworkers.  I also went running one day in Phoenix Park - had to get some exercise while out there.  On Friday I flew to London for a day.  Steph and I had spent 8 days in London back in 2004 so this wasn’t my first visit.  It was absolutely beautiful in London so I decided to spend most of my time outstide.  I walked through Parliament Square (think Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, 10 Downing Stree), to Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, and then down to Thames and over to Tower Bridge.  I probably put about 4 to 5 miles of walking in during the afternoon.

So why did I go to London if I’ve been there?  Purely to meet up with George (good friend from College) and her family (Dermid and Max).  Fortunately I was able to see them Saturday morning before departing for home.  George and Dermid have a wonderful 4 month old name Max.  I got a ton of smiles - he was a charming little chap!

George lives in Richmond - suburb southwest of London (not far from Heathrow).  It is the greenest community in London with many parks.  Here are some shots along the Thames.

The flight home was uneventful - just long.  It was great to see Steph and boys - it is very tough to leave them for so long.  Today was went to Grady’s one year birthday party so Zach and Nate had on their birthday clothes - they even posed for some photos before we left.

BTW, these might be the first pictures of them together where someone isn’t crying!

Summer is slowly winding down up here in Seattle.  No more 80 or 90 degree weather but plenty of 70 degree weather.  Basically, beautiful days and evenings that are not too warm with pleasant nights.  I haven’t done many updates lately - mostly had other things on my mind (ie, work) and been busy chasing our boys.

Steph’s mom came up the weekend of 15.Aug, Brian was up the night of 23.Aug, and Jan and Mike were here for Labor Day weekend.  Lin was excited to spend some time with her boys and watch live Olympics (we got them live on the Canadian Broadcast Company channel).  Brian was here for a night - we walked down to the local beer pub where we put down a few (ok, more than a few) pints.

Over Labor Day weekend, Jan and Mike came up.  They drove up Friday evening so Steph and I took advantage of having a babysitter and went out to Jak’s Grill for dinner (no, we didn’t have to take a cab this time).  On Saturday, Steph and Jan took Nate and Zach to get their haircut while I took Mike to the REI flagship store in Seattle…and yes, we had to document it.

Mike was in awe of the size of the store.  Once we got home, we had huge sandwiches (Mike likes sandwiches) and Jan and Steph went out for a nail appointment.  All of the boys napped!  In fact, the younger boys didn’t wake up until Jan and Steph returned.  We stayed in the house that night and had a yummy dinner - don’t remember what it was though.

On Sunday we went to Schmitz Preserve Park in West Seattle and cruised around for about an hour.  We just about killed auntie Jan who thinks that thongs are hiking shoes.  For the rest of the day we hung out at home in the yard with the boys.

Nate swinging.

Work has been busy.  I’m trying to get some things completed while planning a trip to Baltimore for a few days in less than 2 weeks and then a week-long trip to Dublin after that.  This weekend we went out to the Cedar River Trail by Landsberg with the boys where we did a 2.5 mile hike.  Yep, Zach walked about 90% of the trail on his own.

Zach wondering if he should pet the horses.

The start of the trail.  It was flat the whole way.

Very quiet and beautiful.

Looking out over the Cedar River from an older railroad bridge.

Nate signalling.

I can fit in here…really!

Today, Zach, Lou, and I went for a walk along the Puget Sound in Lincoln Park…a bit breezy but otherwise very nice out.  I also uploaded a movie from last week - check it out.

Barack Obama delivered one extremely inspirational speech at the Democratic National Convention.  This is clearly what this country needs to get things moving forward.  Someone with a plan and conviction…but most importantly, someone who can inspire others to move, compete, and succeed.

I was also impressed by the show that the Dems displayed on the last night of the convention.  Very gutsy, but cool, to hold the last night outdoors at Invesco Field.  That place was rockin.  The other aspect I enjoyed were the stories of everyday people and how their lives have negatively impacted by the last 8 years of crap.  I particularly liked a gentleman named Barney Smith who said that we want a government that supports Barney Smith, not a government that supports Smith Barney.

In any case, I’m pretty jazzed about this election.  I’ve been saying over the last month or two that Mccain has no chance against Obama - no matter what the polls say.  Obama can inspire like no other…Mccain is old, rickety, boring, and lifeless showing no inspiration.

FYI, I was actually a Hillary supporter, although, I’ve always felt that the Dems had two very strong candidates with Hillary and Barack…and I would easily support either one.  Tonight’s speech has definitely impressed upon me that Barack is ready.

This weekend Steph did something to irritate Zach - so instead of calling her mommy, he started calling her Steph.  He did this for most of the afternoon on Saturday.  Ironically, I’ve always assumed Zach would call me Paul before calling mommy Steph.  Oh well.

Lin came up for the weekend so the boys got a healthy dose of grandma.  Overall we had a mellow weekend enjoying the very warm (around 90 during the late afternoon and upper 60s at night) weather.  I missed the lightning last night so I’m hoping we get another round of thunderstorms tonight.

As I mentioned before the kitchen is done.  Here are two pictures.

We are waiting for the hardware for the doors and drawers.  Plus we still need to paint.  Otherwise, everything works exactly as expected.

We drove up to Alderwood Mall and picked up our new dinnerware at Pottery Barn.  We are going with Sausalito collection - sapphire is the color.  This afternoon Nate took a 2 hour nap (very long for him) and Zach went over to Dominics for some fun.  Otherwise, it was relatively mellow.  I vacuumed and cleaned up around our house.  Here are some pictures I took today.

Nate on the swing after his 2 hour nap.

A (dead) dragonfly…he never moved so I believe he had just croaked.

Bees on lavendar.

So, my bad service day continued…I had very poor karma yesterday.  We dropped the boys off at daycare at 3:15pm and then Steph and I headed out for some dinnerware shopping - since we are remodeling the kitchen, we also decided to replace our dinnerware.  We really had no luck finding what we needed (Pottery Barn has the closest match).

After our shopping we headed downtown and had drinks at Cellars Restaurant - very nice bar with a very friendly bartender.  We spent about 90 minutes there and had a very enjoyable time.  Next we went over to Brasa to meet up with some friends for dinner.  We had a drink in the bar and then sat down at our table.  The restaurant was not very crowded, relatively quiet, but there was music playing throughout.  The table to my left had a young, quiet couple - never saw them talk to each other - so either fighting, eavesdropping or both.

Anyway, we haven’t spent much time recently with John and Kim (who have similar aged kids to Nate and Zach) so we had lots of catching up to do.  Being parents, we naturally talked about our kids quite a bit and their antics and funny stories.  Eventually, Steph and I were going through our Where’s The Poop story (see further down in blog) and I was in the middle of describing how I found Zach standing upstairs naked with a poopy diaper in one hand - when the guy in the table next to me interrupted the story.  He explained, in so many words, that our discussion was repulsive and inappropriate since he was trying to eat his dinner.  He explained that us talking about poop while he was eating was not acceptable and asked that we change the subject.

Ouch!  Flashback to my comment earlier - he and his significant other were quiet - either fighting, eavesdropping, or both.  I think we know the answer…clearly it was both.  Unfortunately, I was speechless…I couldn’t finish the story since I didn’t know how without using the word poop.  Maybe, if I said ’shit’ that would have made it alright.

So we continue along our merry way with different conversation (not about poop)…the whole time we kept dropping unapproving glances their way.  Anyway, they finally left and went into the bar area.  Now for the other shoe to drop.

The hostess, in a not so professional tone, stopped by our table to explain that our conversation was inappropriate and multiple tables had complained.  WHAT!  Multiple tables!  We were asked to quiet down and change the subject.  Also, you could tell she did not personally approve of the topic - which was mostly about our kids…not necessarily about poop.  Once the shock and absurdity wore off, we felt kind of proud.  It’s been awhile since we’ve annoyed such a large group at a restaurant (think back to nights at Spat’s in Berkeley during Steph’s law school days).  Since the hostess was absolutely rude about it, we felt challenged to push the limit.

Actually, we basically ended up talking about which tables could have possibly been annoyed by us.  BTW, there was a couple behind us with a screaming kid who was much louder (definitely making it tough for us to hear each other)…I wonder if they got shooshed?   Supposedly, a couple had sat at the table to my right (never saw them sit there - neither did Kim) and they eventually moved away…so I assumed they complained.

Shoe number 3 is about to drop.  Next the manager comes over to talk to us.  Un-F*ck-ing believable…I swear we were not loud and at this point all we were discussing was how crappy this place was.  The manager was much more professional, explaining that some patrons were complaining about conversation and how loud we were.  We asked that she reseat us in a more appropriate place…even the bar area would be fine.  She agreed to reseat us after we finished our appertizers which had just arrived.

We completed our appertizers and they moved us into the completely empty bar area…yes, a nice restaurant in belltown has a completely empty bar at 9pm on Saturday night…that should tell you something about this place!  We asked if we could be loud and obnoxious and they said ‘yes’…we had clearance to discuss poop all we wanted in the bar area.  The irritated hostess stopped by to see how we were doing.  So we asked who complained…she said 4 different tables filed complaints and she was personally offended.  Oh My God!  Amazing.  All this because we told some kid stories in normal voices and they contained the word poop.

Anyway, we finished off our meal, dessert, and coffee in the bar area.  I do want to point out that our server was awesome!  She never complained, she was always professional, always had a smile, and eventually shared her kid’s poop story with us.  She got a good tip.

It goes without saying that we will never go back to Brasa again.  If you can’t have normal conversation in a normal volume level - than what’s the point…unless you are fighting and/or eavesdropping.  We definitely give this place a thumbs down on service and atmosphere.  Food was hit and miss.  Some plates were very good, like the Paella, others like the pappardelle were not very inspiring - in fact, John didn’t finish it.

This morning Zach (my 3 year old) and I went down to a local West Seattle restaurant at 9am for breakfast. The place was relatively empty and we took a seat next to the window.

We got our menus and I noticed that the kids menu didn’t have much in the way of breakfast food…and no where was there listed any fruit. Ok, so not overly friendly for my kids. Anyway, I digress. I ordered Zach PB&J sandwiches (they cut them up into slices) and I ordered french toast with a side of bacon and coffee. BTW, they had no crayons (rare to not have crayons at a restaurant that seems to be for families)…they didn’t have children friendly cups either but our waitress improvised and provided apple juice in a coffee-to-go cup.

After ordering one other gentleman showed up and was seated near us and he eventually ordered. After no more than 10 minutes, Zach received his PB&J. I continued to wait for mine. BTW, I never asked to bring Zach’s food early. 5 minutes went by and the gentleman who showed up after we ordered received his meal. After another 5 minutes (10 minutes since Zach received his food) Zach was finishing up his meal and getting ancy and I had yet to receive my food.

I called over the waitress and asked for my food to go and explained that she gave us Zach’s food much too soon. Now that he has finished, I won’t be able to peacefully eat my food with him running around. She proceeded to get my food to go and check…albeit at a leisurely pace. She comped my french toast (which wasn’t very good to begin with - not sure the batter was completely cooked). We left and returned home where I ate my breakfast.

Here it is…better late than never…

Well, the weekend ended quieter for some…I went down with a stomach issue (not Mike) that put me out of commission Saturday evening.  We hung out at the house and all, except for me, enjoyed Mike’s top rated chicken burritos (I was bummed).  Mike also made peach cobbler - which I tried.  It was yummy.

Today we were all tired or hung over (Jan).  We spent the morning eating Mike’s southwestern egg, sausage, and tortilla bake.  It was awesome!  The drive home was uneventful…I fortunately did not have to make any bathroom stops and the boys allowed us to drive nonstop.  We would have made record time if it wasn’t for the horrible traffic from Olympia through Fort Lewis and again in Tacoma.  Now we are home for another week of kitchen upgrades.

Nate making some burritos.

This is the RC Jeep we picked up at ToysRUs

Nate hanging in the yard.

Zach getting airborn on the neighbors trampoline.

First - Mike and Jan now have a blog - Check it Out.   Warning:  May not be suitable for all viewers.

Well, since our kitchen is out of commission, we travelled down to Eugene for the weekend to hang with Auntie Jan and Uncle Mike (Jeep). We arrived just after 6pm last night and spent the evening drinking rum…at least Mike, Jan and I. Steph had vino. This morning, everyone except Nate, was up by 6:45am. Yes, even Jan was up!

Mike promptly removed the soft top from the Jeep so we could drive around and enjoy the sun. The trip was to the coffee shop and butcher. Zach loved being in the Jeep. Second trip was to ToysRUs for the following cool toys:

• A rocket…Yes, a real rocket with a large explosive in it. We have yet to fire it.
• A remote controlled jeep
• 3 styrofoam gliding planes
• An Elmo remote control
• A handprint keepsake (don’t ask)

We had lunch at Mcmennamins North Bank - lousy service and OK food but you get to sit along the river. After words we went to the park where Steph and Jan rode the teater totter, Zach ran around on the jungle gym, and Nate sat in the swing. Mike and I launched glider #1 - we are now expert pilots after flying the original glider in the 50mph winds of Lake Chelan. Back to the house and we played with the RC Jeep and then everyone had nappy time.

Zach playing with water at the park.

Nate starting to melt down in Jan’s lap.

Mike watching the glider return to him in a loop d loop.

Steph stepped off the teeter totter and let Jan crash to the ground.

A quick kitchen update…base cabinets are in, canned lights are wired, and all other wiring is run.

Upper cabinets and tools being stored in our dining room.

Base cabinets.

They are making good progress - even a little ahead of schedule…so they should definitely make the scheduled completion date of August 7th.

I met our project manager/contractor assigned to our project today.  He showed up at around 9:45am and we stepped through a bunch of checklists for the next 45 minutes.  Today he laid down a protective floor covering, he moved in his tools, and basically demo’d the whole kitchen.  All of the cabinets have been removed as has the dishwasher.  I have some picutres from before the demo (haven’t took pictures of the kitchen yet today).

Just to make today even more interesting, the boys’ daycare was closed so daddy was very excited to hang out with them all day.  Well, not really excited…more like scared.  Trust me when I say that work is much easier than watching a 1 year old and a 3 year old.  So to make the best of it we went to Endolyne Joes for lunch (best french fries in West Seattle if you didn’t know) and then I took them to the Zoo.  Now this was dangerous since we didn’t leave the house until almost 11am.

The zoo was great.  Zach ran around the whole time with Cars backpack on checking out all of the animals.  I think he liked the elephants the most - at least that was his favorite today.  As for the backpack, we picked it up on Sunday so Zach could carry around his own stuff.  He seems to like it a lot.

Pre demo picture.

Second view of kitchen pre-demo.

Zach at the zoo.

Zebras at the zoo.

Zach’s favorite alphabet.

Bee in the yard (for those who know me, my lens had a min focus distance of 1.5m)

Nater on the swing.

Next up for the kitchen - complete the demo tomorrow, new appliances arrive tomorrow (to be stored in the garage), and the electrician will be here on Wednesday and Thursday working on the canned lights, plugs, and switches.

Kitchen starts between 8am and 9:30am tomorrow morning. It is empty! We completed clearing it out today and finished picking up what we need to live without kitchen (paper plates, paper bowls, etc).

Also, I picked up Autopano Pro for building panorama images. FYI, panos don’t show well in the blog, so click through on the image to see a bigger version.

This is the view from our backyard during our vacation in Chelan.

You can see the lake in the center of the photo far below our house.  We were about 1500 feet higher than the lake.  For those familiar with Lake Chelan, the lower right portion of the lake is Waputo Point.

As for the pano software, I tried out about 5 different ones…I definitely wanted more auto software that did a good job with the blends.  Autopano Pro, although it costs money, seemed to be the best fit for me.  Overall, the easiest software to use (although the GUI has some oddities that took getting used to - maybe I should RTFM).

Our kitchen remodel starts Monday morning.  Today we emptied out our kitchen, donated our plates, bowls, and glasses to goodwill, and setup a make-shift kitchen (ie, microwave) downstairs.  We’ll need to work a little more tomorrow to clean out the final items in the kitchen and move stuff from our upstairs fridge to the garage fridge.

We are excited but not looking forward to not having a kitchen with our 2 little boys.  Interesting times ahead.  Nate and I went down to Bed Bath and Beyond to look at new plates/bowls/cups.  I’m excited to replace what we had with something more suited for our needs.

We had dinner tonight at a local Mexican restaurant then we went for a walk at Lincoln Park…here are some photos.

Nate was tired during the walk.

Looking toward Coleman Pool.

Large freighter heading north.

Looking north along the park (same spot I took the header image from a few years back).

Tall grass along the water.

Above all this we saw the local bald eagle in his nest.  Unfortunately I didn’t bring my new lens so I couldn’t get a closeup.  Maybe next time.