Barry’s Daily Web News

Five Years of Blogging

Every year so far, I have marked the anniversary of this web journal, so I don’t feel I should stop now. If you check out this link, you will see posts on this day dating all the way back to 2001.

A Rough Day

Today was a rough day, and it started this morning when I decided to fix the tree in the front yard. I had recently staked it in to keep it from falling towards the street, but we had a thunderstorm last night, and it blew the tree towards the house. The tree was now heavy enough that I wouldn’t have been able to straighten it without the help of a neighbor, who just happened to be walking his dog when he offered to help. The tree is now fairly straight, but the effort involved left me a bit tired at work.

This evening, we went out on a family outing. Everyone went out to Sean’s gym class, followed by dinner and a trip to the mall. I needed a new pair of sunglasses, as my current pair broke Sunday while we were at the waterpark. The only sunglasses I liked were too expensive, so I ended up going without. I tried taking Sean and Ethan to the play area, but by this time they were just too tired to behave well, and Cortney did not have much time to shop on her own. So, we all came home from the mall a bit frustrated.

Home in Phoenix

I flew home this evening, arriving after the kids went to bed. I went in to check on them, but they were both sound asleep.

In addition to some meetings today, we also went on a tour of the facility in Albuquerque. My favorite was a real 120mm mortar sitting in one of the engineering cubicles. They were working on some type of network connection to a fire control system. They also had a large presentation room capable of a 3D display, just like Disney World.

Back to Albuquerque

I flew out first thing this morning to Albuquerque. I facilitated a meeting today that took up most of the afternoon, and I have some more meetings tomorrow. I will fly home tomorrow evening.

I was surprised to see temperatures in the 60’s with a bit of rain. I know Albuquerque is cooler than Phoenix, but I was still expecting temperatures in the 80’s.

A Day at the Water Park

Today was the annual picnic, and we chose the local waterpark among the different offerings. It can be a tough choice to make. Last year, the high was only in the 80’s, and the water was too cold to make it enjoyable, so the local amusement park would have been a better choice.

This year, the weather was nearly perfect for the waterpark. The water was cool, but it was hot enough outside to make it comfortable going in and out of the water. It was too hot to stay out of the water, but we did not do much of that.

Ethan still spent time in the kiddie area, but he also spent some time in the larger slide area. Sean had a great time, and he went on all of the slides and things he could do that did not require him to be over 48 inches. Cortney and I traded spending time with Sean and Ethan separately, and we all went together on the lazy river raft ride and the wave pool. This also the first time that I have managed to go on all of the slides.

We stayed close until closing time, but it was still tough to convince Sean and Ethan to leave. The were both hungry, so we told them we needed to go home, as they were no longer serving food.

I will be flying to Albuquerque tomorrow, and it’s tough to get packed, as I am exhausted.

Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s day to my mother, Joan, in Seabrook Texas.

For Cortney, I made breakfast in bed. I made French toast, and it must have been good, as the kids quickly ate the extra pieces.

The Thomas Train

Today’s picture comes from yesterday, when we rode the Thomas train. This picture was done by the people there, so I’m not responsible for washing out the detail on Thomas’ face, but at least it is a cute picture of me and the kids.

Thomas the Train

We drove up to Williams today to ride on the Thomas the Tank Engine Train. I was surprised to see lots of activities for the kids to do, and the actual train ride was a bit anti-climatic, although Ethan loved every minute of it.

This was pretty much an all-day event, as Williams is over three hours away. We did arrive home in time to take a swim in the pool before dinner, which helped me unwind from the time spent driving.

We have another fun-filled day planned for tomorrow as well.

Friday Outing

This has been a tough week, and I am glad it is finally over. I did finish with enough energy to take Sean and Ethan to the weekly outing at Burger King. Sean and Ethan both behaved well, and Sean had fun playing with a boy his age. Sean certainly doesn’t have any problem making new friends.

Feeling Good

All the symptoms of my sinus infection are pretty much gone, and I feel good today, if just a bit tired.

Today was our first triple-digit temperature of the year, and I took the kids for a nice swim in the pool. The pool water has almost reached comfortable temperature, and both Sean and Ethan did not want to get out of the water.

I thought Sean and Ethan would wear themselves out in the pool, but they were both rambunctious even after we came inside. They did calm down by bedtime.

Recovery?

I had a rough day today, starting with having trouble sleeping last night. I did get in an appointment with the doctor, and I am being treated for a sinus infection. At least I should be better by the weekend, as we have big plans for both Saturday and Sunday.

Sean is now feeling fine, but Ethan is still getting over his sinus infection. Cortney has managed to dodge all of this.

I had a tough time with Ethan this evening. He insisted on having cereal for dinner. We have given this to him for dinner from time to time because it is an easy meal to prepare, but I thought tonight he should have something different. I thought I could wait Ethan out, but the little bugger fell asleep on me, so he ended up missing dinner.

The Family is Sick Again

Ethan wasn’t feeling well today, so Cortney took him to the doctor. Ethan has a sinus infection, joining Sean on the injured list with his ear infection.

I felt terrible this morning, and came home from work early. Since both kids are now on anti-biotics, it’s probably time for me to go the doctor as well.

Pool Night

Sean complained about his ear hurting yesterday, so Cortney took him to the doctor today. Sure enough, he has an ear infection. The good news is that Sean can still swim, as long as he has his earplugs.

I took Sean and Ethan into the pool after work, and it was the first time the bottom of the pool has been completely clean since last summer. The new pool vacuum is certainly doing its job.

Ethan was more adventurous in the pool today, going under water all on his own. Ethan was having so much fun that he stayed in even after Sean and I became too cold. Sean and I eventually became impatient, so we had to tell him he had to get out.

I feel relaxed but tired after the swim, so I may just go to bed the same time the kids do.

Ethan Has Fun on the Swing

This picture shows Ethan having fun on the swing in the backyard. Since he can’t swing yet, he goes on his stomach, were he can push off with his feet.

The reason why the ground is yellow, rather than the dull color of the desert landscaping, is from the carpet of flowers/leaves from the Palo Verde tree.

Work around the House

I still feel a bit tired today, but I got more done today than I did yesterday. I re-staked the newest mesquite tree in the front yard. It has grown big enough that it broke one of the posts holding it up, and it was only a matter of time before the other post broke. The tree is now staked down with some heavy metal cables, so the tree will not be falling over this season.

Fixing the pool vacuum cleaner turned out to be quite an adventure. I had previously replaced a number of parts that were obviously worn out, but it still was not working well. The pool store employee told me I would need to replace most of the other parts, so I went with a new one. I was able to get a refund for the newly purchased parts, which helped soften the blow of the price of the new vacuum cleaner.

An interesting thing happened while taking out the old pool vacuum. A humming bird flew over, and thought I was either a flower, or more likely a bird bath, and buzzed around me for a minute of so, coming as close as one foot away. From that distance, the long beak of the humming bird actually looked a bit threatening.

After all the work on the pool, I took Sean and Ethan for a swim. The pool has warmed up enough that the swimming is enjoyable once you get used to the temperature. Sean became cold quickly from running in and out of the pool, but I stayed in the water the entire time, and did not want to get out.