Symphony in B & G Major

Snow Day!

2012-01-29T18:18:00.005-08:00

Bennett was the only one brave enough to suit up and go out to play in the snow.

The tree in the front yard looked like it was going to tip over due to the wind and the weight of the snow.

Bennett had fun playing with his monster truck in the snow.

hauling snow with his dump truck.

making snow cakes and eating them.

Glenn opted to make a fort and play in it rather than go outside. I picked her up from daycare the other day and she was in tears. She said her feet were "frozen salad". Not knowing that it was going to be this cold out I sent her to school with rubber boots and an extra pair of socks which was obviously not appropriate. As soon as I picked her up, we went immediately to the store and got some nice winter insulated boots- I felt so bad. She may now never want to go out and play in the snow again.

Happy Birthday Glenn!

2012-01-28T20:59:00.007-08:00

I wrapped this present with 50 layers of newspaper. Glenn got tired and was a bit frusterated. Bennett gave her a hand.

Gymnastics Party

Prince Concert

2012-01-28T20:51:00.004-08:00

Great concert- lots of fun! Prince rocked the house.

Merry Christmas!

2012-01-28T12:26:00.005-08:00

Glenn's Christmas Concert

Holly Tree Festival- Ben's school.

Check out the tree- it's last years. We kept it on the back deck. It finally died at the end of summer but we decided to keep it and use it one more year. Yes, it wasn't the best but it was a nice red color.

Happy Birthday Joelle! 41 yrs young.

2012-01-28T12:12:00.004-08:00

Everyone make a wish!

Trees coming down at new house 1110 Newport Ave, making way for reno additions and upgrades effective Feb. 1st- official possession date.

2012-01-16T20:01:00.021-08:00

cherry tree before, cedar tree (on right next to house) before

cherry tree after, cedar tree after

cedar tree before

cedar tree after

birch tree before

birch tree after

birch #2 before

birch #2 after

plum tree before

plum tree after

london plane tree before

dumping all the chips in neighbor's driveway for her garden

london plane tree after

donated to Vancouver Island Wood Workers Guild www.viwg.com

Taking all these trees down was a hard thing to do but a necessary one. The cherry tree's root system was affecting the structure of the front stairs and the drainage. The cedar and birch trees presented issues with the drainage system, water main, and foundation. The plum and london plane in the back were in the building envelope of our planned detached garage and parking. Some shrubs were removed as well in back to make way for a sunken patio. The entrance to Joelle's Doctor's office will be moved from the rear of the house to the side, accessed by a wheel chair accessible ramp. Six to eight months of renos scheduled by www.abstractdevelopments.com so stay tuned for more pics.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2012-01-16T19:46:00.002-08:00

Where's Glenn?

Vancouver Trip

2012-01-16T18:40:00.004-08:00

Feeding with the pigeons at Grandville Is.

Ben spotted a cool car covered with shells

Science World

Eating out at Noodle Box

Road Trip- Random Shots

2011-11-29T11:44:00.007-08:00

Victoria BC

Vancouver BC

Skagit Valley Washington

LaConner Washington

Seattle Washington

Portland Oregon

Bend Oregon

Pumkin Patch, Trick-or-Treat Time- Happy Halloween!

2011-11-29T10:44:00.005-08:00

Ty, Adam, Bennett, and Glenn picking out their pumkin's.

Bennett, Ty, Glenn

Couldn't leave the pumkin patch without feeding the pigs some apples.

Batman Bennett, Chicken Glenn, Spiderman Rene

Glenn's Preschool Class- Padington Station

2011-11-29T10:32:00.003-08:00

Glenn is in the light blue jacket and orange muddy buddy- upper left.

Bennett's school picture

2011-11-20T17:32:00.000-08:00

new top case installed

2011-10-10T14:08:00.002-07:00

End of Summer Fun

2011-10-10T13:01:00.009-07:00

Concert in the Park

Party at the Park

Deer in our front yard.

Cobble Hill Fair

Lake McMurray- last swim of the year.

Water Park- last day.

Our little monkey.

Cooking Class- Mixing Buckwheat Pancakes

2011-10-10T12:51:00.003-07:00

Bennett starts school

2011-10-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

Glenn starts Victoria Gymnastics

2011-10-10T12:02:00.003-07:00

sooke potholes campground, vancouver island

2011-08-20T14:02:00.012-07:00

ciesta time

more summer fun- at the lake

2011-08-19T10:11:00.014-07:00

jumping off the dock

synchronized swimming

cannonball jump!

fudge bars

slip-n-slide

late afternoon smores

rope swing

view of the lake from the neighbors house

collecting slugs, pulling them around, and playing with them like pets

throwing rocks in the water

monkey #1 at conway school playground- down the road from the lake.

monkey #2

more fudge bars

good times...

bristol bay salmon fishing 2011

2011-08-17T19:34:00.013-07:00

Grizzly- saw him right after I landed in King Salmon AK

Our boat- 32' Curry

Red Salmon Cannery, Yard Arm Knot Fisheries- Naknek Alaska.

What we don't want to happen.

Fishing ended a week early for us this year. We had one of our shortest and best seasons ever.

Ferry ride home from Anacortes Washington.

summer fun- around the house

2011-08-17T18:37:00.013-07:00

Madi, Glenn, Braden (Neighbor), and Bennett

Having fun with a new app that distorts pictures.

This is Oscar- he's a neighborhood dog that Bennett has become quite attached to.

Oak Bay Marina- 1 block away from our new house.

Bennett's 7th Birthday Party

2011-08-17T15:46:00.006-07:00

... at the skateboard park.

Go! Go!! Go!!! Glenn

2011-08-17T15:45:00.004-07:00

Glenn still hasn't given up the balance bike yet. She'll ride the pedal bike for a few minutes, then jump back on the balance bike.

Glenn on her new pedal bike.

2011-08-17T14:56:00.012-07:00

Glenn wanted pink pedals so with some spray paint she got them.

After seeing Glenn's pink pedals, Ben wanted his purple.

Easter at Lake McMurray

2011-05-06T21:26:00.016-07:00

Love the tulips!

Easter basket treasure hunt

Found them.

Egg hunt

Bennett and Brady logging

Fudge Bars- YUM YUM YUM!!!

Bennett loved playing in his mud pit- couldn't get enough of it

I went out several times checking on him and I'd find him like this- just sitting in the middle of the pit- glorious!

Bennett not only has a natural tennis swing but a baseball swing as well.

More fudge bars.

Happy Easter!

Spring Break Part I, Knott's Berry Farm, LA

2011-04-08T21:00:00.026-07:00

Bennett checking us in at the airport. He checked that we had firearms and hazardous material-oopps!

Airplane ride.

Waiting for the luggage.

Rent-a-car P/U.

www.piratesdinneradventure.com

Hot tub before bed.

Snoopy visiting us during breakfast.

House made out of glass bottles- outside above, inside below.

GhostRider- One of the longest and tallest white knuckler roller coasters in the world. 4533 ft. of twisting unforgiving timber with a 108 ft. initial banked drop, 13 additional drops, sudden dips, banked turns and G forces of 3.14.

Hanging on for dear life. We were going so fast that it felt like the car was going to jump off its tracks and fly through the air. One ride was enough for me.

A wet day at the park. No lines however for the rides!!!

Knott's Berry Farm- thumbs up!

Spring Break Part II, Carnival Cruise, Baja Mexico

2011-04-05T13:53:00.029-07:00

Friends of ours- Denis, Jon, and Phin from Toronto joined us for Spring Break in Long Beach.

M/V Carnival Paradise, Long Beach CA

The Grand Atrium

Checking out the height restriction on the water slide- unfortunately Bennett was an inch too short.

getting unpacked

Paris Restaurant which served an outstanding breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffet with 24/7 unlimited ice cream cones.

first port of call- Catalina Island

playing on the beach

glass bottom boat tour

Madi shopping around town

Joelle and Madi heading out to Paraglide behind a boat.

Playing "Monster" on the wharf while waiting for Joelle and Madi to finish paragliding

Click picture to enlarge

Bennett playing basketball and Glenn taking a dip

Madi sun bathing with Joelle after their spa treatment. "The drink of the day"- a "YellowBird".

Bennett watching the big boys play basketball. He got on the court a few times- would get the ball passed to him and he'd pass it back.

Glenn and Bennett in the hot tub.

Our little monkeys climbing around

Carnival Whale Tail

Bennett exhausted- getting some sympathy from Phin. He and Glenn participated in "Camp Carnival" off and on during the cruise. It was a daycare setting with structured activities that kept them entertained.

Waiting to go to Ensenada- our second and last port of call.

walking around town

Enjoyed mini golf on the top deck of the ship.

Everyday the staff would make different animals out of towels and place them on our beds.

Bennett got a little woozy one morning so we sat outside, hung out, and ate breakfast on the stern for a while until he felt better.

Phin and Glenn running around the track

We had a fantastic time and look forward to when we can go again- maybe next time to the Carribean where it's hot hot hot!!!

Spring Break Part III, The Queen Mary, Long Beach CA

2011-04-01T10:14:00.016-07:00

Inside The Queen Mary

Walking around Long Beach and visiting the Aqarium.

Back on the Queen Mary

Long Beach at night from the Queen Mary

Ghost Tour on the Queen Mary- Midnight to 3:00am

Turkish Baths

lower decks untouched from WWII

Engine room, rudder room

Queen Mary's 16 ton anchor

Wheel House

Wishing Denis, Jon, and Phin a safe and comfortable journey home.

Sat. March 26th, we intened to fly home from Long Beach after a nights stay on the Queen Mary but because our flight was canceled, we ended up renting a car and driving. We were informed by Alaska Air that it may take as long as Tuesday before they could re-book us on a flight. So, having to be back home on Monday, we hit the road- nineteen hours later, we arrived in Seattle.

Vroom Vroom

2011-03-17T14:05:00.009-07:00

It's a 1989 Honda Pacific Coast 800cc Touring Bike. Exported it from the States. It was a one owner bike with only 11,000 miles, garaged its whole life. Just passed the skills test with it today. Then, ran around town running errands- packed home two lg. sacks of groceries, a new toilet seat, a nerf football, and a few library books in its trunk- yes, a trunk like a car. Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Vroom Vroom!!!

Keep it or Loose it?

2011-03-03T11:37:00.004-08:00

Bennett's School Project- Recycled Container Car.

2011-03-03T11:13:00.003-08:00

Wknd in Vancouver

2011-02-25T09:13:00.015-08:00

Mt. Seymour

Lunch break

Sunset Inn and Suites, downtown Vancouver

View from our hotel room during the day and then at night.

Ben on his skateboard

Being back in Vancouver was nice. It was fun seeing all our old haunts, visiting friends, and viewing all the changes in and around the city- we sure don't miss the heavy traffic and all steady honking. Sirens went off constantly too- Ben kept saying, "Someone's in trouble again".

Joelle's house that she rented while going to school was torn down and replaced by this one.

Shangri-La. Tallest bldg. in B.C., $350 million to build, Vancouvers deepest excavation of 85 ft., 62 stories- housing a hotel, office's, condo's, grocery store, spa, and art gallery.

Visiting Grandma Donna in the Hospital

2011-02-10T11:57:00.007-08:00

5 days after double hip replacement

Bennett insisted on bringing his skateboard in the Hotel so he could ride it down the long hallway.

play time

bath time

movie/bed time.

Breakfast at IHOP

Trumpeter Swan's in Skagit Valley by Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Hanging out, waiting for the ferry to go back home.

Bienvenue a Sudbury!

2011-01-06T20:09:00.015-08:00

Joelle's parents' house being renovated.

Walk on Lake Ramsey.

Checking out the ducks on Lake Ramsey.

The girls just hanging out.

Sliding down the hill at Queen's Athletic field.

Bennett trying his hand at skating.

More sliding.

Joelle's brother and his family built a snow fort for the kids.

Glenn's 3rd birthday!

Family photo.

The kids had a great time playing hide and seek in Grandmaman and Grandpapa's house.

Sudbury haircut.

A trip to the YMCA pool.

Playing in the snow.

Bennett had a great time shoveling.

Bennett's in a wheelchair because he banged his foot on the stairs and broke two bones in his foot. We didn't want to wait 8 hours in the ER in Sudbury to get it casted so we flew back to Victoria to get it done.

Getting a ride on the airport cart because of Bennett's foot! Kids loved it.

Getting a purple cast.

We had turned off the heat in the house during our trip. When we got back, it was only 6C (44F) in the house! We all slept in extra clothing that night!!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-24T21:34:00.011-08:00

Madi's new bed set.

Bennett's new bed set.

Glenn's new bed set.

Rob and Joelle's new bed set. Thanks Grandma Donna and Grandpa Mike- we all love our new beds!

Merry Christmas! That's all for now... Sudbury here we come

Joëlle's 40th birthday

2010-12-24T20:42:00.003-08:00

Joëlle through the ages....

Glenn's First Christmas Concert

2010-12-10T09:08:00.002-08:00

It was truely a joy to see Glenn on stage. She gave a great performance and was amazing!

Setting up for Christmas

2010-12-04T14:51:00.018-08:00

Snow in Victoria- enough to build a snowman...

In search of our tree.

On our way home with the tree on the roof.

Madi finishing putting the lights on.

Glenn finding just the right spot for the ornament.

All done, yeah!

A toast to a great day.

Setting up the train under the tree- Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the surprise!

Bennett and Glenn playing with the train.

Visiting Santa at the mall.

When Santa asked what they wanted for Christmas Glenn said "Butterfly shoes" and Bennett said "Silly Bands".

Windsor Park

2010-11-17T09:36:00.006-08:00

Girls' weekend in Miami

2010-11-15T21:18:00.004-08:00

Joelle joined three of her girlfriends from her undergraduate days at U of T, in Miami for a weekend of fun and relaxation. They were all celebrating their 40th birthday.

The Betsy Hotel where they stayed.

Joelle treated herself to a spa treatment, including a make-up application. This is the going out to party in Miami look!

Gina and Joelle....all dolled up.

Shelley, Gina, Joelle and Rox...hot at 40!!

Celebrating with a drink sent to us by Dave in Tokyo. Thanks Dave!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T14:35:00.013-07:00

Lunch

Galey Farms

Blood Bank

Corn Maze

Batman and Robin at the Francophone Hallowe'en party

Dinner

Dessert

Trick-or-Treat

Candy anyone...

Pumpkin Carving Time

2010-10-25T15:02:00.008-07:00

Eating the baked pumpkin seeds and watching a movie before bed. Yum Yum!!!

Glenn's pumpkin on the left and Bennett's pumpkin on the right. They drew the faces themselves- spooky!!!

Pumpkin Patch Time

2010-10-14T20:15:00.008-07:00

Victoria Marathon 2010

2010-10-11T15:35:00.005-07:00

Our first big race!

After the race we feed some rabits and watched the movie "How To Train Your Dragon".

Nice work Corbin.

Hartland mountain biking

2010-09-20T07:46:00.004-07:00

This was our first family mountain biking adventure. There are some great trails maintained all by volunteers about 20 minutes outside of Victoria. Bennett absolutely loved it. Rob had a few falls. Glenn tried her best with her balance bike, but some of hills were just too steep. She loved the mud though! We'll be back- more to come.

Kayaking the Gorge

2010-09-11T17:07:00.012-07:00

A beautiful day on the water.

Glenn's First Day of School: Pre-School.

2010-09-08T13:59:00.009-07:00

Glenn is so funny, she hangs on the door handle as it slides open for a fun ride!

So excited!

Can't wait to get to school.

Entering school.

So happy!

Entering the classroom and meeting her teachers.

Miss Janelle

Miss Cheri

Miss Etsuko

At home, looking forward to another day of school tomorrow.

Bennett's First Day of School- 1st Grade.

2010-09-07T11:42:00.011-07:00

School's in.

School's out.

Bennett and Mme. Laura (in doorway).

Bennett receiving lots of attention from his sister and classmate Haley upon dismissal.

Walking to the car to go home.

This is going to be one awesome year!!!

Eight years, 10 homes, one more to go.

2010-09-01T11:32:00.024-07:00

These are all the homes we have lived-in in the last eight years. There were two homes that we also lived in which I didn't include due to the short length of time we stayed in them. One was for only a week and another for 10 days.

1699 Lincoln Drive, Ferndale Washington

2412 West 8th, Vancouver B.C. (Kitsalano)

2035 Meadow Place, Victoria B.C. (North Oak Bay)

1876 West 15th, Vancouver B.C. (Lower Shaughnessy)

1155 Dufferin Cresent, Nanaimo B.C.

Victoria B.C. (James Bay)

Mebourne Australia (Eltham)

12 Napier St. Melbourne Australia (Fitzroy)

Windsor Rd. Victoria B.C. (South Oak Bay)

3228 Carman St, Victoria B.C. (SE Camosun)

Joelle's vote on final and last house: 1110 Newport Ave. Victoria B.C. (South Oak Bay). Includes Dr. office in basement, no garage. Lot size and Living space pending.

Rob's vote on final and last house: 1392 St. David Street, Victoria B.C. (Upper South Oak Bay). Includes large detached double garage, no Dr. office in basement. Lot size- 14,520 sq. ft. Living- 4789 sq. ft. To view more pictures go to www.dallaschapple.com

Summer Vacation II- Miracle Beach.

2010-08-21T06:55:00.030-07:00

We made it! The kids were so excited.

Setting up camp.

Has anyone else had the experience of using an outhouse and having a snake crawl in under the door and just sit there looking at you?

Mini-golf.

Joelle adding up the final score. Everyone won!

BBQ hotdogs on the beach- Yum!

Kite flying.

Ben flying free.

Last day on Miracle Beach- Rob, leaving a mark.

On the way back home, we made a pit stop in Nanaimo to bungie jump.

Need to give the swing a go next time, doubles anyone?

Madi getting ready to jump.

Off she goes, plugging her nose.

Way to go!

Here I go...

What a rush, loved it! I hit the water and sprung back up so fast...

Bennett and Glenn waiting at the top cheering on Papa!

Ben wanted to jump too. Glenn said, "I'm too little".

Summer Vacation- Lake McMurray

2010-08-20T21:17:00.018-07:00

Jumping in!

Rope swing.

Smores.

Playing under the twisty tree.

Madi up in the twisty tree.

Ben and Glenn hanging out together on the swing.

Making my 40th wish!

Popcicles after biking at the skate board park.

Joelle helping Madi perfect her diving form.

Madi practicing her dive.

Project #1- taking the old dock apart.

4x4ing around the property.

Madi and Catherine getting ready for the swing show.

Brady, Glenn, and Ben captivated by the stunts and tricks that Madi and Catherine were doing.

Glenn and Ben put on thier own show after the girls.

Madi and Catherine doing a little ditty.

The tree house, almost hidden now, became Madi and Catherine's home away from home.

Birch Bay water slides.

Ben at peace throwing rocks in the water.

The school down the road from lake put in a new track around the soccer fields- Ben and Glenn loved racing around it- their own little speedway.

Two local haunts- Chuckwagon (above) and Big Scoop (below). Can't make a trip to Mt.Vernon without hitting these at least once. Ben loves the model trains that run throughout Chuckwagon.

Project #2- Building a patio for Grandma Donna so she can sit outside in the shade. A wish of hers finally being fulfilled by Ben and Papa. Now, Grandma just needs new hips and knees so she can get out there and enjoy it.

Glenn helped place a few bricks and helped do the final sweep.

Project #2 complete.

Madi and Catherine on the paddle boat. Harold and Julie in the background on their party boat.

Summer can't get much better than this!

Bristol Bay Alaska 2010

2010-08-20T13:22:00.018-07:00

Golf, Naknek style.

Launching our boat.

Heading out the Naknek River.

Fighting the line for the best set.

Fishing boats waiting to off-load after an opening.

Snowpac Seafoods Processing Plant, Dillingham.

Bumper boats.

Set-net fishermen on the Wood River.

Partners in crime, Rob and Tom.

Guys in our radio group hanging out waiting to off-load.

Off-loading 6 bags at onch- a first.

Weighing our catch.

Done for the day, throwing the pick- anchors away!

Saw the first boat I worked on in Alaska- oh the memories...

We had a great season! Fished all the major river systems in Bristol Bay- Naknek, Kvichak, Nushagak, Igushik, Wood, Ugashik, and Egegik rivers. Caught around 225,000 lbs. We worked non-stop, fishing every tide getting a whopping 3-4 hrs. sleep on average between openings. I'm just now starting to be able to sleep through the night 4 weeks later.

The South of France

2010-06-01T21:38:00.101-07:00

outside the train station in Montpellier.

place de la Comedie

Opera house on the right- 19th century.

our hotel in the far background.

looking out our hotel window

Le Corum- conference center.

St. Clement Aqueduct- 17th Century

typical crowd in Montpellier. Population around 250,000. It's the 8th largest city in France.

our waitress was kept busy pouring wine.

the smallest cup of coffee I'd ever seen.

lively nightlife

Palavas-les-Flots

heading back to Montpellier- total trip around 20k.

the bike path followed the river for a good portion of the leg.

passed some beautiful modern homes

a tent city just outside Montpellier.

Palais des Papes- 14th century

Pont St. Benezet - aka le pont d'Avignon- 12th century bridge.

Aix-en-Provence (high speed) train station.

Moustiers-Ste-Marie

olive oil taste test

"medieval Grouse Grind"

Driving to Gorges du Verdon

Le Luberon

Gordes

driving through Gordes

walking around Gordes

bike tour anyone?

Fontaine-de-Vaucluse

poppies

sheep farm

vineyard- Domaine la Blaque

home of L'Occitane

Arriving at our friends home in Greoux-les-Bains. Jean-Pascal carrying Camille with Antoine close behind. Joelle giving Mathieu a hand out of the car.

having a relaxing day.

cheese, bread, olives, wine... yum!

Camille at the door with Helene setting the kids table for dinner.

snail races

escargot anyone?

scorpion

snails, snails, and more snails

Weekly market held every Thursday

Greoux-les-Bains village- just a short walk from where we stayed.

Helene and Joelle picking out their choice of crape. I like the name of the first one on the menu, "Big Ben".

local bakery

Looking down over the village from the town's castle.

Leaving Provence was not easy.

Homeward bound. Leaving Paris. Looking forward to when we can return to France. What a beautiful place! We had a great time! Merci Famille Hudelot!

Big Ben's Birthday Party

2010-05-17T07:58:00.007-07:00

6 yrs. old

Glenn in the middle eating a hot dog.

The bouncy castle fit perfect in the back yard. The kids had a lot of fun. The hardest part was keeping only 8 in at once- the maximum allowance. We ended up getting the kitchen timer and setting it for 5 min. and when the bell went off, the kids had to come out and the next group went in which worked well. One of Ben's mates said, "This is the best birthday party I've ever been to".

When the kids weren't in the bouncy castle, the bean bag toss, hula hoops, and swing kept them busy.

Folding it up and putting it away. Thanks Tash and Chris who just started "JUMP UP Inflatables Inc." Tash and Chris's daughter Kayla is in Bennett's class.

Jacob, Glenn, Ben, and Kayla watching Bee Movie while the castle was being packed up. Glenn fell asleep shortly after it started.

Some of Ben's birthday cards from all his mates. Happy Birthday Ben!

Our outdoor dining table

2010-05-16T19:56:00.016-07:00

9' long x 40" wide table top unstained. The cedar planks used for the top were cut and planed from an assortment of rough cut 7' long x 19" wide x 1" thick boards stored in our garage in LaConner WA. The age of the boards we guess to be around 100 yrs. old.

1 1/2" x 1 1/2" cedar supports hold the 5 tabletop pieces in place- used 2" corrosion free brown epoxy coated electrogalvanized core deck screws.

Used aluminum strip/u-channel molding around the edges. Top and bottom edges of the table top were taken down a bit so the molding fit flush with the top and bottom- held on by some dabs of polyurethane construction adhesive. Molding was cut to perfection at a frame shop.

Notches were cut out of the previously rough cut cedar "true" 2 x 4's- meaning they were actually 2" x 4" and not the standard 1 1/2" x 3 1/2" boards that they call 2 x 4's. Used galvanized hangers and #8 x 1" stainless screws. The two sided tapered legs were made out of a previously rough cut 6" x 6" cedar post. It was cut with a chop saw to size- 3 cuts needed to be made to make it through- it came out perfect as if only one cut was made.

Used "Superdeck" Transparent Stain, color: red cedar db 1902. Notched the legs to help support the 2 x 4's and used 6" long- 3/8" diameter galvanized carriage bolts with 1" washers on both sides and 3/8" washers, lock washers, nuts inside. Used a drill press to drill through the legs, then clamped the frame together to the legs at home and drilled through the 2 x 4 using the previously drilled leg hole as a guide. Joelle held the frame while I drilled- we were up till midnight finishing- thanks honey!

Not much room to work in our garage but it worked. It was cozy. Most the work was done at two different high school wood shops so it wasn't so bad.

nice namebrand eh?

The bones of the table. The 1 1/2" x 1 1/2 " boards fit in the notches of the 2 x 4's which keep the table top from moving side to side, back and forth. The weight keeps it from coming off. I don't see it blowing off so I haven't attached the top to the frame. It's easily movable this way in 3 pieces- the glass, the top, and the frame. If needed, the legs could be unbolted easily.

The frame sits 2 1/2" in from the side edges of the tabletop and 6" in from the ends. The 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" boards stick out of the notches leaving them exposed with 1" of space left to the edge on all sides.

tabletop grain with a peek-a-boo hole through a knot

Ikea outdoor chairs. 3" thick seat cushions with outdoor"Sunbrella" fabric are on order- color: canvas cocoa with canvas walnut double edge piping. Color should match the chair closely and hopefully blend in and look as though it belongs to the chair. Cushion filling: layered polyester designed for outdoor use- resists mildew and does not retain water.

Table height is 30" once the 9' x 40" wide 6mm/ 1/4" tempered polished edge glass is put on. Legs have black soled rubber pieces glued on the bottom to avoid any moisture from coming up into the wood courtesy of a shoe cobbler.

Beacon Hill Children's Farm

2010-05-16T13:05:00.003-07:00

Beacon Hill Park

2010-05-16T09:47:00.011-07:00

Weekend at the Lake

2010-05-15T21:28:00.014-07:00

Half the fun of going to Lake McMurray to visit Grandma and Grandpa is getting there. We took the Sydney/Anacortes Ferry which makes two stops in the San Juan Islands- always eventful and fun!

Walking around on the car deck exploring.

Skagit Valley tulips in full bloom.

Passing through the valley- lots of farms.

Snowgeese feeding in the fields.

At the lake...

Ben loved going for rides in the Polaris Ranger 4x4.

New rocket ship toy that blasts up in the air- the kids had a lot of fun with this one.

Glenn figuring out how to drive the electric John Deer with help from Ben and Brady.

There is always a project going on at the lake. This one is leveling out a spot for a small patio on the side of the house. Digging dirt and finding worms was the highlight of the wknd. for the kids.

All packed up and ready for the trip back home.

We had a great time at the lake. Looking forward to our next visit.

B and G

2010-05-15T21:13:00.005-07:00

Viva Las Vegas

2010-05-15T20:54:00.003-07:00

Bennett rides with the wind!

2010-04-11T22:16:00.002-07:00

Rob duct-taped some wooden blocks to Glenn's tricycle so she could reach the pedals. Bennett didn't want to be shown up, so he asked to have the pedals put back on his bike (we had taken them off so he could practice with it as a balance bike). Rob ran beside him for the first few tries, but to be honest, he was running for his own sense of safety. Bennett just took off and never looked back! When Joelle told Bennett how awesome he was, he said: "I know". For a kid who was late getting the hang of a tricycle, he sure has made up for it. There's no stopping him now!!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T19:06:00.007-07:00

coloring eggs

reading the directions for the easter egg hunt left by the easter bunny

searching around the house

searching downstairs

searching the backyard

Bennett and Glenn found a big surprise under their pillows- a chocolate monster truck and a chocolate bunny.

getting reading to chomp down on the monster truck.

yum yum!

coloring

Having some fun with the rabbits at UVIC

2010-03-27T08:18:00.010-07:00

Our Friday night event consisted of heading up to the University to feed the rabbits. The kids had a lot of fun.

Bennett lost his first tooth

2010-03-23T15:17:00.001-07:00

GG

2010-03-23T15:15:00.002-07:00

Bennett's Spring Break

2010-03-23T13:48:00.009-07:00

M/V Coho enroute from Victoria to Port Angeles

Watching the planes take off and land in Victoria's inner harbor while getting underway.

Great Wolf Lodge

We made it, yeah!!!

Wave pool

We'll be back.

LaConner town turkeys.

Rob, Bennett, and Glenn on top of the roof at the lake.

Our trip was an eventful one. We enjoyed the ferry ride, visiting Aunt Pat and Uncle Mike in Olympia, seeing cousin Erin's new house, staying at Great Wolf Lodge, visiting Madelynn's school and having dinner with her, going to LaConner, and spending some quality time at the lake with Grandma and Grandpa.