Keeping things fresh

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Friends,
It's a proven fact; If you don't update the blog regularly, readership falls off. The trouble is, there come moments in our household when nothing much is going on. This post reflects such a lull. Without an event to provide a theme, an alternative has to be found.

Thomas and I both got new phones at Christmas time and we have made liberal use of the cameras that are built into them. This post is a product of those two cameras.

Beware of any device that can cause trance like stares.

Taken last Saturday, this shot is of Ben as he rests part way into his 88.3 mile bicycle ride from home to Pastor's house.

Thomas crocheted this hat and gave it to Grandma.

Jonathan makes hash browns while Matthew whips up omelets for everyone. That was a GREAT breakfast!

We went to Grandma's for Valentine's day. This photo suggests that we weren't having a good time, and it is true that one important person was missing, but it really was an enjoyable day.

Mother Dear with her blank expression, and Nic with his favorite leather jacket waiting to give up some blood.

People make fun of my cheap glasses. They are especially tickled when I stack up two pair on my nose. I bought an expensive pair of bifocals once. They didn't last very long. Here is a pair of my Walgreen's cheapos. I was chasing a chicken when the glasses flew off my face and landed under foot. This is why I don't buy expensive glasses.

Mrs. H and I went on a very rare excursion without children. This is the back side of our local museum. We were delightfully surprised by what we found and promised ourselves that we would come back with the whole family.

This ancient bear skin was one of the curious exhibits.

Now wait a minute! I thought Miwok meant squirrel!!

This is what I see when I look down.

Have you ever wondered what the inside of an ambulance looked like while driving across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco? Well, now you know.

The skyline of San Francisco from the inside of an ambulance. This is really unimpressive after watching the Olympics and seeing the various shots of the skyline of Vancouver.

Anthony's hair got totally out of control!! Don't worry, it has been expertly shorn by his brother and he is back to his respectable self again.

We are searching for a place to hold the West Coast reception for Tiffany & Ben's wedding. This castle has some wonderful features, but the amenities (i.e. porta-potties) seemed a little inadequate for our guests.

Nick was right at home here.

How many bricks does it take to build a castle?

Ben is something of a clothes horse. Here he is, looking rather dapper as he descends the spiral staircase.

I seem to take a bunch of pictures while in an ambulance. Weird. This is a massive cloud with the sunset bouncing off. Lots of man-made distractions in this shot, but the cloud is truly amazing.

Waste not, want not.

Doesn't this look like the ultimate Hector vehicle? It only needs to be pulling a trailer full of motorcycles to complete the package.

Another "from an ambulance" shot. This is the local Cal Fire station with a light dusting of snow. The firefighters here are seasonal (they get a long vacation during Winter), so they rarely see it with the white fluffy stuff coming down.

Some times the clothes horse gets bucked off.

Fresh roadside, roadkill BBQ anyone?

A dear friend from the Lone Star State loaned us a star. You don't have to wear flannel to hold a star, but you can if you want to.

Is your mama a llama? Does your dress resemble the one in the book?

Gumbo!! Purple is Laura's color.

Sara's face is lit up because she is about to enjoy a rare treat.

Take five young men, five computers, a tangle of cables and one game. Add a little technical savvy and a rainy Saturday afternoon. The result is five interconnected computers and a technological triumph.

Jonathan loves Mexican food. He is a chip off the old block.

Brotherly and sisterly love.

Motherly and daughterly love.

Funny, we're twins in all but hair color.

Sara is practicing her grandma skills. She'll make a good abuela someday.

SUNSHIIINEE!!!!

No computers here, but still plenty of fun.

Christmas dinner to be. Dad was gone. Ben was gone. Carving was left to me.

My little sister is **sniff** growing up!! **sniff**

I couldn't resist this shot. There was a set of matching leather luggage in one of these bright red vehicles. Can you guess which one?

The clothes horse has once again been bucked from the saddle.

Having a camera in your pocket means that lots of little moments are captured that would have otherwise been lost. The quality does not compare to our big cameras, but what good is quality if it's sitting on the shelf?

be safe,
Thomas & Hec @ 19

One of His best miracles

Friends,

Many of you have met our small flock of sheep. They are great creatures. They keep the weeds down, they amuse us, they are companions to the horse and yes, they feed our family. The sheep teach us important lessons about God's creation and stewardship. On Saturday, we were blessed with a new set of triplets!

This is Patty, she is our proud mother. She is very maternalistic and therefore quite attentive to her lambs. She is ordinarily our friendliest ewe but for the time being she stamps her feet when we get too close to her brood, warning us to keep our distance. Don't worry, her bleat is worse than her bite; we are not intimidated by her sheepish threats. You might be surprised to learn that not all ewes are good mothers. A lesser mom would abandon one of the three babies, but Patty cares for all of them. That does not guarantee that all three will survive.

A good rule of thumb for any new born lamb is to stay near the cafeteria.

We have sequestered Patty's new family for the first few days. This keeps Patty from becoming distracted by the lure of the pasture (her cafeteria) and it prevents the possibility of the babies being trampled by the other sheep. Maternalisim is not a communal trait in the barnyard. Patty is enjoying a diet of alfalfa, water and sheep salt. It won't take long for the lambs to become agile enough to avoid their father and aunts. Then we will let them rejoin the flock.

LUNCHTIME!!! As they grow we will have to supplement their diet with a bottle because Patty won't be able to produce enough milk for three hungry mouths. Interestingly, we have to begin bottle feeding them now. If we wait we won't be able to catch them so as to introduce them to the bottle (see the preceding paragraph).


We have a dear friend that has a thing for clouds. This photo, taken shortly after the lambs were born, is for her.

You will be glad to know that Ben got his oil changed and Anthony is at rest.

be safe,
Hec @ 19

Strong Man or Light Car?

There are many ways that Ben tries to save money, from passing by Starbucks without stopping to changing his own oil in his car, which is on the agenda for tomorrow. He is quite frugal, and we all should learn from his penny pinching habits. But when you use your own brother as a jack?? That's where I draw the line...

That's one small step for homeschoolers

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"Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!"

Or words to that effect. Hello friends!! Despite the lack of Ben, we cannot be dissuaded from having a little fun with our good friends, the S. family and the B. family. We decided to pay a visit to the Tech Museum in San Jose. We hadn't been there since the kids were very small; Thomas didn't remember much of it and Nic didn't remember it at all.

Mrs. H. and Mrs. S. lead the pack. The B. family arrived earlier and were waiting inside for us.

Visiting a museum sounds like fun, but going with friends makes it even better.

Three families can pretty much fill up an escalator. What do you call the half that goes down? Descendalator? Netherlator? Subjacentor?

This curious projector had the ability to sense obstacles. It held our attention for a long time and had a soothing effect on the tribe.

Morgan and Lindsey enjoy a lovely afternoon on Mars.

Your mission Nic, should you decide to accept it, is to hit the circle of green lights with your red beam. You only have the two joysticks to operate the thrusters on your jet pack.

Mission accomplished!! This message will not self destruct.

Some juxtapositions cannot be ignored, even if you don't believe them.

Beeeep! Mrs. H. goes on an extravehicular maneuver. Beeeep!

Anthony decided to join his mom.

Jonathan decided to join Anthony and his mom.

Becky decided to join Jonathan, Anthony and her mom.

Sara decided to join Becky, Jonathan, Anthony and her mom.

Nic, the astro-nut, decided to join Sara, Becky, Jonathan, Anthony and his mom.

Laura decided to join Nic, Sara, Becky, Jonathan, Anthony and her mom.

Matthew decided to join Laura, Nic, Sara, Becky, Jonathan, Anthony and his mom. If I have to put up with the twelve days of Christmas song, you have to put up with me.

Sara got involved in a virtual wheel chair race at the moon base. She won, of course.


The million dollar machine performed flawlessly. The homeschooler running it needed a little help with his spelling.

As a general rule, don't shoot up at people looking down at you; it usually isn't flattering to your subjects. I seem to have gotten away with it this time. Perhaps it's because my subjects are so charming.

This device, a hold over from the original Tech Museum, was our favorite part of the trip. It sent billiard balls on a Rube Goldberg journey, up and down, back and forth, over and under. Boing, Klang, Whoosh!!

As you can see...

it held our attention...

for quite some time!

Before you jump to any conclusions about what a marvelous time we had, I think it only fair to inform you that the moms and dads unanimously agreed that San Jose's Tech Museum was a disappointment to us. I recommend that those of you looking for this sort of experience would be better served by going to the Exploratorium in San Francisco. That being said, a dull museum with good friends is a better day than a great museum by yourself. The H.'s and the S.'s would like to warmly thank the B,'s for taking us back to their home for a wonderful dinner after our excursion. It was the perfect cap to a pleasant day.

be safe,
Hec @ 19