No news is no news

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Friends,

Once again, life is full of non-surprises, just day to day living. The only punctuation to the monotony would be Easter, arguably the most important event of the year. Thomas and I continue to keep our phones handy. The cameras built into them have changed the way we capture the little events that come our way. I will caption everything because Thomas is not here. He might, in fact, be using his camera at this very moment!

Easter eggs!! While not the focal point of Easter, it is still a fun family tradition. Three 18 packs!

Anthony is becoming quite the chef. He has the potential to make a name for himself in the culinary arts, not professionally mind you. He aspires to something else in a career.

Guac, guac, guac! We can eat a TON of this stuff! It tastes better than it sounds.

I wasn't there when Thomas took this shot. I not sure where they are. I think it's the Time Tunnel cafeteria.

Eggs taste better if you can see them clearly.

This thing is on TIGHT!

Anthony loosened it for me, but using a rag and making contorted faces always helps a tight lid come off.

Matthew: Taste tester.

This was taken in the Men's room at church. Every Sunday this step stool is placed in front of the sink. It must be there for a reason, so I use it without question.

What could these fine young men be waiting for?

Jessica's tacos, of course! Jessica is #1.

Hombres in Thomas' truck; let's roll!
Self portrait, taken on the bike trail.

Make sure your bike has access to plenty of cool clean water to prevent dehydration.

Nic feels that it is his patriotic duty to defend state's rights. I don't have the heart to tell him that he's fighting a losing battle, and besides, the stakes are rather low. Everybody goes home after even the fiercest battle.

War would be a lot safer if both sides used yellow caution tape.

3.14159265

3.14159265 x 4 +2= love

She may imply that she's kidding, but she's not kidding. The trouble is, others are watching.

Nic can take a simple project and find a way to twist it into something strangely complex and creative. **sniff**, I'm so proud!!

Red and brown, and I ain't talkin' about the eggs.

I suspect that these young men are up to no good. You can see it in their faces.

Incidentally, these photos are in no particular order. Let's segue to the city of Oakland. Here we see my toes at approximately 100 feet above terra firma. If you look closely, you will notice that four other people are in this image. The large gray rectangle with the small white rectangle is the back end of the ladder truck upon which I am perched. Yes, I have both hands on the camera and no hands on the ladder. That's because dropping the camera would make me extremely unpopular with the people down below. Fear not, I am wearing a ladder belt which is securely attached to the top rung. If I fall, it will be a short trip. My car is on the right side, second from the top. There are two small dogs in the white van.

Jason is the truck driver today. Here we see the same ladder that I was on, but at a very flat angle. This ladder is strong enough to stretch out parallel to the ground, even when extended all the way out. That's the equivalent of a seven story building lying on its side. Jason is checking the various components that make up the ladder, especially the ones that effect our safety. Take your time Jason. These monster rigs require two drivers and have two steering wheels, one at each end. Sticker price is over $700,000. There are seven of them in the city of Oakland.

Here comes Jason; his inspection is complete, the ladder is sound. Let's get back to the house.

This is good news.

Put a tiny dot of food coloring on the egg and blow with all your might. Let it dry and repeat the process with a different color. Stop when you get light headed.

I'm going to let Ben explain this one...

...it's worse than you think.

Fruit salad!! If the world's menu had to be stripped down to just one choice, I hope it would be this.

Thomas made biscuits, or beekees, as they are known in JB's world.

Forget that canned stuff.

Paaaat it!

And roooolll it!

And mark it with a "B"!

The ukulele's broken string was replaced by this fine fellow from Best Music Co. of Oakland, CA. After the repair he tuned the instrument and laid down a quick Hawaiian riff. That and a complete second set of strings cost a mere $10.

Why would anyone flock to something with a name like that? Laura won handily. I promise that Becky will get more coverage in the next blog post; this is only her second appearance in this one.

This was taken early in the morning. It doesn't usually do this in April.

Things were better by the afternoon.

The phone cameras have been a lot of fun. Thomas and I have no intention of setting them aside. We will probably get another one once Matthew, Nic and Anthony start driving. That's just around the corner. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!

be safe,
Hec @ 19