Mental note, getting in to the park when it first opens means the lines aren’t long. Since dad was with him, Reese could ride more rides than he’d ordinarily be riding. We did the Tornado, a wooden roller coaster, and I was more than a little worried that he’d be freaked out by it. Not so, he loved it. Screaming in glee as we rattled through turns and dropped down hills. After that we did some milder rides, got turned away from a few because he wasn’t quite tall enough (missed it by 1 inch!), and just had a blast. We played a bunch of games and, as was to be expected, I won anything with a gun involved. Reese came away with a big bag of carney loot which seems to have tickled him immensely.
Author Archives: Pat
On Our Way To Adventureland
We hit the road this morning, on our way to Altoona, IA to take Reese to Adventureland. The drive was uneventful, and we got in late in the afternoon. The only bummer was that the water park is inside the amusement part and we weren’t going to pay for a second day’s admission just for that. So Reese amused himself in the hotel’s pool.
In the evening, after dinner, we went outside and watched the fireworks display over the park.
Reese’s 6th Birthday
We just finished up the party. Reese did really well, got a lot of good presents, and just in general had a good time. It was smaller than last year, but we’re making it up by taking him up to an amusement park in Iowa. We’re leaving in the morning, so this will be a short update. There’s definitely times when I wonder where the time went…
On The Way To Peoria
I got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, got through security and boarded the first leg of the trip, to Chicago. The flight was uneventful and after landing I made my way over to the gate for the short hop over to Peoria. Unfortunately that part didn’t go nearly so well because a thunderstorm decided to park itself over the airport and delayed us for almost an hour. The ride out was bumpy, but we arrived in one piece a little later than was expected, but seeing Reese made it all worthwhile.
Engines Of God
| I really need to start reading series starting with the first book instead of in the middle. I picked up this one to start finishing off my collection and really should have read it first. It sets the stage for the rest of the books, and really fills in some of the holes that I’d been wondering about. I guess reading them in random order wasn’t the best thing to do. |
Victory Conditions
| While waiting for the shuttle to the airport I finished reading the conclusion of the Vatta’s War series. It pretty neatly wraps up the story line, but does leave some room for another series to branch off in a different direction. The final battle was well written, and the ending was just classic. I was truly glad that the author took some time to really put in a denouement, instead of just a small paragraph or two. |
Kegging The Brown Ale
I got the keg cleaned up, sanitized, etc. and filled it with the first batch of the brown ale. It’s pretty tasty out of the carboy so I’ve got high hopes for this one after it’s had some time to age and carbonate.
Declaring War On The Hornworms
While puttering in the garden yesterday I noticed a couple big, green caterpillar like bugs decimating the pepper plants. They got removed and smooshed before they completely tore up the pepper plants. After a little searching on-line I found out that they are either tomato or tobacco hornworms. I also found a natural way to control and kill them, Bacillus thuringiensis, a naturally occurring bacterium that apparently takes them out within two or three days. All of the plants have been sprayed down, both in the containers and the regular garden.
Long Way Round
| While I was at Half Price Books I randomly happened across this one and thought it looked interesting. Well, it turns out that it was. It’s a sort of a travelogue/blog of Ewan MacGregor and Charlie Boorman’s motorcycle trip from London to New York, heading east through europe, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Alaska, Canada, and then the U.S., riding on BMWs. It was a lot of fun to read, making me laugh and cry a number of times throughout it. They definitely ran into some rough “roads” in eastern Russia, but did really well getting through and around the obstacles. It shows just how difficult this type of ride really is, especially for a couple guys who don’t do this for a living. It really made me want to get on the BMW and set out for points elsewhere… |
The Surgeon’s Mate
| The Surgeon’s Mate is the next book in my journey through Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series. In what I think is becoming a trend, it picks up right where the last book left off. Our intrepid captain and doctor are on their way back to England from Canada, being pursued by Americans intent on bringing them back, probably to turn over to the French. I’m trying hard not to publish spoilers because I just don’t think it’s fair to those of you who may not have read the book yet. Suffice it to say that there is progress in Jack’s situation at home, Stephen and Diana’s relationship, and their careers. I’m taking a break from this series so that I don’t get burned out on it, but I’ve got one more to go before I need to go shopping to re-stock. |