Memorial Day II

Just some random action shots.  We of course remember my uncle, Paul Gerding Bast, Captain USAF, a bit more on Memorial Day.

Fifty feet of heaven!

When I asked Evie how many she had she said "Oh, just a couple I guess."  Right...  seems like that's what they all say!

Another perfect weekend at the lake.

Memorial Day I

We all had Friday off, which was nice and made for a long four day weekend.  We were in Holland, and had beautiful, perfect weather.  My brother and I went running, which nearly killed me, but at least MB had a reason in that he's training for...  well I'm not sure he has decided just what yet, but he's training for something.

We're not homo, despite how this looks (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Another day in paradise.

Without a net!

A safer way to watch the sunset.

Jodi's Second Favorite Room.

I'm not assuming I know what her favorite room is, but I doubt it's this one (hence the number two status).

A Day In The Life.

Random shots from a few days in May.

Fallasburg Park.

Back in the day there was a summer event called Reggae Sunsplash, and while I attended both years (I think it was just the summers of '91 & '92), all I really knew was that it was at some park "way out in the country somewhere".  Well it turns out that was Fallasburg Park, and in another little twist of fate, these days we happen to live "way out in the country somewhere" (sort of).  Since we moved here four years ago I've had it on my mind to visit this park and find the field where Sunsplash was held.  I always figured some nice Sunday afternoon I would take the convertible for a little drive up Alden Nash, find the park, and walk around.  Well that nice Sunday afternoon arrived today, and I took the boy as well.  It was a nice drive, and at first I didn't think I'd find the specific field (it's a really big park), but in the end I stumbled onto it sort of on accident -- which was total deja vu, since I stumbled onto it sort of on accident way back then too (but for different reasons, ahem).

I also found the covered bridge, which I thought was pretty cool.  I would not have even known to check this area out when I was here for the festival so long ago, but there is definitely some history here.

Mother's Day.

I really think that every day should be "Mother's Day", but as things are now we officially just celebrate it once a year.  Moms are the thread that hold the fabric of society together, and we cannot really say enough about the important role they play in all our lives.  For Jodi today, there were gifts, cards, acts of kindness, and a Sunday brunch!  And a shout out to my Mom and Grandma, both out on Long Island today!

South Haven.

Technically, we were in Covert, which is south of South Haven.  Tina's family has a cottage there on the big lake, and we met for brunch and to see my dad before his birthday.  It was a sunny day, but a little cooler than we thought.  We still had a great afternoon and went for a long walk down the beach and back...  it's always interesting to see a 'new' part of the Lake Michigan shoreline.  In this development they have a boardwalk that runs along the beach, and it's of course great for walking.  There was a fair amount of black sand (in spots), and steam was escaping from it with the temperature changes and sun, etc.  Great spot, to be sure!

Family Party!

Jodi's grandma Baas has a birthday May 10 (just one day after my dad!), so we had a family party with her, Jodi's siblings, and all the kids!  Grandma Baas loves seeing her great-grandkids, and the weather turned out all right too.  A good time was had by all!

Lawn Tractors (And The Cycle Of Life)

As I was driving to and from Indy, I noticed several lawn tractors being towed on trailors, and it set my mind to thinking about how I cannot live another minute with my current mower.  It is nearly impossible to start, and I always have to use jumper cables and really just hope for the best (it usually helps to beat on the engine block with a rubber mallet while turning it over, just to shake things loose).  To say that it needs a new battery and a tune-up is an understatement, and that is totally separate from the fact that I hate how it cuts, as it has no guide-wheels on the mowing deck and has a tendency to scalp the lawn on any incline or slope.  Point being, I've wanted a new one since the second season I owned this one, which is to say, for three years.  I looked at used mowers and realized that for what I wanted, a new one was not much more than used, and there is always the peace of mind (and three year warranty) that comes with buying new.  So I cleaned up the Home Depot special, took a photo, put an ad on Craig's List, and went out to do a couple things outside.  When I came back in I had just about forgotten I placed the ad, but I had several interested people already!  One guy wanted to come over right away, and that's what he did -- with a trailor, and cash (cha-ching).  So just like that, the old mower was gone!  Monday afternoon, after finishing my research, I picked out the Cub Cadet 1046 VT, and how very sweet it is...  two-cylider, 46" cut, electric PTO (blade engagement), mulching kit, 11 cutting heights, deck wash system, glove box, and a cup holder.  It's a dream come true, really, and worth the four year wait.

Indianapolis Zoo.

Next we walked the canal downtown, and made our way to the zoo.  It was a pretty good zoo I thought, although I've only been to maybe four zoos in my whole life.  There were too many people, that's for sure, and I know people way better than I know zoos (and based on that, I'd say the fewer around the better).

Holliday Park.

Saturday mornings we like to visit Holliday Park, as Connor loves the playground equipment.  Not to shake a stick at what he has in his own backyard, ahem, but this park is pretty great.  And it turns out there is a lot more to the place than just the playground, I found after doing a quick Google search.  Curious about the spelling of the name?  So was I.  Some pics from the day!

Indy And Family.

We usually do a spring and fall trip to Indy, and this year so far is no different.  The drive to Indy is just over four hours, so I look at it as a prelude to the Real Deal drive to Long Island in the summer; it's a nice little warm up.  I usually get to see my sister* Lea while I'm there, and she loves seeing her nephew and niece, too!



*Lea is not actually my sister, but that's another topic to file under "Blended Families and the New Millennium".

And The Heavens Opened Up...

Crazy, crazy rain storm, and it made me realize that there's more work to be done on the lawn surrounding the play set.  Our property sits on too much clay, and drainage is always an issue.

The main thing though, was how relieved I was too have the major work done and the trees re-planted -- the weather last week was perfect, and it's not likely to be that nice again for a while, so we really had great luck with the timing of everything!