Wednesday - Happy Birthday on the sandbar

All week last week the Coast Guard was either patrolling the shoreline or conducting training exercises. Most days we saw a Blackhawk helicopter, but on Wednesday this C 130 flew up and down several times.

We almost needed it. The surf was pretty strong all week and it had formed a sandbar about a quarter mile out where the water was only three feet deep. Because the waves broke across it there were several people standing on it with boogie boards riding in on the odd wave. Sarah and John got out there too using the small boogie board that was in the service closet at the vacation house.

Then John got out a little too far. Sarah called to him as he fought the waves. Bobbie noticed this and swam out to John. She realized that they were on the edge of a rip current and swam parallel to shore away from it.

At this time the, lifeguard on patrol was on shore ready to help if she got the signal. Thankfully both Bobbie and John got in just fine.

Just in time so we could go out to dinner to celebrate Bobbie's birthday. Here we are at one of the Outer Banks' finest restaurants. While most of the restaurants there are warehouses of food, this one is patterned on a French bistro with small tables and great food. I was glad to find such a nice place to celebrate Bobbie's birthday.

Tuesday - Happy Birthday Eve

At dinner Tuesday we celebrated Bobbie's 50th birthday eve by having a chocolate mousse cheesecake. Sarah and I got it earlier in the day while we were out on a bike ride. If we had driven the car it would have raised suspicion.

We bought the cheesecake at a bakery in Duck. Once we had it, we had to walk the bikes back to the house. I didn't want to risk dropping it. When I got into the subdivision I lived dangerously and successfully balanced it on the handlebars. Sarah hid it in the mini fridge in the downstairs rec room.

I thought our cover was blown later in the day when we came back from the beach and Bobbie insisted on putting away the drinks from the cooler in the downstairs fridge. But she didn't notice it and was surprised after all.

We had fun celebrating Bobbie's birthday over two weeks. Stay tuned for the birthday dinner tomorrow night.

Monday - First Day

Always with a mind to routine and precedent, John asked me to go down to the beach with him first thing Monday morning. We did the same last year as seen here. This year I captured the moment on video.

I always enjoy doing father and son activities and this is one of my favorites.

We spent the rest of the day split between the beach and hanging around the house. Because it is only a quarter mile to the beach, we returned in the afternoon. As you can tell from the video it's quite windy. But that is why the Wright Brothers chose this area to test their new invention, the airplane.

Sunday - Arrival

After our morning sight- seeing, we left Richmond after lunch at a Waffle House. Note to self - don't go to the Waffle House for Sunday lunch right after the "church rush." There wasn't a clean table in the place. We started to bus our own table when one of the waitresses completed the job obviously interested in securing a better tip.

We arrived at the Wright Memorial bridge, the link to the northern Outer Banks barrier island, at 3:30. We couldn't check in and get the keys to the house until 4:00, so we bought all our groceries at the Food Lion that is on the way.

The sign for our favorite Duck sub-division is in top photo. It's a great location with the entrance in the middle of the village. There is a rec center with workout rooms, tennis courts, indoor and outdoor pools, plus great beach access with an outdoor pool just off the dunes.

All of the houses have names on signs, most using the word, Duck. The name of our house is Heart of Duck. It changed from Bailey's Irish Dream a few years ago. (I'm glad I no longer have to explain that one.) The corny names are annoying overall. They remind me of boat names which can be even worse. I am glad our favorite house's name is fairly innocuous.

With a full minivan and three bags of groceries on each kid's lap, we got to the house at about 5:00 Sunday evening. By 6:00 we unloaded the minivan and everyone was in their rooms . Bobbie cooked a nice meal and we all went to the beach after dark. A great way to start a week at the beach.

Saturday/Sunday - Richmond Layover

On Saturday morning at about 10 AM, we left for vacation. That's later than I wanted, but because we planned a layover in Richmond, we could leave at such a late hour and still arrive by 4 PM or so.

The first night we went out for dinner at a nearby restaurant. We thought it was a brew-pub, but they just served hundreds of beers instead. Not exactly what I expected, but not bad either. We all recalled visiting Aunt Mary when she lived in Richmond and missed seeing her.

On Sunday morning we woke up and drove downtown to the state house. Above is an equestrian statue of George Washington on the state house grounds. There are also several other statues of notable Virginians including Edgar Allen Poe seen here with Janine. Nevermore!

The city of Richmond has some very interesting historic sights, but tells no one about them. Ever resourceful, Bobbie buttonholed a security guard at the state house gate and got a full rundown on where to go and what to see when you have two hours or so. Like all good Virginians, he ignored talking about the statue of Washington and instead went into great detail about how "Mr. Jefferson" designed the state house.

As he described it, the Virginia state house is the second oldest state house in the United States. Which is the oldest? Here's a hint. Mr. Jefferson created his masterpiece there, and it's in Philadelphia. From 2002, here we are at a different statue of Mr. Washington in front of Independence Hall. The Pennsylvania state capital may be in Harrisburg, but the state house has been in Philadelphia for 250 years.

Vacation Return

Just after 10 PM last night we returned home from our vacation to Duck, NC. It was a long drive after a great, relaxing week. The only regret on the drive home was a bad meal in Breezewood, PA, just before we got onto the PA turnpike.

Here's a photo of the surf on Saturday, our last day there. While the temperature was about 80, the wind was 20 to 25 miles per hour. As a result, we did not spend much time on the beach that day. Needless to say, one felt a little brisk when one got out of the water. Thankfully, we spent a lot of time on the beach the rest of the week.

Look for more in the coming days.

Here's Janine in the wind and surf on Saturday.

Vacation House

Vacation is coming up this week, so we are off to the Outer Banks. Here's the view from last year as we were packing up to come home.

This year it will look pretty much the same. Same time, same house. I never thought I would enjoy predictability so much, but sometimes it can be useful.

The kids already know where to take things once we arrive, so unpacking the car goes pretty fast.

While the kids are looking forward to having a lot of fun, Bobbie and I look forward to a nice relaxing trip.

...and just look at that shine!

When you have kids of just about any age, the kitchen floor always seems to be sticky. So why not ask (tell) them to help?

Janine was a big help cleaning the kitchen Saturday. After I swept the floor, she got to mop it. Of course I also had to scrub the area where we were processing the tomatoes.

Naturally she had to strike a pose. With that shift style dress and the hair band, she looks as if she stepped out of a '60s floor wax commercial.

Perhaps this one, or this one, or here's one with a celebrity's real kids.

TomAHtoes

It all starts in the field. But since I don't have any photos of that, we will start in the sink.

Bobbie went to a local Farmer's market this past Friday and bought a bushel of tomatoes. As in past years, she puts them up as simple tomato puree. She then adds seasonings only when she actually opens a jar to make something.

Yesterday she started the canning process by washing them all. As you can see they filled the sink nicely. At this point I was off to a meeting and conference call only to return in the afternoon.
Then they all got to cook down on the stove. This photo was taken in the afternoon after I got back from my meeting so I am sure the tomatoes cooked down from the morning. With three burners on the stove cooking the tomatoes, I was glad it was a cool day.

Finally, here's John running the food mill. It's really quite a contraption. The cooked tomatoes go in the top skins, seeds and all. An auger device forces out the juice and pulp through a cylindrical screen on the side. The skins and seeds are then pushed out the end of the cylinder. It's all quite efficient and fun. All three kids took turns cranking the handle.

Sorry to miss getting photos of the canning process today, but I was in a meeting this afternoon as well. That's OK however, because I still get to enjoy the sauce for months to come.

First Anniversary!

September First was the first anni- versary of Little House in the Suburbs. Our very first post is here.

Sorry so slow to post and celebrate, but things have been quite busy with the new season of kid's activities, and lots of new business. So, I have no complaints whatsoever.

Except perhaps that we really didn't have a cake. Yes this is a clip art image "borrowed" from another blog. Looks good!

So, here's to another year of the Little House. In the coming weeks look for our annual trip to the Outer Banks as well as an update on the fall activities.

Janine's New Look

Last week Janine got her hair cut. Check out her great new look. Her hair was so long, the hairdresser cut off more than 10 inches. So Janine qualified to contribute that hair to Locks of Love. It's a charity that uses the hair to make wigs for kids who have lost theirs to cancer treatment. She got a free haircut to boot!

Still, look at her! Like her sister and brother, she is growing so fast!

Wilma's Party

Saturday evening we went to a graduation party for Wilma, one of the ballet ladies. She just received her Master's this summer and threw a big party to thank everyone for their support. Here she is doing just that.

It was great fun because the kids were invited too and had a great time. They got to run around the yard, drink soda and eat potato chips to their heart's delight.

Wilma and her husband Matt live in the neat old house in the lower photo. I love the stone used for the foundation. But like many other houses that age around here, there are stairs by the dozen. While it is a very interesting place, I would have a challenge living there because there is a Dairy Queen about 75 yards to the left...too much temptation.

The Best Part of VBS

The best part of Vacation Bible School this year at our church was the end of the last day. This year's theme was space secret agents, or something like that, so the kids were treated to a model rocket demonstration. (This is a late post. VBS was two weeks ago.)

Here's Wendy, this year's VBS director, sending one up. She did a great job pulling it all together, so I hope she got something more than just pushing the launch button.

The kids had a great time this year. Sarah was one of the bad guys in the daily skit now that she has officially moved out of VBS eligibility.

John was in a group of boys who all had a lot of fun. They were blessed to have a male leader who took the time to make special crafts that were more boy-oriented. What a great guy!

Janine never lacks for fun or friends, but this year she had a fever for two of the five days. Still she made up for it by getting everyone's phone numbers on Friday and set up play dates for the past two weeks.

Still, I was most impressed with the volunteers. I am very happy that John's leader was a man. Even more, this guy used some of his own vacation time to do it. One of the ladies at the check-in desk was kind enough to take the kids home on Tuesday when I had a new client kick-off meeting early that afternoon. (Bobbie did not return from her cousin's funeral in Philadelphia until later that day. ) Great folks all.

Backyard Buck

Look what I found on a memory stick the other day. Sarah took this photo a few weeks ago in our backyard. There's at least four points I see on that rack. Thankfully he's nowhere near all the yummy plants in the front yard choosing to hang out near our unmaintained apple trees instead.

(That's our bamboo in the background. If only the deer developed a taste for it. Sigh.)

New Section of Garden

It's time for a garden update. Here is the new section of the garden that Bobbie cleared last summer and planted with annuals. This summer she moved the lavender from one of the more shaded plots as well as other perennials. She left the peonies, Stella d'Oro daylilies and the yews in back next to the driveway.

Take a look at the area nearest the sidewalk for some dahlias. Then there's gladiolus in the back. This plot will become more interesting as the rest of the plants grow in.

That's basil along the stone border on the left. Originally Bobbie thought this would be a dedicated herb garden, but once she realized what a nice sunny plot it is, she changed her mind.

Oh, the ballet ladies are not having a garden tour this year. Too bad, this plot looks much better this year compared to last.