Bike Shopping In Bristol

A discussion about renting or buying bicycles led to Mimi and Pa making a trip into Bristol to check out bikes.

The first place we went was The Bristol Bike Project, which turned out to be not so great. But on the way back from there, we spotted this shop.

This looks like a nice one!

Be careful where you park.

We did a little shopping at a department store, then had them hold the stuff while we visited another bike shop down the road. On the way back, we encountered a traffic jam. Apparently, there was a bomb hoax near a theater a few blocks up the road. The main road became a pedestrian walkway!

Going up the escalator in the store, we had a nice view of a real pedestrian mall across the road.

A couple of days later, we journeyed to Clarks Village, a large outlet center type of shopping mall. Ada got her first lesson on Shopping In The Gap Store.

She also got to do some flying in the store.

Ada is always happy to see Mommy coming after waiting.

There were lots of beautiful hanging baskets of flowers.

Mark's Gig

On Monday night, Mark met up with several of his musical friends for a gig at The Riflemans Arms in Glastonbury. At one point during the evening, Mark decided to cut loose with his whistle. His tune received cheers and applause from the otherwise politely reserved crowd.

Sunday Roast And More Ada

On Sunday we were treated to a traditional Sunday Roast at the Burtle Inn (photo courtesy of Google.)

Ada really enjoyed getting to eat with Grammie Kate.

It was a beautiful sunny day - everyone was squinting. Mark and Pa rode over on Mark's motorcycle.

Ada is learning how to eat on the couch - a family tradition.

Ada tried on a hat.

She is crawling all over the place now.

This is the way Daddy showed me to do an E-flat.

Playing with Mimi.

Mark and Ada

Ada loves playing with Grammie Kate.

She seems to be mechanically inclined.

Mommy does the funniest things, sometimes!

Ada is developing a love for all things electronic.

She is learning about basket rides...

... and eating.

She loves Grammie Mimi, too!

We walk to town a lot.

Trip to England

Here's the plane that brought us to London.

Here are the people in the plane (it was unusually un-full.)

Here's the coach that brought us to Bristol.

Here's the reason we came!

Naomi's Birthday

Naomi is 6!
We got to celebrate with her a day early.
We began by organizing the day's okra crop by size.

 Next up was the traditional Treasure Hunt!
Under the baby bed...

 In Mimi's office...

 Behind the sofa...

 In the dryer...

 In the kitchen cabinet...

 And finally, in the oven...

 One of the best surprises were the books Aunt Jessica and Uncle Mark sent.

 For Danielle, too!

 Lighting the traditional Birthday Number Candle was exciting, as usual.

 Mimi had prepared an impressive array of goodies!

 Danielle chilled out with Veggie Tales...

... while Naomi posed for the traditional portrait, with her Chocolate Candy Kit.

Congratulations, Naomi! We look forward to many more celebrations!

Grandad's 91st Birthday

Check out his birthday celebration


Also, Aunt Margaret's visit

Bounce!...bounce!...bounce!

While at Hornucopia 2012, Mark did some classy bouncing for Ada's entertainment. Kind of a take on Tigger.

Naturally, Ada loved it!!

I Saw A Pair of Anhingas Soaring

A couple of weeks ago, when we were at UT Southwestern Medical Center for an appointment with Dr. Lee, while looking out the 6th floor window I noticed a pair of birds soaring on thermals. They had a very striking silhoutte: very long thin neck, long narrow wings with a very straight leading edge, and a wide trianglular tail.I had never seen birds shaped like this, so I made a quick sketch.

After a bit of searching, I found this image which matches my sketch quite nicely.

It is an Anhinga, aka "snake bird" or "water turkey". They are native to the southern coastal areas of the US, and most of South America. It is a fishing bird which is very good at swimming underwater because its feathers are not oily like most water birds. This allows its feathers to get wet, which reduces its buoyancy and lets it stay submerged to catch fish and amphibians more easily.

Of course, this means that it must sit with wings outstretched to dry its feathers out before it can fly!

I love soaring birds!

Hornucopia 2012 - The Photo

The time came for the Official Hornucopia Family Lifetime Opportunity Photo (OHFLOP). We began gathering in the designated area, while Jessica marked out the logo in the sand.

Once again, Jeff expertly orchestrated the session.

Because of the camera mount location versus the target area, Jeff had to make a supreme effort to get into the picture within the 10 second timer.

Almost made it!

One more try...

Success!! Here's the official photo.

Thank you, everybody... and especially Jeff!