Helicopter

The new helicopter made it's first flight a couple of days ago.

See the exciting video here.

Hummus

Several months ago, I bought a little bag of chickpeas. They sat around in the cupboard, until Mimi got tired of seeing them and cooked them up. They tasted pretty bland, so we decided to make them into hummus. Neither of us knew (or cared) much about hummus, except we were pretty sure you make it from chickpeas. Joy of Cooking to the rescue!

So here is my breakfast the next morning: hummus on baguette rounds with orange juice.

I'm feeling very Mediterranean.

Uh, Duh, Troi...

We are back in Clemson, so there are some blog posts coming. Soon.

But first, this new exercise video just came out. Everyone get your toddler pre-schooler and baby, and let's get started!

We Got Daffodils, Too!

Jessica's post about their new place reminded me we took some photos of our own daffodils last night. These are the ones we tried to get rid of a couple of years ago.

I wonder if US and UK daffodils communicate with each other about when Spring is about to arrive?

Happy Birthday

We seem to have managed a real Birthday this year. That's rare.
There were actual presents, on the actual day:
Next day, there was an actual (small) party.
And fun with grandbabies.
And an elegant outfit that came via England.
According to reports, it was a "good birthday".
Yay!

Boyz Camp - Leaves

John decided to help out by sweeping up some of the leaves that had gathered in the driveway.He did an excellent job, and felt good about it!
In the process, he found a very large and interesting leaf. It was very strong and flexible, like thick paper.
Later that day, Julie and Tony returned, and we headed home.

Boyz Camp - The Great Power Outage

One night, as we were reading bedtime stories, we had a nice little ice storm and the power went off. It was pretty cold, and very dark, so we decided to camp out in the den in front of the fireplace.
John snuggled up with his Moose in his sleeping bag on the futon.
Mimi and Pa stretched out on the futon mattress, and Christopher was somewhere in the pile of blankets on the recliner.
The power was back on by the time some of us woke up in the morning.
(click on the photo to see Christopher's face better...)

Boyz Camp

Just in case anyone wondered if Christopher was getting enough to eat ...

Boyz Camp John Michael

John got busy playing with his collection of "Cars" cars. This one has interchangeable parts.
While Christopher took a nap, John developed an Olympic style track using diaper packages.
And he put them away when he was finished. John is a great helper.
Later, we made a portrait of John and Christopher. John got in front.
It was the funniest thing ever!
John went to a birthday party for one of the kids in his preschool. He posed for a picture before he left.

Boyz Camp Christopher

Once the parents were gone and Christopher thought about it a little...
He felt much better!
And even better after his bath.

Boyz Camp

We headed to SC from New Braunfels, after visiting Greatgrandad in the hospital. The route took us through Houston, so to honor old food memories, we had to stop for lunch at...
They offer every kind of fine hot dog imaginable. We chose "Chicago" and "Standard".
Here's a Satisfied Customer on his way out.
When we arrived at our destination, we found that Christopher has already started growing up! He has a very sweet smile. This is not his smile.
The next day, J & T headed off for their weekend by the sea. (Actually, a work weekend - but at least it is by the sea.)
Will Pa and Mimi survive? Will John and Christopher prevail?
Stay tuned.

Parades, Puppet Shows and Puzzles

Naomi and Danielle came to visit. We started off with a parade.
Danielle slept thorough the parade.
But she woke up later to be very cute.
Later, we had a puppet show.
Lastly, Naomi and Mimi did puzzles.

Does this mean we've been eating out too much?

... And New Days

Here is the new Senior Citizens place Great Grandad is planning to move to.

This is the main entrance lobby.This is the hallway outside the room.
This is inside, looking out into the hallway.This is the kitchenette area.
Looking into the apartment from the entry door.
The window looks out onto the courtyard.
There is a closet next to the courtyard door.
It has a bathroom.
The view from the courtyard.
The main lobby area viewed from the courtyard.
The other end of the courtyard.
This is a sitting area in one of the hallways.
This is a medieval torture machine in the dungeon. (No, actually, it is a step-in bath tub.)
The main dining area.
The Ice Cream parlor.
The screened porch next to the Ice Cream parlor.
This is the visitors area next to the main lobby. There are computers to occupy teenagers during visits.
This is the lobby of the Memory Care Unit.