Another Day at the Lake

We were able to spend another afternoon out at the lake, relaxing.  This time Himbeere and his friend went with us.  He volunteered to load the kayaks in his truck; much easier than hooking up the trailer and using it. 

We got out there and put some burgers on to grill - the kids hit the water almost as soon as we got there, especially since lunch had to cook a bit before it was ready.

We found a shady table and got the grills going.  We used the one there at the park but we also brought our own little portable grill.  It does quite nicely. Having two grills going got lunch ready all the quicker.

It was a near perfect day for playing at the park, nice temperature, slight breeze, overcast sky.  Everything an August day can offer.  There were a few others around but not so many that we couldn't keep adequately distanced.  I guess that's something we have to watch now days.

So we chatted while the burgers cooked and pretty soon it was all ready to eat.  The younger kids had worked up enough of an appetite that they were willing to get out of the water to eat.

Good food, good times.

We took our Bocce Ball game and, after lunch, those that didn't head back to the water played some Bocce Ball.

First you throw out a little while ball and then everyone tosses their balls to see who can get closest to the white ball.  Some interesting strategies going on. 

It was pretty fun. 

Blaubeere brought her dutch oven and made a cobbler in the grill, among the coals.

She said it was the first time she had actually made it herself.  I thought it turned out really good, really yummy.

Then it was everyone in the water.

A great way to cool off.

Pretty soon the kayaks were in the water, too.  That sometimes includes some shenanigans, but everybody was having fun.

Wet times, good items.

Himbeere's friend had never been in a kayak before.  She didn't do too bad at all, didn't capsize or anything like that.

It all made for a very nice afternoon.  We might have to make this a habit. 

Another Fun Time

This crazy pandemic that's been going on all spring has limited our ability to get around and visit as much as we'd have liked to.  Early in the year we'd had plans to go visit Erdbeere but then everything in both our states shut down and that was off the table.  But through perseverance, we were able to still put together a time to meet up for some fun on the bikes as things began to ease up and travel became a little more doable.  And so the day arrived and we loaded up the bikes for some fun times!

We met at a parking area along the Peace Trail in Janesville.  The Peace Trail is about 6.5 miles of paved trail, much of which runs along the Rock River, which comes into town from the south.  We were not planing on doing the whole trail, just part of it. So we all held still for a picture before hitting the trail and then we were off!

This was a nice little trail, lots of shade and some nice spaces along the way.

There was a butterfly garden we stopped at, lots of butterflies hanging about.

Plenty of other flowers along the way.

Cruising in style!

I like bridges, I think they make for fun pictures.  Plus, they're often fun to go over, especially when they're rumbly. Alas, none of the bridges we crossed on this trip were noisy.  But they're still fun.

It was a fun ride.

The "turn-around point" on this ride was a playground.  It had looked promising when I had been scoping out the ride.

It did not disappoint.  So we had some lunch and then the boys got to the best part - exploring and playing.

The one thing that seemed to be the biggest hit was the roller slide.  The kids spent a lot of time on it.

They each went down it plenty of times.

Then they had to try going up.  After all, every kid finds delight in climbing up a slide!

Roller slides, however, are pretty tough to get up.

Even the grownups had to give it a try.  Its a whole different feel.

Eventually, it was time to go.  The hill we had all struggled to get up after we turned away from the river was a lot of fun going back down.  The ride back always goes quicker than the ride out.  I've always figured its because it was new and inexperienced on the way out but more familiar going back.  In any case, it was a fun end to a real fun afternoon.  It was so very nice to get out and have fun with these folks we had been unable to see for a while.

A Little Hung Up

The other day the kids were outside playing while lunch was getting ready.  When I called them in for lunch they were all over by the fence.  After a minute they were still there, they hadn't made a move to come in so I called them again.  It was then that it became apparent that there was something out of the ordinary going on.  One of them was stuck.

It was one of those "I told you so" moments we're often presented with.  This young man had been climbing on the small woodpile by the fence and had somehow managed to snag his shirt on the fence.  Sure enough, he was stuck.  So as I rescued him I had the opportunity to point out to him that this was one of the reasons we tell them not to climb on the woodpile or the fence.  Fortunately, no lasting damage was done to him or his shirt.  Ah, well.  Live and learn.

The End of an Era

This has been eventful year, at work and life in general.  But today we're going to focus on events at work.  A little over a year ago I moved into a new building that my company had built.   That came with some adjustment, but for the most part was working quite well.  Then there was a pandemic.  My company decided that as many people as possible should start working from home and suddenly, I had moved my workstation from the brand new office building to my basement.  At that time, we had no idea how long that was going to last.  As it turned out, the pandemic has lasted for months and is not over yet.

When the pandemic began I was several months away from retirement.  As it continued I began to wonder if it would last so long that I would end up retiring from home. And that is how it turned out.  So, after all these years, the day arrived.  Just like when I moved to work from home, I packed up my stuff and got ready to haul it back to the office.

All I really had brought home was my computer desk set-up and my chair.  So packing didn't take very long.

Then I hauled it up the stairs and loaded it up into the car.  I drove to work and took everything in.  Then it was time to clean out all the stuff I had left at the office.

The part I miscalculated on was packing up all my stuff at work.  After having just moved a year before, I had already reduced what I had at my desk by quite a bit.  But there was still more than I remembered.  After moving into the new building I had thought I would gradually bring stuff home as the final day approached but the pandemic kind of changed that.  So, as it turned out, I had thought I would just stick everything in the tub I had used to bring my computer and monitor in but it didn't hold it all.  It was close, but about a third of the space I needed short.  Fortunately, in the back of one of my drawers I had a bunch of plastic grocery bags.  So I filled two of them and that took care of it.

Then it was time to walk out of the building for the last time.  That felt weird.  My boss had met me there and helped me with it all, along with collecting the stuff I brought back and my security pass. 

It was kind of bittersweet but I made it.  I took myself down the road to my favorite ice cream place and consoled myself with some ice cream.  Not an entirely bad way to end a career.

Almost ...

We had a visit this evening from a future acrobat.  Schwartzbeere's youngest.  She was showing off her moves.

Right now she's working on her somersault.  She's got the beginning down pretty good.

The middle part is coming along nicely.

Alas, that's as far as she goes right now.  Maybe, after a little more work, she'll make it on over.  But for now, it's just cuteness.  Is more really needed?

A Day at the Lake

The other day Blaubeere called about getting together - we decided to get together at one of the near by lakes. 

So we each brought some stuff and got together for a picnic.  We picked out a picnic table and got all our stuff out.

Lunch was nice, even if some of the kids were a bit impatient to get lunch over and get in the water.

Soon enough, though, everyone was done eating and on to getting ready to getting into the water.

Some may have rushed things a bit.  What can you say?

The rest of the time was spent splashing about like fish and having a good time.  Kids and water - they never get tired of it.

It was a perfect day, not too hot, not too cool, not too windy, a good time to play and relax.

After a while we got the kayaks out and everybody that wanted got out on the water, paddling around to their heart's content.

After time out on the kayaks, everyone was happy enough to get back in the water and play.

We were there probably around four or five hours before it was finally time to be heading home.  But it was a good time, plenty of time to enjoy each other's company, play, and relax at the lake.  It was a good time, especially during this spring and summer where the stupid pandemic and kept us all in doors, and away from everyone else.  Sometimes its amazing how much you come to miss the simple little act of being out and about.  It was a good time.

Back Together

Last March, as a pandemic swept the earth, the church curtailed all public meetings and we truly became a "home centered, church supported" church.  Church meetings stopped, temples closed, missionaries came home; in many ways it was almost a complete shut down of all public church work.  Since then, each week, Brombeere and I, along with whoever else was here and wanted, have been having the sacrament and a brief service in our home.  Most of the time, the brief service was actually more a gospel centered discussion, more a Sunday School than a Sacrament Meeting.  There have been some nice things about it and we've enjoyed it.  Then, in May, the First Presidency announced the plans to resume meetings.  Each Area Presidency,  working with the Quorum of the Twelve and local Stake Presidencies, was to work out the resumption of meetings in a phased approach, phase one being just a short sacrament meeting for those comfortable with attending.  Wards and branches were to work with their stake leaders to make a plan, get it approved, and pick a date to resume.  Our stake president is a doctor, which I personally found reassuring, so our ward did not rush into resuming meetings.  Our Ward Council discussed it extensively and the Bishopric finally submitted their plan to the stake.  And the stake approved it.

So, with approval, all kinds of preparations took place; additional cleaning supplies was acquired, furniture was rearranged, and a "dry run" sacrament meeting was held with just the families of those on the Ward Council, to try our plan out.  A few little tweaks were made and information was sent out to ward members, and today was the first "regular" sacrament meeting our ward has held since March. 

It was a phase one meeting so it was shorter than the full hour.  There were lots of little things that were different to try to make it as safe as possible, given what we know about Covid-19 at present.  But it went well, attendance was about 60-70% of what it normally was before all the craziness.  It was nice to meet together again, nice to see a little bit of normalcy creeping back into life.  As so much of life has become so warped and distorted by this pandemic, it was nice to get back to something that we used to take for granted.  Slowly and cautiously, I'm looking forward to when things are more normal, even if that takes a few more months.

But Really ...

This guy acts all rough and gruff most of the time.  But really, there may be a soft spot in there somewhere.

Just noticing. 

Commonplace Book

A collection of thoughts, ideas, anecdotes, poems, observations, and quotes that stood out and caught my attention, some with comment, some without. Essentially a scrapbook, a repository of thoughts too good to just pass over and let go.

"If you never risk to lose

You may never get to win

If you never venture out

You will see nothing."

(Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Doors)

"If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?”

(Often attributed to T. S. Eliot)

"Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one."

(Marcus Aurelius, 121-180. Roman emperor and philosopher)

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."

(John F Kenney (1917-1963), Address on the first anniversary of the Alliance for Peace, March 13, 1962)