Tent testing

August 11, 2020 by Adam in Family

Joanna had some excitement on her camping trip a couple days ago. Last night she decided to go through all the tents and it turns out this weird one was the best. We set it up in our driveway and waved at people walking by.

Kayaking and Cat Wrangling

August 10, 2020 by Adam in Family

I snuck out of work Friday afternoon and Joanna and I went on kayaking adventures on the millrace behind Autzen stadium.  It was a little hot and sunny, but it was a beautiful day and Joanna was in good spirits, chasing Canada geese and generally being amused.  I scooped up Emma after our return, who promptly made dinner for us.

I managed to chat with all our scattered children in some fashion, though with Duncan it was text messages about our cats.  Joanna and I managed some pruning, and everyone helped contribute towards putting up a stairwell railing.  Emma built a little kitty house for Data out of cardboard boxes, which was well received.  Joanna cut my hair, having become quite the expert at this point.  Emma and I watched all the Firefly shows and movies.  Joanna made lots of jam and entertained the neighborhood cat.  It was a pretty good weekend, all-in-all.

Mocha Friday

August 07, 2020 by Adam in Family

Life is always this zesty blend of good and bad.  I was tossing and turning last night, thinking about a mysterious work problem.  Why my brain can't schedule thinking times at a reasonable hour, I have no idea.  Joanna and I had a pleasant evening of eating Cornbread Cafe takeout on the patio, finishing our puzzle, playing with kitties, chatting with Ben, and watching Netflix until bedtime.

It was nice seeing Robbie and Hanni this week - I stopped by mom's on Wednesday to visit.  The main floor bathroom is wrapping up nicely, with Joanna ordering some new mats and shower curtain stuff.  Hopefully Joanna and I can sneak away this afternoon to do a little kayaking.  Emma comes over this afternoon and we'll finish up watching Firefly this weekend.

And my mocha is sitting next to me, waiting for me to drink it.  So that's a plus.

Belated Birthday Goodies

August 04, 2020 by Adam in Family

Dad came over for dinner last night, bringing belated presents along with him.  I now have a little 3D printed baby Yoda and a set of power armor from Fallout.  It makes for some interesting conversation pieces.

Joanna and I have been working really hard on painting the main floor.  I think we'll have most of it done tonight.  It's exciting to see everything come together.

Quiet Weekend

August 03, 2020 by Adam in Family

After endless painting, Emma came over for a fun hangout weekend.  We watched Community and Firefly, played the Arkham Horror card game and successfully defeated the monster, and played assorted video games and chatted.  Joanna was pretty amazing continuing the painting of the main floor.  I think we'll finish it up this week.  We're down to the walls, which should go fast, and putting back all the hardware we unscrewed.

Dad came over for dinner tonight, which hasn't happened in a long while.  It was a treat to talk about SpaceX, the pandemic, and all sorts of other topics.  We ate out on the patio until the sun set.  Joanna got to make grown-up food that the kids don't like - scallops, beans, salmon, and tofu for me.

Work's coming along well, though I keep getting work assigned to me.  Such is the price of being productive.

Oh, poopity poop

August 02, 2020 by Sue in Wielesek

Oh, poopity poop. I wrote a long blog post and couldn't post it.

Painted Mocha Friday

July 31, 2020 by Adam in Family

I'm sore and covered with spatters of primer after painting every evening since we returned home.  Joanna's been my partner in home improvement.  Apparently when the kids are away our default state is to tackle all the house projects we've let pile up.

Our upstairs bathroom is looking new and shiny, from the new walls, new door stops, and new toilet seats.  Yesterday we started on the main floor bathroom, scrubbing mold off the walls, taking out all the kids' stuff, and removing hardware.  Last night I listened to Isaac Arthur talk about cool space stuff on YouTube while covering myself and occasionally the ceiling and walls with primer.

Joanna's been working hard too, cleaning up the garage, taking in things to donate, replacing various broken things, and so on.  We're both sore in funny places, and our house is a half-finished mess, but it feels good to finally get around to these things.

Washington Adventures

July 28, 2020 by Adam in Family

We're wrapping up our brief visit to Washington, soon packing the car and going to a park for a picnic. Yesterday was very low-key and pleasant. We hiked around a lake and hung out at Pothole Falls. When the day grew too hot, we played Codenames Duet, a cooperative card game for two, read, napped, made dinner, and wrapped up the day with a weird Netflix movie about generically engineered pigs.

We'll be home soon, where house projects and work await. Duncan had settled into his dad's house in New York. We chatted with the other kids via phone and text. They don't feel too far away.

Cabin in the Woods

July 27, 2020 by Adam in Family

We're in our little log cabin, having a short break after getting Duncan to the airport last night. It was pretty empty and he got the entire row of seats to himself on the plane to JFK. Last we checked her was over halfway to Rochester after Kevin picked him up. It's strange to think that our children are scattered across Oregon, California, Texas and New York whole we're in Washington.

We're off to a hike before temperatures get in the upper nineties. Fortunately our cabin's air conditioning is great.

Drive In Theater

July 25, 2020 by Adam in Family

Emma and I went to the fairgrounds last night to watch School of Rock. We opened the back of the Subaru where we'd put down sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows. After watching the sponsor's soundless wastewater treatment video ten times, we watched the movie along with the hundreds of others in the fairground parking lot.