A Small Something

Rachel and I enjoyed watching a Great Blue Heron through the binoculars on the far side of our neighbor’s pond yesterday afternoon for about twenty minutes before it flew to the north. It looked like it landed near some water about three blocks to the north. This is the fourth spring I’ve lived in this house, and haven’t seen a Great Blue Heron until now, so I was excited.

Yesterday morning we drove around the Provo Airport dike road looking for some Tundra Swans that had been seen there the previous day. We didn’t find them there. We did see an interesting sight though. Ice from the lake had been pushed up onto and above the dike road. Big slabs of ice, ten inches thick were piled very high (maybe 30 or 40 feet above the lake). Some combination of waves and wind had obviously been at work. I was impressed with the force that must have been necessary to create that mountain of ice.

Alright! Jonathan took the grand prize at his school and also advanced past the regional science fair. He’s on to the big one at BYU next month. Congratulations, Jonathan!

Work has been very busy lately. I’m trying to do three projects at once. All of them have people urgently clamoring for results. Pretty hectic.

I’ve been working with Jonathan on a science fair project since November. It’s finally done. If you get a chance, ask Jonathan to tell you about estimating travel time for a rescue helicopter and about mapping flight paths in Google Earth. He also learned quite a bit about the Global Positioning System (GPS) and about how latitude and longitude coordinates can be used to identify any point on the Earth. I helped him to write a program in Java for his project.
Jonathan also went on a winter campout last weekend. He managed to survive it, and even seems to have enjoyed it.

Jonathan, David, Rachel and I went to see the Salt Lake Symphony on Saturday. We had a great time. Good excuse to get out of the house. Only snowed a little. It was a the Libby Gardner Hall next to Kingsbury Hall on the University of Utah campus. Rachel and the boys had never been to the U of U campus. Jonathan has a bit of a Cougar bias, so it was good to show him that the enemy’s lair isn’t so terrible after all.

I’ve found a plugin for WordPress that I’ve wanted for quite a while. It keeps track of the movies I’ve seen and lists the four most recent in the sidebar, along with the ratings I gave. So, come back from time to time to see what I’ve been watching.

My sister, Lisa, and her husband, Scott, had their second child on Monday. Welcome, Theo! You and your sister are both very cute kids.

We got THREE new recliners for our TV room. Actually, two of them come together as a love seat. They’re comfy, and since I recently hooked up the icemaker on our freezer my favorite thing now is leaning back and enjoying an icy drink. Heaven.

Rachel and I went to see Death Cab for Cutie last night. They’re a talented bunch of kids, so I changed their band name a little. I hope they don’t mind.

Seriously, I’m one of their newest fans now. Good stuff. We had a good time.

The hummingbirds have discovered our feeder. We’ve seen a few before, but they’re regulars now. I’ve noticed at least three black-throated hummingbirds–two males and one female. The pictures I’ve taken have been of the female. It’s pretty cool becuase the feeder is right outside the kitchen window and when you sit next to it you can see the hummingbirds only about two feet away.

The kids and Rachel and I took a nice trip to California. Check out the photos. We stopped in Reno to visit Lillian, Emily, and William. Lillian went with us to see Monster House, which is pretty good. Sarah went with Lillian and Rachel to dinner while the boys and I checked into Circus Circus. We saw a fireworks display from our window that night.

The next day we went to Marine World. We had a pretty good time, but couldn’t enjoy it fully because it was SO hot. About 108° F when we left. As we drove about 40 minutes to Berkeley, it cooled down to 73° F. Lisa says that’s what they pay the big bucks for. We had a nice visit with Lisa, Scott, Stella, Chris, and Dean. Chris went with us Monday morning to San Francisco where we spent time at Pier 39, Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, and Ghirardelli Square.

Tuesday we left one bay to go to another. We had a lot of fun at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, then drove around Monterey Bay to our hotel which was right on the beach. The next day we went to the aquarium, of course, and played in the ocean. Thursday we drove across the state and through Yosemite. Friday we spent a little time in Virginia City. We woke up early Saturday morning to drive home.

Talked Sarah into going bowling with me and Rachel and David today. That’s a bit unusual but she didn’t want to bowl so I gave her the camera and she took pictures. She wouldn’t let anyone take her picture though, which is a shame because she’s going to have a big hole in her photographic history. Anyway, she took some fun ones that are online now. Click on the picture below to see the album.

Rachel and I went to see Church Ball at the dollar theater tonight. It wasn’t a great movie but we laughed a few times. One of the more interesting parts, to me at least, was when they showed a few interior shots of a house. On the wall there was a picture of butterflies on some flowers, made using some sort of cross-stitch technique. I immediately recognized it, because I have the same picture that I was told my Grandma Trottier made. My first thought was, “How interesting. Whoever made that must have been in the same homemaking meeting my grandmother was in.” But then I had another thought. “Hmm. I know I haven’t hung that yet since I moved. I wonder if somehow it made it into one of the Deseret Industries piles and they ended up buying my grandmother’s creation at the DI!”

Needless to say, when we got home I did a quick search. I was glad when I found it because that means I’m not a bad grandson after all. I immediately hung it in Sarah’s room. She’ll probably not be thrilled, but maybe the story and knowing her great-grandmother made it will soften it a little.

The Arts Festival was fun. We listened to some jazz rock fusion played by some guys who called themselves Desecration of the Johnny People, and a guy who did really funny (and good) impersonations. He has Adam Sandler and Bill Cosby down pat.

The art was fun to look at too. Of course, it would be more fun if I had some money to buy some of it with, but it was worth looking anyway.

The Vegas trip was a blast. We did end up going to see Mamma Mia, which was excellent. There was also a Rubens exhibit at the Venetian that was cool to see.

Rachel and I, and in some cases the kids as well, are looking forward to a number of activities this summer. Rachel and I are leaving tomorrow morning for a trip to Las Vegas. We’ll stay in the Monte Carlo, hang out at the pools, maybe play some poker, and see a show. I’m going to try to get tickets to Mamma Mia.

The following weekend is the Utah Arts Festival. I don’t think I’ve been to it since I was a kid, but I’m looking forward to going this year. We’ll see if we can talk the kids into going with us on Saturday, and if not, Rachel and I will go on Sunday.

The last week in July we’re going to Northern California. We’ll spend a night in Reno, then on to Marine World and then San Francisco where Lisa and Stella will spend a day with us. We’ll go to Santa Cruz and Monterery and Yosemite then Virginia City and Reno again. It’s basically an eight day fly-by of most of those places, with a lot of time spent in the car, but it should be nice.

The week after we get back, Allison and Sarah go to the Shakespearian Festival in Cedar City while Jonathan and David stay with me and Rachel. Then the following week, Rachel and I are going to see Death Cab for Cutie in concert.

Sounds pretty lively, huh?

Rachel and I went to Salt Lake today and saw the IMAX movie, Deep Sea. It was a 3D movie. Usually I think that 3D is gimicky, but in this case it really added to the movie and was well done. Beautiful shots of sea life. I really enjoyed it.

After the movie we went to Tracy Aviary, which is always a treat. Spent some time watching a Great-horned Owl, a Sandhill Crane, Burrowing Owls, and others. There were some peacocks with amazing displays, and an Andean Condor who was also showing off his wingspan. Many beautiful ducks and waterfowl.

After that we went to Trolley Square and had a nice dinner at Rodizio Grill.

Last night Jonathan, David, Rachel, and I went to see Over The Hedge. It’s a pretty cute family film. We all had a good time although it cost the four of us over $45 after you factor in soda and popcorn. Still, every evening I can spend with my kids is a nice evening.

Sarah seems to be having a great time in Guatemala. She is answering email there whenever she can make it to an internet cafe, so drop her a line.

In my last post I mentioned I’m considering a digital SLR camera and a zoom or telephoto lens. After reviewing what money can buy and how useful it is for nature photography, I’ve revised my wishlist to a regular point-and-shoot digital camera (probably something in the Nikon Coolpix line) and a good spotting scope. People who have both are now routinely coupling them using mounting sleaves or brackets to take pretty stunning pictures for much less money than a similar DSLR setup. It’s called digiscoping. Although it will still be expensive, I’m planning on buying the necessary components over time. It’s something I know I’d enjoy for the rest of my life.

Tuesday I identified two of the wading birds we’ve seen this spring over in the farmer’s pond. One is a Snowy Egret, and the other is a Black-necked Stilt. Birds have cool names.

Last weekend Jonathan, David, and I went to a Father and Sons Outing™ at the Heber Camp™ owned by The Church™. We survived and possibly even had some fun. I spent some time talking with my friend Mark who, sadly, lost his wife in an automobile accident a couple years ago. He and his children seem to be doing quite well in spite of what life has thrown at them.

The next morning Jonathan, David and I had some fun with a frisbee and had breakfast before heading back to the valley. That evening, Rachel and I met my Dad and Leslie in Salt Lake for dinner.

Thusday I went with Jonathan to an overnight camp for the sixth grade at Maple Dell. We went canoeing and did some other activities. Friday David and I went to Take Your Son To Work Day at Novell. Sarah left Friday morning for a trip to Guatamala with her school group. One of the teachers on the trip is keeping a travel blog here.

Jonathan and David spent the weekend with me and Rachel. We started making a model rocket that we’re going to launch in a couple of weeks. We also had a nice time at a restaurant last night.

On the health front, Rachel fell down at work a couple of days ago and got scraped and bruised pretty good. My back has been hurting quite a bit this month–symptoms of the car accident in December. I’ve been to the doctor a couple of times, and got some X-rays. The last couple of days the pain has been in my neck. I’m hoping the flare-ups are a sign that it’s healing. Now that the weather is nice, I’ve been walking around the neighborhood more in the evenings.

Rachel and I have really enjoyed seeing all of the wildlife in the wetland area behind our home this spring. We have consistently viewed muskrats, pheasants, a crane, killdeer, and of course ducks and ducklings as well as a lot of other birds I haven’t identified. Seeing all of those birds has sparked an interest in birding. I just ordered a couple of field guide bird books and am contemplating getting a good digital SLR camera with a zoom lens so I can capture some of the birds I see.

Yesterday when I came home from my walk I noticed that our cat Haji had brought a snake into the house. The snake had gone under a rug, and Haji was pouncing and playing with it. Rachel, who is apparently the bravest of the two of us, captured the snake in a towel and took it back outside. What a gal!

I’ve been at Novell’s BrainShare conference all week, and last night the food consisted of some interesting but very delicious sausages.