On the 22nd we went up to Dallas to babysit Everett as his parents were doing a wedding shoot downtown from about 3pm to 1am. As we were going by Buc-ees in Madisonville on the way from Bryan to Dallas we had to stop and get the little guy a new outfit. For those of you who don't frequent or know about the Buc-ee operation you need to go to YouTube/Buc-ees for the enlightenment.

Obviously the young man is doing quite well and he was a treat to babysit for the evening in his new togs ... which he will deny when he is 15 or so.





Leigh and Brooks are interviewing potential nannies for the occasional job and will select a candidate soon to sit during their weird and inconsistent working hours which are demanded by the wedding photog business.

While we were at their house we noticed the cardinal which routinely runs into the picture window ... I mean every ten minutes for several hours a day! Buster also noticed and in this picture was growling at the stupid bird.







And then Luka the cat got into the act and was literally nose to nose with the poor thing. There is a mirror film to the outside of the window so the bird cannot see in and must see a reflection that he must try to compete with and the cat is also very patient as he knows that the window prevents him from having this brainless bird for dinner.

On the 20th of January we took the Flying Scotsman over to the Camping World dealership in Katy, near Houston. We had several pages of warrantee items that needed to be fixed after the almost 8,000 miles of travel. It is hard to believe but we have had the FSII almost a year now. It took about three years for the FSI to get broken in and outfitted to our liking and we are now in the initial part of that process again.

Fortunately none of the work is major like the propane leaks last summer and just are a matter of making all the million parts fit and work as the builder said they should. As a combination of house and car this is an amazing piece of technology and we are constantly amazed how well 99% of the stuff works as advertised.

As of today we have heard nothing from Camping World and assume all is well with the re-fit process.

On the 14th, my cousin from Boston, Virginia, her daughter Jennifer and boys Graham and Andrew and friend Paul visited both us and my parents. Here they are working the iPhone to see the planned tourist excursions for the weekend.






On Saturday we went to the local Bryan museum of natural history and then over to the George Bush Library in College Station. Both were great for the kids and the Bush Library is especially a valuable piece of history and well presented for all ages ... a great experience.

Then on a rainy Sunday we went southeast to the Navasota area, more specifically Washington on the Brazos, to see the location of the first capitol of the independent nation of Texas. On March 2, 1836, a bunch of really dedicated and crazy guys decided to declare Independence from Mexico and hoped to go about their business.

On March 6, the battle of the Alamo proved that the Mexicans didn't like the proposal, and then a short time later Gen Houston defeated Santa Anna and the dream became reality.

At the Washington on the Brazos site there is a working farm, continuous from 1850, simulating life as it was then. The volunteers were exceptionally talented and knowledgeable. Here is Andrew (slicing with help), Graham, Paul (green jacket) and Jennifer watching how a wooden spoon was carved in 1850 from a piece of cedar.

Then the interpreters described how sausage was done at the time and what preservation methods were needed without refrigeration ... a real challenge in this place of 100+ 100 degree days in the summer!

After the wonderful history experience we needed some lunch and headed down to Chappell Hill and a great biker bar there. We were the only ones there and the kids ... OK all of us (Kerry and Richard too) ... had a super time at the pool table before the chili, Fritos, and Shiner Bock arrived.

I had to include this one below of the bike garage. This steel overhang can hold over 300 bikes and is the primary draw for this particular bar. In the summer with the heat averaging over 100 degrees, that hog you just got off and left in the sun, is now approaching 300 degrees when you come back out after the cool beer and really not a nice, cool, ride ... hence the roof.

After our touring and museum trips it was time to sit at the house and indoctrinate the non-knowing into the sport of Mexican Train dominoes. The Boston clan did quite well, especially with 11 year old Graham ensuring that all present knew the rules.

And then as all departed back to Boston, I gave the obligatory tour of the Flying Scotsman. Here are Graham and Andrew who said ... "Can we ride the slide as it is coming in?"

We had a great time with our cousin and kids (once or twice removed I'll never figure out) and hope to see them soon in the future.

OMG It Is 2011!!

My thoughts exactly as we bring in the new year and the new grandson Everett has said it all.

The new year is moving very fast and all is well in Bryan, Texas. We've had a super Fall and the the holiday season was extremely busy and very rewarding with the family.

Because I still think I am 20 and like to move 50 pound concrete blocks and also pretend that I am a moving van worker, I got a hernia. So here I am on the 3rd of Jan (Happy New Year) having my protruding parts re-tucked. Actually the headgear is quite fashionable don't you think?

Now post-recovery I am doing great and have a super excuse to say, "I'm sorry Jo-Anne I can't lift that 50 pound concrete block it's your turn .... think it'll work? Nah.





And in light of the raptor in the Capitol in the news lately, here is our latest friend that we are calling "Big Bird". This is a Cooper's Hawk and feeds off the juicy morcels that frequent our bird feeder ... yup, all he eats is birds and the last were a dove and a mockingbird. In this picture he is about 20 feet above the yard in a big oak tree ... look out Bandit ... nature in the back yard is awesome!

After the schnitzel, spaetzle, and rot kohl was destroyed and the Dornfelder wine was working we decided to attack the pile of stuff under the tree.

Because we had commented on Brooks' housekeeping skills, we got him a broom and here he is doing his best witch-type broom riding ... shoulda timed it for eight seconds, eh ... I think the broom won.

Then there's Pop with his new toy. He wanted an animated feature for the front of his door at the Manor and Richard provided the Rocker Snoopy. Here's Dad trying to explain to Buster why the stuffed animal is twitching and singing! I don't think Buster was impressed.

And a really nice shot of Pop with Snoopy.

Then we gave Mom and Dad an electronic picture frame with about 100 pictures of family and their history ... a really emotional event.







Then Brooks and Everett cruised off for a long winter's nap to close out 2010 ...

And ol' Buster, likewise, with his comment on 2010 ... life is good and we are happy!

A wonderful Christmas for all and a really fun year!

We laid out the table for the Christmas Day evening event ... OK Jo-Anne did. We didn't get a lot of pictures of the the dinner as Bruce was busy slapping schnitzel on the skillet but the event was a success.





As we said the event was entirely German, with Stille Nacht playing on the stereo and the pyramide sort of functioning. Here's Bruce giving a lesson in physics on how the pyramide should work once the candles are lit.

With a bit of prodding and some more fire the thing finally moved ... only the wise men and sheep went backwards ... maybe a comment on the year past to the one to come, eh?

The dinner as planned with schnitzel and spaetzle (ate for three days later) came off as expected and we retired to the living room for the gifts.