Seemed like a good idea at the time

 

The Boy

I just got a text message:

[The] Boy found [his] pocket knife... and slashed his thumb. Waiting to have it looked at. Don't freak out, he'll be fine.

Status update: He's getting 3 stitches.

Yosemite

Last weekend, we took the kids to experience snow for the first time. RCP booked a "cabin" in Curry Village (with heater!), and I scoured the South Bay to find snow chains that fit the Hyundai. We got in the car on Saturday morning, put in an audio book of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and off we went. We had some good burgers in Mariposa, and reached Yosemite mid-afternoon.

We lugged our bags to the cabin, and put on our "snow clothes." We ran around in the snow and threw a few snowballs. We took the shuttle around the park, visited the Ahwanee, and eventually had dinner near the Yosemite Lodge. Unfortunately, sometime on the excursion, my wedding ring fell off, and disappeared. (DAMNIT! -- That was the new one!)

Since our cabin had no bathroom, we were disappointed when SKGP had to go in the middle of the night. All in all, it was a pretty restless sleep, but not too bad.

The next morning, we suited up, got some hot coco and breakfast, and played in the snow. We made a snowman, we had a snowball fight, we made snow angels, and we admired the incredible beauty all around. Yosemite in white is amazing.

Then we packed up and drove home with little trouble. We had lunch in downtown Merced.

I was very nervous about driving in snow, since I have no experience with it. And I wasn't certain I could figure out how to put on the chains if I needed to. Luckily, apart from the lake that formed in the parking lot, there were no troubles with driving, and I didn't have to deal with the chains. It appears that I broke a thermometer in the car, since it now says the temperature is 140 degrees outside.

Pictures of our expedition are available.

Year of the Rat

We got a rat. She's cute.

We're looking for a name; your suggestions are welcome.

Chance of a lifetime

From an auction booklet...

San Francisco Bay. 2.2 acres. OWN A PIECE OF THE BAY! This underwater parcel consists of 20 lots just off the coast in San Francisco Bay! The property is located near Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and Candlestick Park. The property is approximately 100 feet from the shoreline. This historic area is being redeveloped into possible new sports venue, retails space and housing units. They bay area provides many opportunities for recreational activities such as boating, water sports, and private fishing. The possibilities are endless. Contract County Planning for permitted uses and bid accordingly. This property lacks road access.

Starting bid $500.

JEP, Mechanic

I successfully changed the windshield wipers on the van this morning.

We bought the blades at Costco yesterday, so I think this job saved us a bunch of money. It was harder than you'd think -- I had to try to figure out the geometry of the slots and tabs. The internet saved me (again).

Pineapple Rings

The other night at dinner, we had pineapple rings as our side vegetable(?). When EJP opened the can, he remembered about eating pineapple rings at the hotel. Pineapple rings were often the best thing available for dinner.

That was 3 years ago, making EJP 1.5 at the time. That's a pretty impressive memory.