Holloween 2009

The little man wanted to be Spiderman...we dressed him up like a pumpkin. Can't blame him for being a little upset.

California Trip Part IV: U2 Live

The idea for this trip began when Michelle said she wanted to buy me tickets to the U2 concert for my 40^th birthday…Whoa! – I’d wanted to see U2 live since 1983…but when they were scheduled to play Washington DC Michelle would be in Switzerland…I took a look at the tour schedule and the Rose Bowl show in Pasadena seemed like a great alternative and a great excuse to pack up the family for a big trip. The concert was amazing. Much has been said about the monstrosity of a stage they’ve been dragging around Europe and the US…while the carbon footprint of this concert probably dwarfs that of most developing nations I’d have to say it was worth it. As an extra bonus they had partnered with YouTube to broadcast the entire concert live to the world online. The concert is still available on You Tube if you want to check it out:

U2 Live

California Trip Part III: Redondo Beach

We arrived back in Redondo Beach for a couple days with Greg and Lisa – Greg had a fantastic meal prepared as we arrived: Salmon for Michelle…Steak for me. On Saturday morning the guys laid low while the girls went surfing (Manhattan Beach)…on Sunday the guys went sailing (Redondo to Marina del Ray in a Catalina 34)…not a bad compromise.

California Trip Part II: Sequoia National Park Day 2

Unfortunately, we could only stay 2 nights since we had much more planned for our too-brief stay back in California. On the way out of the park we hiked to the top of Moro Rock - amazing 270 degree views of the surrounding canyon (we did get some strange looks from the other hikers when they saw Dylan riding along on Michelle's back...but it was all perfectly safe...honestly!). Back in the car as we were exiting the park we finally came across a black bear on the side of the road…also perfectly safe…trust me!

California Trip Part I: Sequoia National Park Day 1

We broke free from the East Coast and flew out to Cali for an action-packed week. After a late night arrival at LAX and an overnight with Greg and Lisa we set off Wednesday for a Northbound road-trip to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park. We had a cabin booked in the Grant Grove section of the park - near some great day hikes (General Grant Tree, Panoramic Overlook). Dylan enjoyed the ride through the massive forest - Mum and Dad enjoyed the family time away as well.

Chillin'

"Mummy doesn't want me watching TV but when it's just dad around...and the Formula 1 racing is on..."

Making Daddy's card

So it was Daddy's big 40th and I thought it would be fun if Dylan could make something special for his Birthday. We tried our hand at painting and got out the finger paints. I think Les was pretty happy with is home made card from Dylan.

1st Camping Trip

Dylan had his first camping trip last weekend (we went too). We booked a campsite in the Cunningham Falls State Park near the President's Retreat at Camp David. After setting up camp we loaded the little man into his carrier and set off in search of the Falls - it was a rocky descent but worth the walk, the leaves were turning and Dylan had a blast. This was a chance to try out the new "3-man" tent prior to our California trip - plan to do some camping out West next week as well.
After the hike we lit a campfire (no ghost stories but we did enjoy a 1997 Kalyra Carbernet Franc) and when it had burned itself out (the fire and the wine) we set off to bed. Although the temps dropped into the 40s we all stayed walm throughout the night - happy faces the next morning after we all got a relatively good night sleep.

Goofing Around

Dylan woke up happy as usual. We spent Sunday morning playing around in the in the laundry basket. (In the bottom right photo you can see his 2 front teeth coming in!)

Navy 16 - Air Force 13

On a perfect autum afternoon we went to the Navy-Air Force football game. I thought I'd dress up like the little man for the big event. It was a great game...a little slight on offense but when it mattered the Navy "D" really held their ground.



Here's a photo notebook: "The Navy - Air Force Game through the eyes of a child" Click HERE.

Switzerland

Had a nice week in Switzerland although there was a lot of work, it was still very enjoyable. The weather was great and I was even able to go out for a short walk around the village we stayed in, Rapperswill which is on lake Zurich. We had a fun work team building activity, having cooking lessons while preparing our own meal. I am looking forward to going home to see Dylan and Les.