Fifteen Rounds of Fun (or Beer, Bait and Ammo)

For all of you that follow our exploits on this blog, I apologize. The other blog has taken over my life. Combine that with a very busy summer schedule and I have not had time to do a post here. Sorry. Well, if anyone is still out there, this post will be an attempt to catch up.

The summer really started for us in June. For Father's Day weekend, all of the kids agreed for a family get together at Nana's. This was an INCREDIBLY FUN weekend and we can't wait to do it again. We decided to call the weekend 15 Rounds of Fun in recognition of the fun we had shooting over 1500 rounds of .22 ammunition in 15 round clips! We also shot over 500 rounds of .38 and .357 ammo as well, but 6 Rounds of Fun just didn't sound as good.



Eventhough shooting 2000 rounds of ammo makes for a pretty fun weekend, we did so much more. We ate, drank, fished and celebrated birthdays. We caught several fish and one big snake. All in all it was another FABULOUS gathering of the clans.

Here are a few pics of all of our going ons:

This weekend, my lovely wife and I took a much needed mini-vacation. The house has really been wearing us out and we just needed to get away. So, we headed up the truck and we moved to ... FLATONIA!!!! Now this may not sound that romantic to the uninitiated, but let me assure you, for folks like us it just doesn't get any better. For the third year in a row, we rented the Gander's Down cottage on teh Goose's Roost Ranch (http://www.goosesroost.com/Ganders-Down.htm). This cottage is beautiful and it is set in the middle of their ranch far from the city. They have lovely views and tons of various types of fowl for your viewing pleasure. Here are a few pics of our neighbors:

Here is a great shot of the front a a peacock. No one (except me) ever pays much attention to the back of the peacock. Well if you were wondering, here is what a peacock butt looks like!

In hind sight, we really didn't spend that much time there. We were too busy seeing the sights. Saturday morning we headed out. Our first stop was lunch at the Swiss Alp Dancehall (http://www.swissalptexas.com/). We split and great burger and toured the hall. Decided we would be back for dancing later in the evening. After that, we stopped at the Stanzel Model Aircraft Museum. This was really entertaining. Two brothers from Schulenburg started this in the late 20's. Their business grew and the produced flying toys until the early 80's. They made a ton of money and left it in a foundation that still benefits the folks of Schulunberg today. In additon to the museum, the grounds also host the home they were born in raised in.

The yupneck in front of the Stanzel Model Aircraft Museum in Schulenburg. Whoop!!!

Below is a lovely shot of the grounds through a red yucca. I really loved their house.

After leaving Schulenburg, we went to the "Fiddler's Frolick and Songwriter Serenade" in Hallettsville. Lots of good music and a dang fine little festival. From there we checked into the B&B and then attended mass in Flatonia. That was fun as we took part in Palm Sunday parade where we marched into church waving palms and singing. After mass, we headed out for dinner. We went to Senglemann Hall in Schulenburg. This is another restored dancehall with a Houston/Austin style resturaunt. It was ok. Ate in the beir garten with a bunch of folks from the songwriter's competition. On the left is a great view of the LaVaca County courthouse in Hallettsville.

After that, it was off to Swiss Alp for dancing. We listened and danced to "Almost Patsy Kline". Good group and a great time. The sides of the hall were open and the temp was around 50 degrees. A perfect night for dancing. We had such a good time we stayed till past midnight. That is a late night for the foggies.

Sunday was nice but kind of a downer since we had to head home. Piddled around until the afternoon and then drove back into remodeling reality around 3:00. All in all it was a wonderful and much needed weekend get away!

A lot has happened

A lot has happened since my last post. Just some quick notes and a few pics. I will be going in reverse order. First, this past week was Spring Break!!! Took a couple of days vacation. Sally and I worked so hard! Finished painting the picket fence. This was huge. Now it is time to start the other side. Also cleaned out all of the beds in front of the house. This was a killer job and we have not yet recovered. However, we got one of those pleasant surprises from Mother Nature that we love. While we were cleaning out in front of our bedroom, we found FIVE baby red eared sliders (snapping turtles). The were so cute. Sally kept two for a classroom pet and we sent the other three toward the tank. It is amazing to me that a momma turtle laid her eggs in our bed which is at least 500 yards from Lange Lake. Nature never ceases to amaze me.

Last weekend Whitney came for a visit. She brought Ryan. We had a great time. Took them on a history tour of Washington County. Went first to the the Birthplace of Texas and the Texas museum. Next we toured A&M. Finished off the day at Independence, Texas where we got to tour the Texas Baptist Museum and go inside the Independence Baptist Church. Got to see where Sam Houston sat with his family. No doubt he sat there as he carved his initials in his pew!

Here is Sally and I in front of the giant Aggie Ring at the Association of former students. Kind of our own privat ring dance!

On Monday, I had to work but Sally and the kids continued the party. They went to La Grange and toured Monument Hill and the Krische Brewery. Then they went to the Rohan Meadery where they had a lovely visit with Wendy Rohan. Whitney really enjoyed her and Sally really enjoyed the mead!

Let's go back one more weekend. We were in San Marcos to celebrate Katie and Jessie's birthday! Great time had by all. One of the highlites was visiting the "Three Dudes Winery".

Here is a snap of Sally and all of her babies (which are sadly to say, no longer babies!). All in all it has been a very fun and bust three weeks!

On a roll

Well, I have now experienced TWO OUTSTANDING weeks in a row. Last week started with a test in my International Florticulture Marketing class. First test and I aced it. Tuesday, the bank called and said the remodel is officially on. Wednesday saw the roll out of a big project at work. Thursday was payday - from Texas Gardener! Yep, I got my first writing check. On Friday, I got a ton of seeds in the mail as a "media pack" from Renee's Gardens. Staurday, Sally and I picked out our "faux marble" for our new shower and looked at flooring. Then we finished the first half of the picket fence! Big thanks to Sally. Sunday was church day and work in the garden day. This was interrupted by a very lovely visit from Miss Whitney. Great time with her.

Now, this past Monday was busy work wise, but I got to meet with the A/C contractor and plant more peas, french breakfast radishes and cioggia beets. Tuesday was boring. Wednesday was BAM!!!!! Doug Welsh brought me his copy of Texas Gardener with my article in it! Whoop!!! So exciting and everyone was so nice. Thursday, i got to bring my magazine to work and show it off. Again too much fun. Plus the blog got 80 hits! A new record. Plus i got the offer of a speaking engagement from the Houston master Gardeners. You would think it couldn't get better but it did. We finished the day by attending the Washington County Bee Keeper's meeting. Very fun! Good speaker and lots of nice and interesting folks. We joined and signed up to help with their upcoming "Bee School". I even got my picture made with the 2011 Bee Queen! I am not kidding on this. Just look at the picture! With all of the excitement of the past wo weeks I can only imagine what today and this weekend will bring!

We have a yard!!!

Last weekend, Moose helped me pour a slab for the propane tank. I had to move it since it was too close to the garage. That is ok since I am going to build a covered patio where the tank used to be. Brenham Propane showed up at 8:00 on Friday to reloacate it. Here are a couple of pics. Everything went smoothly and the tank looks great in its new location. The way they moved it was really cool. They had a little crane on the back of a 1 ton pick up. They brought a trencher and relocated the lines and then the tank. Also did me a favor by trenching in front of the garage so I can run my new electrical. I really appreciated the favor. Below is the tank in the new location. Note the crinums on each side. Since this picture was taken I have also moved a bunch of artemsia in front of it. It is actually beginning to look like a yard with flower beds!

Another Great Weekend

Will the fun never stop? This was another banner weekend for the White's. Friday got it started with a dance at the Brenham Sons of Herman Hall. Sally and I realized we had crossed over to the "older side" of life because of this night. You see, the Sons of Herman are pretty much a bunch of OLD German guys and girls. Since they are old, they start the dance at 5:00, dance two hours, eat BBQ and then dance till 9:00. The sad part of this is, Sally and I thought it was about the most fun we have had with all our clothes in quite a while. What does that say about us?

When we got home (at 9:15), Katie and Moose were waiting. I stayed up all the way to 10:30 just to visit with them. Saturday was such a lovely day that Sally suggested a day trip. So, we all loaded up and headed out. First, we stopped at Festival Hill in Round Top. Very lovely. I highly recommend this place for some excellent photog opportunities. Note picture of Sally taking picture of Katie and Moose.

After this we were off to the Kriesche Brewery and Monument Hill State Park in La Grange. This was A MOST ENJOYABLE trip. I do not have the time or the typing skills to quickly detail all that was of note, but suffice to say-GO!!!! Beautiful scenery, Texas history, architecture, photog opps, German ingenuity, Texas Heroes. I could go on and on. Instead, I will just post a few pics:

Above is the house that Mr. Kriesche built with his own two hands

The ruins of the first commercial brewery in Texas. Built with Mr. Kriesche's own hands


The monument to the Texas heroes killed by Santa Anna after the Muir Expedition

The girl that planned this fabulous day and who can still make my heart beat fast!

You would think that there was no way to improve a day like this. However, you would be wrong. We got to buy some kolaches in La Grange, visit the painted church at High Hill and stop by and see Sally's sister's place in Schulenberg. Then, it was off to the Swiss Alp Dance Hall for Jaeger Schnitzel. Sally finished her perfect day by cleaning the kids clock at Tripoli. It just doesn't get better than that!

Beginning to look like something

Thanks to the Reverend Martin Luther King, Sally and I got to stay home last Monday and do a little work to the house. We finally have all of the shutters built, painted and installed on the front of the house. This has been another arduous process that could not have been completed with out the help of my lovely bride and my two favorite son-in-laws. Thanks guys and gals for all of your help. Also note that the front door is no longer an ugly orangey red. It is now the same color red as all of the other doors on the nest. Please also take note of the matching red porch swing that is now hanging as well! Such little things seem to make the biggest difference!

Washington County Spelling Bee

Last night, Sally and I had just about as much fun as is humanly possible on a cold Thursday night in Brenham. We attended the 56th Annual Washington County Spelling Bee. OMG! This thing was so exciting and so much fun. It started with 27 kids from grades 2 through 8. Each of the kids on the stage had won at their respective bees. Sally had one of her students in it and St. Paul's had four kids total. There was also one of our students from CCE. We were so amazed at how smart these kids were. Incredibly hard words were correctly spelled by kids in all ages. Infact, the winners were two fourth graders and one fifth grader. Sally and I really got into it. We would hold our breath when a hard word came and then cheer when they got it. All of them did great. It took 27 rounds to crown the winner. I cannot express how good it was for me to go to this. With so much bad in the news today about bad kids, it is so comforting to know that for every bad kid that makes the news there are hundreds of great kids that are smart and willing to work hard memorizing spelling words. Special props to Austin Derkowitz who is in our 5th Grade CCE and the third place winner and a very special thanks to all of the kids and parents that made a cynical old man remember that there really is a future for America!

Christmas 2011

How do you start when you have two solid weeks of holiday cheer jam packed with activities. I guess I will go chronoligically. First, before the holidays really got going, we went to Austin to watch Danny Hartly graduate from St. Edwards. Very nice ceremony and we really enjoyed sharing the day with his family.

The following weekend, we were off to Denton to watch Scott Hemann graduate from UNT. This was a lot of fun as well. We really were glad Jessie and Whitney could join us. It was also fun hanging out with all of the Hemann's. Sally and I did a count and figured out that this was our SIXTH graduation ceremony at UNT in the last three years. Only one more to go. Whitney should walk in a year and a half.

After all of the graduating, Sally, Katie and Ramez all got out of school for a much needed two week break. Katie and Ramez arrived at the nest on the night of the 20th. They had to come to an empty nest because Sally, heather and I met David and Pam at the Original Ninfa's to bid him farewell. He is off on another Flour adventure in Guinnea, Africa. This was a bittersweet parting as we know we will not see him for at least a year. Oh well, at the live sex show in the parking lot broke the mood. Katie and Moose spent most of the early part of the week helping Sally prepare for Christmas. So much cooking, cleaning, shopping and wrapping. Moose helped me organize my work area in the garage and build the arbor and the gate for the picket fence. Jared and I started painting the fence but that was later. here is the finished pic of Moose and Jared's hard work.

Christmas eve was a big night. This is when we all worked to together to bottle the wine. Chris, Jessie and Cameron were all there and we were all so thankful. While we were sterilizing and bottling, Cameron (and the other guys) drank a bunch of the wine just to make sure it was o.k. Judging by the amount consumed and the slurred comments, we decided it was good.

Christmas morning brought the annual pancake and mimosa breakfast enhanced with the family crossword. All agreed that this year's crossword was the hardest and bestest.

After Christmas we had a spirited "Chinese Gift Exchange". Moose won the prize of best gift by giving me "The pot that ruined Christmas". This is an inside joke and you had to be there to fully appreciate it. However, trust me, it was very funny.

Sunday found Chris, Gran, Sally and I at the Antoun's for a lovely and spirited Middle eastern dinner.

The week after Christmas found Whitney, Heather and Jared at the nest. We also got a surprise visit from margret and Kathleen Hartly.

Whitney left on Thursday because she had a hot date for New Year's. To prepare for this lavish evening at the symphony, Sally took Heather and Whit to get a manicure. After Whit left, it was such a lovely day that we decided to go to Blue Bell for the tour. Guess what? No tours today! This is the third time that we have tried to get in a tour at Blue Bell and they weren't doing them. So, after a couple of fresh scoops at the palnt we went to the Monastery of St. Claire. This is a bunch of very old nuns that raise miniature horses. It was pretty cool but sad. The nuns are so old they cannot maintain the place anymore. So, they have sold it. All of the horses will be gone by summer. The horses were cute but what interested us the most was the huge colony of cutter ants that we discovered. We did not even know this type of ant lived in our part of the world.

Friday, Jared helped me paint the fence and build and paint shutters. Big help and I really appreciated. We spent a quiet evening at home to bring in the New Year. Sally suggested going to get lottery tickets so that's waht she and Heather did. And boy is heather glad she made that trip. Turns out, she won over $600!!!!! Way to go Heather. What a great way to bring in 2011!

Jared and Heather left us on Saturday. It was another fabulous day so Sally and did a bunch of much needed yard and garden work. We worked in the potager and planted peas on cedar trellises. We also planted French breakfast radishes and Chioga beets. We planted 10-15 onions the prvious weekend. We also harvested lettuce, spinach, carrots and turnips. We trimmed bushes, weeded beds and planted roses and primrose jasmine. I also transplanted a bunch of crinums and some daffodils.

We finished our break by teaching CCE and spending the day with Sally's family in Houston. We brough Pa fresh oysters and spent a lovely afternoon visiting with he and MiMi. On the way home we dropped off homemade wine to David and Kim. WHEW!!!! Another fun filled holiday is behind us. Here's to our friends and family! I hope you all have a happy and prosperous New Year!!!!1